Chapter Text
If there was one time of year that made everyone super holly jolly, it was the winter holiday season. You know, the time of year where people celebrate by kindling the lights, singing songs, and gathering together for a special dinner? Well, there were actually different holidays celebrated at this time of year.
The Skywalkers’ neighbors from downstairs, the Shapiro family, celebrated a holiday called Hanukkah, where they lit up a special candelabra called a menora, lighting one more candle than the day before every day for eight days. In their traditions, they had a special party with close family and friends where they had a potluck dinner with tasty foods like latkes, kugel, and matzah ball soup, and they played a game where they spun a special top called a dreidel and won gelt, coins made of chocolate. The Shapiros’ son Ethan taught Boba and the girls how to play when he came over for a playdate one day and it was a lot of fun. What kid wouldn’t enjoy a game where they could win candy?
Another holiday celebrated at this time of year was a holiday called Kwanzaa. Similar to Hanukkah, it involved lighting candles, but the candelabra was called a kinara, and there were seven candles, three red, three green, and one black. This holiday was celebrated in Mace Windu’s family, as well as Brenda’s father’s side. For this holiday, they celebrated with storytelling, exchanging handmade gifts, and celebrating unity, family, and community. In other words, anyone was welcome to celebrate it, whether they were of the holiday’s heritage or not.
Then, there was another holiday called Diwali, where people lit oil lamps and got all dressed up in new clothes and exchanged gifts, and of course the Winter Solstice, where people lit a yule log and wrote down wishes on pieces of paper they either burn, float in water, or hang on a wish tree. But perhaps the most famous holiday of them all was Life Day.
In your world, you probably know it as Christmas, but in this galaxy, it was known as Life Day.
It wasn’t Life Day quite yet. Not for two weeks, at least, but the excitement was already settling in for everyone, especially the children and children at heart who were eager to send their wish lists to the special someone who would visit all the good boys and girls everywhere and deliver presents for them: Santa Claus.
At the Skywalker penthouse, Anakin and his family were decorating a beautiful tree for the holiday. There were colorful balls, candy canes, strings of lights, even little silver stars to decorate the tree with.
This year was a very special Life Day because it would be the first time the entire Jinn family would be together for the holiday. Well, almost the entire family. The search for Qui-Gon Jinn and Shmi Skywalker was still ongoing, but Anakin and Carmine still wrapped gifts for them, just in case they got a Life Day miracle and found their parents.
“Hey, Mom?” Carmine said to Ms. Susy. “Remember that one time at Melody Academy, when we built gingerbread houses for the faculty holiday party?”
“How could I forget?” Susy said. “No one’s gingerbread was safe with you around.”
Carmine rolled his eyes.
“I was only eleven. Besides, Mom. If you put sweet citrus chewy candies on them, you know I’m gonna go for them.”
The kids, meanwhile, were working on their wish lists for Santa. Gabby asked Lamenta how she celebrated Life Day with her family before.
“Well, we celebrated in a lot of places,” said Lamenta. “Last year, we celebrated on Alderaan. My parents did a holiday concert, and we rented a cabin out in the mountains, where we had a fireplace we could roast marshmallows over.”
“Was there lots of snow too?” Goldie asked.
“Yeah, there was. I think I have a picture of the snowman we built.”
Lamenta showed her friends a picture of her and her father building a snowman together, and Lamenta giggled when she recalled her father’s glasses steaming up when they got back inside the cabin.
“And that’s one more reason I tend to wear goggles over my glasses in treacherous terrains.” Carmine sighed, albeit his embarrassment.
“Well, this Life Day, I don’t think we need to wish for much, because our whole family is here for the holidays.” Anakin said.
“I only hope my family can still enjoy the holidays this year.” Garrett said.
With EHC agents living in Garrett’s childhood house undercover as a new family moving in to capture any surviving Red Vultures, Garrett’s family couldn’t celebrate Life Day, or Kalikimaka, as they called it on Lakohi-Hana, at home like they always did.
Garrett’s family traditions were all done without snow since his hometown was very warm, and usually took place on the beach. They would have a luau with lots of red flowers, everyone dressed in red, green, and white, and they’d sing carols too. But it didn’t look like there would be a holiday luau this year. Mrs. Heartwood and her sisters would make the best mocha smoothies the family ever tasted, and instead of gingerbread, their family would make coconut chocolate cookie houses, and they would decorate their house with red hibiscuses and wood carved reindeer.
“I’m sure your family will still have a wonderful holiday, Garrett.” Mariposa said.
While the grownups were hanging up the decorations, the children were excitedly finishing their wishlists for Santa.
One kid, however, wasn’t doing anything except looking curiously at everything. Kara’s son Briar. He tugged on his mommy’s robe and asked her, “Mommy, what’s Life Day?”
