It was a dreary, cold morning in the Pits. Annika was at his work desk in his bedroom, shivering and reading a chemistry book in hopes of perfecting his gloom formula. Suddenly, Annika heard several large thumping sounds from the upstairs. Although it was faint, Annika could hear Tommy singing.

"Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way!"

Annika clutched his head as Tommy's singing got louder and louder. Tommy's singing it made it harder for Annika to focus on his readings.

"Oh, great. It's that time of year again," Annika murmured to himself. "If I want to get anything done, better go upstairs and remind Chocolate Chip Brain that we don't celebrate Christmas in the Pits."

Annika leaped out of the chair. He picked up his helmet lying on his worktable and placed it on his head. Then Annika looked back and noticed a small box sitting on his right. He picked it up and slowly opened the box. When it was opened, coloured lights lit up the dark and dreary room. Annika stared at the light with a calm yet perplexed look on his face. Annika hated Star Sprinkles and he hated Christmas just as much, but looking at the present that Rainbow Brite gave Annika last year made Annika feel conflicted.

Meanwhile, Tommy was dancing around the living the room, decorating the broken down furniture with multicoloured tinsel.

"It's the most wonderful time of the year!" Tommy sang. He picked up a stick with a boxing glove on it and wrapped it with green tinsel. "There. That looks good on you! ...After all these years, I have no clue what this thing is supposed to be..." Tommy said as he placed it back in a vase.

Tommy suddenly heard footsteps coming from the downstairs and he paused.

"Oh, Tommy?"

Tommy covered his eyes and said:

"Oh no, I forgot. Annika hates Christmas!" Tommy panicked as he heard Annika's footsteps getting louder. He gathered as much tinsel from the furniture as he could. Before Tommy knew it, Annika was in the living room. He saw Tommy running across the living room, picking up the tinsel that was lying on the furniture

"Tommy, what are you doing?"

Tommy looked back at Annika with a shocked look on his face.

"Nothing. I wasn't celebrating Christmas at all, Annika." Tommy stared down at the tinsel that he was holding. "I was just...just... uh...umm..." Annika shook his head.

"Oh, never mind that, Persimmon Brain." He pointed at Tommy and said, "I've got some important news to tell you."

"Umm... What is it, Annika?" Tommy smiled.

"We're going to celebrate Christmas!"

Tommy looked at Annika with a confused look on his face.

"Wait... we are?"

Annika crossed his arms, irritated. "Yes, yes! We're celebrating Christmas this year!"

Tommy started to jump up and down.

"Oh, goody! It's my favourite time of the year! I can't wait to share Christmas with you! We're going to have more Christmas fun than last year! It's gonna be great, Annika!" Tommy realized something and stopped dancing. "But Annika, aren't we going try out some scheme to ruin Rainbow Brite's Christmas, like what we do every year?"

"No scheme this time, my friend. I'm taking a break from scheming for now."

"Really?" Tommy said with a puzzled look on his face. Even though Tommy liked the idea of celebrating Christmas with Annika, all of this seemed to be too good to be true.

"Oh, don't get your hopes up, Apple Crepe Breath; it's only going to be for the Christmas season. After that, we're back in business."

"Oh..." Tommy replied, antennae drooping lopsided. Tommy thought for a moment and suddenly, his face lit up. He walked towards the couch and started to decorate the couch with tinsel again. Annika glared at him.

"What are you doing Tommy?"

"Oh, I'm just decorating the room so it will look more Christmas-y." said Tommy. Annika grinned.

"We're not celebrating Christmas in the Pits. We're going on a vacation!"

"Okay." Tommy tilted his head. "But why?"

"Why, you ask? Because the farther we are from Rainbow Brat and her meddlesome friends, the better. I can't relax if those brats are nearby."

"But where are we going to celebrate Christmas, Annika?" Annika ran towards his laboratory signaled Tommy to come over with his arm.

"Come on, come on, Pickle Brain. I'll show you."

Tommy dropped the tinsel and followed Annika into the laboratory. Annika picked up an old, crumpled map of Rainbow Land on the floor and hopped onto the stool by his work desk. He rolled out the map and placed four beakers on the corners to keep it in place. Tommy peeked over Annika's shoulder so he could take a closer look.

"We are going to stay in that old Sprite house by the water mill," Annika said.

"You mean the one in the abandoned Sprite village? I dunno, Annika. It would be kind of lonely there, don't you think?" Tommy crossed his arms and added, "I mean, that place doesn't have anybody living there since the Dark One took over Rainbow Land."

"That why it's a perfect place for us to celebrate the Holidays; Rainbow Brat and her disgusting friends won't brother us." Annika jumped up from chair and ran past Tommy.

"Come on, Banana Brain. We got to hurry up and pack. It's going take a while for us to get there."

"Okay, Annika. I'll get ready as fast as I can!"

Annika and Tommy went downstairs to their rooms to back their personal belongings. Tommy didn't want to make Annika upset with him for taking too long, so he packed as quickly as he could. As soon as Tommy finished packing his personal belongings, he went upstairs to gather all the Christmas related items he could find and packed them in beaten up wooden boxes.

However, Annika was taking longer than usual to get ready. Annika carried a large pile of books to his worn out book bag. The books were so heavy, he swayed back and forth. He dropped the books on the stool and thought to himself: This should be enough books to keep me from getting bored. He packed the books into the book bag and glanced at his suitcases.

I got my blanket, my pillow, my books and my grey gun. This should be everything I need.

Then he noticed the small box on his work desk again. He sighed and opened the box, which lit up the room with rainbow coloured lights once more. Annika squinted his eyes since the lights were so bright and colourful.

"Annika! All my stuff is packed up!" Tommy shouted from the entrance.

Tommy's voice caught him off guard. Annika quickly closed the box and turned back to his luggage, trying to figure out where he could store the box. He saw the pocket in his oversized coat and hastily put the box into his coat pocket.

