At the palace of Naboo, the Skywalker and Jinn families were all so excited to finally be gathering together for the holidays.

Life Day was three days away, and there was so much to do to celebrate. Way too much to fit into just one day.

While the grownups were finishing wrapping presents and getting ready for dinner, the kids began hanging their stockings over the fireplace, wanting to be ready to have them stuffed by the big guy on the official Life Day Eve. Or, some got curious and started shaking some of the boxes underneath the tree already.

"Diamond, leave the presents alone." Sapphire scolded.

"Aww, but Auntie Sapphire." Diamond whined.

"Diamond," said Kara. "Do you want to go on Santa's naughty list?"

Diamond set the present down. "No."

"Give her a break," said Gabby. "Kids are always eager to find out what they're getting for Life Day or their birthdays."

Kara took Diamond to go get freshened up for dinner, while the kids started getting themselves ready.

"Grandma and Grandpa are really into the mistletoe tradition," said Omega.

"So are Mommy and Daddy." Gabby said.

"And Tech and Mila." said Lamenta, tying her hair in a ponytail.

"And Aunt Caroline and Uncle Carmine too." Boba said. "If Roya were celebrating with us, I'd probably be trying the same thing."

The kids laughed.

"I wonder how everyone else's Life Day is starting out." Gabby wondered out loud.

Mixing Traditions

Three ponies, two Togruta, and one Kel Dor. A very unique family, and a very unique set of traditions each of them had to add to their Life Day/Heartmas celebration.

Citrus, Sunheart, and Fiesta each had different holiday family traditions they held very dearly and desired to share with their anthropomorphic family.

In Fiesta's family, they had a tradition of lighting beautiful lanterns and decorating the house and the yard with them. Tonight, she brought out a very special lantern, one that she and her abuela made together when she was a foal. It was made with gold paper, had little hearts cut into its sides, and there were bits of glitter all over it too.

"Abuela and I lit this lantern together and put it by our Heartmas Tree to light the way for Santa." Fiesta said. "She told me and mi hermanos that these would serve as a symbol of faith, remembering that light will always prevail over darkness. And that night, she sang to us Oh Ven Todos Vosotres Fieles" ("Oh Come All Ye Faithful" in Spanish. Link provided in profile)

"I believe she would be proud of you for carrying on such a wonderful tradition, Fiesta." said Shaak, petting the youngest horse's muzzle. "How about you, Sunheart? What tradition to you have?"

In Sunheart's family, her tradition was baking peach galette using an old family recipe, and inside the galette was a prize that was usually a pretend crown that the winner got to wear to lead a special ritual called Love Seed, in which the king or queen of Heartmas took a special seed and planted it in a pot that the rest of the family decorated together and said a special poem to help it grow strong and kindle the light of the holiday spirit.

"I have to warn you, though..." said Sunheart as she sliced the peaches for the galette. "Once you taste the galette, you won't be able to stop."

And in Citrus' family... well, they were a mix of traditions. His mother's side celebrated Heartmas, but on his father's side they celebrated a different holiday called Unicornikah, which held a sacred tradition of lighting one candle a night for eight special nights on a beautiful candelabra called a Manora. It was like Hanukkah, but a holiday specially for unicorns to celebrate the times they prevailed over darkness by lighting the way for eight days.

That holiday already passed, but Citrus was nevertheless happy to share his family's traditions. From his mother's side, they had a tradition of doing a Secret Santa gift exchange. And from Citrus' father's side, in the days before Life Day, Citrus showed the others how they lit the beautiful candles and sang a song of hope as a blessing of finding light even in the darkest hour, and taught them how to spin a dreidel, which was tricky for Citrus at first since he was an Earth pony from his mother's genes.

"Just wait until you try my mom's orange and apple strudel." Citrus said, picking up some flour with his mouth and mixing it in a bowl. "The one with the most chocolate gelt at the end of the dreidel game got an extra big piece, which was how she and Dad combined their traditions."

A Sweet Mandalore Gathering

Satine hummed a lullaby as she sat and looked at yet another onesie she'd received as a gift for the new baby. She rubbed her already bulging stomach, feeling the baby inside her growing.

"How are you in there, little one?" Satine said lovingly to her unborn child. "The world out here is something very special. You'll be very curious about it and face many challenges, but you will always be loved."

Satine felt a strong, gentle pair of arms wrapping around her waist and rubbing a hand against her stomach.

"So will you, my dear." said Obi-Wan, kissing his wife's cheek.

Satine leaned into her husband's affectionate grasp and began kissing him.