Everyone paused what they were doing and looked at Briar like he’d just turned back into Stalker. Kara then realized Briar had never celebrated Life Day before. Why would he? Mariverde was a scrooge who couldn’t be turned around because she was the one who would haunt the holiday spirits if they came to her doorstep. In other words, her children never saw Santa Claus, had hot cocoa by the fireplace, or sang holiday carols; they probably didn’t even know what Life Day was, like Briar now.
“Well, Briar…” Kara said. “Life Day is a special time of year. It’s like a special birthday where we celebrate togetherness, family, and giving to those in need. There are a lot of things we do to celebrate, and one of the most important is gathering together with family and friends to give thanks for our many blessings.”
“Like what?”
“Like the fact that we’re all here safe and warm,” said Padmé. “You see, Briar. Not everyone has a safe place to live, or a family to celebrate the holidays with. And not every family can afford decorations or presents because they need to save money for important things, like food and clothes.”
Mariposa knew that life all too well. Except, most people who were homeless probably didn’t have to worry about hunters going after them, having to hide just to stay alive, or worrying about finding a safe place to hide to grow wings. Nonetheless, Mariposa knew how it felt living hand to mouth, constantly wondering when and if she would ever have a roof over her head, never knowing when her next meal would be, and not being able to choose what she would like to eat either, or being able to change her clothes or bathe everyday, which made her appreciate everything she had after she married Garrett and they built their first home.
That, however, made Briar sad, thinking of families who didn’t have even the bare necessities, and it meant they couldn’t enjoy the holidays with others. He couldn’t even remember what his life was like before Kara adopted him; he didn’t know if he had a family to celebrate with before that he couldn’t remember, or if he used to live on the streets.
“But that’s why Life Day is known as the season of giving.” Anakin said. “Something magical about this time of year just seems to make people kinder, more interested in giving to those in need. But, we can do that any other time of year too.”
“It’s true.” Caroline said. “As famous singers, Carmine and I are able to call a lot of attention to charities that raise money and collect donations to help those in need. But you don’t need to be famous or do something big and grand to help anyone in need.”
“Even the smallest act of kindness can make an enormous impact in someone’s life.” Mariposa said. “Like giving a hug to a sad friend, or sharing what you have with someone who needs it.”
Briar started to think about his own blessings. He had a mommy who loved him, a big family who loved him, a safe place to live, and he had lots of nice toys to play with. But he was curious about something else too.
“What are all the envelopes for?”
“Some of them are Life Day cards we’re going to send to our friends and family to wish them a Merry Life Day.” Boba said.
“But… these letters we’re writing now are our wish lists for Santa Claus.” Gabby said.
“Who’s Santa Claus?”
All the kids gasped, even the adults did. They knew Briar was new to Life Day, but they still couldn’t believe he never heard of the legendary Santa Claus.
“Only the most famous figure of the holidays ever! On Life Day Eve, he flies across the sky in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer, and he comes to everyone’s houses while we’re sleeping, and he leaves presents under the tree and stuffs our stockings with treats.”
“But that’s if you’re on his nice list,” said Lamenta. “He knows who’s been naughty and who’s been nice. He checks his list twice. If you’re naughty, he puts your name on the naughty list, and if you’re on the naughty list, you don’t get presents. Instead you get a lump of coal.”
Briar suddenly got worried.
“Uh… is breaking a vase and trying to hide it naughty? I said I was sorry. Does that mean I won’t get a present?”
“Don’t worry, Briar.” Boba said. “You’ve been pretty good since you got here.”
“Boba’s right.” Gabby said. “His first Life Day with us, he thought he was gonna be on the naughty list too, but being a good big brother and a great friend must have been what helped him get on the nice list.”
“Haven’t you written a letter for Santa yet, Briar?” Goldie asked.
Briar shook his head. He was still learning how to read and write, so he didn’t know how to write a letter to Santa. Since the grownups were busy with decorating, Briar thought asking a big kid for help might be the next best option.
“Boba? Can you help me write a letter for Santa? Please?”
“Sure, Briar. I’m done with mine, anyway.”
Folks at the Jedi Temple were getting ready for Life Day too.
In the Windu family, this was Kade’s first holiday with his new dad. He kept his birth last name even after he got adopted, but he adopted his new last name too when his parents got married. Mace and Brenda were excited to celebrate their first Life Day as a married couple. They were decorating the apartment for the holiday right now, and among the decorations, Mace found one thing he really wanted to show to Brenda.
“Hey, Brenda. Look what I found.” Mace said, holding the decoration above him and Brenda. Mistletoe.
“Mace!” Brenda laughed.
