Three Years Ago
Ten-year-old Luz rubbed her eyes as she walked out of her room and made her way to the kitchen. She was still sleepy, and, if she were honest, she was not really looking forward to today at all. As she entered the living room, she saw that there were Christmas decorations hanging all over. Her mom was standing on a stepladder, putting the finishing touches on a piece of garland.
"Morning, Mija!" said Camila in a cheerful voice.
Luz didn't say anything at first, as she was still trying to take in the sights around her. Finally, she spoke.
"Good morning, Mama," said Luz, still a bit stunned. "I thought… I didn't realize you were going to put up decorations."
"I thought it would help liven the mood a little," said Camila, still smiling. "We should make this place look pretty and festive for the holidays."
Luz didn't answer, as she wasn't feeling particularly festive at the moment. Camila seemed to pick up on this, so she continued.
"Let's eat breakfast, then we can get started on the tamales," said Camila in an encouraging voice. Luz nodded and went over to the table. The two ate breakfast, not saying much, but enjoying each other's company.
After breakfast, Luz helped her mother clear away the dishes, and then the two set up the kitchen to make tamales. Dominican tamales were made using a combination of yautia, plantains, kabocha squash, and chilies. These ingredients were combined together to make the masa, which was then wrapped around a meat filling and then wrapped together in a plantain leaf. Making tamales from scratch was a long and difficult process, which was why most Latino families only did it around Christmas time. Luz was a bit surprised at her mom's cheerful attitude, but she did her best to go along with it.
Once the two got the kitchen ready, they began cutting and chopping the different ingredients, getting everything ready. Camila made sure to put some music on to lighten the mood, and for a while, things were going great, Luz even began to forget about the reason she wasn't feeling well. Then a new song played on her mom's phone.
[Play "Bendita tu Luz" by Mana]
"Bendita Dios por encontramos, en el camino
Y de quitarme esta soledad, de mi destino
Bendita la luz, bendita la luz de tu mirada
Bendita la luz, bendita la luz de tu mirada, oh"
Camila heard the song play and tensed up. She and Manny had told Luz the story about how they had chosen her name from that song, and now here it was playing. She looked over at her daughter and saw her stop working on the tamales.
As she listened to that song, Luz couldn't take it anymore. That song reminded her so much of her dad, and here it was Christmas time, and he wasn't here. Luz stopped working on the tamales and broke down crying, and her mother immediately came over to her.
"Mija, Mija," said Camila, wrapping her arms around her. "Oh, Luz… It's okay, Mija."
"No, it's not!" yelled Luz through tears. "It's our first Christmas without him!"
Camila had been trying to put on a brave face to try to lift Luz's spirit, but seeing her break down like this made Camila cry, too. Tears fell down her face as she hugged Luz tighter.
"I know, Mija. I know," said Camila as she gently stroked Luz's hair.
"I miss him so much," cried Luz. "It's not fair! He should be here celebrating Christmas with us."
Camila didn't know how to respond to that, so she just kept hugging Luz and stroking her hair, trying to calm her down. The two weren't able to finish the tamales and simply stayed there, trying to comfort each other.
Present Day
Luz rubbed her eyes and got out of bed. She headed into the kitchen to find her mom already up and making breakfast. As Luz helped her mom finish and set the table, Amara joined the two, and they sat down to eat. As they were eating, Luz asked a question.
"Hey, Mom, are we going to make tamales this year?"
Camila looked a little puzzled by the question and hesitated before responding, "I wasn't planning on it. I mean, we haven't made tamales for the last three years, not since…" She trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence. Fortunately, Amara spoke up.
"What are tamales?"
"Oh, they're a Latino food, usually made around Christmas," answered Luz.
"Christmas…" began Amara, scratching her chin. "Oh, wait a minute; I think I remember. That's a human holiday, isn't it? I've found quite a bit of confusing, contradictory information about it."
"Christmas can be a confusing holiday," said Luz, "but the gist of it is about being kind to your fellow man. It's a time of year when you want to spread joy and happiness."
"Huh, that's interesting. Some of what I've looked up says that it started from ancient pagan traditions involving making sacrifices to the hummingbird god," said Amara.
"Yeah… uh, Christmas has evolved a lot since then," said Luz.
"Oh, well, tell me more about these tamales," said Amara.
"Well, tamales are made from different ingredients," began Camila. "The recipe varies depending on the specific type of Latino, but usually you make what's called masa. It's a doughy mix that you coat the outside of the tamale with. Then you add the meat and the sauce. The sauce is made from chilies that you mash and grind to get that sweet flavor. Finally, you wrap all of that together in a leaf of some kind. For Dominicans, we typically use plantain leaves. Most Mexican families use corn husks. Finally, you steam them until they're ready."
"That does sound complicated," said Amara.
"That's why Latino families tend to only make them around Christmas," said Luz. "There's so much work that goes into making them. The prep time alone takes forever. It also helps to have a lot of people, so the work goes quicker, and because it takes so much work, you almost always want to make a large amount of them."
"It's possible to scale the recipe back a little," said Camila, "but even then, you often end up making about three hundred of them."