"Have you thought about names for the baby yet?" asked Peppermint as she helped Korkie with some decorations.

"We're still working on it." said Obi-Wan.

Peppermint was ecstatic that there would be a new baby soon. Korkie, on the other hand, was nervous. His new baby cousin was going to need a lot of attention, and he was an heir to the throne of Mandalore too. Therefore, he was not only going to be under pressure to be a good leader, but also a big brother figure to the new baby as well.

"Isn't it exciting, Korkie? You're pretty much becoming a big brother." Peppermint said.

"Yeah, it is exciting." Korkie said. "But also a lot of work. Have you seen the amount of stuff one baby needs?"

"You should've seen the mountain of gifts my family got when we were expecting Firework. Not including mine and Sugar Cane's hand-me-downs. And let me tell you, I was terrified when Mom was almost at the tail end of her pregnancy."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"I wasn't finished. I was terrified, but then Firework was born. It was the happiest day of my life and my parents'. Seeing my baby sister for the first time, it made me realize there really is such a thing as love at first sight. And, as she got bigger, I got to learn the best thing about being a big sister. Firework looked to me for a role model the way I did with Sugar Cane. I got to teach her things no one else could, and help her through some of the harder parts of growing up."

"You really think I can do that for the baby?"

"Of course. To be honest, it won't always be easy, though. Your younger sibling will no doubt have moments of being annoying. Like, when Firework was a foal, she used to bite and pull my tail when she was learning to walk."

Korkie started to laugh and said, "So she was literally a pain in the butt?"

"Yup." Peppermint chuckled. "If you'd rather get advice from an actual brother, you could always ask your uncle for advice. He did act as a big brother for Anakin once. And Boba's pretty good at being a big brother too."

One of the guards soon came along and notified the duke and duchess that two equines were at the entrance saying they were guests. Names, Sugar Cane and Firework Twist.

"Oh, those are my sisters!" Peppermint said.

"Send them in," said Satine.

Into the palace came two new ponies. One was a white pegasus with red, white, and green hair with green eyes like Peppermint's, and the other was a midnight purple unicorn with an orange and pink mane and blue eyes. Peppermint's sisters, Sugar Cane and Firework. They weren't alone either. They were accompanied by a white alicorn with a caramel brown mane and a lavender pegasus with a dark chocolate and purple streaked mane. Their parents Vanilla Swirl and Blackberry Twist.

Peppermint excitedly cuddled her sisters and welcomed her parents.

"I'm so happy to see you all for Life Day." Peppermint said happily.

Peppermint introduced the rest of her pony family to her human family. Obi-Wan shook hand to hoof with Peppermint's parents.

"It's so nice to finally meet you in person, Your Graces." said Vanilla.

"Likewise, Mrs. Twist." Obi-Wan greeted happily. "And, Obi-Wan is just fine."

"Then just call me Vanilla."

"I trust you've been taking care of my daughter well?" said Blackberry.

"Of course," said Obi-Wan. "Peppermint is a wonderful young mare. You should be very proud to have her as your child."

Over the years, Peppermint sent her family letters telling them about her time with her new rider when Fantasia sent her for Obi-Wan through the Ride of Love. As eager as she was to meet Obi-Wan three years ago, even she had her moments of doubt.

Three years ago...

Peppermint nuzzled a then three-year-old Gabby as the little one bonded with her.

The young candy-corn hadn't gotten out of Equinaro much, but the couple times she did, and the times Queen Reigna brought people to Equinaro, she was always happy to play with any little girls she could find. Something about giving them rides on her back, nuzzling them, and seeing their curious, happy little faces when they saw a pretty pony just warmed her heart like a perfect apple pie fresh out of the oven.

Gabby left for a moment to speak to Obi-Wan.

"Uncle Obi-Wan, Peppermint is so sweet." Gabby said. "It's so cool you have a pony now."

"I suppose it is... cool." Obi-Wan had said at the time.

But... he didn't know that Peppermint had heard him, and she could sense uncertainty in him. A lot of doubt, hesitation, as though he was considering sending her back to Equinaro. Peppermint couldn't say she'd known of any time anyone who'd received a horse through the Ride of Love sent their horse back like an item they bought and wanted to exchange for something else, but she figured there had to be a reason the rulers of Equinaro sent messages to convince the riders to keep their horses.

Peppermint walked away and found herself a quiet space to take out a paper and use her magic to write a letter to her parents.

Dear Mom & Dad, Sugar Cane & Firework.