As the tradition goes, stand under the mistletoe, and you get a kiss, which Mace and Brenda did, to Kade’s disgust.
“Be nice, Kade.” Myra said. “You don’t want Santa to put you on the naughty list, do you?”
“No.” Kade said.
Kade knew exactly what he wanted for Life Day this year. His sister had a pony, his dad had a pony, and lots of his friends had ponies too. So, he was asking Santa for one of his own just the right size for him to ride and play with. He was also hoping his pony would be orange, his favorite color.
Comedia was excited for Life Day too. Now that she had a loving family, the holidays were even more special for her. In Equinaro, they called the holiday Heartmas, and in that kingdom’s traditions, the equines celebrated with a bonfire where they toasted treats over the fire and sang acapella while stomping the beat with their hooves.
Last Life Day/Heartmas, Comedia told her adoptive father she didn’t even need a present because she already had her wish: to be free. But since this was her second Life Day with her new family, she was working on a letter for Santa. She was asking for a friend for Benny Bear and some outfits she could dress him up in.
Comedia picked up another crayon with her teeth and colored in a picture of another outfit she designed for Benny Bear.
“There! All done.”
Comedia put her letter and drawings into the envelope and licked it so she could seal it shut.
“Daddy! I’m ready to send my wish list to Santa.”
Comedia was well aware that most of the grownup Jedi didn’t believe in Santa Claus, but she didn’t let it hinder her holiday spirit. Plus, she would point out that unicorns aren’t supposed to be real either, and yet…?
Master Mundi didn’t tell Comedia he didn’t believe in Santa Claus, but he went along with it for her sake. He was the picture of logic, and everything Santa did not sound logical, but then again, most of Comedia’s behavior wasn’t entirely logical, as it was her nature. So, maybe there really was a Santa, but he couldn’t find any tangible proof if he tried.
“Daddy, why don’t you believe in Santa?” Comedia asked as they left.
“How did you-?”
“Dad… I can tell when you’re doing things just for my sake and not because you agree with them.”
“Well, Comedia… this Santa figure… there’s just no tangible evidence that I’ve seen.”
“Can you see the Force?”
“No.”
“Can you see gravity?”
“No.”
“But they’re there, aren’t they?”
“Well, yes, but-”
“I rest my case. You don’t always have to see something to know it’s there.”
Comedia picked up her letter for Santa in her mouth and trotted out the door to mail it.
At the Hall mansion, young Vinnie was really looking forward to Life Day this year because now that he and his father were finally free from Tatiana and Derek’s blackmail scheme, they could finally celebrate Life Day together, and they weren’t going to do it alone. Mr. Hall’s parents, his sisters, and their children were going to come over for the holidays, and Mr. Hall said he had a special surprise for Vinnie at their family gathering.
Vinnie and his dad were decorating their tree for Life Day, the former begging his father to tell him what the surprise was, but Mr. Hall stood his ground that his son would just have to wait until Life Day. So, Vinnie reluctantly decided to wait; he was mostly excited he would finally get to celebrate the holidays with his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins for the first time in years. And for the first time ever, they wouldn’t have to worry about Derek spoiling the party by needing to be bailed out of jail or getting high and spilling everyone’s hot chocolate.
“Can’t you at least give me a hint?” Vinnie asked his father.
“Well, Vinnie. I won’t spoil the surprise, but I will tell you that it’s going to be a very life-changing something this year.”
Vinnie wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from that, but he did suddenly remember something.
“Oh! I haven’t mailed my letter to Santa yet!”
Vinnie immediately ran up to his room to get his letter so he could send it to Santa Claus.
After much debating on what to ask Santa for for his very first Life Day, Briar (with help from Boba) finally finished his letter for Santa, and he and the other kids were finally heading to the post office with Anakin to mail their letters, on their way to the Jedi Temple.
It might not have snowed on Coruscant, but it was still very cold outside, so all the kids put on their jackets and warm hats or earmuffs to go to the post office to mail their letters to Santa.
R2 and Mini-R2 beeped as they rolled by the family’s side, Caroline having put cute earmuffs on them, which surprisingly helped them keep warm too.
“I know R2’s. I’m excited too.” Gabby said. “Letters to Santa are always one of the most fun parts about Life Day. Oh! Maybe we can ask Strawberry if she’ll show us how to make butter cookies like the ones she made for Briar’s birthday party a few weeks ago. Santa would love those.”
“I thought Santa only comes when we’re sleeping.” Briar said.
“He does, but we leave cookies and milk for him as a treat on Life Day Eve. It’s a tradition. I think we do it to say thank you. Plus, delivering so many gifts in one night? I’d be surprised if he weren’t hungry at some point.”
“How does he do it, Uncle Anakin?” Briar asked his uncle.
