Snow lines the sidewalks of an idyllic neighbourhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The skies above bear different shades of grey with a chilly, crisp atmosphere. Although it is a gloomy setting, the aspect that makes it welcoming are the colourful lights and decorations embroidered on every house in the neighbourhood.

Skipping down happily on the sidewalk is Kale Clague. His attire consists of a black Brandon Wheat Kings holiday sweater and matching Santa hat with jeans and tennis shoes; in his hand is a Christmas bag.

He is gazing at the Christmas decorations blinking and shining, breathing life into the scenery. A happy, open smile breaks out on his face as he sings the famous Christmas song:

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas,

He gazes around his surroundings in awe, looking at the houses across the icy street.

Everywhere you go.

He points to the polychromatic bulbs lined along a house’s roof.

Take a look at the adorned homes,
Lit up with colourful tones,

He peers down, spotting a row of glowing candy canes lining the border of the sidewalk and the front yard by his feet.

And candy canes and silver lanes aglow…!

He picks up his speed, approaching a house decorated with holidays garlands and hollies. He steps up the house’s porch steps and lands on the porch, in front of the gorgeous red front door.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas,

He gives the door three, sturdy knocks. He then catches a glimpse of the Christmas tree lit up inside of the house through the window.

Trees in all corners.

The door then opens, causing Kale it whirl back to look in front of him.

Standing in the doorway is Nolan Patrick, who has a delightful look on his face. He is wearing a black Philadelphia Flyers holiday sweater with an elf hat along with ripped jeans and shoes. In his hands is also a Christmas bag.

He slips onto the porch and joins in on Kale’s song:

But the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be,

He slams the front door closed and points to the holly hung on his front door with his free hand.

On your own front door.

Kale then skips down the porch steps to the beat of his wish list:

A pair of Bauer skates that will go sharp on the brakes,
Is what I’ve been trying to get.

He halts in the front yard and peers up, watching Nolan as he does the same.

Fishing poles that can match up to my goals,
Is what I haven't gotten yet.

Once Nolan lands next to him, Kale prances out of the front yard with excitement.

And I can hardly wait for the World Juniors to begin!

Nolan quickly follows him.

The two are now flying through the grey skies by their own unique supernatural needs: Kale is being propelled by a plethora of wheat while Nolan is gliding like a surfer on his sleek glider.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas,

Nolan sings out again.

Kale joins him:

Soon the fun will start.

Nolan continues on,

And the thing that will have its zing,
Is the carol that you sing,

Kale sings along with him:

Right within your heart.

Nolan begins ending the song softly:

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas,

Kale gently adds in as well:

Christmas,

The two begin descending through the blanket of clouds, disappearing from sight. They say the last word smoothly together:

Christmas…

---

A few minutes later, the two friends have arrived in the city of Lethbridge, Alberta. It is snowy as well in the Canadian city as light snow drifts down from the shady clouds. They are standing on a porch of a one-story house, being protected from the snow.

“Well, I’m glad you can join me in the party,” Kale tells him with a smile.

Nolan shrugs. “It’s better than having a country Christmas with banjos and cornbread.”

Kale chuckles. “The Flyers are that bad, eh?”

“You haven’t seen their pregame locker room routine.” He rolls his eyes before turning to face the front door as it opens.

Standing in the open doorway is the host of the party and power player of the Lethbridge and Ruler of the WHL, Stuart Skinner. He has a red, navy blue, and white Santa hat over his head, slim, jade-coloured eyes along with matching thin, defined eyebrows; he also has thick stubble around the lower half of his face. His attire consists of a Hurricanes holiday sweater, jeans, and socks.

“Hey, Claguer!” Stuart holds his hand down to him.

“Skipy!” Kale returns to him a high-five.

The host then catches the sight of the NHLer. “I see you brought the second pick draftee, eh?”

Nolan raises his eyebrows at him. “Is there a problem joining my junior friends again?”

“Nah, I thought you would’ve forgotten about us.” He lets out a chuckle. “Come on in, the party’s just gone underway.” He then slides to aside, revealing the doorway he was blocking.

The two friends step into the house. They stand in the small foyer and stare ahead at the party scene in awe.

The living room walls are lined with twinkling white lights twisted with garlands. On the other side of the room, where the kitchen and dining room is located, is a table filled with food. There is soft, jazzy holiday music coming from speakers by the television to the left, setting the party in the mood.

Filling the whole room are all the Western Hockey League power players, including some of their friends. Lastly, snugged in the corner by the right side of the door is a majestic Christmas tree decked with small lights, ornaments, and shiny garlands with presents at the bottom.

Stuart then slips into view from behind them, spins around to face them, and begins to sing to the music:

Rockin' around the Christmas tree,
At the Christmas party hop.

“Wooo!” all the other power players shout, hopping in the air at the same time.

Stuart swaggers deeper into the room, leading the two friends into the party. He cooly points to the shimmering lights and garlands adorning the walls.

Shiny lights hung where you can see,
Everybody stares in awe.

“Ooo!” all the power players exclaim in awe as the lights turn from white to multiple colours.

Stuart continues his trek across the room, leading them toward the table of food.

Rockin' around the Christmas tree,
Let the Christmas spirit ring.

He halts by the table and holds up a plate of pumpkin pie to the two.

Later we'll have some pumpkin pie,
And we'll do some carolling.

Kailer Yamamoto then appears next to Nolan and wraps his arm around his shoulder; he sways to the beat of the song.

You will get a sentimental feeling when you hear,

Brett Howden pops up next to Kale and wraps his arm around his shoulder.

Voices singing, let's be jolly.

Jake Oettinger then pops up with a pair of antlers on his head from behind the two and blurts out:

DECK—!

Brett finishes for his friend:

—the halls with boughs of holly.

Stuart rounds the table again as the two friends pull out their contribution to the potluck from their Christmas bags and place them on the table.

Rockin' around the Christmas tree,
Have a happy holiday.