"Wow, that's a lot," said Amara. She paused for a bit before continuing, "Hey, so you said you haven't made them in three years. Why not?"
The atmosphere in the room seemed to change instantly as both Luz and Camila hung their heads and looked at each other. Amara picked up on this and quickly said.
"Oh, I'm sorry if it's personal."
"I mean, yeah, it kind of is, but, well, you should know," said Luz finally. She took a breath before continuing. "We haven't made them since we lost my dad."
Camila put her arm around Luz. "We tried the first Christmas after we lost him. It had always been a tradition for us before, but it was just so hard."
"Yeah, it was," said Luz solemnly. "I still remember the first Christmas we had after we lost him and how hard that was without him. It's been so long, and it's still a bit painful, but I think Dad would want us to try to make them again. Maybe we could ask Anne, her parents, and the Plantars if they'd like to help."
Camila looked at her daughter, and she saw the hope in her eyes. She seemed to want to bring back this tradition. It still hurt to think that Manny was gone, but Luz was right that they would want the family to move on. After thinking about it for a long time, Camila finally spoke.
"You're right, Luz. We should give it another shot, but we can't do it alone. More hands would make it go faster, so why don't you call Anne and ask her? I'll call Oum and see what she says."
Luz went to her room and took out her phone to call Anne. She answered just after the first ring.
"Luz, I was just about to call you," said Anne excitedly.
"Oh, what's up?" asked Luz.
"I need your help with a big project," said Anne.
"Huh, funny. I was going to ask you for help with a project too," said Luz.
"Well, go ahead, you first," said Anne.
Luz quickly explained about the tamales and how she wondered if Anne, the Plantars, and her parents could help. Anne absorbed what Luz said and realized that this might be able to help her as well.
"Oh, that sounds like a great idea, Luz!" said Anne. "In fact, this could be the perfect way to distract my parents while I come up with a plan to build their float."
"Float?" asked Luz.
"Right, so now let me tell you why I was calling," began Anne. "My mom got a call this morning from the Christmaspalloza Parade. There was a last-minute opening, and they wanted to offer my mom a float in the parade."
"What?! Wow! That's amazing!" said Luz.
"Yeah, exactly," said Anne, "but my mom turned it down. She said she was worried about the attention it would draw, but I know how much she's wanted this. I want to help make her dream come true, so I talked with the Plantars, and we decided that we're going to help build that float. But I want it to be a surprise for my mom, so I was thinking, How about we have my parents help your mom make those tamales, and while they're busy doing that, you, me, and the others can help build that parade float?"
Luz thought for a bit before replying. "Yeah, that sounds like a great plan. I'd love to help make that float for your mom."
"Great, then I'll see about convincing my parents to head over. See you soon!" said Anne. She was about to hang up the phone before Sprig made a move to grab it.
"Wait, Luz, I was wondering… Can you explain Christmas to me? I have no idea what's going on!"
"There's no time," said Anne from the other end. "Come on, we've got to get going." With that, she hung up the phone.
About an hour later, the doorbell to the Noceda's rang, and Camilla answered it to reveal Oum, Bee, Anne, and the Plantars. Oum and Bee were each holding various kitchen utensils.
"Did someone call for help in the kitchen?" said Bee with a grin.
"We are ready to get these tamales started," said Oum.
"Thank you so much for coming," said Camila. "It's been so long since I've made them, so I'm glad for your help."
"What do you need us to do?" asked Bee.
"Well, first, I need to go get the masa," said Camilla, "then we need the ingredients for the chili and the meat that will go inside. There's a specific place I need to go to get the masa, so I can handle that. Do you think you can get the other ingredients?"
"Yeah, no problem," said Bee.
"You can count on us," said Oum.
"Okay, let me make a list for you," said Camila.
"Hey, if we help you make these tamales, then maybe you can help us whip up some Thai food for a Christmas party," said Bee.
"Oh, that sounds like a marvelous idea," said Camila. "What sort of dishes do you make for the holidays?"
"Traditional Thai Christmas food is papaya salad, Tom Yum soup, and mango sticky rice," said Oum. "I would love the opportunity to have dinner with both of us and our food."
"You and Luz can come over to our house for Christmas," said Bee as he turned to look at his daughter and Luz.
"I think our kids would like that," he said slyly, causing Luz and Anne to blush.
"Yes, I imagine they would," said Camila, smiling at Luz and Anne. "I love it! We'll bring over tamales and have Christmas at your house."
"See, Anne? We can have Christmas together with the Nocedas and don't need to worry about the parade," said Oum.
"Oh, you mean the Christmas Palozza parade?" said Camila.
"Yes," said Oum. "They offered to let us have a float, but I told Anne it's more important to maintain a low profile."
"The veterinary clinic I work at will have a float," said Camila. "They've already started building it."
"See, even if I wanted a float, it would probably take too much time," said Oum. "I like the idea of the Nocedas and Boonchuys celebrating Christmas together."
"Wait, you were offered a float in the Christmas Palooza Parade?" asked Camila. "And you turned it down?"
"I don't need that," said Oum. "I'm fine with having a small Christmas celebration."
"Are you sure?" asked Camila. "Getting a float in that parade is a huge honor. The Pet Vet Clinic only just managed to get one last year."
