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Bundled from head to toe in your warmest attire, you sat on the front porch of your friend's house and took a sip of your hot chocolate. From inside the house, you could hear the muffled laughter as your friends decorated a Christmas tree and prepared for dinner. You smiled softly at the thought and continued your observation of the street. White snow, mostly untouched, was spread like a thick blanket across all of Barton. It had been what had caused you to come out from the warmth of the house to begin with. It was not, however, the reason why you had remained outside for so long.

Across the street, Christmas lights were floating in the air. Entranced, you watched as a string floated upwards and began to hang themselves along the roof. Movement drew your eye away from it and you watched as a white deer decoration floated across the snowy yard. It bobbed along until it finally settled down near a bush. A second deer soon followed and was placed adjacent to the first. The front door to the house opened just enough for a trio of large red ribbons to float pass. They probably were headed towards the sides of the windows, you mused to yourself.

You took a long swig of hot chocolate and contemplated the taste. It seemed like normal hot chocolate, but your friends must have spiked it with something. It was the only explanation for what you were seeing now. For another minute or so, you continued to stare at the floating decorations. This was silly. Cup still in hand, you abruptly stood and started towards the strange house. You weren't going to let this mystery pass by unsolved.

At some point on your voyage, you began to hear the cadence of voices. Puzzled and frowning, you failed to find where the voices were originating from. Wobbling every now and then, you eventually made it safely across the street. It was there that you finally noticed what you had missed:

Two ghosts.

Their transparent forms were just barely visible against the white of the snow. The first was a boy in his late teens. He floated next to the eves of the roof and cheerfully hummed a Christmas song. You watched as he casually ran a hand through his messy brown hair and continued to methodically hang the Christmas lights. Standing below him, on the ground level, was a girl a few years younger. Her white hair tumbled out from beneath a Santa hat and her gaze was focused intently on a ribbon she was hanging. The two were dressed in the strange garb that carolers often wore.

"Phantom, how long are you going to fiddle with that ribbon?" The boy asked, glancing down at the girl.

A frown fell across her features, "Details are important, Tyler. It would look dreadful to have crooked ribbons." Her chiding voice was tinged with a light accent.

The boy, Tyler, groaned, "I'm glad to see you're taking decorating so seriously, but we're going to be out here till night if you keep that pace up. We still have other things to do to get ready."

You drank some more of your hot chocolate and listened as the two continued to bicker about the ribbon. After all that had happened during the last few years on Gaia, the appearance of spirits was far from shocking. In fact, there was probably a Christmas Carol joke you could make somewhere in this situation.

"You are so stubborn." The Phantom sighed. She finally stepped away from the ribbon and shot him a mild glare. "I will do my best to 'hurry up'."

Her first words caused her companion to gasp. He finished hanging the lights and floated back down to the ground. "I'm the stubborn one? Not even! You went an entire week in sil-" Tyler's words abruptly stopped. His eyes grew wide as they met your own.

"Tyler?" The Phantom followed his gaze and spotted you on the sidewalk.

Busted. Feeling a little sheepish, you lifted a hand in greeting.

The Phantom seemed only mildly startled by your presence, "Oh, hello there." She dropped into a graceful curtsy. Meanwhile, her companion continued to stare at you in surprise. His mouth was still gaped open. The girl noticed this and 'discreetly' elbowed his side. The bump worked and his mouth finally closed.

"You!!" Tyler wildly pointed a finger at you and you blinked. "We're not prepared yet!" He started to quickly float towards the house, then paused to point at you again. "Don't go anywhere! Give me a moment!" He dashed into the house.

A few seconds of silence passed as you and the girl tried to figure out exactly what had just occurred. The Phantom cleared her throat, "I apologize for my friend." Embarrassment laced her words, "You caught us at an awkward time. We are setting up for the holiday." She gestured to the decorations, "Normally we are not so...evident in our presence. However, this year Tyler wanted to make this house more festive."

You chuckled at her words and explained to her that it was fine. In fact, this was turning out to be quite the fun little excursion to your day. It was also far better than thinking you were hallucinating floating objects or going crazy.

A twinkle of merriment sparkled in her gaze, "At a distance, I suppose we must have made for a very strange sight." She laughed.

"I GOT IT!"

