Day two: deck the halls

December 15th

This morning, Leo woke up to Santa Clause is Coming to Town.

A classic.

Getting up, Leo went over to the calendar still on his desk and opened the second day. There was another round chocolate, this time in shiny orange wrapping, with a green piece of paper underneath.

Hundred bucks it was orange flavored.

Leo unwrapped the goodie and bit into it.

Yep, orange flavored.

Finishing the treat, he picked up the paper. This time there was a drawing of a tree along with the message.

Time to deck the halls.

Leo blinked, almost stupefied as he reread the single sentence twice to be sure he'd read it right. Were they talking about decorating the lair? It was true that they hadn't done so yet, despite how late in the month it was, but for good reason.

Most of their old decorations had been destroyed along with their first home by the Shredder. They'd been able to salvage a few things, including his own personal stash for his room, but the majority had been lost.

They'd meant to replace everything but between setting up the new lair, and fixing it again after the invasion, they hadn't gotten around to it.

Actually, he had started making paper snowflakes that he'd hoped could act as a stand in. Having already hung a couple in his own room along with his other decorations. They weren't much, and not nearly as nice as anything Mikey would've made, but they'd turned out better then expected and they were a start.

Leo put the note in his top drawer with yesterday's and went looking for them.

Where had he…ah!

He took the box down from the shelf, making sure it didn't slip and make a mess. He'd already finished a good amount, and there was a stack of paper for more. Odds are his brothers were waiting for him again, so he might as well bring this stuff with him. Leo was surprised not to find Shelldon waiting at his door again. Guess they just wanted to be sure he spotted the calendar yesterday.

Now where were his brothers? Well, the note implied they would be decorating, so they were most likely in the living room.

Right again.

There were his brothers, Dad…and April with the Joneses? "Hey Leo!" April greeted enthusiastically with a hug "you excited for Christmas?"

Leo scoffed "like you need to ask" he teased with a wink. Okay, so for sure April was in on this conspiracy, that wasn't even a question, but Cass and Casey? Mostly likely but the jury was still out. "So…are you guys here to help decorate?" He asked casually.

"Oh good, you got todays note" Mikey said cheerfully, zipping up his coat. That was when Leo noticed they were all wearing their winter clothing.

"Wait, are we going somewhere?"

"If you recall, our collection of festive decorations was destroyed" Donnie spoke up "so, before we can adorn our humble abode, we must restock." Translation, they were going out to buy new ornaments, a tree, and whatever else was needed. Made sense, but now that he thought about it, it was strange they'd waited until now. He didn't doubt the stores were still fully stocked but still…

"Hey, what've you got there, buddy?" Raph suddenly asked, pointing to the box in his hands.

He'd nearly forgotten! "Oh, they're some homemade decorations I was making for the lair" Leo said, holding out the box so they could get a better look.

They all looked at him in surprise "Blue, you made these?" Splinter asked, coming closer to get a better look.

Leo nodded "yeah, they're nothing fancy, just some paper snowflakes." Mikey picked up one of the finished ones, his eyes lighting up "you probably could've done better, am I right hermano?" He chuckled, he didn't know why Mikey looked so amazed, they weren't that good.

"Are you nuts?! These are so nice!" Mikey cried excitedly "and are these 3D? how'd you do that?"

Leo shrugged "found a video online, I could show you-"

"Please do!" Leo couldn't help chuckling at his baby brother's excitement. Of course he'd want to see an art tutorial, it was silly to even ask.

"We'll have to make sure we find a place for them when we get back" Raph said with a smile. Leo couldn't help but smile wider, it was silly for him to get this giddy, but it made him really, really happy that they all liked his snowflakes so much.

Two really's.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" April cried, throwing her arm around his shoulders and pumping her fist in the air "sooner we stock up, sooner we can give this place a yule time makeover!" Leo laughed as she began leading him forward, both ignoring everyone's cries about how he wasn't dressed yet.