He then turns them around to gaze at the dance scene in the middle of the living room as Stuart finishes off:

Everyone dancin' merrily,
In the new! Old! Fashioned—

Stuart throws his hands in the air and belts out, holding the note:

—WAAAY!

The music then ends along with Stuart’s long note. Everyone halts their dancing and cheers with hoots.

“Thanks for inviting us here, Skipy,” Kale tells the host with a grin.

Stuart carelessly waves his hand at him. “Ah, no prob. All that was needed from you guys was food.” His eyes then trail to the new addition of the potluck they brought along.

Stuart points to the plate of poutine topped with sunny side-up-eggs, bits of steak, and cheese sauce. “Poutine. That’s a great choice.” He turns to Kale. “You made it?”

Kale holds an index finger up to him. “I hand-selected the ingredients. A pub that sponsors the Wheat Kings made it. It’s called “The Hollywood,” since I created the dish and I’m part of the Kings.”

Stuart nods his head in understanding. “Ah, I get it! I’ll try some of that; it looks good.”

“It is good.” Kale gives him his famous open smile.

Stuart then peers down at Nolan. “And you brought…”

Nolan plucks his item and holds it up to him with raised eyebrows. It is a box of vegan and gluten-free double chocolate cookies.

Stuart squints at the contents that are behind the plastic wrapping glued to the cut-out space of the box. “Cookies?”

“Free from the top eight allergens.” Nolan proudly plunks it back on the table. “So that anyone can eat it…” He narrows his eyes at his friend.

Kale shrugs at him. “It’s not poutine without the curds.”

“Oh, so you’re allergic?” Stuart asks with surprise.

“Yes,” Nolan replies bitterly. “To gluten. And dairy. And I’m trying to stay away from eggs.”

Stuart hesitantly drifts his eyes to the array of holiday desserts lying on the table. He turns back to him with the same look and scratches the back of his neck. “Well, you can help yourself to the water and your cookies, but that’s about it.” He gazes back at him with a look of sympathy. “I’m sorry that you can’t have the good stuff.”

He shrugs. “No pity necessary, I’m used to it.” He then grabs the box and a paper plate, dumps half of the small, brown cookies onto the plate, places the box back on the table, and twirls around and struts away.

Kale follows him from the corner of his eyes. He then turns back to the host. “Sorry about ‘im.”

“Nah, it’s cool.” Stuart peers at the table of food once again. “To you, I say, eat anything on here.” With that, he breezes by him and disappears into the living room.

With a gleeful look, Kale begins serving himself his famous poutine.

He then hears someone chuckling next to him.

Kale slowly turns to his right, where the chortling is coming from.

Standing next to him with a massive grin is Jake Bean, the power player of the Calgary Hitmen. He has blond hair under a green elf hat and thick eyebrows and blue eyes. He is also wearing a holiday sweater with jeans, except his holiday sweater is Hitmen-themed with black and red colours.

“Hey, Bean.” Kale holds his fist out at him for a fistbump.

“Santa Clague…!” With his grin growing, he bumps his fist against his.

Kale immediately bursts into laughter, throwing his head back.

“All you just need is to grow that beard you got going there and paint it white, then you’re halfway there.” Jake plucks a brownie shaped like a candy cane and takes a bite of it.

Kale straightens himself up and scratches his stubble-covered jaw. “Don’t tell me I have to have a belly too.”

Jake shrugs. “That’s how Santa’s like!” He then gives him a friendly pat on his shoulder. “Glad to see you here!” He then wanders away from him.

With a large smile and a shake of his head, Kale turns back to the table. He finishes serving himself his poutine then grabs an angel-shaped brownie and cup of red velvet hot chocolate.

Afterward, he turns around, facing the dining area, which is filled with tables and chairs. Sitting among the occupied furniture is Nolan with his three society members.

“Those cookies are tiny,” Jake points out to Nolan, peering at his scattered small cookies on his plate. He is wearing a headband with antlers along with a red and white Boston University holiday sweater while sitting next to the skater.

Nolan is munching on one with a flat expression. He swallows and makes no eye contact with him. “No duh, wise guy.” He eats another one.

Jake then pokes at one of the cookies nearest to him; its moist surface dents under his finger. “And mushy.”

“Hey!” Nolan smacks his hand, causing it to fling back to its owner. “Hands off!”

Jake cowards away from the skater with wide eyes and a large frown. He lets out a terrified whimper.

Nolan places the touches cookie on a napkin then eats an untouched one.

Next to the goalie, Brett pushes a plate filled with a massive slice of chocolate lava cake to his buddy. “Hey, Jake Dog, finish this off.” His attire consists of a red, black, and grey Moose Jaw Warriors holiday sweater and a matching Santa hat.

Jake’s face immediately lights up at the sight of the glorious, gooey, moist chocolate cake with liquid fudge pouring out from it.

Nolan catches sight of it; his eyes immediately grow wide and sparkles in awe as he takes in all of its delicious glory.

“Oh, goodie!” The goalie lifts the plate up to his mouth and dumps its contents into it. He plunks the plate down, revealing his puffed-up cheeks and chocolate-covered mouth as he chews the large piece of cake with wide, stunned eyes.

Nolan crinkles his nose at Jake’s actions in disgust.

“Oettinger!” Kailer snaps at him; he is wearing a red, white, and blue Spokane Chiefs holiday sweater with a scarf. “That’s not how you consume cake. You must savor it— Like this.” He dainty picks up his plastic fork, slices it through the tip of his cheesecake, and places it in his mouth.

Jake makes a guilty expression with wide eyes and a frown as he continues chewing. His head sinks into his shoulders as he leans toward his bestie.

Nolan swallows and turns to the small skater, who is sitting to his left. “Thank you, Kailer.”

Brett gawks at Kailer in horror. “It’s the holidays, let him eat however he wants.” He rubs Jake’s back, soothing him. “Besides, it’s funny watching him eat a whole slice like that, right?” He peers up at him with an amused grin.

Jake responds by nodding his head with wide eyes and puffy cheeks as he continues chewing.

