It's the most wonderful time of the year. No, really.

[mickey-mous.livejournal.com]

If you happened to be awake in the middle of the night, there was a minute or two wherein you might have seen the decorations going up. Endless strings of lights unwound from nowhere, and went up on all the buildings. Candy-cane colored banners were hung; the pansies that made up the Mickey's face design on the hill in front of the gates were swapped with hundreds of miniature poinsettias. And on top of the gates, grinning nutcrackers and giant gingerbread boys plopped into being. Most impressive was the massive Christmas tree in front of the Main Street Train Station. Observant people would notice that it begins to "snow" every evening for an hour or so.

Welcome to the Merriest Place on Earth. Or...somewhere, anyway.

((Decorations will stay up till New Year's. Feel free to have your characters run around, organize parties, or just generally go "WTF?"))

Comments

[sensiblesusan.livejournal.com]

As a governess and schoolteacher, Susan had always regarded the holiday season (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discworld_%28world%29#Hogswatchnight) as something to be gotten through -- and that even before events of the not too distant past had rather skewed her perspective on the whole matter. She'd helped raise many a decorated tree and string yards of paper sausages, but it was more out of a sense of obligation than any enjoyment.

She regarded the new decorations in the park with a combination of amusement and distaste, and made a note to ask Psyche or Logan about the folklore and myths behind what was so clearly the roundworld version of Hogswatch. If nothing else, that should be fairly interesting. She wondered what Calvin's take on the matter would be.

Later in the evening, a wreath (http://pics.livejournal.com/sensiblesusan/pic/00004sc1/g3) appeared on the front door of the First Aid station. She justified it to herself with the argument that it would please at least one other resident of the park. Any homesickness on her own part had nothing to do with it. Not at all.

[mokona-soel.livejournal.com]

"Waaaah!" Mokona is very excited about this all. The thing it most misses when travelling through worlds is Christmas. Hardly any worlds seem to know of it. "It's Christmas time, it's Christmas time! Mokona's so excited!"

If there was any snow it would be rolling around in it. As there is none, however, it just bounces around like a schoolkid on a sugar high. Or, actually, a Mokona on a sugar high -- which is about ten times worse.

[whistlingwizard.livejournal.com]

"Mokona, what's got you so excited?" Fay asks, catching the white creature mid-jump.

He heads over to the door and looks out. He notices the decorations - rather hard not to, considering. And though Fay had no idea what Christmas is, Mokona seems to like it, so it must be a good thing.

"Kuro-puu!" the mage calls. "It's Christmas time!"

[vowtoprotect.livejournal.com]

"It's what?" Kurogane calls back. He's in the room a minute later, then at the doors, to see whatever Fay is looking at. "...What the hell is all this stuff?"

[whistlingwizard.livejournal.com]

"It's..."

Fay looks at Mokona. "What is Christmas?"

[mokona-soel.livejournal.com]

"Christmas is an important holiday!" Mokona replies happily. "It's when you spend time with those close to you and have a great time! And you also give presents to your friends and family, and they give presents to you! And you also must eat and drink well, it's important!"

Mokona then looks around. "Hm... Looks like there are no mistletoes around. A pity."

[vowtoprotect.livejournal.com]

"How is that important?" He sees Mokona glancing around, decides that whatever it's "a pity" they don't have is probably just the opposite, and adds, "What's mistletoe?" in his most suspicious tone.

[mokona-soel.livejournal.com]

"Mistletoe's a plant you hang everywhere on Christmas!" Mokona explains cheerfully. "And if two people happen to be under it at the same time, they have to kiss! It's all kinds of fun!"

[whistlingwizard.livejournal.com]

"Presents!" Fay squeals. He smiles at Mokona and Kurogane, brimming with loving helpfulness. "What do you want, Mokona? And you, Kuro-pon? What do you want for Christmas?"

Fay listens to the bit about mistletoe. He looks at the floor dispiritedly. "I wish we had some. Mistletoe sounds like a good idea." The glance at Kurogane is oh-so-subtle.

[vowtoprotect.livejournal.com]

"I don't need anything." Kurogane is apparently one of those people. The ones who aggravate all gift givers during the holiday season and aren't at all helpful with present-giving ideas. "And we don't need mistletoe." Subtle like a brick. In fact, Kurogane is much more subtle, as what he'd just said might be taken (perhaps rightly) as saying that they don't need an excuse.

[mokona-soel.livejournal.com]

"But mistletoes are fun!" Mokona says cheerfully. "Mokona wants, Mokona wants..." It thinks for a while. There doesn't seem to be much alcohol in the park, and sweet things are in abudance, so...

"Mokona knows!" it announces happily, jumping on top of Fay's head and failing its little arms around. "Mokona wants a warm sock that's so big all of Mokona will fit inside it!"

