The Year Without an Advent Calendar

     And truth be told, the bus ride was quite nice for them both. It was still too early in the day for most of the tourists to be returning to their hotels and such, so the bus was mostly empty, and the friends were able to enjoy the scenery in relative peace and quiet.

     The journey was mostly silent, giving Noella an opportunity to set her ideas into motion while Reina watched the scenery roll by. The unintentionally forceful snap of her flip phone closing startled Reina, who just seconds earlier had been lost in the view of Kiko Lake out of the bus window.

     "Is…is everything alright, Noella?" she inquired softly, with a hint of worry.

     "Yes, yes, absolutely!" Noella reassured her. "I was just making sure the Defenders of Neopia knew you were safe. Plus…" she began with a twinkle in her eye, "I wanted to get the ball rolling on my idea!"

     Reina smiled softly. "Thanks again, Noella. Words don't really feel like enough, but I hope you know how grateful I am to have a friend like you."

     Noella returned her expression with a warm beaming. "Reina – trust me when I say we are all just so thankful that you're okay. That's the only reward I need."

     Just then, the bus slowed to a gentle halt.

     "Plaza! Neopian Plaza!" barked the bus driver, calling out the stop to all those on board.

     Noella stood up and began to move towards the front of the bus. "Come on, Reina, this is us," she beckoned.

     Reina followed dutifully, and the two climbed off the bus and into the crisp afternoon air. Noella glanced at her wristwatch, noting that it was already nearly noon! Boy, had the day gone by quickly. There were only a few hours of daylight left in which to save the Advent Calendar. Noella was determined that despite the trials and tribulations that had kicked this year's Starlight Celebration off to a rocky start or, rather, prevented it from starting at all, that this would not be the first year to see the Calendar miss a day.

     "Okay, first stop, Defenders HQ!" Noella proclaimed. "I sent word ahead that you were safe, but it's probably best we check in in person."

     Reina nodded in understanding, and the pair began the short walk across the Plaza.

     And so, for the second time today, much less her entire life, Noella found herself strolling into the Hall of Justice. The receptionist from the morning gave her a nod of recognition and waved her into Zee's office immediately.

     As they strolled inside, they were immediately met with a warm, exuberant welcome from Zee herself, who was clearly awaiting their return to the mainland. She stood up from her desk as soon as they entered the room and strode across with arms open for an embrace.

     "Reina!" she cooed, enveloping the pair in a friendly, much-needed hug. "The team and I were so thrilled to hear that you were safe," she continued. "You certainly gave us all quite a scare this morning."

     Reina ducked her head, embarrassed by both the attention and the upset she had caused to others.

     Zee, picking up on the clear discomfort, continued on, "but the most important thing is that you're back home. So please, if there's anything we can do to help, let us know."

     "Well," stuttered Reina, "if you could perhaps just let Neopia know that I'm so sorry about the lack of an Advent Calendar today? I really feel like I let the community down."

     "Nonsense!" boomed Zee. "Reina, you have nothing to apologise for. Additionally, I think you'll find the Calendar hasn't missed a day at all – merely a few hours." Her eyes sparkled with the hint of a secret behind them that she was clearly chuffed to be keeping.

     Reina turned to look at Noella. "Wha–?" she began to get out when Noella gently hushed her.

     "Reina, you said you trusted me, yeah?" she chuckled. "Well then, trust that none of us would ever let you down. You and your family mean too much to all of us. Come on, it's high time you see what I was working on during our bus ride."

     Reina looked stunned but nodded softly as Noella grabbed her by the paw and led her out of Zee's office. Reina turned back briefly to see Zee chuckling and waving them a cheery goodbye.

     Noella turned to meet her eyes. "Come on, Reina, it's time to go home."

     ***

     It was early afternoon by the time the girls rounded the final bend towards Happy Valley. The village was alight with both the afternoon sun and a dazzling array of holiday lights, which, coupled together, made for a magical sight. The lights reflected off the baubles on Reina's antlers, which Noella noticed were faintly coloured again, although still not as bold as they usually were this time of year. Reina sighed deeply, visibly relaxing at the familiar, cheery sights.

     "I think I'm already beginning to feel so much better!" she proclaimed. "Seeing all the decorations, all the children out playing in the snow, it's reminding me of everything Granny loved about this time of year."

     Noella gave her a knowing glance. "Well, I suppose we have a calendar to put up, yeah?"

     Reina nodded, smiling. "Yeah, we do." But as she continued up the path and finally had her lodge in her line of sight, she stopped dead in her tracks.

     Her mouth agape, she simply stared wordlessly.

     The lodge, which just this morning had been dark, shuttered, and cold, was alive with holiday spirit. The exterior lights were plugged in and flashing, smoke was rising from the chimney, and a chorus of voices could be heard coming through the front doors.

     "What….what's going on?" she asked Noella, stunned.

     Noella's face was positively lit up with excitement as she ushered Reina forward. "Go on in, you'll see!"

     Reina cautiously stepped up to the familiar wooden doors of her home, giving them a gentle push as they fell open, revealing a truly unexpected sight.

     Why, it appeared as if all of Happy Valley, nay, Neopia itself, was inside! The fireplaces were lit and cackling, and everyone was gathered around in holiday sweaters, drinking steaming cups of cocoa and Borovan in their holiday sweaters. At the sound of the doors creaking open, a few heads turned to see who had come to join the celebration.

     Whispers began to spread and overtake the conversation as word grew that Reina was there. Everyone looked overjoyed and relieved to see her. Finally, Noella stepped forth into the foyer, peeking past Reina's cheerful, green holiday hair bow to look at the crowd.

     "Everyone," she announced to the captive audience, "let's show Reina what we've been working on!"

     Wide grins broke out across faces, as everyone moved to set down their beverages and shuffle into new locations across the main hall. Reina watched wide-eyed from the foyer, still not sure of what to make of the situation.

     Suddenly, the local children's choir emerged from one of the side rooms and took up residence near one of the fireplaces. Songbooks came out, and beautiful harmonies began to fill the room. Then, some of the locals stepped forward and began acting out a silly holiday scene for the audience.

     Finishing their short play with a flourish and the dramatic closing of the songbooks, the groups lined up for a bow to a round of applause.

     Noella turned to look at Reina, whose eyes were brimming with tears. "You, you all did this for me?" she gasped.

     Noella nodded. "Reina, the Starlight Celebration was never about just checking off a day on the calendar. It's about making memories and spreading holiday joy with the ones you love. And we all love you so much. So we just figured, why not let it be our turn to make the jokes, sing the songs, and spread the cheer? After all, it seemed like you could use some."

     Reina was speechless. For so many years she'd been caught up in the duty and responsibility of hosting the Calendar that she'd forgotten what it was really about.

     And as it turns out, holiday joy really didn't come from a store. It wasn't something you could manufacture or replicate. True holiday joy was about community. She could see that now, and in that moment, she realised how proud Granny would be to see everyone together in this room. As a matter of fact, she was certain Granny was watching, with a big smile on her face, and a cup of cocoa in her hands.

     She rested her head on Noella's shoulder and smiled at the crowd.

     "Happy Holidays, everyone," she beamed.

     "Happy Holidays, Reina!" came the reply back.

     And together they laughed, ate, and drank the night away as the sun set on the first Advent Calendar of a new era.

     The End.