Kailer swallows and makes a scowl at his cake. “People these days do not appreciate etiquette. It’s distasteful.”

“I appreciate etiquette,” Nolan tells him before placing another cookie in his mouth.

Kailer nods his head at him. “Thank you, Patrick.”

Nolan swallows. “Pat. Just call me ‘Pat.’”

The small skater cuts another slice of his cheesecake with his fork. “Then, in that case, address me as ‘Kswizzy.’”

Nolan knits his eyebrows at the nickname in confusion. “Excuse me?”

“No!” Brett blurts out from across the table, facing the small skater. “Call him ‘Yamma Mamma!’”

Kailer narrows his eyes at him. “Howden!”

“Yamma Mamma, Yamma Slamma.”

He rolls his eyes. “Please stop.”

“Yamma Slamma, Yamma Jamma.”

“Nooo…” He slides his head onto his hand.

Brett then peers up at his bestie. “Jake Dog, you got any other nicknames for Doc?”

Jake responds by nodding his head vehemently. Yet he is still chewing.

“That’s what happens when you eat a whole slice of cake, smart guy,” Nolan states to him sharply. He eats another cookie.

“Hey, guys!” Kale is heard calling out to them.

The teenagers peer up, spotting Kale settling himself between Nolan and Kailer.

“Hey, Wheat Eater!” Brett nods to his plate with a smirk. “Whatcha got there?”

Kale’s eyes light up. “Oh, this—” He points to his poutine. “—this is my creation. It’s called ‘The Hollywood.’”

“A Canadian dish named after an American city?” Kailer comments with an inquiring look at the poutine. “That’s quite contradicting.”

Kale spins to him. “Well, I hand-selected the ingredients and I’m a part of the Kings, so it makes sense!”

“That looks really good.” Brett eyes it with a dreamy gape. “I gotta get me some of that dish…” His eyes trail up to see his bestie’s predicament.

Jake is still chewing with rounded cheeks.

He turns back to Kale. “After Jake Dog can finish off the whole slice of chocolate lava cake he has in his mouth.” He points to him with his thumb.

Kale raises his eyebrows at the tall goalie. “You hanging in there, Jake Dog?”

Jake nods his head at him quickly with delighted eyes while chewing.

Brett beams up at him. “Always in a good mood, aren’t ya, buddy?”

A sweet, innocent smile pops up on Jake’s chocolate-covered face. He then rests his head on his bestie’s shoulder as he continues chewing.

Brett immediately grimaces at the movements against his shoulder. “Ack, Jake Dog, I can feel you chewing…!”

Kailer’s eyes immediately light up. “That reminds me!”

Brett knits his thick eyebrows at him with disgust. “What? Jake Dog’s chewing?”

“No!” He points across the table to him with wide eyes. “We must prepare for the caroling!”

Kale peers at the small skater with confusion. “‘Carolling’?”

“Yes!” Kailer throws in an index finger at him. “The festive gathering is hosting caroling show in a short time. It is similar to the usual caroling, except you perform in front of the partygoers, not strangers. And Bean is monitoring it.”

“Ohhh…” Kale nods his head in understanding. “I get it. And you guys are gonna do it?”

“Yes!” Kailer peers at the two besties. “That’s why we have to work on it.” He grabs his plate of cheesecake and hops onto his feet. “Come along, boys, let’s warm up our vocal chords!” He begins strolling away from them and toward the living room.

Brett nudges his bestie. “Come on, Jake Dog, you heard Yamma Mamma.”

With a whimper, Jake straightens himself up and slides off from the seat.

Brett does the same, then turns to Kale and Nolan. “See you guys later.” He then takes Jake’s arm and leads him away from the table, toward Kailer’s direction.

Nolan follows the two with his eyes as he picks up another cookie. “Good luck singing with a chocolate cake in your mouth,” he mutters. He then eats the cookie.

“Claguer!” Stuart is unexpectedly heard exclaiming by the table.

Kale turns to his left, spotting the host coming up to him with a plate of his poutine in one hand and a fork in another.

“This stuff—” He places the plate on the table where Kailer was sitting. “—is amazing. Next time I’m in Brandon, I’m gonna buy it in bulk.” He takes in another forkful of the poutine.

A big open grin appears on Kale’s face. “I knew you’d like it! I had to make sure that the ingredients mixed together so that they can taste good all combined. It was really hard with all the options of poutine toppings like I didn’t know which style of eggs to put on it, there were scrambled, over easy, poached, hard-boiled— Oh, and the meat choices took ages for me to choose, there were…”

As Kale is explaining to Stuart his difficulties of creating his glorious poutine, Nolan is watching him while contently munching on his friendly cookies.

Suddenly, someone across the room catches the corner of his eye, causing him to revert his gaze to the right to see who it is.

Sitting in an armchair on the other side of the room is the one and only Carter Hart, the power player of the Everett Silvertips. He is wearing a holiday sweater of the Silvertips and earmuffs over his shaggy brown hair.

Nolan narrows his eyes at him as his mind recollects all the memories of his doings to him: attacking him supernaturally on multiple occasions, swapping powers with him, and worst of all, taking over his body and attempting to take his place in life.

Rage and hatred bubble inside of him as he holds his scowl at the goalie and immerses his mind in all of his painful wrongdoings.

“Whoa, Nolan, did Jack Frost nip your nose?” he hears Stuart asking warmly from afar.

Nolan instantly flutters his eyes, snapping himself back into reality. With confusion, he peers up at the host.

“What?” He gazes at him as if he is a madman. “No.”

With scrunched eyebrows, Stuart twirls his pointer finger toward the direction Nolan was glowering toward. “To whom were you giving that dirty look?”

“None of your business.” He pops another cookie into his mouth.

Kale turns to look ahead of them, spotting Carter now glancing at their direction. He makes an “o” shape with his mouth as he mentally makes the connection. “Ohhh…” He slowly turns to his friend. “Carter’s here.”