It's only my first day with my new rider, Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, but he's already having doubts about me. It could be because, as most Equinarans know, grownups don't get as eager about having a pony friend as children do. But, I'm really hoping I can make it work. Princess Fantasia said he needs someone to show him that change can be sweet and help him learn to confront his feelings and actually be a human.

I don't know how I'm gonna get through to him yet, but if there's one thing I know, if a sour lemon can be made into sweet lemon cake, a Jedi raised under a strict no emotions code can unlock the emotions he was forced to ignore all his life because there's a difference between sugarcoating and seeing things from a more positive perspective.

I love you and I miss you all very much, and I hope I'll see you again soon. But hopefully not because my rider sent me back. I'm not giving up on him, just like Mom and Dad never gave up on me, Sugar, or Firework when we struggled with anything, even when we felt like giving up on ourselves.

Love, Peppermint.

And then, sometime after that, Peppermint wrote a whole new letter, sharing her story about how she and Obi-Wan saved Duchess Satine from a grave threat, and the couple finally confessed their true feelings to each other and became a couple.

Obi-Wan and I are finally bonding with each other, and I think things are gonna be just fine. More than fine, actually. I have a feeling we'll be like a family, and I hope you can all meet him someday. I just know you'd love him as much as I do. She had written in that letter.

And Peppermint began writing letters to her family every chance she got since.

Present Day...

Peppermint's family placed some presents they'd brought near the Life Day tree. The tree was huge, and it was covered in blue and silver balls as well as sparkly icicle decorations and bits of silver tinsel.

"What a beautiful tree," said Sugar. "It reminds me of the blueberry sugar crystal bark we made when we were little."

"Sounds delicious," said Korkie.

"It is." Firework said. "It's my favorite."

"You should've seen how quickly she gobbled it up when she tried it for the first time." Peppermint chuckled. "She tried to tell Mom and Dad that Santa came early and the reindeer ate it all, but there were silver sugar crystals and bits of blueberry all over her muzzle."

The two families laughed at that little story.

"You were only three, after all." said Blackberry, ruffling his youngest daughter's mane with his hoof. "You didn't know any better."

"Daddy!" the thirteen-year-old mare whined. "You're gonna ruin my new do."

Vanilla brought out a present for Obi-Wan and Satine.

"We also wanted to congratulate you on your future angel." said Vanilla. "You must be so excited."

"Oh, we are." Satine said. "You should've seen how Obi-Wan reacted when I told him we were expecting."

Obi-Wan turned red.

"He fainted twice when she mentioned it." Korkie said, failing not to smile at that as he tried not to laugh.

Peppermint's parents laughed when they heard this story.

"You should've seen Blackberry here when I told him we were expecting our first foal." said Vanilla. "He was more frantic than a puppy on a sugar high."

While the humans and her parents were talking, Peppermint walked with her sisters down the halls and gave them a tour of the palace.

"I still can't believe you get to live in a palace now." Sugar said.

"That's what happens when you get matched with a rider lucky enough to marry a duchess." shrugged Peppermint.

"I really missed you, Minty." Firework said. "I wish you visited more."

"I've missed you too, Firework." Peppermint said.

Firework looked around curiously at some of the palace's decor... until a droid startled her, and small explosions of fireworks burst from her horn! She'd also accidentally kicked a vase and cracked it.

Firework panicked when she saw the mess she'd made and worried she'd be in big trouble.

Peppermint's family was mainly of sugarcoated ponies, but like every family, they had at least one odd one out. Firework was that oddity. She was biologically related to the other Twists, but she was different in both personality and powers. While the other Twists were upbeat and managed to sugarcoat almost anything, Firework was excitable in another way. She was hyperactive and often startled easily, and whenever something triggered her, it often caused her to burst small or big explosions, depending on the scare level.

"Are you okay, Firework?" asked Peppermint.

"No, I'm so clumsy." Firework said, getting down and wrapping her front hooves over her head.

"No, you're not." Sugar Cane said, getting her youngest sister up. "You're just full of little bursts of energy that just wanna get out."

Firework scrunched her nose at the word 'bursts.'

"Okay, probably a poor choice of word for this moment. But still."

"We just gotta get your energy under control." said Peppermint.

A guard soon found the three sisters and notified them that refreshments were being served in the dining hall.

"Yes! I'm starving." Firework said, eagerly running down the halls with a tiny burst of fireworks.

Funny Family Reunion

Meanwhile, Comedia walked with Ki-Adi off the transport they'd taken to get to Equinaro. They were all bundled up in their warm clothes, as it was currently snowing in Equinaro.