Tommy was outside loading the suitcases and boxes into the back of the Grunge Buggy. He stopped loading, as he suddenly heard footsteps. Tommy turned around and saw Annika carrying his luggage. The luggage was so heavy, Annika had a hard time lifting it; waddling back and forth as he tried to walk closer to the Grunge Buggy. Annika was bringing so much, that Tommy could only see Annika's arms and legs.

"Oh, quit standing there, Candy Cane Breath! Help me carry this to the Grunge Buggy!"

"Okay, Annika."

Tommy rushed to where Annika was and grabbed Annika's book bag and suitcase. Tommy ran so fast that he made Annika lose his balance. Tommy was so focused on his task that he didn't notice that Annika fell down on his bottom. Annika shook his head.

"Oooh! Watch it, Coconut Brain!"

He picked up the two suitcases that were lying right beside him and walked towards the Grunge Buggy. Annika took a close look at the Grunge Buggy and realized that there was not much room left. He picked up his luggage and stuffed it in the Garbage Can, where Annika usually sat.

Tommy was already in the driver's seat, ready to go. Annika climbed onto Tommy head and pulled out a map from his coat.

"Okay Tommy, I'll tell you the directions and you drive. You better not mess this up, Tommy. We can't afford to get lost!" Annika said while poking at Tommy's head to get his attention. Tommy looked up at Annika and smiled.

"Yeah. I won't let you down."

Annika looked at Tommy and frowned.

"You better..."

Tommy turned on the engine and the Grunge Buggy started to rattle. The Grunge Buggy took longer than usual to start, since it was not used to carrying so much weight. Annika gulped; he was unsure if the Grudge Buggy was going to start up.

Luckily, it eventually did and Tommy drove out of the Pits into unfamiliar territory. Annika watched the purple fog that covered the Pits slowly disappear. It never snowed in the Pits, so the further away they were from the Pits, the higher the snow was. He noticed how natural the scenery was, with the snow sparkling on the evergreen trees and on the ground. Annika hated it, but he knew that he had to tolerate it if he wanted this to work out.

For the whole drive, Tommy managed to follow Annika's demands correctly. However, the drive was so long, Tommy was drifting off to sleep.

"Okay, Tommy. If you go straight ahead, we should reach the abandoned Sprite Village."

"Yeah..." said Tommy, eyes slowly closing.

"Tommy..."

"Hmmm?"

"Tommy!"

Tommy gave no response. Annika looked down and face palmed when he saw Tommy with his eyes closed. Annika snapped his fingers and Tommy snapped to attention.

"Tommy, we're here!"

Annika and Tommy got out of the Grudge Buggy and looked around the Village. They were the only ones outside, so it felt empty. The Sprite domes had cracks in them and the most of the windows were broken. Some of the Sprite Domes already started to shrink into the ground so you could only see the roofs of the houses.

Tommy fiddled with his fingers; the bareness of the village made him feel anxious. Although he was used to the solitude of the Pits and he knew this place was abandoned but he'd never seen a Sprite Village so empty before. Even the beauty of the watermill and the river that streamed beside it didn't comfort him. Annika, on the other hand, couldn't have been happier.

"Don't just stand there Bumble Berry Pie Brain. Let's get moving!" Annika grabbed his book bag and walked towards the Spite Dome that was next to the watermill.

"Coming, Annika."

Tommy grabbed two suitcases and followed Annika. Annika jostled the rusty doorknob in an attempt to open it. It was difficult, since the door hadn't been opened in a long time. Annika turned the doorknob a pulled back with all his strength. He pulled so hard he fell flat on his back, and the door finally opened.

Annika groaned as he got up from the ground. The two peeked into the house and saw that the ceiling and floor were covered in cobwebs. The wooden floor creaked with every step as they entered the house. Concerning furniture, there was only a couch, a table and a couple of chairs as far as they could see. Tommy wandered in further and looked around the room.

"It looks…looks-"

"It's perfect!"

Annika dropped his book bag and skipped into the kitchen. He ran his finger on the dining table. He lifted his finger and chucked to himself when he saw the dirt build up. Nice and dusty, just how I like it!

"Hey, Annika!"

Annika turned his attention to Tommy and saw him staring at the window.

"This window has so much frost, I can't see anything…" said Tommy, rubbing his hands on the window. Annika walked towards Tommy and gave him a pat on the back.

"Oh Tommy, that's what the windows should look like," Annika said in a condescending tone. Tommy looked at Annika, with a puzzled look on his face, unsure on how he should respond. Annika cleared his throat.

"Now Tommy, you unpack the luggage from the Grunge Buggy and bring them over here, while I go check the upstairs. Got it?!"

Tommy looked at Annika with a happy yet exhausted look on his face.

"Sure, Annika!"

Tommy left the kitchen and went outside. Annika picked up the book bag from the hallway and walked to upstairs. As he walked up the stairs, he could feel his hand collecting old dirt from the railings. When he reached the top of the stairs, he dusted his hands.

Annika opened the door and entered what looked like a bedroom. He saw a small window and two Sprite beds. It looked too small for any of them, so neither him or Tommy could sleep on it. The only other furniture the room were a dusty table and chair.

Annika's eyes widened as he suddenly remembered something that was very important. He took the box of Star Sprinkles out of his coat pocket and placed it on the table. Annika stood quickly as he started at the it. Annika picked up the box and began to slowly open it, but suddenly, he heard Tommy's voice. Annika picked up the box and began to slowly open it, but suddenly, he heard Tommy's voice.

"Hey Annika! I think I need some help carrying this very big box!"

Annika closed the box quickly and hastily put it back on the table. He picked up his book bag and jolted down stairs to check on Tommy. As he ran down the stairs, he spotted Tommy holding a box so big that it covered his face.

"Hey, Annika. Can you give me a hand and help me carry this?"

Annika sighed. He could tell from the way Tommy's arms shook that the box was going to be a heavy load. Oh, why does Tommy need my help for? I'm so much smaller than him. Does this Bubble Brain really think I can carry this thing?

Before he knew it, Tommy shoved the box into Annika's arms, giving him no choice but to carry the other side. The weight of the box caused Annika's arms to shake, too.