“I’m… not sure.” Anakin said. “But hey, if we ever do meet him, we can ask him.”
“Or write him a letter,” said Lamenta. “He’s scary fast. I tried to stay up to see him last year, but I fell asleep.”
“Why does Santa leave gifts for everyone?” Briar wondered.
Then Anakin stepped in.
“I think it’s to remind us that giving is a special thing to do, and it’s the ones done in secret that are often the most special.”
“Is that why we give presents to each other too?”
“Well, Briar… yes. Giving is what this is all about. It feels nice to get a present to open, but giving them is even better, because what looks like something you can buy anytime in a store may actually be a treasure to someone else.”
“And sometimes, the gift isn’t even an item you buy in a store.” Sapphire said. “An experience is a gift sometimes. Or when you do a good deed for someone and ask for nothing in return. And sacrificing something important to you to help someone who may need it more, that’s a very special gift. Anyone can buy and wrap a store-bought present, but it’s the gifts money can’t buy that are the most special of all.”
Briar hugged his letter and got excited; this was a special experience his family was giving him, his very first Life Day and his very first writing a letter to Santa. They were almost at the post office, when Carousella pointed out something at the corner. There was a hot cocoa cart, and they were selling gingerbread cookies.
“Daddy, can we get gingerbread cookies and cocoa?” Gabby asked.
“Please, Daddy?” Boba begged, adopting his sister’s tone.
Anakin chuckled and said, “Okay, but only one each, kids.”
Anakin gave Boba some credits so he and the kids could go buy their treats, but Briar didn’t go with them; he wanted to mail his letter to Santa before it got any later. So, Anakin walked Briar to the mailbox so he could mail his letter. But just as Briar was about to reach up to put his envelope in the mail slot, a winter breeze blew and pulled the envelope out of Briar’s hands!
“My letter!”
Briar quickly ran after it, Anakin following, telling Sapphire to watch the other kids. To Anakin’s great surprise, Briar was really fast, and the kid chased his letter around the block.
“Come back here!” Briar shouted at his flying letter.
Briar chased his letter all the way to the mall, just barely managing to grab it a few times. It wasn’t until the letter blew inside that it finally stopped and landed on the floor in one of the clothing stores, and someone wearing red heeled boots stepped on it.
“My letter!”
“What’s this?” said a female voice.
The owner of the voice picked up the letter and looked at it. It was the local mean girl Brittney Parisia, and she wasn’t alone. She and three other teenage girls, a human, a tholothian, and a twi’lek, stood with her and laughed when they saw who the letter was addressed to.
“Don’t tell me, this is a letter to Santa?”
“Yes. It’s my first letter for Santa, and the wind blew it away before I could mail it.”
“Well, I’ll save you the trip, kid. Santa’s not real.”
Briar froze. He felt his heart breaking in an instant. What did she mean Santa wasn’t real? His mommy wouldn’t lie to him, would she? His family wouldn’t either. Why would his family tell him about Santa if he wasn’t real?
“But my mommy said-”
“That if you’re a good boy, you’ll get a new shiny toy?” Brittney mocked in a baby voice, then returned to her normal voice. “Well, news flash, it’s just something parents say to make their kids behave.”
“You’re wrong! Mommy wouldn’t lie to me! Please give me back my letter!”
A tholothian girl named Mandy took the letter and held it just above Briar.
“You want it? Take it.”
Briar tried to reach for his letter, but Mandy held it higher, and the other girls played a game of Hot Potato with it as Briar tried to take his letter back.
“Give it back!” Briar screamed.
“You want it? Go get it,” said Brittney.
And then Brittney tore Briar’s letter up and threw the pieces away, to Briar’s dismay.
“Just saved you a lifetime of disappointment, kid. Come on, girls.”
Brittney and her posse left Briar behind as he looked at the torn pieces of his first letter to Santa and picked them up, starting to cry. And that was when Anakin arrived.
“Briar! There you are.” Anakin ran in and saw Briar was crying. “Briar, what happened?”
Briar cried harder and said,
“I… I chased my letter… it blew in here, and then… some… some big girls picked up my letter and they ripped it up, and they said… they said… that Santa’s not real!”
Anakin looked shocked by that. He’d heard many cases of kids outgrowing their beliefs in Santa Claus, but straight up telling a little kid that Santa wasn’t real when they were so excited to mail their first letter to the big guy… if that didn’t land you on the naughty list, Anakin wasn’t sure what did.
Briar started to cry again, and Anakin picked him up and started to console him. This was not how any child’s first Life Day with a family should’ve started out.
“Briar, listen to me. Those girls are wrong. The magic of Life Day is real, and I’m sure Santa is too, especially as long as you believe.”