Stuart raises his eyebrows at the name. “Carter Hart? Yeah, I invited him here—” He nods toward the other goalie’s direction. “What about him?”

Nolan swallows, keeping his stern eyes up at him. “WHY did you invite him here?”

The host appears utterly confused with shifting eyes. “Because he’s a power player in our league and my goalie buddy for the Canada-Russia series. Why wouldn’t I NOT invite him here?”

“Because he has problems.” He stuffs another cookie into his mouth.

“We all have problems—” Stuart rolls his eyes. “What makes him different from us?”

Nolan swallows. “It’s because of what he did to me and my friends.”

Stuart gives him a look of suspicion. “And what DID he do?”

Groovy music with twinkling bells in the background begins playing.

Instantly, Nolan pushes his plate and himself away and begins to sing to the music:

In September, I gave him myself,
But the thing he did next, he hurt my best friends.

He slowly drifts his sharp eyes to the dangerous goalie.

This time, to make sure we’re fine,
I'm staying away from him.

Nolan stands up, his hands still planted on the table, as he takes in the scenery of the lively room.

A crowded room, friends with brightened eyes,
I'm hiding from you, and your soul of ice.

He places a hand on his chest.

My gosh, I thought you were someone to rely on.

He shrugs with an unsympathetic look.

Me? I guess I was a shoulder to cry on.

He then begins rounding the table slowly to the beat of the song.

A face of a teammate with a fire in his heart,
A teen undercover but you stole me so far.

He leans against the table with his hands gripping its edge. His cold eyes are on the topic of his song.

Ooo, ooo, now, I know your clever tricks, you'll never fool me again.

Then with robust confidence, he pushes himself away from the table begins swaggering up to Carter.

In September, I gave you myself,
But the thing you did next, you hurt my best friends.

He approaches him and settles on the armrest to the goalie’s left side.

This time, to make sure I’m fine,

He shoves at Carter’s chest as he rises back to his feet.

I'm staying away from you.

He then twirls around and begins strutting back to the table while singing:

A face of a teammate with a fire in his heart,
A teen undercover but you stole me so far.

He slyly peers behind his shoulder to look at Carter’s subtle appalled expression.

I know this time I'll keep my distance,
I will keep my distance from you...

Then with a haughty flick of his head, he flounces back to his seat and settles in it.

Stuart has a surprised expression at the skater. “Wow. So he practically possessed you and made your friends turn against you.”

He nods his head. “Yeah, you can say that.”

“At least he can’t do that anymore,” Kale states with a shrug.

Nolan turns to him with narrowed eyes. “He still has his powers, Kale.”

“Look—” Stuart waves his hands in front of him, reverting their attention to him. “—I’m sorry that there’s bad blood between you two, but it’s the Christmas spirit so—” He leans over the table, looks at Nolan, directing his attention to him, and states lowly, “—please just try to get along with him if necessary.”

Nolan gives him a hard expression. “Like what I said, I’m staying away from him.”

With a sigh, Stuart straightens up. “Very well.” He places his hand on the table. “Just enjoy yourselves.” He then takes his poutine as he walks away from them.

Kale turns to his friend, spotting his sulking look. “You’ll be okay, right?”

Nolan rolls his eyes over to him. “I’m reminding myself of what I would have to be hearing if I wasn’t here.”

“Ah.” He nods his head. “Flyers’ country music. Right.” He then takes a forkful of his poutine.

“May I please have your attention, gentlemen of the WHL!” Jake’s loud, fruity voice booms, filling the entire room.

All of the power players turn to his direction, spotting him standing in front of the television.

Jake is holding a television control in his hand, which he is speaking into as if it is a microphone. “We are now starting the carolling show, featuring whoever-wants-to-go-unless-we-make-you-go.

“So without further ado, we have the Yams and his troupe, which includes El Captáin of Moose Jaw!” He then steps away from the area of attention.

Kailer along with Brett and Jake take his place. They stand in one row with the small skater in the middle.

With a calm expression, Kailer begins to sing:

Silent night,

Brett and Jake repeat after him as the backup vocals:

Silent night,

Kailer continues singing:

Holy night.

Brett and Jake sing the same exact line as before:

Silent night...

A few chuckles come from the watching power players.

With a subtle look of confusion, Kalier continues on,

All is calm,

The two besties still yet to change their lyrics:

Silent night,

More chortles are heard.

Kailer’s expression then turns into irritability as he sings:

All is bright.

Brett and Jake follow after him:

Silent night...

Most of the power players now cannot contain their laughter.

“No!” With a flash of fury, Kailer whirls around to face them. “Silent night, holy night, ALL IS CALM! ALL IS BRIGHT!” He lets out an exhale. “Do you comprehend?”

The two nod their heads.

“Good.” Kailer then turns back to face the audience. “I apologize for the blunder, we shall restart from the top.”

He then clears his voice and begins again:

Silent night,

Brett and Jake echo his line softly:

Silent night,

Kailer continues on:

Holy night.

They complete the second task of their duty:

Holy night.

With a small, satisfied smile, Kailer sings:

All is calm,

Brett and Jake then belt out in the same manner as Kailer did when he yelled at them:

ALL IS CALM!

With shock, Kailer finishes off:

All is bright.

The two chant his same line:

ALL IS BRIGHT!

“UGH!” Kailer throws his head back in frustration. “You men are impossible to work with!” He then storms off.

With a large smile, Brett turns to Jake, who is also smiling. He shares a high-five with him.

With uncertainty, Jake steps up to the skater. “Was that part of the script?” he asks into the “microphone.” He then holds it out to Brett.

Brett speaks into it: “The best do not reveal their secrets. But now, I have a song to sing myself. A true story about…” He turns around, spotting his bestie. “...my bestie, Jake Dog.”

Jake gasps with excitement as his eyes twinkle. “Really? You made a song for me?” He places his hands on his chest in honour.

“Yeah, now sit down, I’m gonna sing it.” Brett flaps his hand toward the front of the audience, signalling Jake his command.