Both you and the Phantom turned at the sudden noise. In the doorway of the house, Tyler raised a present triumphantly into the air. He grinned and hurried across the yard. "Behold!! A gift!"

You stared at him and wondered if he had gone mad. His smiled widened as he approached you and he thrust the present into your hand. It wobbled dangerously for a few seconds and you momentarily struggled to hold it. With only one hand available, it was a rather awkward thing to manage. You eventually achieved balance and stared down at the gift. The present was clumsily wrapped and the bow was crooked. On the top was a hastily taped down card with the words, 'Happy Holidays!' written in ink that was still wet. It had clearly been made in a rush.

"We may not be finished decorating, but that doesn't mean we aren't giving out presents yet!" Tyler exclaimed with a wink.

Upon seeing her companion's clumsy delivery, the Phantom winced. "I still have much to teach you." She suddenly smiled and looped her arm through his, "However, I am proud of your speed in wrapping that gift. I remember the days when you used more tape than wrapping paper. Or those times when you were intent on using glitter." She shuddered at the thought.

Tyler blushed, "Hey! That was a great idea! I just didn't expect the glitter to get...everywhere. Uh, but still! We should try it again one day!"

"No." The Phantom's rejection was immediate and stern.

You couldn't help but chuckle as you watched them. Before you could comment about the glitter idea, a voice calling your name interrupted. You glanced back at your friend's house and saw one of them on the porch. You probably had been gone for too long. You hesitantly looked back to the two ghosts.

"You should return to your friend." The Phantom commented as she looked at their beckoning form. "Although unexpected for both of us, I do hope you enjoy the present." She smiled once more.

"And we should get back to work." Tyler ran his hand through his hair and stared up at the roof. He turned back to you and grinned, "Merry Christmas. Don't forget to leave cookies out for Santa! Speaking of..." He stared at the Phantom.

She groaned and began walking towards a box of decorations, "Tyler, we are not making cookies for Santa."

He trailed after her, "Awww, but Phantom! We have to!"

A new round of bickering started up and you laughed. Grinning, you slowly started back across the street and towards your friend's house. Who knew that even ghosts liked to celebrate the holidays?

---- Phantom Anon

Snow drifts are white
Icicles are blue
I have a cold
I'm sure you have one too

Grab now your vacuum
Go find your broom
Here is your present
It's going to mess up the room

One gift is boring
Dull dreary and bland
But a gift INSIDE a gift
Now that was well planned

Twice times the fun
Two times the wrap
A flurry of scrap paper
To keep you busy through this cold snap

With lyrical love,
The Anonymous Hippopotamus

The Following
My older sister has a ghost that&s followed her around for years.

I lived with her once for about 3 months, and so much weird stuff happened in that time. All my sister would say to me when I mentioned it was that her ghost &didn&t like me being there.&

Things like going to bed with everything locked up and switched off and waking up in the morning with the back door open, lights on and the kettle switched on. One night my sister and I were getting ready to go out and I&d asked to borrow her liquid foundation. I used it and put it back where she kept her makeup. Ten minutes later she&s asking me for it and it was nowhere to be seen. She accused me of taking it and made me buy her a new one and refused to listen to my side of the story. About a year or so later when she was packing to move to a new house, she found the makeup in a shoebox with some old letters. The shoebox was in a zipped up suitcase that was underneath her bed.

But probably the most scared I ever felt was one afternoon when I was the only one in the house (which never happened as four other people lived there). I&d arrived home from work and headed straight to the bathroom. All the doors/windows etc were closed. I was standing in the bathroom and started squeezing a pimple on my chin when a female voice in the hall said &stop picking your zits!& It was loud enough and sounded real enough and at the time I thought it was my sister. So I laughed, told her to &******** off& and asked what she was doing for dinner. No answer. I stuck my head out into the hall. No one there. I searched the house top to bottom and there was no one home. I sat out on the front porch until someone else got home because I didn&t want to be in there alone.

