Super Mario Christmas

1. A very Christmassy Kingdom

December in the Mushroom Kingdom was Mario's favourite time of all. He loved the way the summer breeze caressed his bushy brown moustache. He loved the way the sun showers formed into perfect rainbows every day, each one a harbinger of clouds the likes of which Lakitus enjoyed riding. He loved going to the beach where he and his brother, Luigi, would have sandcastle building competitions; his replica of Princess Peach's Castle always beat Luigi's reconstruction of his spooky mansion. Most of all, however, Mario loved Christmas.

Christmas in the Mushroom Kingdom was truly something wonderful to behold. Every large, leafy evergreen in sight was decorated in as much holiday cheer as physically possible. Cat bells dangled from every second branch, while alternate branches held cape feathers and tanooki leaves out invitingly. Question mark blocks were arranged precisely at the trees' bases, enticing the Kingdom's inhabitants with the lure of the unknown goodies they held, and, from above, the forest twinkled with the lights of super stars posing proudly from each tree's highest point.

Mario let out a contented sigh. Though the Mushroom Kingdom would never experience a white Christmas, living perpetually in a land of spring and summer, its subjects had done a mighty fine job of creating the Christmas spirit. The sweet, happy disposition of the toads always meant the Christmas cheer was never in short supply, but they had truly outdone themselves this year. They walked the grassy paths of the Kingdom, dressed in green with elf hats on their heads, singing softly and handing out candy canes to every individual they passed, be they human, toad, or even koopa troopa.

As he removed his cap and donned on his red and white beanie, Mario couldn't help but feel blessed to live in such a utopia. Stuffing the cap in the pocket of his overalls, underneath his knitted red jumper, he moved to stand by the pipe beside his brother.

"Are you ready to experience Christmas in winter?" Mario asked.

Luigi nodded and jumped down the pipe for their day of fun.

"Okie dokie!" Mario commented to himself. 

The best thing about December in the Mushroom Kingdom was that even though they had the perfect summer Christmas destination, the best winter one was only a short pipe trip away. 

Mario really could experience the best of everything. Despite all of the crazy trouble with Bowser in the past, Mario's life was finally perfect.

As he lept towards the pipe he smiled, yelling to himself in the same way he always did before all his great adventures.

"Okay, Mario time!"

***

On Snowland, Lumas danced around the large public ice rink while Mario and Luigi skated over the frozen water. Colourful strings of fairy lights linked from tree to tree, and beautiful glowing super stars floated in the water, just below the ice, making a soft glow exude from under the rink. Luigi chuckled gleefully as he did pirouettes around the winter wonderland, his green scarf billowing out behind him gracefully like a cape.

"Do you think this is what Santa's home looks like?" he asked curiously.

"You can ask him tomorrow," Mario replied.

He twirled around Luigi in an elegant loop before bringing his skates to a halt at the edge of the rink. He padded lightly through the fluffy white snow. Luigi joined him a moment later with a large ball of snow already in his hands.

"Let's make a Christmas friend!" he chimed enthusiastically.

"Okay, but we can't take him with us," Mario cautioned. 

Luigi's face fell, but he brightened as Mario scooped the snow into a pile.

It wasn't long until a magnificent sculpture stood before them. Luigi packed a final lump of snow together, drawing circular patterns in the compacted substance. Mario carefully sat the configuration on top of the snowman's head as Luigi fished a carrot out of his pocket. Forcing it into their new inanimate friend's face, they stood waiting for the winds of life to blow from the west.