With eagerness, the goalie zooms to the front row and sits criss-cross in front of it with attentive eyes at his friend.

“Alright,” Jake the announcer starts off, pointing the controller back to himself. “Take it away.” He then slips away from the “stage.”

Joyous music with bells then begins playing as Brett stands patiently. He then begins singing:

On the first day of Christmas,
My bestie gave to me:

He holds his arms out as if he is ready to give a hug.

A big hug with cuddling!

Jake squeals with a large, closed smile from the ground.

On the second day of Christmas,
My bestie gave to me:

He holds up two red dog collars into view.

Two dog collars,
And a big hug with cuddling!

Jake nods his head with thrill.

On the third day of Christmas,
My bestie gave to me:

Brett brings three red dog bowls into view.

Three dog bowls,
Two dog collars,
A big hug with cuddling!

“Yup!” Jake exclaims.

On the fourth day of Christmas,
My bestie gave to me:

Brett pulls out four red and white squeaky toys and gives them a squeak.

Four squeaky toys,
Three dog bowls,
Two dog collars,
A big hug with cuddling!

Jake squeaks his own squeaky toy in an agreeing response.

On the fifth day of Christmas,
My bestie gave to me:

Brett turns around and redirects everyone’s attention to the five red and white dog houses that are against the wall.

FIVE dog houses!

He faces the audience again and goes down the list:

Four squeaky toys,
Three dog bowls,
Two dog collars,
A big hug with cuddling!

Jake claps happily.

On the sixth day of Christmas,
My bestie gave to me:

Brett holds up a bag of dog treats.

Six dog treats,
FIVE dog houses!
Four squeaky toys,
Three dog bowls,
Two dog collars,
A big hug with cuddling!

Jake licks his lips at the treats. “They’re good!”

On the seventh day of Christmas,
My bestie gave to me:

Brett holds up two handfuls of animal plush toys.

Seven plush toys,
Six dog treats,
FIVE dog houses!
Four squeaky toys,
Three dog bowls,
Two dog collars,
A big hug with cuddling!

Jake embraces with his own plush toy.

On the eighth day of Christmas,
My bestie gave to me:

Brett holds up eight typical bones.

Eight dog bones,
Seven plush toys,
Six dog treats,
FIVE dog houses!
Four squeaky toys,
Three dog bowls,
Two dog collars,
A big hug with cuddling!

“I got one too!” Jake waves his own bone in the air.

On the ninth day of Christmas,
My bestie gave to me:

Brett brings up two fistfuls of knotted ropes into view.

Nine knotted ropes,
Eight dog bones,
Seven plush toys,
Six dog treats,
FIVE dog houses!
Four squeaky toys,
Three dog bowls,
Two dog collars,
A big hug with cuddling!

“Yeah!” Jake pumps his own knotted rope into view.

On the tenth day of Christmas,
My bestie gave to me:

Brett holds up a bucket of tennis balls for all to see.

Ten tennis balls,
Nine knotted ropes,
Eight dog bones,
Seven plush toys,
Six dog treats,
FIVE dog houses!
Four squeaky toys,
Three dog bowls,
Two dog collars,
A big hug with cuddling!

Jake twirls his own tennis ball in his hands.

On the eleventh day of Christmas,
My bestie gave to me:

Brett points down, directing everyone’s attention to the multiple, large bags of dog food by his feet.

Eleven bags of dog food,
Ten tennis balls,
Nine knotted ropes,
Eight dog bones,
Seven plush toys,
Six dog treats,
FIVE dog houses!
Four squeaky toys,
Three dog bowls,
Two dog collars,
A big hug with cuddling!

Jake stares up at him in complete awe.

On the twelfth day of Christmas,
My bestie gave to me:

Brett excitedly holds out a large box of pizza with a massive grin.

A LARGE BOX OF PIZZA!

Jake then springs up to his feet and finishes off:

And a big hug with cuddling!

He then scoops him into a hug.

Brett chuckles as Jake presses his cheek against his head. “Aw, Merry Christmas, Jake Dog.”

Jake peels himself away from him and peers down at him. “Merry Christmas, Brett!”

The audience then erupts in a loud applause.

Jake the announcer steps back onto the stage with a large grin. He halts in between the two friends. “And that’s how you get into the Christmas spirit, fellows!”

He then watches as Brett leads Jake out from the attention spot.

“Oh, okay.” Jake turns back to the audience. “And now, we have a special request of two people singing next!” He pauses, building up the intensity. “Nolan and Carter!”

Sitting in his armchair, Carter peers at the announcer with bewilderment. “Wait, really?”

From his table, Nolan immediately stiffens with wide eyes and a cookie in his mouth. He collects himself together, swallows, and gazes at Kale. “What? Are they insane?!”

Kale has a suspicious look on his face. “Why did they choose you two...?”

His voice fades off as the power players begin chanting their names: “Hartsy and Pat! Hartsy and Pat! Hartsy and Pat! Hartsy and Pat!”

With a growl, Nolan leans over the table while pulling his hat down to cover his eyes.

Stuart steps up to the fuming skater with a sly expression. “Come on, Pat, everyone’s waiting for you.” He nudges his shoulder.

Nolan pulls himself back into a straight position with narrowed eyes at him. “You did this, didn’t you?”

Stuart shrugs. “Why does it matter? You’re being called.”

“I’m not going—!”

“Why?” Kale asks in a taunting manner from Nolan’s other side.

Nolan whirls around to face him; his eyes flash. “What? You want me to go up there too?”

“Well, what are you afraid of?”

“Nothing!”

“Then…?” Kale raises his eyebrows at him. “Everyone’s gonna think you’re a bad singer or have stage fright…!”

“I don’t have either of those—”

“Then prove it to them.” Stuart nods his head toward the “stage.” “Go on, show them what you got.”

With a “hmp,” Nolan rises to his feet and storms away from the table.

Stuart discreetly does a fist pump. “Yes…!” He turns to Kale. “Thanks for helping me out.”