Alright, this wasn't as suspicious as yesterday's out of the blue cooking session. It was a necessity, so to speak, but it was still strange they hadn't done this sooner.

No matter, he'd figure it out eventually, right now, shopping.

To no one's surprise, the store was pretty busy. Fortunately, the people were so laser focused on holiday shopping, no one noticed the group of mutans. Still, they kept bundled up enough that it shouldn't be too obvious, better safe then sorry after all.

Leo's eyes lit up as they approached the Christmas section, taking everything in. Oh, he loved Christmas decorations, they were all just so beautiful. "So where do we start Leo?" Raph asked, breaking him out of his wonderment.

Leo looked back at his family, why were they asking him? Because he was technically the leader? Weird thing to pull rank over "uh, well…" he tapped his chin "…what did we manage to save from the old lair?"

"The stockings, the tree topper, and the macramé snowman Red made three years ago" Splinter answered "plus a few tree ornaments."

"Sooo…for sure a tree and a bunch more ornaments for it, maybe a few things for the living room" he listed off each item on his fingers. "Yeah, those should be good places to start, anything else we can just grab as we go" he concluded, looking to his family, who appeared to approve of his…well it wasn't really a plan, concept?

Raph nodded in approval "sounds good to me, what do you wanna pick up first?"

They wanted him to pick stuff out?

Every year, they always complained he overdid it with the decorations, now they were just…turning him loose?

"Hang on, you guys want me to start picking stuff out? You're sure?" He asked carefully, giving them a chance to back out. Instead, they all shook their heads, speaking over each other as they voiced their assurance it was fine.

Well…can't say he didn't give them a chance "I guess start with the tree?" He said hesitantly "you know, cause it's the centerpiece?"

"He's right, it is" Donnie nodded in agreement. They'd been using a fake tree since they first started celebrating Christmas, it was just easier than trying to haul a real one into the swear, and it hadn't really been a shock their old one was destroyed. They'd had the thing for years; it was already starting to fall apart. This was honestly a long time coming.

They looked through all the displays when Mikey noticed Leo's face suddenly light up as he made a B-line for one. The tree in question had lights built in that changed from all white to multicolor. Mikey looked back at Leo, who was staring at the tree with a huge smile and eyes practically sparkling. Silently, he nudged his older brothers, motioning to the slider with his head. Splinter, April, and the Joneses also following his gaze.

They all shared a smirk as the three brothers walked up to their sibling. "Very impressive" Mikey said, announcing their presents to Leo.

"Ah, yes a pre-lit, LED Christmas tree" Donnie said as he inspected to display.

"And the lights change, good for avoiding fights" Raph added, side eyeing Donnie and Mikey who avoided his gaze sheepishly. For as long as there'd been Christmas lights, there'd been an age-old debate of which was better, white lights or multicolored lights. Sadly, one Hamato Michelangelo and Hamato Donatello were no exception.

Mikey was team white lights.

Donnie was team multicolored lights.

It almost got physical a few times.

Leo, to no one's shock, loved both. So it was no surprise he'd love a tree that had both. "You like this one Leo?" Raph asked, unable to resist teasing him a little, but in a playful way. Leo nodded enthusiastically, never once tearing his attention away from the tree. He only came back to reality when he saw Raph and Donnie hauling a box containing said tree into their cart.

"Wait, we're getting this one?" He asked in surprise "don't you guys want to take a look at the others first?"

"Why? This one's good" Mikey said casually.

"Very nice" Raph added in agreement.

"Can't think of a better one" Donnie shrugged.

"Couldn't do better" April pipped up from behind them.

"This tree is superior!" Cass cried with her usual bravo.

"And the built-in lights mean we can save on the regular lights some" Splinter said as he came over, looking the display up and down. "Yes, this will do nicely" he said with a nod of approval.

"Well…if you guys are sure" Leo said hesitantly.