[whistlingwizard.livejournal.com]

"Mistletoes sound very fun," Fay agrees. "If you do see any, Mokona, will you tell me?" Just so he knows the area. Not so he can corner Kurogane. No no no.

Fay tries to look at Mokona (which is rather a difficult thing to do when it's on top of your head). "Mokona, that's so sweet!" he gushes. "I'm going to have to find you a sock like that. Or make you one. The magical Fay-san will do his best to grant your wish!"

He gives Kurogane an almost exasperated look. "Are you sure you don't want anything?"

[vowtoprotect.livejournal.com]

Kurogane makes a mental note to be very careful around Fay for this damn holiday. Just in case the manjuu or the mage do locate any mistletoe. And he returns Fay's almost exasperated look with a look of his own. "Positive." He's not just being difficult, he doesn't want anything and isn't going to ask for anything, either.

[mokona-soel.livejournal.com]

"Awww, Kuro-daddy is no fun!" Mokona protests. "What about you, Fay-mommy? Do you want anything for Christmas that Mokona could get you?"

[whistlingwizard.livejournal.com]

"You're right, Mokona, Kuro-daddy's being a silly puppy." From the look Fay's giving him, you would almost think Kurogane had done something really quite terrible.

"For me?" Fay grins. "Just having Mokona around is present enough!" But as that's almost as bad as Kurogane's insistence he wants nothing, Fay says, "How about something I can wear? Could Mokona get me cute clothes?"

[vowtoprotect.livejournal.com]

Twitch. "I'm not a father, and I'm not a dog!" Kurogane snaps. He tunes them out as best he can as they go back to talking about presents, being sappy and discussing clothes.

[whistlingwizard.livejournal.com]

Fay sighs. "Denial will get you nowhere, Kuro-wanwan," he says sternly.

[mokona-soel.livejournal.com]

"Yes!" Mokona says happily. "Mokona will get Fay-mommy the cutest clothing ever!" ...If it can figure out how to get him anything he can't get at the park himself...

[katou-moon.livejournal.com]

((...I lose at HTML.

...So, it turns out I have two master keys. :D;;; I'm allowed to play, right? I've read almost 100 pages of text book today already. I'm entitled to a little break, right? =D?))

Katou left his house for about half a minute, and then only to check his mailbox. Then, he went right back in, closed the door, covered the windows, and went to mope in his bedroom.

[anthony-crowley.livejournal.com]

Crowley turned the corner to Katou's house just in time to see the boy barricade himself inside. Deciding he'd come back TOMORROW AFTERNOON to check on him, the demon turned around and headed back toward New Orleans Square.

[stylishtartan.livejournal.com]

Well, Aziraphale, for one, was pleased. Christmas was his busy season on earth, so he rarely had time to enjoy the holidays considering the amount of work he had to do performing miracles and thwarting the wiles of commercialism. Well, all right, a Disneyland Christmas was the height of holiday commercialism, but he still genuinely liked the holiday. Once you got past the stress, the greed, the materialism, well, there was something very beautiful and peaceful and warming about the holidays. A bit like humanity in general when you looked at it that way.

At any rate, it would be a good way to spend time with the people he'd spent nearly half a year with now, and to meet some of the many who had just arrived.

[redcapwonder.livejournal.com]

Mario walked into the park for the first time, noticing the Christmas decorations and the rather well-decorated tree. The Mushroom Kingdom didn't celebrate Christmas, but the atmosphere reminded him a lot of Hollijolli Village (http://www.mariowiki.com/index.php?title=Hollijolli_Village), beyond the lack of snow.

Mario's mind quickly returned to what it was previously on: he looked down at the map he found towards the front gates, then started to dash toward Adventureland eagerly.

[swordandchalice.livejournal.com]

Sometime the next day, Setsuna ventured out of the theatre only to pause and stare in wonder.

After a while, his face fell as he thought of long blonde hair, smiles and brightly wrapped boxes. The most wonderful time of year, in the happiest place on Earth and...Setsuna was too spoiled suddenly too sad to enjoy it.

Thankfully, it didn't take but three more minutes for him to remember he needed to get gifts! Thankfully, he'd been planning a bit since Halloween, but still...he was running out of time, clearly. Not that he'd know just when Christmas day was.... Oh well, too late to explain that to him.

[hidden-paw.livejournal.com]

Macavity poked his head out of his den long enough to snarl in digust at the decorations, then curled into tigher ball, growling irritably.

Christmas. Bah humbug!

[neverdoubted.livejournal.com]

Jack stared around him in a mix of awe, shock, and amusement. What the...? It can't be christmas already, surely. It was barely febuary when...no. It can't be christmas, not now. It's too soon.

Christmas makes him think of silly hats and laughter and a tree that he hadn't really wanted but then rose had made the puppy eyes that neither of them could resist. Jack shook his head, smiling faintly. Christmas was a time to spend with people you liked.