Kale shrugs. “Yeah, anytime.” He takes a bite of his brownie.

Carter is patiently standing on the stage with Jake. He then spots Nolan, who has a scowl, strutting up to him.

The skater halts on Jake’s other side, having the announcer separate them.

All the other power players explode in cheers and claps.

“Alright!” Jake peers at the two singers. “You guys are gonna sing ‘Carol of the Bells.’” He begins slipping away from the spotlight. “Take it away.”

Silence engulfs the whole house as the two hockey players in the party’s spotlight stand still.

Carter then turns to the skater, his steel blue eyes burning into Nolan’s clear gray eyes. He begins to sing lowly:

Hark! how the bells,
Sweet silver bells,
All seem to say,
"Throw cares away."
Christmas is here,
Bringing good cheer,
To young and old,
Meek and the bold…

As his voice fades off, the power players begin filling in the pause:

Ding...dong...
Ding...dong…

Nolan gazes warily at the vocalizing audience. Then with building confidence, he turns to Carter.

Ding, dong, ding, dong,
That is their song,
With joyful ring,
All carolling.

Carter joins in his singing, stepping closer to him. Nolan does the same as they spit out the lyrics at each other together:

One seems to hear,
Words of good cheer,
From ev'rywhere,
Filling the air.

Suddenly, a forceful gust of wind sweeps between them, causing them to pull away from each other. The wind circles around them, whipping their hair and clothes in its movements.

Due to its increasing howling, Carter raises his voice as he sings:

Oh, how they pound,
Raising the sound,
O'er hill and dale,
Telling their tale,

Nolan then belts out:

Gaily they ring,
While people sing,
Songs of good cheer,
Christmas is here!

They gradually stick their faces into each other to the beat of the song while taking turns in barking every other word:

Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas!
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas!!!

Instantly, they pull away from each other just as the scene shifts.

Snow blows to the direction of the gusts and blankets the plains. The skies above are inky due to it being nighttime. The air is bitter, just like their intensifying battle.

Being feet away from each other, they stare hard into their eyes while circling around one another.

Carter conjures ribbons of liquified silver around his hands while continuing his pacing, leaving footprints behind in the snow:

Hark! how the bells,
Sweet silver bells,
All seem to say,
"Throw cares away."
Christmas is here,
Bringing good cheer,
To young and old,
Meek and the bold!

He thrusts his hands in front of him, directing the silver at the skater in the form of a powerful streak.

Nolan instantly materializes his throwing star and deflects the attack.

Oh, how they pound,
Raising the sound,

He then jumps into the air as his glider assembles under his feet. He sings from yards above his enemy:

O'er hill and dale,
Telling their tale.

With fury, Carter rushes toward him and lunges with great strength straight upward.

Gaily they ring,

The goalie unsheathes his silver bear claws and swings his hands at the glider, digging them into it to catch himself from plummeting.

While people sing,

He climbs to his feet, standing on the unoccupied front end of the glider.

Songs of good cheer,

He stares sternly at the skater.

Christmas is here.

Then the two create their weapon of choice and aim them at each other while singing every other word once again:

Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas!
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas!

Carter aims his clawed hands swirling with silver at Nolan as Nolan points his sharp throwing star at him.

Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas!
Merry, merry, merry, merry Christmas!!!

Carter swings his claws at the skater while Nolan thrusts his throwing star at him.

The two metallic weapons clash against each other, creating a blunt force between each other. The force ripples in a massive circumference, throwing the two teenagers off their feet.

Nolan flies through the air, unable to gain control of the velocity despite his glider connected to the soles of his feet. He instantly crashes onto the snowy ground on his stomach, fortunately having a soft landing.

He lies there for a few moments, anticipating for any pain. All he feels is the soft, yet frigid substance seeping through his clothes, creating a chilling, wet sensation against on his skin. He then accumulates enough energy to push himself onto his knees as his glider folds itself back into his soles, and lift his head up to look in front of him.

Sitting in front of him is Carter, who has snow plastered on the fluff of his earmuffs and his sweater. His sharp eyes are narrowed and moist and his lips are more red than normal; due to his skin being more paler because of the weather, his freckles are more visible.

Nolan takes in his features as he feels a hint of compassion rising in him. Pity? He peers down at himself with furrowed eyebrows. Why am I feeling like this? He flicks his eyes up at him, reading his expression. He looks so...hurt though… He swings his eyes away from him. Why am I realizing this? He is my enemy…!

On, on they send,

Nolan hears Carter singing. He peers up at him, seeing that he is standing up.

Carter holds a hand out toward Nolan to help him up.

With a huff, Nolan takes his hand and rises to his feet.

On without end,

Carter softly sings,

Their joyful tone,

They then sing together:

To ev'ry home.

Suddenly, the setting switches back to the party in the attention spot. The warm ambience and atmosphere, the power players gazing at them are present, yet the frigid sensation of the bitter winter still lingers on Nolan’s skin.

Nolan stares at the audience in shock as they applaud and cheer for their performance. His mind begins buzzing about what just occurred: Whoa, what just happened? We were just outside. What were we doing this whole time?

He turns to his right, spotting Carter looking at him in confusion. Nolan does the same, gradually stepping away from him. Then with a spring of fear, he twirls around and rushes away from them the spotlight.

Carter’s eyes fly open at the runaway. “Wait!” He dashes after him, weaving through the crowd with his eyes on his back.

He spots Nolan throwing the front door open and exiting into the winter night. He follows after him, halting on the porch.

Nolan is settling himself on the porch’s top stair, facing the inky sky dotted with Christmas lights from the houses on the horizon.

“Hey,” Carter breathes out.

Nolan responds by shifting in his position.

Not hearing any shouts of rejections, Carter proceeds to step up to him and sit next to him.

The two power players sit in the night’s silence, staring out at the wintery scenery sprinkled with Christmas lights.

“So, um,” Carter starts off gently, turning to him, “so what did you think of that?”