“Really? It’s not just something grownups say so kids behave?” Briar asked.
“Well, that’s part of it, but still. You’re a good kid, Briar, and you deserve a merry Life Day just like anyone else. Come on. I think we can fix that letter. Let’s head to the temple, and we’ll see if we can tape your letter back together or make a new one, and then we’ll give it to the mail droid later.”
Briar sniffled and wiped his eyes. And then as if on cue, Briar’s letter blew away again, this time the pieces all flew away, and Briar started to cry again. But then, a familiar redhead approached Anakin and Briar with a red and white candy cane in her hand.
Briar looked up at the girl. She was in a red dress with gold silhouettes of reindeer on the skirt.
“Hey, Holly.” Anakin said. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
“I was in the neighborhood.” Holly said. “Seems like Briar needs a little holiday cheering up.”
Holly held the candy cane to Briar again, and this time Briar accepted it. He licked the candy cane, immediately enjoying the minty flavor, and he started to suck on it happily.
“Thank you, Ms. Holly.” Briar said.
“No problem. And don’t lose hope, Briar. Santa’s real alright. I should know.”
And then Holly took off, when suddenly Briar realized something.
“Wait a minute, how did she know my name?”
Anakin suddenly realized it too; he never told Holly Briar’s name. Somehow, she never even met him before today. So… how did she know his name?
At the Jedi Temple, everyone was excited for the holidays too, even some of the most serious Jedi.
In the temple library, Skeeta the disco music-corn was helping Madame Jocasta Nu decorate the shelves with Life Day Lights. Master Fisto was all too eager to help his bride-to-be Aayla Secura with the decorations, only for Aayla to beat him to the mistletoe and steal a kiss from him.
Meanwhile, Sapphire and the other horses got the rest of the children to the temple so Anakin could meet them there.
Boba’s friends were visiting today so they could exchange Life Day cards and hang out today, but they also had the younger kids to deal with, so they met at the temple playground.
While the little girls went to play on the roundabout, Boba met with his friends Myra, Vinnie, Comedia, Rachel, and Holly. They talked all about how they were excited about their celebrations with their families and what kind of traditions they had.
“I wish you could’ve seen last year.” Rachel said. “My mom looked so beautiful as the queen of light.”
Rachel’s family celebrated a holiday similar to Life Day, but they celebrated it a couple weeks before then. It was a holiday called the Procession of Light, a holiday where families got up really early and walked in a little parade of singers. Everyone dressed in white and followed a queen of light, who was usually played by the eldest daughter in a family, and wore a beautiful crown of candles. Last year, as the eldest child, Rachel’s mom was the queen of light. And now that Rachel was a big girl, this year it would be her turn to be the queen of light.
“My Uncle Arden sent me some ginger snaps as an early Life Day gift.”
Rachel took out a blue tin and shared some ginger snaps with her friends.
“Mmm… good ginger snaps.” Holly said, licking some cinnamon off her fingers. “Your uncle’s definitely on the good list.”
“You have a list of good bakers?” said Vinnie.
“You could say that. I do like to make a note of where to get the best snickerdoodles especially. Those are my favorite. Back home, cookies are a shared favorite among my family.”
“You mentioned that last time you were here,” said Comedia. “But, I don’t think we’ve ever seen a picture of your family. Have we?”
Now that the kids thought about it, none of them had seen any pictures of Holly’s family in all the time she spent living with Rachel last year or since returning this year. It seemed kind of strange; Holly talked about her family a lot, so they knew her dad worked with toys and gifts, her mom was a great cook, and she had two little sisters, as well as the fact that she came from someplace cold. Rachel had checked the file Holly had when she first moved in, but her place of origin was listed as… unlisted. Either it was a computer glitch, or there was another reason Holly’s home planet was kept secret.
Rachel and the others didn’t let Holly know, but they had their own theories as to why she never showed pictures of her family or told them exactly where she was from. Boba thought maybe she was in witness protection, so she posed as a foreign exchange student and then went somewhere else in the summertime to stay hidden. Vinnie thought maybe her parents were being blackmailed like his dad was, so her parents sent her and her sisters to different places to keep them safe. Comedia, however, thought maybe Holly was secretive about it because her family was on the run from a war probably not too different, or even worse, than the one the Republic was fighting. But Myra thought and said, “Maybe it’s none of our business. For all we know, maybe she decided to be a foreign exchange student because she wants to chase different dreams than her parents are trying to set for her.”
And then Rachel said, “Guys, whatever the reason Holly doesn’t say where she’s from precisely, it’s her business.”
“Thanks for sticking up for me, Rach… but I actually do have a family photo this time.”