"I'm sure," said Oum.
"I suppose in that case, it would be nice to have a small, relaxed Christmas," said Camila, putting her arm around Oum. The group of amphibians, Boonchuys, and Nocedas all came together, all of them loving this idea, all except Bee, who snuck off to the side and pulled out a camera. He quickly aimed it at the gathered group and took a picture, causing everyone to gasp!
"Ah! My eyes!" exclaimed Hop Pop.
"Why did that hurt so much?" said Amara, rubbing her eyes.
"I hate your stupid photographic boxes!" yelled Polly.
"What the heck, Mr. Boonchuy?!" exclaimed Luz.
"Oh, right, don't you remember at the Thai Temple when I took that photo of you and Anne?" asked Mr. Boonchuy. "I was practicing for the family Christmas card photo. The theme this year is candid."
"You were practicing all the way back then?" asked Luz in surprise.
"Of course," said Bee with a smile. "I needed to get the perfect candid shot. Got to be quick on the draw so I can— Oh my goodness!"
Bee finally looked at the picture he had taken. He had taken it much too close to the subjects, and all of them had expressions of dizziness and confusion on their faces. Also, none of them were looking at the camera.
"If you blind me again, the only candid shots you'll be taking will be at a hospital," said Camila, raising her fist toward Bee and shaking it to make sure he got the point. Bee gulped nervously.
"Okay, next time, no flash," said Bee.
"Great, so while you guys start getting the list for the market ready, I have, uh, something I need to discuss with Luz, Amara, and the Plantars," said Anne.
Camila showed the Boonchuys to the kitchen while Luz, Anne, Amara, and the Plantars snuck away to her room, making sure to close the door.
"Okay, so I want to make this float as perfect as I can," said Anne. "We're going to need a lot of different parts for it."
"We sometimes have parades in Newtopia," said Amara, "though we've never had any of these floats you're talking about. Usually, it's just military parades, though sometimes there's also a spider or snail that's decorated and ridden on."
"I guess that would be the equivalent of a float for this," said Anne. With that, she unfurled a piece of paper, showing a sketched design of what she wanted. Everyone looked at the paper.
"Oooh, fancy," said Hop Pop.
"This looks really complicated," said Amara.
"Maybe," said Anne, "but this is my parents' dream. I owe it to them after everything they've done for me, and I want it to be a surprise. I already called the parade committee and told them that we're in, so we have to make this happen."
"I think it's super sweet what you're doing, Anne," said Luz. "I'm sure your mom will appreciate it."
"Hey, Anne, you want your parents to be distracted while you're doing this, right?" asked Hop Pop.
"Yeah," said Anne.
"Hmmm, okay, how's about I stay behind and help them cook these, uh… What are they called again?" asked Hop Pop.
"Tamales," said Luz.
"Right, I'll stay behind and help make the tamales," declared Hop Pop, causing Anne and Sprig to give each other a look.
"I suppose Hop Pop's cooking has improved, so we don't need to worry about him ruining Luz's family meal," said Polly, causing Hop Pop to glare at her.
"At least you won't be doing it all by yourself," said Luz. "My mom and Anne's parents will be helping, but even so, I have faith in your cooking."
"Thank you, Luz. I'm glad somebody does," said Hop Pop.
"Well, H.P., if you're sure about that, then cool, the rest of us will get going and start making our holiday float," exclaimed Anne.
"Oh, wait, one more thing," began Sprig. He turned to Amara. "You're pretty smart, Amara. Can you explain Christmas to me?"
"Actually, I don't think I can," said Amara, causing Sprig and the Plantars to let out a gasp.
"I mean, it's a lot more complicated than I thought," explained Amara. "According to my research, humans started celebrating it centuries ago, and it was actually called 'Saturnalia' at that time. The holiday was celebrated for an entire month, where there was food, drink, and merrymaking. Then there's another Norse tradition that says something about a 'Yule Log', and how you're supposed to burn one in your fireplace, and then you celebrate for however long the log burns. Then there's a story about someone called 'Sinterklass' sometimes called St. Nick…"
"Okay, yeah, it gets pretty complicated," said Anne, interrupting Amara, "and unfortunately, we don't have time to go over the origins of the holiday right now. We have to get going." Anne made a motion to the others to get moving, and everyone headed out the door except Luz, who looked between Anne and her closet.
"That's a nice festive sweater, Anne," said Luz.
"Oh, yeah, I busted this thing out for the holidays. I also got some neat hair decorations," said Anne, pointing to her hair. Anne had a piece of holly, a small candy cane, a bell, and some small Christmas ornaments in her hair.
"How did you even get those to stay?" asked Luz.
"My hair is super thick," said Anne. "Also, ornament hooks."
"Well, you look absolutely adorable," said Luz. "Makes me think I should put on something festive as well."
"Yeah, you should," agreed Anne.
"Give me a minute. I'll meet you outside after I change," said Luz. Anne nodded and left the room while Luz looked inside her closet for something more holiday-appropriate.
After a few minutes, Luz came outside, wearing a red sweater that said "Feliz Navidad" on it. She also had a red Santa hat on her head, and she still wore her jean shorts with some green tights and black boots on her feet.