Nolan straightens up with utter bewilderment. “What on earth was that all about?” He whirls to him. “First thing we’re doing some song battle and next thing I know we’re doing an actual fight. How?”

He shrugs with pursed lips. “Beats me.”

Nolan knits his eyebrows. “Isn’t it your power?”

“I told you, I can’t do that anymore!” He throws his exposed hands in the air, displaying innocence. “I swear it wasn’t me!”

Nolan turns away from him with a roll of his eyes. He resumes staring out at the snowy scene, hunched over with crossed arms.

“Look, Pat,” he hears Carter start off brittly, “I-I had lots to time to think what happened between us and I did think about it and I realized what I did was completely wrong. I invaded your rights your privacy, I blackmailed you, all because I was jealous of your life and looks. And I realized that I no longer want to be you—I want to be friends with you.”

Nolan slides his sharp eyes to look at him from their corners. “Well, finally you’re thinking straight.”

“But,” Carter continues on with worry, “can you...forgive me?”

He lets out a heavy huff, yet does not make eye contact with him. He looks down and begins picking the thread from his ripped jeans.

Carter cranes his head lower to get a good look at Nolan’s facial profile, which displays his rosy cheeks. “Did you...did you feel like that pang’ toward the end of the song? Like a feeling of compassion?” He straightens up and looks ahead at the calming scene. “That’s why I helped you up instead of pinning you down.” He pauses. “I could’ve easily pinned you down, but I didn’t. It...wouldn’t have felt right.”

Nolan halts his mindless picking and perks up with a surprised expression at Carter’s speech.

“So if you didn’t do that whole illusion thing during the song…” Nolan gradually gazes back at him. “...who did?”

The goalie shrugs. “I really don’t know. But what I do know is that I have a change of heart toward you.” He places his hand on his chest.

Nolan lets out a snort. “Was that a pun?”
“What?” Confusion pops on his face. “No! Oh, no, no, no—” He giggles through a small grin as he shakes his head. “I-I didn’t mean too—”

He waves his hand at him aimlessly. “I was just messing with you.”

Carter lets out a few more chuckles as he adjusts his ear muffs. “Yeah, yeah...”

Silence then settles between the two once again. They resort to staring out at the wintry scene.

“I felt that compassion toward you too,” Nolan speaks out into the still night.

Carter faces him with raised eyebrows in surprise.

He turns to him. “That’s why I took your hand.” He shrugs and comments quickly, “I would’ve had usually gotten up myself.”

A warm smile spreads on Carter’s grin. “At least it wasn’t just me.”

“Yeah.” Nolan nods his head. “We both felt that toward each other.”

“It must be the Christmas spirit.” Carter giggles while looking out at the Christmas lights. “I never knew it could be THAT evident.”

“Same here,” Nolan speaks up, causing the goalie to face him again, “because I do forgive you.”

Carter’s smile grows wider, which isn’t too wide, as relief comes across his face. “Thank you!” He leans closer to wrap him in a hug, yet Nolan stands up and climbs down the stairs, causing him to stop midway.

He straightens up and watches Nolan step down onto the snowy front yard and twirl around to face him.

Nolan gazes at the goalie while taking off his hat and tossing it onto the porch’s lower steps. “Hop on.”

Carter flicks his eyes at the tossed hat in confusion before looking back up at him. “What?”

Instantly, Nolan’s glider begins to form under the skater’s soles. Once the long, sleek aircraft is fully formed, its owner rises a couple feet from the ground.

“Hop on,” he repeats, now staring down at him.

Carter has his eyes up at him with tentativeness. “Oh, um, no thanks—”

“What?” Nolan crosses his arms. “You don’t trust me? You would do it all the time without my permission—”

“No, it’s that—”

“Then hop on.”

Carter lets out a surrendering huff. “Okay.” He takes off his ear muffs, places them with the hat, then pushes himself to his feet and steps up to the hovering glider.

He places his foot on the surface of the glider and grabs Nolan’s outstretched hand to heaves himself up to the flying device.

The goalie senses the glider wobbling beneath him as it is suspended in the air.

“Um—” He slightly squirms in an attempt to balance the glider. “—can I-can I sit down?”

Nolan, who is amusingly watching his struggle from behind, shrugs. “Sure.”

“Thanks.” With a sigh of relief, Carter slowly lowers himself on the glider’s gripping surface and straddles it while grasps onto its edges for extra support.

“Alright—” Nolan leans forward as he mental powers the glider, making it ripple with power. “—hold on, we’re flying.”

Immediately, the glider shoots into the night sky, leaving a trail of misty orange energy behind.

The brisk wind being accumulated by the increasing velocity hits the two teenagers’ faces, whipping their hair and clothes mercilessly. The Christmas lights below become invisible as the glider is directing toward the top of the sky.

Nolan has a look of resolve as he keeps close concentration on the motions of the glider. He his hands are out by his side with his legs bent as if he is surfing.

Carter, on the other hand, is holding onto dear life, embracing the front edge of the glider with wide eyes filled with terror and bared teeth.

Suddenly, the glider slows down as it raises itself inches higher like a roller coaster reaching its highest point. It levels out, becoming parallel to the ground down below, and comes to a smooth halt.

“There,” Nolan breathes out, brushing his hair away from his face. “What do you think of that?”

Carter blinks as he moistens his dry eyes from the wind. He then stares out ahead; awe instantly takes over his expression.

Being displayed in front of them is the breathtaking view of Lethbridge during a snowy winter night. As far as the eye can see are rows and columns of houses lined with twinkling, colourful lights. Whiteness, soaking in the moonlight, covers the rooftops and streets. Yet the snow lying on the ground reflects the varicoloured lights, giving it a more magical ambience.

Carter continues gazing out at it with his mouth dropped. “Wow,” is all he is able to force out.

Standing behind him calmly, Nolan looks down at the idyllic scenery. “Nice, eh?” he asks the goalie with his hands on his hips.

Carter takes in the scenery for a few more moments before replying, “Yeah.” He then cranes his head upward to look at the skater. “So you see this all the time?”