Holly took out a picture she had in her purse. In it, she was with two little girls, one nine years old with red hair like Holly’s, the other four years old with brown hair, and they were with a lovely woman with chestnut hair and a man with a white beard, and all of them were dressed in red and green. The little girls were named Faith and Joy, and Holly’s parents were named Nick and Christina.
“Your mom is so beautiful,” said Comedia.
“Thanks. Dad says we take after her, my sisters and I.”
“You know,” said Myra. “Call me crazy, but your dad kinda looks like Santa Claus.”
Holly laughed and said,
“You have no idea.”
Just then, Anakin arrived with Briar in his arms, the little boy looking upset as Anakin set him down.
“I need to meet Obi-Wan and your mom for some preparations, Briar. For now, why don’t you go play? We’ll work on a new letter for Santa later and send it tomorrow, I promise.”
Anakin left Briar so he could go play, but Briar didn’t go to play; he just went to sit on a bench and mope.
“What’s the matter with Briar?” Myra asked.
Boba sighed and told his friends about how he and the other kids were mailing their letters to Santa, but they stopped to get gingerbread cookies, and according to Sapphire, Briar’s letter blew away so he and Anakin went after it.
“I guess they weren’t able to get it back.”
Holly then walked over to the bench and sat next to Briar.
“Everything okay, little Briar?”
Briar looked up and recognized Holly right away.
“It’s you! You’re the girl who gave me the candy cane. Do you have some more?”
“I sure do.” Holly took out a green and white candy cane, which Briar started to munch on. “But, I think something else is on your mind. Do you mind telling me what? I’m a good listener.”
Briar looked down and said,
“It’s my first Life Day ever, and I was gonna send a letter to Santa, but some mean big girls stole my letter and tore it apart, they said Santa isn’t real. And just before I met you, the pieces of my letter blew away. My first Life Day, and everything is going wrong!”
Briar started to cry, and Holly wrapped an arm around him and hugged him. Boba came over and hugged Briar too, Comedia nuzzling Briar’s head. Briar’s cousins saw him crying and stopped and came to hug him too.
Briar started to feel better receiving so many hugs; this must have been what Mariposa meant when she said one small act of kindness could make a huge impact, he figured.
Once everyone let go, Holly spoke again.
“Rest assured, Briar, and the rest of you, like I said earlier… Santa Claus is very real. I should know.” Holly said.
“You’ve seen Santa?!” Lamenta gasped. “How?”
Holly looked around and said, “Not here. Come with me to a private spot, and I’ll tell you.”
Since Myra’s parents were out doing their Life Day shopping, she took the others to her place, where Holly told everyone, “Before I tell you what I’m about to tell you, I need you all to promise that you won’t tell anyone else, okay? This is a secret that keeps my family safe, and means a lot to all the children in the galaxy who believe.”
The others weren’t sure what Holly meant by that, but they promised anyway.
Holly then took out a book from her purse. It had a red cover and a symbol with two letter N’s on it. One ‘N’ was gold with roses growing on it, and the other was black with thorns.
“Open, please.” Holly said to the book.
The book opened up and Holly took something out from it: a piece of paper.
“Briar… I believe this belongs to you.”
Briar gasped.
“My letter! But…but it’s fixed.”
“And it’ll make its way to Santa in time to make your Life Day wish come true. In fact, I’ll deliver it to him, personally.”
“How do you plan to do that?”
“It’s pretty easy to do a favor like this when you’re the princess of the North Pole.”
The kids’ eyes suddenly went wide.
“Uh, how did you say you saw Santa again?” said Lamenta.
“Simple. He was one of the first people I saw when I was born, and before I became an exchange student, I saw him everyday.”
“Are you saying…” Gabby gasped. “Your Santa is…”
“My father?” Holly smiled. “Yes. Father Life Day is known to me as Father Kringle, or most commonly, Daddy.”
Everyone naturally had a lot of questions, but Vinnie was skeptical.
“Can you prove you’re Santa’s kid?”
“Sure.Check this out.” Holly held her book again and said to it, “Vincent Kenneth Hall.”
Vincent sputtered.
“How’d you know my middle name?”
“Kenneth?” chuckled Myra.
Vinnie’s face turned pink.
“It was my grandfather’s name. On my mom’s side.”
Holly didn’t answer Vinnie’s question. Instead, she showed the book to everyone, where it seemed to have a chapter labeled with Vinnie’s full name, and each time Holly turned a page, it listed various deeds he’d done over the last year. Helping a little girl stuck on a jungle gym, rescuing a stray kitten off the street, helping plan a friend’s surprise party, doing well in school, and writing a sweet poem for his dream girl.
“Okay, that’s enough!”
Vinnie slammed the book shut before anyone could see the name of the girl he liked.
“No way! Vinnie has a crush!” Rachel squealed. “Who’s the lucky lady?”