"Y-ou keep walking backwards until I tell you to stop," said Tommy.

"Yeesh. This can't end well", Annika muttered to himself. The two started to walk backwards towards the living room. Although they both had a hard time carrying the box, the box put a larger physical strain on Annika, as he had to constantly catch his breath.

"We can stop here!", Tommy hastily let go of the box and Annika dropped the box as soon as Tommy let go. Annika was so exhausted from carrying the box that he didn't think about where it was going to land. Unfortunately, the box landed right on his foot.

"Yowhowho!" Annika picked up his injured foot and hopped in circles. "What kind of junk was packed into that box anyways?"

Tommy, still breathing deeply, looked back at the box and opened the box's top. He pulled out some tinsel and said, "Christmas decorations! So we can make the house look all Christmas-y!"

Annika stopped hopping and looked back at Tommy with distress. "How many things do we still need to bring to the cottage?"

"Oh, we still have a lot of packages that are waiting in the Grudge Buggy, Annika. That box was the first one I brought over here!"

Annika shook his head and face palmed.

It took at least an hour for the two to bring their belongings into the cottage. The two regretted bringing so many things, especially since they were only planning to stay until the day after Christmas. Annika was lying on the couch. Tommy was so tired from all that lifting that he collapsed on the floor soon after he unpacked the last luggage. The two were breathing heavily and too tired to sit up.

"Tommy…?"

Y-yeah… Annika?"

"How come you had such a easy time carrying those boxes back when we were getting ready to leave but you needed MY help to unpack?!"

"I dunno. I guess I was still so tried from packing all those things and driving. Geez, I love trips, but that trip was so long, I almost fell asleep…."

"Yeah, don't remind me." Annika looked up at the ceiling and frowned. For someone as clumsy as Tommy, he sure does try hard, Annika thought.

Annika never really thought about how hard Tommy worked to keep up with Annika's demands. He was usually so caught up in his plans working that he usually noticed Tommy's mistakes more than anything. He was puzzled on why he felt less upset than Tommy than usual or why he was willing to help Tommy unpack, despite feeling that he wouldn't be much help. Maybe it was the upcoming Christmas season that made Annika feel like being nicer, yet he felt more confused because of it. This feeling bothered Annika and he had to get to the bottom of it.

Annika looked at Tommy, who had enough strength to sit up He rolled on his belly and poked Tommy's head to get his attention.

"Hey, Tommy."

"What is it, Annika?"

Annika cleared his throat. The question he was about to ask Tommy made him feel awkward.

"How did your family celebrate this so called 'Christmas', anyways?"

Tommy smiled.

"Oh, we do a bunch of stuff. We wrap presents, give each other presents, eat a big meal, sing carols and…"

"Oh, slow down you Blabber Mouth. We don't need to do all that stuff, yet. I just need to know what the first thing you guys do…"

"Hmm, let me think. It's been a long time since I've celebrated Christmas with my family, so it might take a while." Annika rolled his eyes while Tommy pondered. Then, Tommy snapped his fingers.

"Oh, I know what it is! First, we find a Christmas tree! We find a Christmas tree and we it put in the living room near the fireplace."

Annika leaped off the couch and put on his oversized coat, "Come on, Gingerbread Head. Let's go find ourselves this so-called 'Christmas tree'.

"I'm right behind you."

Tommy picked up the axes that were by the door and followed Annika outside. The snow crunched as they walked away from the cottage and towards the forest. When they reached the forest, Annika and Tommy looked up in awe. Sure, the Pits was a vast place, but the forest felt different somehow. The forest didn't feel as dead as the Pits but it didn't feel as lively (or as Annika would have put it, obnoxious) as Rainbow Land. It felt lonely, but dignified.

Annika shook his head, and said,

"Okay, Tommy. Keep your eyes peeled for the perfect tree, got it?"

"Got it." Tommy nodded.

Annika and Tommy walked deeper into the forest, and the further they went, the darker and colder the forest became. Annika hunched over with his arms crossed, shivering. Maybe going so deep into the forest for a stupid tree wasn't such a good idea… Suddenly, something caught Annika's attention.

"Hey, Tommy! I found it; it's perfect! Absolutely perfect!" Annika said, wringing his hands together.

Tommy walked over a peeked over Annika's shoulder. He saw a scrawny tree that didn't have many needles on it branches. The tree looked so fail that Tommy was afraid that the branches would snap if they tried to carry it back to the cottage.

"That tree?…but Annika! It's so small!" Tommy said with a confused look on his face. Annika crossed his arms.

"Yeah? So what? What's wrong with it being small?"

"Ah, nothing…. It's just that I thought we were going to get a bigger tree, like that one." Tommy pointed to a tree that was much, much taller than the scrawny tree that Annika was so excited about.

Annika was frustrated with Tommy. To him, this tree was perfect. It was skinny and decrepit, and that was just the way he liked things. In a sense, the tree reminded him of himself.

Annika stomped his feet and yelled at Tommy.

"Oh, you Nugget Brain! Do you think we can carry that thing all the way back? My back is still aching because of all that unpacking we just did!" Tommy flinched, as Annika's yelling caught him off guard. Tommy gulped and continued to explain himself.

"Maybe not... But that tree is so small. It might snap if we try to pick it up."

Annika glanced at Tommy.

"Maybe if you wouldn't be so clumsy this time, that won't happen…"

"Well, I guess so…" Tommy said, looking down to the ground. Suddenly, Annika didn't feel angry anymore. Instead, there was a feeling of guilt. It was an odd feeling that Annika wasn't used to. Annika looked back and forth between Tommy and the tree, unsure on how to respond.

"Well…umm… Nobody says anything on how big the tree has to be, anyways. Right?"

"Umm, right…"

"So, there's nothing wrong with this tree."

"You got a point right there, Annika."

Tommy stretched his arms and began walking towards were the tree was. But before he knew it, Annika was carrying the tree by himself.

"Come Tommy. We got to hurry, before it gets dark outside."

"Sure, Annika"

The two head quickly returned to the cottage, with their new Christmas tree.