The whole land looked so beautiful all dressed in white fluffy snow.

Comedia liked feeling the soft, cold snow beneath the fuzzy boots she wore on her feet. And she loved catching snowflakes on her tongue.

"Mmm. Fresh snow." Comedia sighed happily.

"I see we are off to an excellent start," smiled Ki-Adi.

The alicorn and Cerea arrived at the castle and were let in by some of the royal guards to be greeted by Queen Reigna herself as she sat in her throne.

"Lady Comedia, welcome home." Reigna said. "And Master Mundi, welcome to our fair kingdom."

"It is an honor to be invited, Your Majesty." said Ki-Adi, bowing before the queen, Comedia doing the same.

Queen Reigna clapped her two front hooves and called for one of the centaurs to show her two newest guests to their rooms.

"Merry Heartmas to the both of you. I look forward to seeing you at the festivities tonight."

Ki-Adi and Comedia were placed in separate rooms next door to each other's, each custom arranged to fit with them, as one of them was not an equine.

Comedia entered her room and made herself comfortable on the bed that was set up for her.

"Comedia, remember, we are here to participate in Life Day, not to be cooped up in a room." Ki-Adi said.

"I know." Comedia rolled her eyes. "I'll get dressed."

Comedia looked into her bags and pulled out the dress her rider picked out for her to wear to the party. It was pine green with trims of white fluff along the edges and patterns of little with and silver snowflakes on the bottom of the skirt. She looked at her panda and sighed.

"We're in for a long holiday, aren't we Benny?"

Even the Bad Batch were no strangers to celebrating the holiday.

Indira's family actually celebrated Diwali, but she was happy to celebrate her rider's tradition with his family as well.

The other horses were excited about sharing their traditions with them too.

Banjo showed Echo and Tech how he made little dolls out of straw, a tradition from his family.

"Never forget to dip the straws in warm water first to make 'em bendy." Banjo said.

"Just wait 'til ya try our Pa's carrot cake." said Maybelle. "We wolfed it every Heartmas faster than a hound dog with a pile of bacon- Wrecker!"

Maybelle scolded Wrecker after he stuck his finger in the dough to lick it.

"What?" said Wrecker.

At dinner that night, no one could keep from laughing as Anakin tried to feed Leia her mashed sweet potatoes at dinner, and she made bits of it splatter onto his face.

"Leia, please stop playing with your food." Anakin said.

Padme, on the other hand, seemed to have almost no trouble feeding Luke.

"Look, Leia. Your brother Luke loves his sweet potatoes. You'll like them too if you just try them." Padme said.

Anakin tried to feed Leia again, but she stubbornly turned her little head away from the spoon and whined.

"Come on, Leia. Please?" Anakin begged.

Leia just threw more sweet potato, this time Anakin ducked, and the food got on Carmine's glasses.

"Agh! Not again!" Carmine groaned.

The baby twins giggled at their uncle's expense.

"Ani, you were a stubborn eater yourself as a baby." Shmi said, going to her youngest granddaughter and taking the spoon. "Watch and learn."

Shmi took a little spoonful of baby food and pretended the spoon was a little ship coming in for a landing. And to Anakin's surprise, Leia opened her mouth and actually ate her sweet potatoes.

"Leia may look like Padme, but she has inherited your messy eating habits." Qui-Gon said.

Anakin picked Leia up and started to clean her up.

"Well, this little one will need to remember to be on her best behavior." Anakin said, nuzzling his youngest daughter. "So will Luke if they want Santa to bring them a special present this year."

"Santa better not forget them," said Gabby. "It's their first Life Day, and I made sure to let Santa know that in my letter."

Later, the kids tried to figure out which holiday movie to watch.

"What's wrong with the Grinch?" Gabby said. "It's one of my favorites. Or what about Home Alone?"

"We watched that Last Life Day." said Lamenta. "I wanna watch the Polar Express."

"Why not a It's a Wonderful Life?" Boba suggested.

"What's this one?" Omega asked, picking up a scary movie.

"Aah!" The other kids jumped, seeing a monster on the cover.

"Krampus? No way!" Gabby said. "Put that away!"

"That movie gave my dad nightmares!" Lamenta said.

Gabby looked at a few more movies and said, "Wouldn't it be cool if we could go on a big holiday adventures like the people in these movies?"

"It would be," said Lamenta. "But the holidays would have to be in danger, and I don't think we want that."

"No, we wouldn't. But you would've loved seeing Santa's workshop like me and Boba did three years ago. I remember it well."