Picking out the ornaments was uneventful, they just grabbed whatever appealed to them. The end results were pretty mismatched thanks to their different tastes. It was basically a mess of classy ones, cutesy ones, and whatever the hell Donnie's were supposed to be.

Both surprisingly and unsurprisingly, most of them were Leo's. Unsurprising since they were the ones who gave him free range, surprising that they were letting him keep so many.

Splinter and April made a few contributions of their own, with the rats being mostly food themed. The Joneses even got a few, none of them could help grinning at the expression on Casey's face as he looked around "So how's your first Christmas been so far, Casey?" Raph asked.

"Its just like Sensei described in his stories!" He said with a wide smile, picking up a little dancing tree. Cass chuckled and ruffled his hair affectionately; she'd taken the whole 'future-son-from-a-now-alternate-timeline' thing remarkably well and welcomed the boy with open arms. By the time they left, they had enough supplies to turn the lair into a winter wonderland, minus the snow.

In Leo's defense, he gave them a chance to stop him.

Then again, who knew when the lair would be destroyed again. Things came in threes after all, best to stock up while they could.

"Okay!" Leo clapped his hands together as he looked over their new supply of decorations laid out before them "so where do we start?"

"Well…what do you suggest?" Mikey asked, looking at him with a smile.

"Well, I guess I'd start with the lights? Oh, but maybe a few of us should start putting the tree together. And it'd be a good idea to organize what should go where" he said, mostly thinking out loud.

"Welp, you heard the man" Donnie said with a clap of his own "Raphala, you're on light duty with Nardo. Dad and the Joneses will help Angelo organize everything. April, you and me, tree duty." Leo snapped out of his train of thought, were they assuming those were instructions? They were suggestions!

"Uhh…I wasn't-"

"Don't worry, we'll decorate the tree and lair together" Raph assured him. That wasn't what he was going to say, but good to know? Well, he guessed they did ask him for ideas on where to start, and he had technically done that. So, Leo guessed it was alright?

It took a few hours to get it all done, during which they had to stop Donnie from "upgrading" their new tree at least four times. Once it was up, they started stringing up the lights along the living room and getting ready to hang more around the lair.

"Donnie, want any for your lab?" April asked, holding up a few.

Donnie hummed, tapping his chin "sure, they'll add some color" he made sure to look Mikey in the eye as he said that. Mikey scoffed and rolled his eyes, loading up on more white ones for the kitchen.

"I wouldn't mind a few for the dojo" Splinter spoke up, taking an armful. Leo debated on putting a few in the med bay, before eventually deciding to put up one strand along the ceiling. With luck, no one would need to be in there during the holidays but if they did, it would bring a small sense of festivities.

Before long, every light was hung in almost ever corner of the lair. If Leo was being honest, all the lights alone already made the place look more Christmassy. "Alright, lights are up" Raph said with a satisfied nod "so what do we do with this stuff?" He asked, gesturing to the rest of the decorations they'd gotten for the lair.

As he did, he noticed the way Leo was looking at them as he rummaged through the piles. He had that calculating gleam in his eye they'd only just come to recognize. He was planning something.

"You got any ideas there Leo?" April asked, having picked up on the look as well.

Leo hummed, not loosing focus from whatever it was he was doing. "Just reorganizing so they're with the right group" he mumbled, holding two of the nutcrackers he'd picked out.

"Right group?" Donnie repeated in confusion, raising a painted brow.

Leo nodded, his concentration not broken "this one's supposed to be with the kitchen décor" he explained, waving one of the nutcrackers. Now that they looked at it, they noticed its clothing resembled cakes, cookies, and other candies. The beard was even made to look like whipped cream.

"There's a kitchen décor?" Mikey asked.

"Yeah, the kitchen is supposed to be sweet themed" Leo explained, his focus still on organizing. "The dojo is a more rustic, outdoorsy theme" he held up the more classic looking nutcracker "and the living room is a classical theme, like this guy. I was thinking the main stairway should be like…snowy? Is that right? I was gonna hang most of the snowflakes there."