At the cottage, Tommy went inside the room and opened a big box. While Tommy was taking things out of the box, Annika placed the tree in the middle of the living room. He wrapped the trunk with a blanket from the bedroom to keep the tree standing upright. When Annika was done, he turned to Tommy.

"Hey, aren't we supposed to decorate this tree with disgusting, colourful decorations? Those Colour Brats do that every year with their Christmas tree,"

"Umm, Yeah. We can do that later, though. I'm trying to focus on a really important project."

Oh, what could Tommy be working on that can possibility be so important…?

Annika got up from and walked towards Tommy, who was sitting down with his back turned. Annika glanced over Tommy's shoulder and saw Tommy was holding some gray yarn, knitting what looked like a sweater. Annika raised his eyebrows and said:

"I didn't know you could knit."

"Of course I can. Everyone in my family can. It's a part of our Christmas tradition. Me, my brother, mom and dad… we all knit Christmas sweaters and we give them as presents."

Tommy gave Annika some black and white yarn and a pair of knitting needles.

"Try it, Annika. It's really fun."

Annika, took a strand of yarn and wrapped it around his finger to create a loop.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt I guess." Knitting can't be that hard if Tommy can do it. He can't even tie his own shoes.

Annika took the knitting needle and confidently put the needle through his knots. Suddenly, the stitches fell apart. Annika was overconfident, so he knitted too quickly. Annika wanted to scream but he knew that he couldn't. He didn't want Tommy to know that he was having hard time knitting.

So Annika tried again. He tried to watch what Tommy was doing. Tommy noticed and turned to face Annika, but before he could catch him, Annika quickly turned away. Annika didn't have enough time to see what kind of techniques Tommy was using but he knew from watching that he needed to be slower. He took the yarn and the needle and knitted slower. However, whenever Annika tied a knot, the needle slipped. Annika couldn't hide his frustration anymore.

"Oh, why can't this needle just go in, already?"

Tommy walked up to Annika and saw Annika struggling to knit properly.

"Maybe I can help."

"Be my guest," Annika grunted.

Tommy took the yarn and needle away from Annika and started knitting himself.

"First, you should tie the knots slowly."

"Ohwo, I tried that already," Annika said with his arms crossed.

"And you should knit patiently."

Annika turned himself away from Tommy and let out a whiny sigh. Even though he wasn't watching Tommy anymore, he knew that Tommy was doing a much better at knitting than himself. He felt embarrassed, because he thought that it would be easy but it ended up being something that made him look like a beginner next to Tommy. He knew that he needed to find something else to do, because just sitting here and thinking about it would make him feel more and more envious.

Annika got up and said, "I changed my mind. I don't want to knit anymore."

"Oh…okay, Annika. Did you want to work on this one later, or…"

But before Tommy could finish, Annika was already in the kitchen. He brought out flour, butter, eggs and sugar from the storage, and placed them on the kitchen table. Annika cracked the eggs and stirred them together with the butter, sugar and flour. He smiled as he watched the mixture thicken. Preparing cookies made Annika feel more confidant, as he was working on something that he was very good at. Annika smirked.

"He may be better at knitting, but I'm much better at cooking."

20 minutes later, Tommy smelled something delicious. He took the sweater that he just finished and followed the scent right into the kitchen. Tommy's eyes widened as he saw Annika taking out a batch of cookies from the oven.

"Gosh, those look good! Can I have some?" said Tommy.

"Not yet! It needs to cool first," Annika growled. Then, he hopped onto the stool and placed the cookies onto the table.

"Okay, Annika. Anyways I finished knitting the sweater!" Tommy placed the sweater into Annika's hands. "Here. I knit it for you!"

Annika examined the black and white sweater. He raised his eyebrows as he read "Have a gloomy Christmas." He flipped it over and groaned when he read the back. "Gloomy means happy."

"So do you like it Annika?"

"It's so tacky…"

"Well, the tackiness is half the fun!" Tommy said. Then Tommy started fiddling with his fingers and glancing at the cookies. Annika sighed.

"I guess you can have one of the cookies."

"Oh, goody!" Tommy took a cookie and bit into it. "You know, Annika, this cookie is really good." Then Tommy took the rest of the cookie and ate it. "You're good at baking like I'm good at knitting!"

Annika gave a slight smile, "I guess you're right about that, Tommy."

"It's great that we both made presents using our talents."

Annika put on the sweater that Tommy made him since he was no longer jealous of Tommy for his talent for knitting. Both he and Tommy took some cookies, and ate the batch together.

By the time night fell, and Annika and Tommy were tired from their first day at the cottage. The night was very cold, like it was most winter nights. It was so cold that Annika had to wear his oversized coat everywhere in order to keep warm.

Annika jumped onto the couch and wrapped himself up in a blanket. He placed his helmet on the table and reached out for a book sitting on the floor and started to read it.

"I need a good place to do my late the night reading, so this couch is going be my bed." As he said this, Tommy looked at him with a worried look on his face.

"But Annika, where am I going to sleep? There are no other couches, and the sprite beds are too small for me."

Annika pulled down the book and looked at the floor.

"You brought a sleeping bag with you, right?"

"Right…"

"So why don't you sleep in the floor then?"

"I guess that would work…."

Tommy took his sleeping bag and rolled it out on the floor. The two were ready to go to sleep, but Tommy remembered something.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot to brush my teeth!"

Annika pulled down the book again and raised his eyebrows.

"You actually brush your teeth?"

Tommy snapped his fingers and said:

"Twice a day, every day."

Annika replied with an annoyed groan. He pulled up the book and started reading again. For a while, Annika didn't mind Tommy taking his time brushing his teeth, because it meant more time for reading. However, he eventually got annoyed with Tommy taking up so much time in the bathroom.

"Tommy, how long does it take to brush your teeth?!"

"Umm, I'm done with the bushing."

"Then, why are you still in here?"

"I need to floss."

Annika shook his head.

"Ugh, it will 700 years until he's done. At least I don't bush my teeth…"

"Hey, Annika; I'm done!"