“That-That’s not important now.” Vinnie said. “Holly, how did you do that?”
“This notebook lets me access the naughty and nice lists when I’m away from the North Pole. Usually my dad does it though. Every so often, he leaves the north pole to get a sense of the generation of kids he’ll be delivering presents for, and what they really need to make their holiday special.But since I’ve been spending time out of the north pole and I’m gonna be Santa someday, he let me take it this year. It’s a very special family heirloom. I’ve lived at the North Pole my whole life, but my family and I are the only humans who live there. Everyone else is an elf, reindeer, puffin, or polar bear. So, a couple years ago, I begged my parents to let me go out into the real world and go to school with other kids, well besides elf kids anyway.”
Holly told her friends how it took a lot of convincing for her parents to let her leave the North Pole. As the firstborn child, Holly was in training to be the next Santa, so she argued that she needed to spend time amongst other kids so she would understand what the holiday meant to those her father visited every year. Eventually, her parents said she could go as a foreign exchange student under the condition that some of the guard elves go undercover to act as her royal guards to make sure she was safe. Thus, when Holly went to live with the Kharens for the school year, four of Santa’s best trained elves went undercover as a new family moving in next door to Rachel’s. Rachel thought that was just a coincidence, but it did explain why they always covered their ears with hats or headphones.
“I mean, didn’t you ever find it a little strange that my name is Holly Kringle?”
“I just thought your parents were super into Life Day or something,” said Rachel. “Back in the first grade, there was a girl named Noelle Klaus in my class. Kids were always asking her if she knew Santa.”
Holly shook her head with a sigh.
“And sad as it may be, a lot of kids are being told it’s just their parents who give them gifts, and there are even those who care more about presents than what the season is really about.”
“Giving to those in need?” Lamenta asked.
“Exactly, and loving others as we love ourselves.”
“What does that mean?” Briar asked.
“It means treat others the way you’d like them to treat you. If you want to make a friend, be a friend to them the way you’d like them to be a friend to you. In short, show kindness to others, and others will be kind to you, and in dark times like this war your system is going through, it’s the worst time for kindness to be lacking. Even the smallest acts of kindness can make a big difference. And rest assured, Briar, my dad is going to give that Brittney girl a big old lump of coal for how she and her posse treated you today.”
Myra rolled her eyes and said,
“Why am I not surprised? Brittney and the Bull Sharks.”
“Is that a new rock band?” Boba asked.
“No, that’s what we called Brittney and her posse back at my old school.”
There were four girls in the Bull Shark group, named such due to the animals’ extremely aggressive, highly territorial behavior, as well as tendency to roam the shallow waters. In middle-school-slash-high-school terms, the “shallow waters” were the typical types of things most kids in that age range typically competed over. Who wore the best clothes, following the latest trends, listening to the right music, getting noticed by the “cool crowd”, and of course who got crowned queen at the big dance. Despite being only freshman, Brittney and her posse were feared among their classmates
Brittney Parisia, of course, was their queen bee since she was the richest girl in the group. The second member was a young tholothian named Mandy Borealis, the one who specialized in knowing every major sale at the hottest shops ahead of time, probably due to the fact that her mom was the local shopping mall’s event organizer. The third member was a young brunette named Annisa Branden, star player of her school’s basketball team, but not really a team player; Brittney was the only person known to be able to shut her up. And the fourth and final member of this group of mean girls was Tara Ventura, a yellow-skinned twi’lek who could talk her way out of pretty much anything from gym glass to facing consequences for bad grades.
This group was known for all kinds of crimes against their school from verbal abuse to cyberbullying, but like many bullies, they never got caught. Unfortunately, not every school had a Myra Windu to come in and keep these sharks in line, and since Myra left school to transfer to the Jedi Temple, most students had to learn how to avoid the bullies or figure out how to defend themselves.
“Well, she hasn’t changed, that’s for sure.” Holly said. “Brittney Victoria Parisia.”
The book opened again, and it listed many of Brittney’s misdeeds. Stealing her father’s credit card to buy a new pair of shoes, shoving a new student on the floor in the hall, lying about being sick to skip school and go to a movie, dumping a smoothie on another girl’s dress on Picture Day, flirting with another girl’s boyfriend, the list went on. And her latest offense… “Told Little Boy Santa is Fake and Ripped His Letter For Santa.” And at the bottom of the page was a big red NAUGHTY stamped.
“I may not be in the same class as Brittney anymore,” said Myra, rolling up her sleeve. “But I’ll go teach her a lesson she won’t soon forget.”
“Myra, wait!” Vinnie held Myra’s shoulder. “As bad as she is, I don’t think it’s worth getting on the naughty list.”