"How do I look?" asked Luz, striking a pose.
"Cute," said Anne, her face blushing at the sight. She came forward to give her girlfriend a hug, and Luz returned it.
"Well, now that we're appropriately dressed, let's get out there and start making this float," said Luz.
"The first thing we're going to need is some technical help," said Anne. "Anyone know any tech experts?"
Polly and Amara grinned at each other.
Far away in Amphibia, the season had changed to winter, and snow covered much of the ground. A few of the frobots had taken to forming the snow into small versions of themselves. Overhead, Andrias's castle moved through the sky, and a fleet of smaller castles surrounded it. Inside the castle, in the throne room, three newts walked up to Andrias to give him a report.
"King Andrias, the robot army is nearly complete," said Blair.
"Ahead of schedule and under budget," added Bartley.
"Excellent, Triple B," said Andrias, "but what are you wearing?"
The three newts were dressed in some peculiar clothes—some green tunics with matching green hats with bells on the tips. They also had fake ears on that were taller and more pointed.
"Pretty cute, right?" asked Bartley.
"It's late winter," began Blair, "which means it's almost time for the human holiday, Christmas. Marcy told us about it, remember?"
"No," said Andrias plainly.
"It's fun," continued Blair. "We even got you a Christmas gift. Stay right there." Blair ran back to the entrance of the throne room to retrieve the gift.
It took him a long time to push the decorated box in front of the throne. He struggled and grunted while trying to get it to the king. Neither Andrias nor the other newts made any attempt to help him. Blair finally managed to get the box to the foot of the throne, only to realize he still had to haul it up the stairs. Blair took a beat to collect himself before trying to push it up the stairs. Again, neither of the other newts felt compelled to help him. After several minutes, Blair finally managed to get the box up to the King.
"Oh, is that for me?" asked the King in excitement. The other newts nodded. Andrias quickly ripped off the wrapping and opened the present. He looked inside and saw three pieces of equipment.
"Wow!" he said, lifting what looked like a robotic moth out of the box. "What is it, exactly?"
"Oh, this is our newest drone soldier prototype, sir," explained Branson. "This is the project that Alister told you about."
"Oh, goody," said the King.
"Speaking of which, how is Alister doing? We haven't seen him in forever," asked Bartley. The other two newts glared at him, thinking this was a question best not asked. Andrias also glared at the newt, preparing to make a harsh rebuke against him, only to change his mind and say something else.
"He's… busy," said the King in a distracting voice. "His wife is going through a bit of an emotional fit, but don't worry about him. Tell me more about this thing."
"Well, the drone is remotely controlled with that, uh, controller. We based the design off of those 'video games' that Marcy told us about," said Bartley. "The drone itself has quite a few neat features and powers."
"You use that headset to see through the drone's eyes," said Blair, "then you can steer it to wherever you want."
"Nifty!" declared Andrias, pulling out the headset. He was about to put it on his head before realizing his crown was in the way.
"Pfft, crown," said Andrias, pointing to his crown before removing it, then putting the goggles over his eyes.
"Let's see what this baby can do!" exclaimed Andrias, turning on the drone.
The drone's eyes came to life and began to glow red. After a few seconds, it lifted off the ground and began to fly in the air. Andrias manipulated the controller, causing the drone to fly about in an erratic pattern in the air.
"Steering's kind of tricky," said the King as he tried to guide the drone where he wanted it to go. He miscalculated and sent it towards the newts, all of them ducking just in time. Andrias continued to fiddle with the remote.
"Hmm, what's this for?" he asked, pressing one button. The drone transformed, bringing out an array of weapons, including missile launchers, lasers, and machine guns.
"Ooh! Now this, I like!" he said in a giddy tone.
"Glad to hear it, sire," said Branson. "It just needs a little testing, and it'll be good to go!"
"Testing, eh? I just had a grand idea," said Andrias, getting up from his throne. "I can send this drone to Earth and destroy Anne virtually. I never should have sent a robot to do a newt's job."
"But technically, you're still sending a robot to do—" began Blair, before Bartley and Branson covered his mouth.
"Shut up, Blair!" they said at the same time.
"Get ready, Anne," said Andrias. "Once I figure out how to control this thing, you're finished!"
Andrias brought down his visor and moved the joystick on his controller, sending the drone straight at the three newts. The drone began firing at the newts, causing them to scurry about the throne room. Andrias took in the sight before raising up his visor.
"For such tiny legs, you three sure move fast," laughed Andrias.
The line outside Cinco Puntos was long. Camila let out a sigh as she got into the line with her large Tupperware bowl to buy the masa. The line moved slowly as the customers filtered inside the store until a familiar face came out.
"Camila, is that you?" asked the Lyft Driver
"Oh, hey," called Camila to him. He had started working more at Thai Go, and Camila had seen him more frequently, though at the moment, she couldn't remember his name.
"Are you getting masa?" she asked.
"Yeah, got about 25 lbs of it right here," said the Lyft Driver, holding up his bowl. "My family and I are making tamales. We've been doing it for a few years now, and I'd like to think that each time we get a bit better."
"What kind of tamales are you making?" asked Camila.