Annika was so surprised that he tossed his book and it landed on his head.

"Ah, don't do that!"

Annika, looked down to the floor and saw Tommy getting into his sleeping bag.

"Sorry, Annika. But you know what? Tomorrow is going to be a bigger day than today!"

Annika scratched his head.

"Really? Why?"

"Because it's Christmas Eve tomorrow! I'll tell you more about it in the morning, okay Annika?"

"Okay…"

Annika yawned. He tried to read more of his book but he was so tired, he dropped the book on the floor and drifted off to sleep. Tommy sat up and saw him sleeping peacefully.

"I guess Annika isn't so bad after all." Tommy blew out the candle that was standing on the table behind him and went to sleep.

The cold night quietly passed. Light shined brightly though the windows of the cottage. Tommy woke up and rubbed his eyes as he yawned.

Gosh, today is going to be a big day. But I don't remember why.

As Tommy got up from the floor, he noticed that Annika was still asleep with his blanket wrapped around his body. Seeing Annika, Tommy suddenly realised why today was so important.

Tommy ran towards the couch, and quickly reached out his arms to shake Annika's shoulders.

"Annika, Annika! Get up, get up! Today is a big day!"

Annika yawned and turned to face the other side of the couch, "Be quiet, blabber mouth... I'm still tired…"

"But Annika, it's Christmas Eve! We get ready on Christmas Eve! C'mon, I'll tell you more at breakfast."

Tommy jolted to the kitchen and Annika slowly followed. Annika prepared oatmeal for them both. Tommy was swaying back and forth, humming Jingle Bells. He was so excited to tell Annika all about Christmas Eve.

Annika grumbled to himself as he stirred the pot of oatmeal. Annika frowned; he couldn't see why Tommy was so happy. He looked down into the pot and saw that the gray and lumpy oatmeal was bubbling. Annika turned off the stove and poured the oatmeal into two bowls. Annika grabbed two spoons and gave one of the bowls to Tommy and they took their seats at the table. Annika scooped up some oatmeal, and blew on it to cool it down.

"So Tommy, what is this 'Christmas Eve' that you keep yammering about?"

"Oh, it's a very special day, Annika. It's almost as special as Christmas Day itself!" Tommy took a spoonful of strawberry jam and stirred the spoon in his bowl of oatmeal. Then, Tommy eagerly dug up some oatmeal with his spoon and put it in his mouth.

"Be…cause… Christ…mas Eve is whe…n…" He paused to gulp down his food. "Santa Claus comes to visit!" Annika raised his eyebrows.

"Wait a second. I heard those Colour Brats talk about this 'Santa Claus' guy before, but why would he want to visit us?

"Well Annika, let me explain! By the end of the day you will know everything about Santa Claus."

Annika stirred his spoon around and grumbled.

"Well you see Annika, everyone has a present or wish that they want from Santa. On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus makes these wishes come true by putting presents under the Christmas tree. When everyone wakes up on Christmas Day, that's when they will see their presents!"

Annika suddenly paused, with his spoon halfway to his mouth.

"But Santa Claus only gives presents or grants wishes if they've been good all year round!"

Annika dropped his spoon. It landed in the bowl. Tommy eyes widen when he noticed that Annika was not aware that he had dropped his spoon.

"Um, Annika… your spoon is sinking into your oatmeal…"

Annika shook his head.

"Of course I knew that, strawberry jam breath. I'm still tired from yesterday, that's all!"

Annika took his spoon and continued eating his oatmeal. He wanted to finish it quickly so he could get away from this awkward situation. Unlike Tommy, Annika was anything but exicited for Christmas Eve, so getting away from Tommy would be for the best. Annika stood up from his chair and burped.

"Ah, that was a good breakfast. Now if you'll excuse me, I got some more reading to do."

Tommy leaped out of his chair. "And I got something important to do, too!"

Annika hesitantly peeked out of the kitchen door and watched Tommy wrap the Christmas Tree with black and white tinsel. Annika bit his lip. He wanted to ask Tommy something that was bothering him since he told him about Santa Claus, but he was too nervous. Annika gulped and looked around the room. Then Annika put his fist against his chest and smirked. There's nothing to be nervous about, it's just Tommy after all! He walked towards Tommy with a confident strut, trying to make sure that Tommy wouldn't know how nervous he was.

"Tommy!"

Tommy turned around while he was putting up an ornament.

"What is it, Annika?"

Annika pointed at Tommy and grinned.

"It's just that I have a question about Santa Claus that I was hoping you could answer."

Tommy started jumping up and down.

"Oh, goody! I think I can give you a good answer! I know what all there needs to known about Santa Claus!"

"Yeah, whatever…" Annika grunted. Then, he grinned. "My question is… if all the good people get presents from Santa, then what does Santa give the people who've been bad all year round?"

"Hmmm…" Tommy took a stocking that was lying by the fireplace and hung it on the wall. "Well, Santa gives those people coal in their stockings, like this one here," said Tommy as he pointed at the stocking he just hung up.

"Oh, good. That doesn't sound like a bad present to me! It's colourless and it can be useful for my schemes. Personally, I won't mind finding coal in my stocking."

Tommy frowned.

" But, Annika; everyone wants presents for Christmas because Santa can bring you anything you want."

Annika raised his eyebrows.

"Anything?"

"Yes! Anything, Annika!"

Annika looked down and frowned.

"I doubt it…"

Tommy sighed and his antennae drooped as he watched Annika leave the living room. Annika went to the lounge to lay on the couch. He picked up a book from the floor.

"I really doubt it…." Annika started reading the book, ignoring everything else around him.

The rest of the day went slowly. Tommy continued to prepare for Santa Claus. The milk, cookies and the carrots for the Reindeer were placed on the table. The stockings were lined up above the fireplace, and the fireplace was kept unlit to ensure Santa arrived at the Sprite Home safely. Annika, on the other hand, spent his day reading, hoping to forget the conversion he had with Tommy.

However, Annika and Tommy both became hungry. Annika grew so hungry that he couldn't focus on reading. He went to the kitchen and prepared some tomato soup and bread for the two to eat. That night, at dinner, Annika remembered an old memory that he thought he buried a long time ago.