“She means well,” said Holly. “But he’s right, Myra. Violence is never the answer.”
“I do have a question,” said Boba. “How does your dad check his list twice?”
“He’s a very fast reader, for one. And, my dad has an eidetic memory. For most, it’s extremely rare, but it actually runs in my family. So, checking the list comes easy, especially when you train from childhood reading a lot of books to further your reading skills and speed.”
“What’s your house like?” Gabby said. “Is Santa’s workshop anything like in movies?”
“Close, but not quite. My house is actually fairly simple. Like those cozy cabins you see in holiday films.”
“I woulda thought the princess of the north pole would live in a castle.” Lamenta said.
“A lot would. But we don’t stay hidden by drawing attention to ourselves that way. Besides, if home is where the heart is, then wherever home is, that’s your castle. When your family is literally legendary, you gotta take blending in seriously, or people won’t treat you like a person.”
You see, one other reason Holly never told anyone her parents were Santa and Mrs. Claus, even if they would allow it, was because it was a lot like when Vinnie first met Boba. She wanted to find friends who liked her for her, not what she (or her father) could give them. Even so, Holly did what she was taught Santa Claus did; making people happy by sharing the joy of giving, like when she gave Briar a candy cane to cheer him up. It might not have been as big and glamorous as a fur coat, a big toy train, or a giant teddy bear, but it was proof that one small act of kindness could make a big difference.
That made Briar wonder…
“Am I on the nice or naughty list?” Briar asked. “Do I still have time to get on the nice list?”
“Let’s see.” Holly held her book again. “Briar Talhin.”
The book opened again, but Holly skipped a few pages, not wanting Briar to see what was on them. And he had a lot of nice deeds on his file. Helping his mommy do things around the house, sharing his snack when Gabby dropped hers on the floor, telling the truth when he broke a vase, returning a lost lightsaber, and helping water the plants in the temple gardens… and on one page Holly showed Briar, there was a big green NICE stamped at the bottom.
“Looks like a pretty good chance of a present to me,” smiled Holly.
“Yay!”
“Just keep up the good work. Be your good self, but not just to get something. It’s people who only do good deeds because they think they’ll get something in return who end up on the naughty list the most.”
“But don’t people usually like giving someone who helped them a reward?” Briar asked.
“Sometimes, yes. But, not everyone can. Some won’t even give you anything because they don’t appreciate the good deed.”
“Why wouldn’t someone appreciate a good deed?” Gabby asked.
“A lot of reasons,” said Myra. “Pride, jealousy, or they think accepting help makes them look weak, so they act rudely to anyone who helps them. Like this one time, Mom and I were at the mall, and I saw Brittney walking to another store, where this boy who for some reason had a crush on her, held the door for her, and she threw her coffee on his head instead of saying thank you.”
Holly shook her head, “And yet she wonders why she finds coal in her stocking every year. But even she could change if she chose too, but she has to do it on her own. It’s like my mom says, we can’t force people to change their attitudes, especially if they don’t see the wrong in their actions.”
Goldie thought and said, “My mom says something like that too. She always says not every caterpillar changes the same way, and that includes when they change. But some never become butterflies at all.”
One thing, however, that didn’t change, was the time for Rachel’s flight to Pantora for the Procession of Light. She saw the time and realized her mom would be picking her up any moment.
“Yeah, I’d better get going too.” Holly said. “Dad’s expecting my report on holiday spirit by the end of the day.”
So, Rachel and Holly took off to go on to their holiday traditions, leaving the kids feeling extra excited for the holidays this year. They were a group of kids who knew a secret they couldn’t believe they would get to treasure; their friend was the daughter of Santa Claus. How many kids could say that? Well, technically, they may never know since they promised to keep it secret. But one thing was for sure, Briar’s faith was restored, and he and the other kids were ecstatic for Life Day this year; they were sure everything was going to be holly jolly.
Unfortunately, even during the holidays, there was always someone who sought to ruin the joy for everyone in one way or another…
Mariverde looked in her magic mirror and saw Briar, formerly known as Stalker again, as well as Holly with her notebook.
“So, that little traitor thinks he can just gallivant for the holidays while I slave away trying to get those amulets? I don’t think so.”
Mariverde called twelve butterflies to her hands and began to work some magic on them as she concocted a plan that would be scarier than the Ghost of Life Day Yet to Come.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, Dear Readers!
I hope all of you are having a very merry holiday season with your families and friends. Whether you believe in Santa or not, I hope all your nearest and dearest holiday wishes come true, and remember, Christmas isn't all about gifts. As nice as unwrapping gifts, singing carols, and watching Christmas movies are... Jesus is the reason for the season.
God bless you all, and I hope you'll review and that you'll enjoy the story as it continues on. XOXO