"Pork," answered the Lyft Driver. "Last night, my brothers and my mom made the sauce and the meat, so we're gonna spend today putting it all together. It usually takes the whole day since it's just the four of us."
"How many tamales do you get for 25 lbs of masa?" asked Camila.
The Lyft Driver thought for a bit before responding. "About 20 dozen. It's more than we could ever eat, so we give a lot of them away, freeze the rest, and eat them throughout the year. Are you making tamales too?"
"Yes," answered Camila. "We're making the Dominican kind. Normally, I would make the masa from scratch. The Mexican masa isn't quite the same, but I think I can work with it, add some plantains and yatuia root and the right spices, and see what happens. We use pork for the meat as well. The sweetness of the masa combined with the flavor of the pork makes a very delicious combination."
"Mmmm, sounds tasty," said the Lyft Driver. "And you wrap them in plantain leaves, right?" Camila nodded her head.
"Cool. We use corn husks to wrap ours," said the Lyft Driver. "I've never had Dominican tamales before." He trailed off for a second before continuing.
"Oh, hey, I have an idea. I'll have a few dozen Tamales, so maybe I could trade a dozen of mine for a dozen of yours?"
"I've had some good Mexican tamales before," said Camila, "but I wouldn't mind trying yours."
"I'm sure you'll love them. They are homemade, after all. I think the recipe we have is the same one my great-grandmother used," said the Lyft Driver. "I'll bring them to the restaurant sometime after Christmas. You and Luz tend to be around there a lot."
"Yes, we are," said Camila with a smile. "Luz likes to take any opportunity she can to see her new girlfriend."
"They do seem happy together," said the Lyft Driver. "I'm glad that sort of thing is getting more accepted these days. It's a bit surreal given some attitudes and 'jokes' people were telling even just twenty years ago."
"Yeah, I get what you mean," said Camila. "I knew a few people in high school who got bullied for being gay. I never said anything myself, but I also never really stood up for them."
"I had a friend in high school who turned out to be gay," said the Lyft Driver. "I'm glad I didn't find that out until later in life, as at the time, I'm not sure I would have reacted well. Last I heard, she's living up in Oregon with her wife. Hope she's doing well. She was honestly one of the nicest people I knew. I also have a cousin who is gay. I've had a bit of family drama with my extended family, and she's one of the few cousins I still talk to nowadays. She'll be coming by to our house for Christmas with her girlfriend."
"You having a small gathering, then?" asked Camila. The Lyft Driver nodded.
"Same. Luz and I will be going over to the Boonchuys for Christmas," said Camila.
"Cool. Hope you have a good time," said the Lyft Driver. With that, he went on his way, but briefly turned back to say, "Merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas," called Camila.
"I think that's everything we need," said Bee as he looked inside the shopping cart.
"Did we get the right noodles?" asked Oum.
"I think so. I've never bought them here," said Bee, picking the package out of the cart and looking at it.
"Well, we needed to get things for Camila's tamales, so we couldn't go to 99 Ranchers like we usually do," said Oum, grabbing the package from Bee and looking it over herself. "I think this will work. Did we get everything that Camila needs?"
Bee looked over the list one more time. "I think so. It is convenient that the market puts Asian and Hispanic food together."
Oum looked up at the sign, indicating what was in the aisle. "Ugh, I love how they just call it 'Asian and Hispanic food', as though all Asians and Hispanics cook the same food."
"Well, that's what most Americans seem to think," said Bee, trying to make a joke. Oum didn't laugh.
"Ah, come on, honey," he said, putting his arm around his wife. "You can't expect the average person to know the difference between a Thai and a Vietnamese, or a Mexican and a Dominican. Hey, at least they do it equally for both of us."
"I suppose you're right about that," said Oum, finally smiling. "I remember talking with Camila at the Thai Temple about how people tend to lump Asians together into one category, and she said the same thing happens with Latinos."
"Just more proof that we really have more in common than we think," said Bee.
The two smiled. They double-checked the list before making their way to the checkout, and right as they turned a corner, they almost ran into another cart. After they stopped, they realized who it was: Melissa Waybright.
"Melissa," said Oum in surprise. Melissa gave Oum a look before turning away, not saying anything. Oum ran after her.
"Melissa, wait," said Oum as she tried to think of what she could possibly say.
"Are you doing some Christmas shopping?" asked Melissa in a bitter tone.
"I… well, yes…" said Oum awkwardly.
"Good for you," said Melissa in a very stiff voice. "I'm glad you get to spend Christmas with your daughter."
With that, Melissa kept pushing her basket and walked away, leaving Oum standing there, not sure how to feel. Bee came up to her and put his arm around her, feeling the same way as Oum.
Luz, Anne, and the amphibians arrived at the lab where Ally and Jess had set up some Christmas decorations and were playing some music, or more accurately, Pandatron was playing some techno Christmas music. The two girls had also set up an advanced lighting rig and had red and green lights flashing across the lab. The area felt very festive, and the young amphibians watched as small robots danced and jumped around.
"Despite having been on Earth for so long, I am still amazed at your technology," said Amara as she watched a robot do a break-dance. Sprig and Polly watched as a robotic dog did a backflip, amazed by such a simple act. At the other end of the room, Anne and Luz talked to Ally and Jess. Anne quickly explained the situation.