"It's almost done! It's almost done!"

Annika let go of his pencil and stared at his chicken scratch writing.

"There it's perfect!" Annika grabbed the letter and folded it into a small square. Then he got up from his chair and walked away from the desk. Annika then skipped towards his bed but paused to look out the window. He saw a beautiful star shinning in the cold, quiet night. Annika kneeled down to the floor, cupped his hands to together and gazed at the lone star.

"Please, Winter Sprit… or if there's anyone else out there… please make him come back, just for the First Winter's Day. I never get a chance to see him because Mom says that he's always busy. But if the First Winter's Day can make any wish come true, then please make-"

Suddenly, Annika heard the sound of footsteps approaching his room. Annika got up from the floor and quickly put the folded piece of paper under his pillow. Annika tucked himself to bed and watched the door slowly open.

"Murkwell, are you ready for bed?"

"Yes, mom."

Ms. Dismal walked to her son's bedside and patted his head, "That's good. And you did all by yourself this time, too." Annika gave his mom a slight smile. "So Murkwell, are you excited for the First Day of Winter?"

Annika excitedly sat up from his bed, "Uh huh; I can't wait to try out sledding! I'm old enough to sled by myself! You said so, yourself!"

Ms. Dismal chuckled as she tucked Annika back into bed, "Yes, but don't go on those big hills okay? I don't want you to get yourself hurt!"

"Okay mom…" Annika sighed.

"That's a good boy." Ms. Dismal gave Annika a kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight, Murkwell."

"Goodnight, Mom."

Ms. Dismal walked out of the bedroom. She held the bedroom doorknob, slowly closing the door. Before the door fully closed, Annika sat up from his bed once again.

"Mom!"

Ms. Dismal stopped closing the door and stepped into the bedroom.

"What is it, Murkwell?"

"Do all the First Winter Wishes come true?"

Before she could answer, Annika heard Tommy's faint voice and the memory started to fade away.

"Annika! Oh, Annika!"

"Gah! What?" Annika looked around the room quickly.

"Annika… you dropped your spoon again."

"Oh! I knew that!" Annika picked up his spoon and continued eating his tomato soup.

"Umm Annika, is there something wrong. You've been spacing out since we've been eating dinner."

Annika gulped his soup and looked back at Tommy.

"No, I'm fine! Just fine…"

Tommy said nothing. Annika stared at his tomato soup and stirred it. Annika no longer had the appetite to eat, but at the same time, he couldn't let Tommy know what was brothering him. Annika took his spoon slurped the soup loudly. When he was done, Annika made a fake burp sound and stood up from his chair.

"Ahhh. I'm so full; I don't think I can eat anymore." Annika glanced at Tommy. "I'll just go to the couch and read some more. You can take my leftovers; I don't want them."

"Sure, Annika. This tomato soup is so tasty!"

Annika left the kitchen and entered the lounge. Annika put on his coat that was lying on the floor and sat down on the couch.

"Thank goodness that Tommy is so gullible," he sighed in relief. "I don't have to think too much to get him off my back." Annika picked up his book from the floor and continued to read where he left of, trying to forget all about the painful memory.

Later that night, Tommy walked into the lounge and let out a loud yawn. Then, Tommy lay down on the floor and wrapped himself up in the sleeping bag. Annika dropped his book onto his chest and looked down at him.

"What are you doing, sleeping so early at night? It's not even midnight!"

Tommy rubbed his eyes.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you… Santa Claus doesn't come if you're awake at mid-night." Tommy yawned again. "So it's best if we sleep early tonight, you know."

Annika grumbled, took the candle and blew it out. Annika turned to face the other side of the couch, trying to sleep. But before Tommy closed his eyes, he remembered that he had something important to ask Annika. It was a question that he wanted to ask ever since he met him, but never had the opportunity to.

"Um, Annika?" Tommy reached out his arms and shook Annika's shoulders.

"Not now, kiwi brain. I'm trying to sleep!"

"But Annika, it's something important."

Annika turned to face Tommy, looking irritated.

"What is it this time?!"

Tommy flinched for a second. Then he gathered up his courage and asked:

"You first learned about Christmas when you moved to Rainbowland, right?"

"Yeah…So what?!"

"So, did your home planet have a holiday like Christmas?"

Annika looked up to the ceiling sober look on his face.

"There is one holiday we celebrated that was sort of like Christmas. It was called First Winter's Day." Then Annika sighed. "All the children are expected to write letter telling the night sky what they wish for. It can be anything like a gift or for something that more personal like getting along with your siblings for the day. You folded your letter and hid it under your pillow. The winter spirit was supposed to grant those wishes on the First Day of Winter…"

Tommy clapped his hands.

"Wow! That sounds like fun!"

Annika ignored Tommy's comment and continued, "But the truth is, your parents read those letters and then they set up the day to seem like the Winter Spirit did it…."

"Oh….well….I guess it can still be fun..." Tommy fiddled with his fingers, not sure on what to say to cheer Annikas up.

"Well, it wasn't! There's nothing fun about that stupid holiday!" Annika furiously turned to face the other side of couch again.

"Okay, Annika… Goodnight and … Happy Christmas Eve…."

Tommy lay quietly on the cold hardwood floor. Tommy was at a lost on how to cheer up his friend. Annika often lost his temper, but this time, Annika was really hurting inside. Tommy wanted to say the first cheery thing that came to his mind, but he was afraid that it would make things worse. Maybe things will be better on Christmas Day, Tommy thought to himself. Then he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

As for Annika, he clutched at his blanket, shivering. Not even his oversized coat could keep him warm during the cold winter night. Annika closed his eyes, trying his best to fall asleep. But no matter how hard Annika closed his eyes, he couldn't sleep. Even though the room was silent, he couldn't relax. Suddenly, the memories that he tried so hard to forget returned.

Annika looked out of the window and watched the snow gently fall to the ground. Everything was covered in snow, which made the world outside look so bare and vast. Annika could not believe the scenery could change so much overnight.