His family and friends looked at him in amazement. Admittedly, they just thought he was grabbing whatever he liked at random, like them. They hadn't thought there was a method to his randomness, had he really planned individual décor for every room?

"You came up with all this today?" Raph asked in astonishment.

That seemed to snap Leo back to the present. He froze, looking at them with wide eyes before glancing away sheepishly "uh, actually I uh…I've been thinking of doing this for years" he confessed shyly, fiddling with a plush Santa gnome now in his hands "y-you know what? Its-its dumb, forget I said anything."

"That's not dumb Leo" April assured him gently with a smile "those are really nice ideas."

"Yeah, how come you didn't tell us about them before?" Mikey asked.

Leo's eyes darted back and forth from them to anywhere else. They were giving him those looks they'd developed after the invasion, the ones that screamed he better not try to deflect or change the subject. "I, uh…I kind of did?" He confessed carefully "but…you know, you guys reminded me we didn't have enough stuff, and it was all too much anyway…which is fair!" He said quickly, waving his free hand "you were totally right! So I stopped asking b-but I still tired doing it anyway and you always told me to tone it down, which again, fair! I…you were just making sure I didn't go overboard and I-I know I can go overboard and please stop looking at me like that" he begged, hiding his face in the plushy.

Now they had that other expression they'd developed, the one he'd yet to properly identify. It was…worried? Sad? He didn't know what he kept saying and doing that caused it, he just wished he could stop doing it.

Meanwhile his family couldn't help staring at him. They did remember all of that, except he'd neglected to bring up how they often shot him down before he could fully explain his ideas. How they never took the time to hear him out, so they hadn't known this was what he'd been trying to share with them.

This was the Christmas vomit they'd been complaining about.

"Y-you know what, I shouldn't have…yeah, just forget it" Leo chuckled in embarrassment "so let's get started! Whose got ideas?"

"Well, now hold on, Blue" Splinter said quickly, coming to stand next to him, placing a hand on his son's arm. "I see no reason why we can't do all that now that we have the means" he said with a smile.

April nodded "yeah, and hey, if your worried about us, we can compromise."

"Totally" Raph continued "if you get too excited, we'll let you know. See? Compromise." Leo looked between each of them, seemingly unconvinced "Leo" Raph reassured him gently "seriously, it sounds like a great idea, lets do it."

Leo looked back down to the plushy, biting his lip. Oh, who was he kidding? He couldn't pass this up!

"I mean…if you guys are sure…" he said, unable to stop the smile growing on his face. Seeing that smile brought one to the rest of the family's faces.

It meant a lot to them to see it.

"Well than" Donnie spoke up "shall we begin maidens?"

Setting up all the decorations according to Leo's plans took awhile, but no one could deny it was worth it. "Everything looks so good!" April cried enthusiastically as she looked around in awe.

"Tell me about it, stepping into the dojo feels like stepping into a log cabin in the woods" Raph added, matched her energy.

"The living room looks and feels like a little Christmas card" Donnie commented as he typed away on his gauntlet "and the stairway and halls are all the joy of the outdoors without the cold."

Leo smiled shyly at his family's words "the snowflakes aren't hung too low for you Raph?"

"Not at all" they'd made sure to hang them high enough they wouldn't hit someone in the head, namely Raph, but low enough that they could still be enjoyed.

"So you guys really like all of it?" Leo asked, rubbing his arm as he studied their faces closely, looking for any signs they were just being nice and were actually itching to take it all down.

"Like it?!" Mikey practically pounced on him with a wide smile "the kitchen is like cooking in a gingerbread house, I love it! We are so doing this every year from now on!"

Cass cackled "your home is the epidemy of Christmas! Take that Macys department store!"

There really was no denying the lair looked amazing. Nothing was too over the top but was definitely fancier than holidays past. It was all just the right amount. Leo had to be reminded to remove the Christmas goggles a couple of times, but it been easier then expected.