"Ah, I think that's so sweet how you want to make your parents a float for the holiday parade," said Ally.
"So, will you help us?" asked Luz.
"Of course," said Jess.
"Thank you so much for helping us with this float," said Anne.
"Of course," said Ally. "We'll do anything electronic, animatronic…"
"Technotronic," added Jess. "Really any other 'tronic."
"Besides, we're done with all our Christmas preparation, so we're ready to go," said Ally.
"Cool! What are your plans?" asked Anne.
"We're going over to Jess's parent's place and have Christmas there," said Ally.
"Oh, what about your parents?" asked Anne. Luz tried to signal her to stop talking, and Anne saw but wasn't sure why, though as she saw Ally's face fall, she quickly understood.
"Ah, hey, sorry," said Anne quickly.
"It's alright; you didn't know," said Ally. "My parents… they don't really talk to me anymore, not since I told them I was dating Jess."
Now Anne's face fell, ashamed to have brought up something like that, though Ally perked up and tried to get Anne to not worry about it. She placed her hand on Anne's shoulder, looking her in the face.
"Hey, don't worry about it. It's been two years, but I have no regrets," said Ally. "Besides, Jess's mom makes some of the best Christmas cookies you will ever have. She's so nice to me."
"Yeah, my mom is always telling me I better not mess things up with you or she'll let me have it," said Jess, putting her arm around Ally and smiling. She leaned closer and kissed Ally on the cheek.
"Oh, that reminds me," said Jess suddenly. "How are things going with you two? Last time, Luz, you told me your parents didn't know, right?"
"Yeah, we came out to them," said Luz, reaching over and grabbing Anne's hand. "We told both our parents at the same time, and they were both fine with it. But I won't lie, it was really nerve-racking!"
"I'll say," said Anne, squeezing Luz's hand. "I was so nervous about what my parents were going to say, but they were fine with it. I felt so relieved when they came up and hugged me after."
"Awww," cooed Ally and Jess at the same time.
"We're even celebrating Christmas together," said Luz. "My mom and Anne's parents are gonna make a combination of Dominican and Thai food for dinner."
"That is so awesome!" said Ally, coming forward and hugging Anne and Luz. "I'm so happy to hear that!"
"This calls for a celebration!" said Jess. "More eggnog and cookies!"
As the girls drank their eggnog, Polly asked Amara more questions.
"So, let me see if I have this right. On Christmas Eve, if you've been bad, then Sinterklass sends one of his elves to beat you with a broom?" asked Polly.
"Yes," replied Amara.
"Uh-huh, and what exactly is defined as bad?" asked Polly, a little nervous. "Do you think humans have different standards for 'bad'? And, uh, what kind of broom do you get beat with, and for how long?"
"You know, most of the stuff surrounding Christmas is legend, right?" said Amara to Polly. "You aren't actually going to get beaten with a broom if you're bad."
"Are you sure?" asked Polly.
Before Amara could answer, Sprig interrupted. "Well, why don't we just ask the humans?" He pointed to Ally and Jess.
"Excuse me," said Sprig to the girls, "can you explain Christmas to us?"
"Oh, right, you're frog people from another world, right?" asked Ally. The three nodded their heads.
"Well, it's a human holiday. You celebrate, get a tree, decorate…" began Ally.
"You make cookies, party hard," added Jess.
"Right, the decorating of the tree," said Amara. "That's from Scandinavian traditions, isn't it?"
"Correct," said Ally.
"Okay, but why do you decorate the tree?" asked Sprig in frustration.
"You just do," said Jess. "It's the holiday tradition. Just be careful when you're tying lights to a tree. If you get the voltage wrong, boom!"
"Nothing ruins Christmas like a tree on fire," said Jess.
"Alright, techies secured," said Anne as she shoved her helmet on her head. "Now we'll need some decorations to populate the float. Does anyone have ideas for that?"
"We could ask the nice museum lady," suggested Amara.
"Wait, you don't mean the one who attacked you with a saw, right?" asked Luz.
"No, not her, the other one," clarified Sprig. "The one we visited before the angry saw lady. What was her name again?"
"Dr. Jan," said Amara. "Didn't she come by the restaurant at some point?"
"Yeah, she did," said Anne. "I wasn't sure about trusting her, but she apparently saw you guys fleeing from that crazy scientist without your disguises."
"Dr. Jan was awesome!" proclaimed Polly. "She threw hot coffee in Frink's face."
"Ha! That was pretty cool," said Sprig. "Glad she was there to help us escape."
"Alright, let's go see if she's got anything we can use," said Luz.
As the group arrived at the Natural History Museum, they took in the sight. It had been completely decorated with trees, lights, banners, and other kinds of Christmas ornaments.
"Whoa!" said the group as they took in the sight.
"This place looks a lot different from the last time we came," said Amara.
"It's all bright and twinkly," said Polly.
They all kept walking until they saw Dr. Jan calling after a museum patron, who seemed to be doing his best to get away from her.
"Wait! You're going to miss my festive lecture," called Dr. Jan. Right after saying that, she turned to see the group.