"It's the First Winter! It's the First Winter!" Annika sprinted down stairs. He hastily grabbed his winter coat from its clothes hanger. He zipped up his coat, ran to the living room and leaped onto the couch so he could peek out the window. Annika's paid special attention whenever anyone walked on the sidewalk by their home.

"Murkwell, Breakfast is ready!"

"But Mom, he's going to be here any minute"

"Murkwell I don't want your breakfast getting cold. No one likes cold bacon and eggs!"

Annika didn't answer. He continued looking through the window, watching everyone passing by.

Time passed and Annika was still sitting on the couch, silently watching.

Ms. Dismal walked into the room, with her arms crossed.

"Murkwell, I put your breakfast away because it was getting cold. Why don't you go eat your breakfast first before you go outside and play? You don't want to spend your entire First Winter looking outside! It would be a waste of such a beautiful day." Annika looked at his mom and frowned.

"But Mom, Dad has to come back, just for the day! I wanted him to watch me sled down the hills at the park, all by myself." His voice trembled as he spoke.

Mrs. Dismal put her hand on Annika's shoulder.

"But sweetie, your father is working very hard to support us. He might not be able to make it."

Annika brushed his mom's hand away from him and yelled.

"But Mom, Dad's worked hard enough! And plus, you said that all wishes came true on The First Day of Winter!"

Ms. Dismal glared at her son, "now, Murkwell! I said that all wishes came true some shape or form and I didn't say they all happened on the First of Winter!"

Suddenly the doorbell rang.

"He's here!" Murkwell leaped off the couch and ran out of the living room. Ms. Dismal sighed and shook her head. She followed her son and watched him eagerly open the door. Annika looked up with a smile but as soon as he saw who it was, his smiling face became blank. The tall figure waved at Annika.

"Hiya, sport. Long time, no see!"

Ms. Dismal put her hand on her mouth.

"Oh Freddy I didn't know that you would have the time to visit us!"

"Well, I don't have a lot of time to be completely honest. My folks want me to stay over for the holidays. I just stopped by to give Murkwell a little present!" Freddy reached for his bag, took out a box and gave it to Annika. "There you go, sport; it's a toy model plane kit for beginners!" He point at the box and explained: "You can paint it any colour you want and put all kinds of stickers on it like flames or thunder bolts to make it look really cool. Since you like creating stuff, I thought you would like it!"

Ms. Dismal smiled.

"It's a lovely gift, Freddy. I'm sure Murkwell will love it!" She turned over to Annika and whispered: "Murkwell, say thank you to Freddy."

"Um… Thank you, Freddy…."

Freddy patted Annika's head, and walked out the door. "Have a nice First Winter's!"

Ms. Dismal stepped out of the door.

"Wait, Freddy!"

"What is it, Ms. Dismal?" Freddy said, turning back.

"When Murkwell returns to school, I'll be working afternoons for a whole week. You wouldn't mind looking after him for me, would you?"

"Oh, it's no problem at all!" Freddy looked back at Annika and waved again, "See you after the Holiday's, Murkwell!"

Annika waved back at Freddy and before he knew it, he was gone. The rest of the day was a blur to Annika. All he could associate with this day was the bitter disappointment that his Dad never showed up on that First Winter's Day.

Annika, looked at around the dark room. All he could hear was Tommy's loud snoring. Annika got out from the couch and sneaked out of the lounge, making sure that he didn't wake up Tommy. Annika climbed up the stairs slowly, making sure the wooden flooring didn't squeak.

He opened the door and entered the Bedroom. Annika looked around the room and walked towards the small table. From the desk, he took his small box and walked towards the corner of the room. In that corner, Annika sat down and began to slowly open the box. As he did, rainbow colours began to light up a small portion of that dark room. The colours made Annika's head hurt to the point that he started to feel a little nauseous. But in spite of the headache, Annika did not feel frustrated by seeing those colours. Instead, he felt at peace. Never in his life did he feel two conflicting feeling at once. He continued to gaze at his box of Star Sprinkles until his eyes slowly closed and he drifted off to sleep.

It was the next morning. Tommy got out from his sleeping bag and walked towards the couch so he could wake up Annika. However, Annika was not there.

"Where did Annika go?" Tommy scratched his head, "Maybe he's in the kitchen? He didn't eat much yesterday, so he might be hungry…"

Tommy went to the kitchen, but Annika wasn't there either.

"I hope he didn't open the presents without me," Tommy said in a worried tone. "I better check the upstairs first. I don't want to spoil the fun for him if he's not there." Tommy walked up to the stairs, cupped his hands to his mouth and said, "Annika, are you up there!? It's Christmas Day!"

Annika woke up from Tommy's calling. He gasped and he looked to the floor anxiously to check if any of the Star Sprinkles he was holding got absorbed into the ground while he was sleeping. Luckily, the Star Sprinkles were still lying on the floor. Annika picked up the Star Sprinkles and hastily put them in the box. He put the box inside his coat pocket and quickly ran out of the bedroom.

"Annika, are you in here!?" yelled Tommy.

"Yes, foghorn breath! Now quit yelling!" grumbled Annika. Tommy smiled.

"Oh, good. Let's go to the living room. I can't wait to see what kind of presents Santa left for us."

"Me either," Annika said sarcastically.

Tommy skipped into the living room, while Annika grudgingly followed, hunched over with both hands in his pockets. Annika sighed and prepared for the worst.

"I can't wait to see your face when you see all the kinds of presents Santa brought for us!" Tommy said excitedly. However, when Tommy stepped in the living room, Tommy's smile quickly faded. "Hey, I don't see any presents here! That can't be right! I better check under the tree to make sure! Maybe Santa made his presents really small this year?"

Tommy rushed by the tree. Annika took a peak into the living room and bit his lip when he saw the emptiness under the tree. He watched Tommy desperately look for presents. Even though Annika rarely felt sorry for someone because of the bitterness he had towards others, watching his only friend look for something important to him that wasn't there was hard for him to watch. Not knowing the right thing to say, Annika slowly walked towards and stood beside Tommy. It was the only way he knew how to support him. Tommy turned to Annika with a distressed look and said,

"Annika, they're not here!" Then Tommy looked at the stockings and started to smile again. "Maybe they're in the stockings!"