Truthfully, they'd been worried he might get upset; they'd always assumed so before. Not out of malice of course, just because his excitement got the best of him, but he'd actually been very understanding.

Then again, it turns out he'd listened far more then they'd realized if his earlier confession was anything to go off.

Granted, they'd been a lot harsher back then when asking.

Actually, it wasn't asking so much as telling or snapping.

Well that was then, this was now.

"Its wonderful, Blue, just wonderful" Splinter nodded in agreement, holding the small box of ornaments that he'd managed to save from their old home. How he wished as much as his sons that they'd heard Leo out sooner "do you have any other ideas?" He asked, hoping to encourage him further.

"Well, I've always wanted to do something based around A Christmas Carol, but I've never been sure how."

"Ah yes, the Charles Dickens classic staple of the season…" Donnie mused, stroking his chin. "…I may be able to assist" he offered, his chest swelling with pride seeing Leo's look of gratitude "now all that's left is the tree."

"Cool, just give me a few seconds!" Leo said, scooping up a few new decorations he'd bought specifically for his room and sprinting off. His brothers shook their heads fondly as they started organizing the ornaments for the tree.

"…Sensei told me about those decorating plans" Casey suddenly admitted after a few moments of silence. The others stopped and looked at him, he was holding a little reindeer, his expression fond and far off. "Always said one of the first thing he'd do when we won was make it a reality, even if he had to build everything himself from scratch…guess we're doing that now in a way."

They frowned at him sympathetically, Cass giving her future son a pat on the back. "If its too much for you Casey, you can sit out anytime" April offered.

Casey shook his head, scrubbing away the tears "no, I know how much he would've wanted me to celebrate, and I am having fun" he assured them before smiling playfully. "He told me a lot about Christmas, actually" he continued "including all his favorite memories. Like the year you guys put ice cubes down your pajamas so you could stay awake to see Santa."

"Seriously?" April asked with a giggle.

Raph chuckled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck "yeah…basically did it whenever we started feeling sleepy" he confessed.

"For the record, it would've worked if Papa hadn't taken our supply of ice and told us to put a sock in it" Donnie said, glaring at the unapologetic rat "what else did he share with you?"

Casey gave small laugh as he continued to reminisce "well he told me about the year Master Michelangelo saw the Grinch for the first time and slept in the living room Christmas Eve with a baseball bat."

"Hey! Like heck I was letting all our gifts get stolen! Especially mine!" Mikey said defensively, unable to fight the smile.

"What's getting stolen?" Leo asked as he rejoined the group "is there a butt that needs kicking?"

"No, no, just reminiscing" Donnie assured him "now, for the piece de resistance" he said with a dramatic flare of his hands. With wide smiles, they all turned their attention to the tree just waiting for their ornaments to complete it.

"Okay, so is there a plan for the tree, Leo?" April asked as he began sorting though the new ornaments.

"Nope, just go nuts" good enough for them. It wasn't really possible to mess up decorating a tree.

Then again, knowing their luck if anyone could find a way, it'd be them.

The next hour was spent with the family decorating the new tree. There was chatting and laughter, a few playful arguments about what should go where and who should get to hang it, but they never went far.

It was nice, peaceful even.

All too welcomed after the year before.

"So where are the ones that were saved, Dad?" Mikey asked as the number of ornaments dwindled. "Your gonna wanna bring them out soon, trees getting full" he warned.

"They're right here, Orange" Splinter said as he picked up the box again. He opened it as a smile grew on his face "you boys don't know how happy I was when I found them; I was afraid I'd lost my favorite ornaments."

"Your fav…oh no" Donnie groaned half heartedly.

"Oh yes, Purple."

"What is it?" Casey asked, looking between the other three turtles. They all had similar expressions, a sort of half embarrassed, half fond look.

April giggled as she realized what was in the box "they're homemade ornaments the guys made when they were bitty things" she explained. Both Casey's faces lit up, Cass clearly excited for the chance to tease her new friends while her future son was excited to see a relic of his Sensei's past.