"Amara! Good to see you again," said Dr. Jan, coming up to the newt. "How are you?"
"I'm fine. New arm is good to go," said Amara, offering her new arm and hand to the doctor. Dr. Jan shook it and stared for a long time at it.
"I am so amazed that you can do that, though I guess it would make sense, seeing as you're a humanoid newt," said Jan. "Newts and salamanders on Earth have amazing regeneration. I think only starfish are better than them."
"Well, it still hurts to get a limb cut off," said Amara. "I might be able to regrow them, but I don't purposely try to lose them."
"Of course," said Jan. "I'm just glad to see that Frakes didn't do any permanent damage to you." She turned to look at the rest of the group.
"Oh, Anne, good to see you again," said Dr. Jan warmly. "I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot last time."
"I heard you witnessed what happened at the museum, so I was a bit nervous when you came by the restaurant asking about the 'frog aliens,'" replied Anne.
"Especially after what had just happened with Frakes," added Luz.
"Understandable," said Dr. Jan,
"The whole thing was hilarious when you think about it, though," said Luz. "Anne tried to sneak the Plantars out the back, only for you to cut us off then she tried throwing that bowl of noodles at you, which somehow, I ended up covered in."
"I still have the picture of that," said Polly, pulling out a picture of Luz with a weary expression on her face, which was covered in Thai noodles.
"But hey, it all worked out in the end," said Amara
"I'm glad I was able to earn your trust," said Dr. Jan.
"Well, it also helped that driver dude who vouched for you," said Sprig. "He works for Anne's parents now. He showed up later that day and told us how you had wanted to help."
"I see. Well, did you come here to listen to my festive lecture on the origin of Christmas?" asked Dr. Jan.
"Actually, I'm building my parents a parade float," explained Anne.
"We thought maybe you could help us get some props and decorations," said Luz.
"I love the Christmaspalooza parade!" said Dr. Jan excitedly. "So feel free to help yourself to some mannequins and wintry flora from our dioramas."
"Thank you so much," said Anne. "I'm sure my mom will love this."
"Oh, if you still want to give a festive speech about Christmas, I'm sure they'd be interested," said Luz, indicating Sprig, Polly, and Amara.
"Yeah, we've heard a lot of conflicting information about this holiday," said Polly. "Do you think you can clarify any of it?"
With that, Luz and Anne went off to look at what they could use from the museum, while the others listened to Dr. Jan.
"The Christmas celebration, as we know it today, started in the fourth century with the recognition of the Winter Solstice," began Dr. Jan.
"The what?" asked Sprig, confused.
"Oh, the Winter Solstice. You know, when the pole of a planet is the farthest away from the sun," explained Dr. Jan. "Surely you must have a similar phenomenon on your planet."
"Planet?" said Polly, confused. "Oh, is this about that whole world being round thing? Yeah, sorry to tell you, Doctor, but Amphibia isn't round."
"Are you… sure about that?" asked Dr. Jan.
"We've already had this debate. Our world can't be round," said Polly emphatically. Dr. Jan looked between Polly and Amara, the newt giving her a look that said, "Don't bother trying."
"Ah, well, moving on then," said Dr. Jan. "Many of our modern traditions come from the ancient Roman feast of Saturnalia—"
"What kind of traditions?" asked Sprig.
"Oh, things like feasting, gambling, singing, playing music, and giving gifts," said Jan. "The Romans would usually celebrate for a whole week. No work or business was done during that time."
"Hmmm, okay, I think I'm getting it," said Polly. "Honestly sounds like a lot of fun."
"Was there a version of Christmas that involved human sacrifice?" asked Amara, causing the others to look at her.
"Oh, you must be thinking of the Aztec winter celebration," said Dr. Jan.
"Wait, we get to sacrifice our enemies during this holiday?" asked Polly, intrigued.
"Uh, no," said Dr. Jan quickly, "the Aztec version is just another version of the holiday. There was a celebration of the hummingbird god, Huitzilopochtli. They called their winter celebration Panquetzaliztli. It's similar to other versions of the holiday. The Aztecs decorated trees with paper, ran ritual races, danced, sang, played music, and also… sacrificed people to their god… "
Dr. Jan had trailed off toward the end of her explanation. She quickly added, "It was a different time in human history."
"I'm starting to like this holiday," said Polly mischievously.
"You know, there is one thing I'm curious about," asked Amara. "I've done my own research into this holiday and it seems like there used to be many different versions of it, but now most people seem to associate it with only one thing: a birth of some sort."
Dr. Jan scratched her chin as she thought of how to respond to that. "Yes, that is a bit of a complicated subject. Most people in this country practice some form of Christianity. Do you know what that is?"
Both Polly and Sprig shook their heads, but Amara nodded. She quickly explained, "It's a human religion."
"Yes," said Dr. Jan, "and well, this religion wanted for people to celebrate it a certain way, so that religion decided that they would have one of their religious holidays happen at the same time as other cultures' winter celebrations. Over the years, most of the other winter celebrations were forgotten or absorbed into the Christian one. Nowadays, most people in this country celebrate some form of the Christian version of Christmas."
"But why?" asked Sprig. "That seems kind of unfair. Like, why did this religion want everyone to celebrate the holiday their way?"