Tommy ran towards the fireplace and picked up a stocking. He held the stocking upside down, but nothing fell out. Tommy tossed the stocking away and picked up the other stocking. Like the other one, nothing fell out when he held it upside down. Tommy stared at the stocking with a puzzled look and said,

"That's strange Annika. Santa didn't leave any presents for us. Do you think he lost his way?"

Annika couldn't take it anymore; he clutched his fist and looked down to the ground. Annika started to grind his teeth as he got more and more frustrated. Annika looked up and glared furiously at Tommy. Tommy widened his eyes.

"Oh, isn't it obvious! Santa skipped us!"

Tommy frowned.

"That can't be! Santa doesn't skip anybody's house!"

Annika face-palmed.

"Santa only gives presents to good people! Tell me, when the last time we've ever done something good!?"

Tommy scratched his head.

"Hmmm… let me see… maybe… no, that's not… or that time when…Uh no, not that time either…."

Annika shook his fist furiously.

"Don't you get it!? We haven't done anything good in a long time!"

"But Annika, if we were too bad for presents, he would at least left us coal in our stockings." said Tommy. Annika looked down to the ground, not saying a word. Tommy reached his arm out to Annika and said in a concerned tone, "Um… Annika are you ok-"

Annika brushed Tommy's arm away and screamed.

"Of course not!" Then Annika gave Tommy a fierce glare. "I bet your parents lied to you about Santa Claus!" Annika sneered. Tommy scowled at Annika. He was quickly losing patience with him.

"My parents would never lie to me!" Tommy yelled.

Annika eyes began to water. Tommy eyes became somber when looked at the distressed look on Annika's face. Annika quickly left the living room and ran out of the house. Tommy flinched when he heard him slam to door. Tommy stood still, feeling lost on what to do.

Tommy sat quietly at the kitchen table. He still felt troubled about the argument that he had with Annika. I don't know what to do. Annika has been feeling really sad since yesterday... Then he let out a sigh. …but I don't know what to say to him to make him feel better…

Suddenly, Tommy heard the wind howling outside. The wind blew so strongly that Tommy felt the floor shake a little. He looked out the window and gasped when he saw the blizzard outside.

"Oh no, Annika is out there by himself!" Tommy jolted out of his chair and rushed out the door. "I better find Annika before that storm becomes worse!"

Tommy wandered deep into the forest. The snow stopped falling, but the wind still blew furiously. He turned his head back and forth fanatically, searching desperately for Annika. His breath was visible; he was both exhausted and cold. Tommy had no clue how long he was out there. It was difficult to tell what time it was. The height of the trees made the forest look dark, but he hoped that it wasn't too late.

"Gosh, I don't know if I'll ever find Annika in this weather. I don't even know where I'm going… It's times like these I wish that I was better at directions, or at least had a map…"

Tommy continued walking, clutching his chest and looking at the ground as the winds made it difficult for him to keep balance. Then suddenly, Tommy saw footprints. He glanced at the footprint in the snow and his left foot to compare them. They weren't big like his, but they weren't small like a small animal's footprint.

"Those look like Annika's footprints," he gasped. "That means Annika isn't too far away!"

Tommy stared at the ground closely and followed the footprints. The footprints guided Tommy out of the forest and onto a cliff. He looked up and, much to Tommy's surprise, he saw Annika sitting quietly on a rock. Tommy smiled and ran excitedly towards Annika.

"There you are! I'm so happy to see that you're safe!"

Tommy paused and noticed that rainbow colours were glowing on Annika's hand. He walked closer to Annika to have a peak and was surprised to see that Annika was holding some Star Sprinkles. The two were completely silent for a while until Tommy said the first thing on his mind.

"Boy, those Star Sprinkles sure are pretty…" Tommy looked down to the ground, as he realized that he said something that would make Annika very angry.

"I can't stand them." Annika sighed. Tommy looked up from the ground but didn't answer. Annika looked up to the sky.

"But… these Star Sprinkles are different. These Star Sprinkles that Rainbow bra-I mean Brite gave me last Christmas… Don't give me this feeling of utter hatred and disgust like other Star Sprinkles do…."Annika clutched his hands and frowned. "That's why I tried this experiment. I thought that if I gave Christmas a chance this year, then I'd understand why I feel this way….But it turned out just a waste of time…." Tommy smiled at Annika.

"I don't think it was a waste of time!"

Annika titled his head.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, it gave me a chance to share my family's traditions with you Annika! Picking up the tree, sharing our presents, eating cookies… it was lots of fun!" Then Tommy's smile faded into a frown. "But I haven't done any of these things in a long time, so sharing those traditions made me miss my family more…" Annika remained quiet and Tommy turned away from him. "You know, I was really disappointed that Santa didn't come over and it's not because of the presents… it's because I wished that Santa could make me see my parents again…I'm sorry if this sounds silly, Annika."

Murk glanced up at Tommy with a serious look.

"That's not silly..."

"It's not?" Tommy's eyes widened.

"Of course not." said Annika somberly.

Annika put the Star Sprinkles into his coat pocket and got up from the rock.

"We should be heading back now. It's getting too cold over here, even for me." said Annika. Tommy smiled.

"Okay Annika, I'm right behind you!"

The two left the cliff and headed back towards the Sprite Home.

Back at the Sprite Home, Annika and Tommy were in the kitchen, drinking cups of hot chocolate. Tommy looked out of the window and noticed that the wind had quieted down.

"Hey Annika, the storm stopped!" Tommy said while pointing at the window. Then Tommy took a sip of hot chocolate and continued. "This place is so nice and peaceful, I'm going miss it when we go back home tomorrow."

Annika turned to the window and notice the beauty of the clean, white snow that lay serenely on the ground. He looked back and smiled.

"On second thought, we can stay here for a little bit longer."