"Ah yes, these were the first Christmas gifts my sons ever gave me" Splinter explained to the Joneses as he took each one out, holding it up for all to see. "It was the first year we truly celebrated the holiday together" he handed the first one, a snowman made from three yellowing cotton balls glued together to Mikey, patting his cheek. "I always put them on the tree before the star" he handed the next one, a candy cane made of pipe cleaners, to Donnie.

"Sigh, not my finest work" he lamented dramatically.

Leo snorted, nudging his twin "dude, you were four. Cut yourself some slack." Splinter chuckled, handing the third, a piece of carboard cut to resemble a Santa hat colored red and decorated with more yellowing cotton balls, to Raph.

The final one was six popsicle sticks glued together, one down the middle with the rest forming two X shapes overtop, covered in generous amounts of silver and gold glitter that had somehow stood the test of time. Despite being wood, Splinter picked it up and held it like it was made of the finest crystal.

He looked down at the simple little ornament, caressing it gently with his thumb as his mind wandered to a simpler time…

"Mine next Daddy! Open mine next!" Four-year-old Leonardo yelled excitedly, nearly tripping over his own feet as he rushed up to Splinter. He was practically bouncing as he held up the waded-up newspaper to him.

"It's a star Daddy!" He explained after the gift was unwrapped "I wanted to make a big one, like the trees on TV, but I didn't know how, so I made a small one! Do you like it?" His son asked as he looked up at him with a wide, joy filled smile. A smile his Father had stopped appreciating somewhere down the line because he'd so foolishly assumed it would always grace his presence.

That wonderful smile from his wonderful son he'd so foolishly assumed could never be taken away from him.

"Dad?"

Splinter blinked back to reality to find the son in question crouched in front of him. He stared at him in confusion and mild worry, it was only then that the rat noticed the tears streaming down his face "you okay?"

"Yes, yes of course" Splinter said quickly, clearing his throat. He wiped the tears away, gently handed the ornament to Leo and, unable to help himself, pulled his son into a hug. Leo froze, caught off guard by the sudden action. It wasn't like Splinter to get this emotional over these old things.

He may not have understood, but the rest of his family absolutely did. Each watching on with bittersweet expressions.

Splinter tightened his hold slightly, reassuring himself once again his baby blue was still alive and here with him for the…he'd honestly lost count how many times now. "Uh…Dad?" Leo spoke up hesitantly, beginning to sound concerned "you sure you're okay?"

"Yes, my son" he said, reluctantly letting him go with a smile and pat on the head. Leo still didn't look very convinced, but decided not to press the issue, and went to hang his ornament with his brothers.

They always hung them together, close to the top near the star.

"Time for the finishing touch" Leo announced as his Father brought out the star "if I remember, it's your year to put it on Mikey."

"Actually" Mikey began, taking his hand "I was thinking we could do it together." He smiled sheepishly with a shrug "you know since last year was your turn and you didn't get to…" he trailed off, his expression going dark for a bit before the smile returned "…I-I just thought we could share, yah know, make up for it."

Leo had actually forgotten last year was supposed to be his turn. With a smile of his own, he and Mikey each took hold of the star and placed it on top of the tree together.

With a nod to Donnie, he flipped a switched and the tree lit up. The whole family awed at the sight, but every so often, their attention drifted to Leo. The way his face was lit up could almost rival the tree itself.

The plan was going better then they'd hoped.

If/when they give us the complete series on DVD, they better include the movie. It just makes sense.

Yes, I'm aware of the SaveROTTMNT hashtag but speaking as someone who's lived through many a save show hashtags…don't hold your breath. Besides, given the state of cartoons today, I'm not sure those dice should be rolled.

Never forget to be grateful for what we got, that's all I'm saying.

Besides, if the show does get more episodes, they can just rerelease it.

Glad to see people are enjoying this so far, I've got more planned.

Until next time.