Amara and Dr. Jan looked at each other as they tried to think of what to say in response. Finally, after a long pause, Dr. Jan replied.
"It is unfair, and despite Christianity taking over the holiday, I think the general message of Christmas, a time of celebration and renewal, is still alive and well. Besides, there are a lot of nonreligious people, myself included, who still celebrate the holiday because we like the sentiment of spreading cheer and goodwill to your fellow man. In an age where people now know a lot more than they did in the past, including how Christianity took over Christmas, people still celebrate it for what it originally meant and for the opportunity to spend time with family and friends."
"Huh, I guess when you put it like that, it's not so bad," said Sprig. "So that's what Christmas is all about, then? Spreading goodwill to your fellow man?"
"Yeah, exactly," said Dr. Jan. At that moment, Anne and Luz reappeared, holding two wagons full of museum pieces. The Plantars looked at the contents in horror.
"I think we're all good here," said Luz.
"Ready for our next stop?" asked Anne.
"Uh, sure," said Amara, looking intently at the figures. She whispered to Polly, "It's so unnerving how lifelike they look."
Before the group left the museum, they got some hot chocolate from a stand outside. Sprig, Polly, and Amara had never had it before, but all three of them enjoyed the taste and the warm feeling it brought as they drank it. Anne and Luz attached the wagons to their bikes and began pedaling a lot harder than usual as they made their way to their next destination. They passed through the streets and saw other people celebrating the holidays in their own way, whether it was taking pictures in a cardboard cutout or a woman playing a guitar and singing. As the group rode off, somewhere above them, a small portal opened up, through which a small red and green drone flew out. It awkwardly fluttered around in the sky before crashing straight into a building.
"Hello, Earth! Wow, lotta people down there!" exclaimed Andrias as he struggled to control the drone. He managed to get it to fly in a straight line and avoid any more buildings as he continued to look for Anne.
"Now, where is that Anne Boonchuy?" he asked, and right as he did, he shifted the drone's view back up and saw a squad of pigeons flying directly at him. The pigeons crashed right into the drone, and Andrias struggled to keep control of it as the birds buffeted the robot. He eventually lost control of it, and the drone crashed into a billboard.
Andrias growled in frustration. "Man, I have got to get better at these controls."
Back at the Noceda household, Camila, Oum, Bee, and Hop Pop were busy making the tamales. Camila had put some music on her phone so they could listen to it while they worked.
"So we have to mash up these ingredients, right?" asked Hop Pop.
"Yes, that's right," said Camila, who was over at the stove with an apron and hair net on.
"These, uh, tamales are a family recipe, right?" asked Hop Pop, as he began to work on them.
"Yes, my mom made them back on the island," said Camila. "She taught me how to make them, and one day, I'll teach Luz how to make them as well."
"That sounds lovely," said Hop Pop. "I've got my own family recipe book back home. All the recipes were passed down by my great gam gam. She made the book herself."
"Ah, that's so sweet," said Camila. "What kind of recipes do you have in there?"
"Oh, all sorts," said Hop-pop. "We got swamp mold pot-pie, swamp gumbo, swamp stew, and best of all, cricket jam!"
Camila made a face as he listed them off, wincing with each new one.
"Right, swamp dishes. I'm sure those are tasty… to a frog," said Camila.
"Oh, well, Luz has had a few of them, too. She didn't mind," said Hop Pop.
"And, uh… Do you do most of the cooking in your family?" asked Camila.
"I sure do," replied Hop Pop, "though the kids and Anne seem to think I'm no good at it. But I cooked that dinner for Anne and her friends, and they liked it. You know, now that I think about it, I bet being with Anne helped improve my cooking. She was pretty helpful in the kitchen."
"That's good to hear," said Oum. "She's been helping us in the kitchen since she was ten. Usually simple stuff like chopping vegetables or washing dishes, but ever since she came back, we've started teaching her some dishes we cook in the restaurant."
"Did you learn from your mother too?" asked Camila.
"Yes, she taught me everything I know about cooking," answered Oum, "at least until I met Bee."
"I was a street food chef, and my family had a stand in Bangkok," said Bee. "My family had a stand where we served all sorts of things. My favorite was Khao Ka Moo."
"Bangkok always busy," said Oum. "So many people always hungry. Lots of good opportunities if you know what to do."
"Oum came up to my stand one night and asked what my favorite dish was to make," said Bee as he recalled that memory. Oum herself smiled.
"So he made me a dish of Khao Ka Moo," said Oum. "He said he'd make the best version I ever had. Said it would be so good that after I taste it, I would go on a date with him."
"Heh, I figured there was no way you'd go out with me if I just asked," said Bee, blushing slightly, "so I thought I'd try to impress you with my cooking."
"It was delicious, so I thought I'd give him a chance," said Oum, coming up to Bee and hugging him. "Now, fifteen years and one daughter later, here we are."
"Ah, that's nice," said Camila. "Growing up in the DR, you see a lot of animals. There's a lot of natural wildlife where I lived. Parrots were pretty common, and I learned how to take care of them. As I got older, I realized that I wanted to work with animals, and that led me to pursue a career as a vet."