the melody, the vocals of concert. The ghosts that seem to be disrupting the show zoom overhead. However you are more focused on the Nervegas performance! It took you ages to get enough Gaia Cash for the tickets & you plan to make sure nothing ruins your night! That was until your view is obscured by a giant of a person. They had been sitting for much of the performance, but when they stood your view was taken over by their broad shoulders & chestnut locks.
You yell at the person to sit down, not meaning to sound rude, but it is hard to not be loud at a concert. They turn around & you are staring a pair of glowing ethereal teal eyes. They are somewhat unsettling but his gaze is curious & kind.
"Oh stars! I am so sorry! I did not mean to block your view!" a male voice answered back in the same volume. You blink as you see his right arm shining from the stage lights. It is prosthetic. He motions for you to trade places with him. You are surprised that the man would do such a thing but accept his kindness. You glance back at the young man only to see he is gone & has left a gift sitting in the seat you were just sitting in, covered in a crystalline dust. It is addressed to you & the tag reads, ''I may not be able to fix my own heart, but I will fix yours!''

~Arron the Lythcol Mechanic

Monsters, stalking through the night, Halloween is the Night of Fright. Fear is what this night brings, Along with many other things. Are you sure you are prepared? Tonight is not for the easily scared. Creatures from hell roam on this night, For tonight is the Night of Fright. Trick or treat you say, You should not have waited until the end of the day. Tonight you will lose your tricks and treats, For the monsters need to eat. You better not take this night lightly, Or else you will truly learn what fright means. In ancient times people feared this night, The night they greeted with fright. Why they were so scared you will soon see, On this "All Hollows Eve."

When the Halloween pumpkins are gone, And the leaves have all fallen to ground, When the air has turned windy and cold, Then Thanksgiving will soon be around. Thoughts of loved ones all feasting together, Pleasant pictures from past times appear To dwell in each heart and each mind-- Then Thanksgiving is finally here! The kitchen has scrumptious aromas, The dining room looks oh, so fine, Decorations with pilgrims and turkeys, And now we are ready to dine! First the napkins are placed on our laps; Now the prayer for the meal to be blessed, Then we stuff the good food in our tummies, And we hope for it all to digest!

A lone elf stands in the woods beckoning you to her
Her smile sweet and soft
You walk right into her open arms and they pull you into a warm embrace
Her smell is that of the sweetest flowers
Her skin is soft as she holds you tighter
Her lips press upon your neck
Her teeth sink in and send pain throughout your body
You know too late that the angelic face is that of a demon
She steals your life away without you even putting up a fight
A lone elf stands in the woods looking down upon the latest of her victim

~ Writing Anon

While Barton is a bustle of activity thanks to Rufus' Holiday Toy Drive, the folks out west in Durem have been settling in for what looks to be their coldest winter yet. With snow coming down in thick flurries blown by a stiff breeze, the people out on the streets are few and far between as evening approaches. As caught up as you were in your plans for what remained of the day, you scarcely noticed you had caught someone's attention until a small hand reached out for yours just as you were passing H&R Wesley, and a soft, tender voice called out, "Excuse me..."

You turned to regard the source of the sound, only to be met with the sight of a little dark elf girl who, despite being swaddled in well-worn and oft-patched clothing and only wearing a single slipper, was grinning up at you with a rosy glow in her cheeks. "Sorry to bother you," she said as she pulled a bundle of matches from her satchel and presented them to you, "but I was wondering... would you care to buy a match-stick?"

Your polite refusal brought on an unmistakable melancholy; just as you were rethinking your decision, though, she seemed to rebound. "Oh, no, it's okay." She said. "It's dreadfully cold, though... Here, have this for your troubles." With that, she rummaged through her satchel and presented you with an ornate napkin with a tag on it, wrapped around something warm and soft to the touch.

"If you meet my Papa... please don't tell him I swiped this from the table on the way out. He'll be angry enough to see I lost one of the slippers Mother gave me on her deathbed."

You turned your eyes away from her for only a moment - just long enough to read the words "Merry Christmas, from: The Little Match-stick Girl" written on the tag - but when you looked back to thank her, she had already walked away, a flurry of snow obscuring her passage like a cloak.

This Christmas,
may you have the fulfillment
of seeing around you
the people you love the most.
May you have the satisfaction
of creating special memories
they will remember with pleasure forever.
This Christmas,
may you feel peaceful and contented,
knowing what Christmas means,
and celebrating it your way.

HO HO HO MERRY CHRISTMAS & FROM YOUR UNICORN SANTA &