“When I’m gliding leisurely, yeah.”

He lets out a sigh. “You’re so lucky.” He turns back to look at the coruscating scenery. “This is really nice.”

“That’s why I let you ride with me on my glider: I wanted to show you this to you because I knew you’d like it.” He peers down at him with a small smile.

Carter perks back up at him with a hopeful look. “So we’re friends?”

“Take a guess.” A dazzling grin grows on his face.

Delight takes over Carter’s expression. “Really?” He giggles joyfully. “Oh man, thank you—!”

He lets go of the glider, directing his hands toward the standing skater to embrace him. But he immediately grasps the glider once again as he feels the device wobbling beneath him. He stays frozen, regaining his balance with a terrified look.

Nolan flicks a careless hand toward him. “It’s okay, no worries.”

Carter chuckles, soothing his nerves from all that just occurred to him: almost falling over and becoming the famous skater’s friend. He slides his eyes back to the scenery.

“Thanks for making my day,” he manages to tell the sky. “I was actually having a bad one.”

“Well, cheer up—” Nolan faces the Christmas-themed scenery and holds his hands out toward it. “It’s the holiday season!” He drops his hands and peers down at him. “And you’re friends with me.”

He flashes him a small grin. “That’s what made my day.”

Nolan gives him an arrogant look. “Obviously it did.” He then slips his hand into his jeans’ pocket and pulls out his smartphone. He glances at it before putting it back away. “We gotta get back to the party— Skinner’s looking for us.”

Carter lets out a huff. “Sounds good.” He clutches onto the edges of the glider once again, ready for the rapid flight. “Can we do this again some other time?”

“Yeah, totally.” Nolan mentally commands the glider to power up again, having his force of power vibrate through it again. “Just call me anytime and we’ll go sightseeing.”

With that, the glider rockets across the sky before dipping downward back towards land.

---

Back at his house, Stuart is standing outside on his porch, leaning against one of its pillars by the stairs with his hands in his pockets.

He then spots the two teenagers approaching him through the front yard.

His eyebrows rise up as he straightens his position. “Oh, there you guys are.”

They walk up the steps and stand on the step below him before collecting their head accessories.

“I didn’t know we weren’t supposed to leave on our own time,” Nolan tells him brusquely while placing his hat back on his head.

“Nah, nah, it’s fine.” He waves his hand cooly at him. “I just wanted to check on you guys— You’re now getting along with each other?”

Carter peers at the skater as he adjusts his earmuffs; Nolan looks at him as well.

“Um—” The goalie turns back to the host. “—yeah.” He gives him a small smile.

“Great.” He pats his back with a hearty chuckle. “I’m glad that worked.” He then turns around and begins to step back toward the house.

Nolan pierces a suspicious look through him. “You’re glad that what ‘worked’?”

Stuart halts in his tracks and whirls around to face the two again. “Don’t forget I am the Ruler of the WHL. And that does come with great power.”

Nolan gawks at him. “You set this up?”

“Whoa, what…?” Carter appears awfully confused.

Stuart holds his hands out toward them with a subtle look of seriousness. “Enjoy it. View it as a Christmas gift. Don’t return it. You guys are both in the Flyers. Great bonds equal great victories.”

Nolan flicks his eyes to Carter, giving him a look of subtle disgust. He then squeezes his eyes and shakes his head. “Darn you, Skinner, you messed with my mind.” He opens his stern eyes to glare up at him.

“I also messed with Hartsy’s mind,” Stuart starts off. “And even everyone’s mind. Or maybe not.” He shrugs. “Maybe I made this all an illusion—” He leans against the wall perpendicular to the door. “I messed with everyone's mind to think of all this. Or maybe I didn’t even mess with your minds; it’s just your thinking pattern that’s in the way of what you truly feel.”

He then approaches the confused Flyers and places a hand on each of their outer shoulders. “But I can confirm this: you guys are friends now. And the party’s starting to wrap up.” He lets go of them and signals them to follow him with a flick of his hand over his shoulder. “Come back inside.”

The two exchange looks of bewilderment before following him up the stairs, through the small porch, and inside the house.

Inside, the atmosphere is now calm and silent. The Christmas lights around the room are peacefully glowing in the dimness with their still array of colours. The Christmas tree tucked in the corner is twinkling beautifully with its small, rounded cream-coloured lights and silver and red ribbons wrapped around it, dotted with glistening ornaments.

Stuart gradually makes his way into the calm living room step-by-step and begins to sing slowly:

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
Let your heart be light...
From now on your troubles will be out of sight.

The other power players begin to vocalize to the tune as string instruments play in the background.

Stuart stops next to Kale, who is standing in the middle of the living room.

With a smile, Kale continues on the song:

Here we are as in olden days,

Brett, who is next to him, picks it up:

Happy golden days of yore.

Kailer steps up to the two.

Faithful friends who are dear to us,

Jake, who is loyally by Brett, finishes off the verse:

Gather near to us once more.

Nolan, who is ambling by the Christmas tree on the other side of the room with Carter, continues the song:

Through the years, we all will be together,

He turns to Carter with a warm smile:

If the fates allow.

Carter twists his body around to face the towering tree behind him. He points to it and sings clearly:

Hang a shining star...upon the highest place...!

Stuart lifts his eyes up to the top of the tree as they flash with electricity, focusing the course of his power on it.

Instantly, a luminous star blinks to lift on top of the Christmas tree, casting a brighter light in the room.

Carter’s eyes light up at the sight of the star automatically illuminating. He then senses someone slipping an arm over shoulder. He turns to his right, spotting Nolan with his famous smile directed at him and his arm over his shoulder.

A smile pops on the goalies face. He then pulls the skater into a hug, completely content.

Nolan at first appears surprised at his action, but with one look of his head on his shoulder, he accepts the move and embraces him as well.

Stuart faces the rest of the power players.

All of them are now standing in a circle around the living room with him in one peaceful harmony.

With satisfaction at his task as the league’s Ruler being completed, Stuart finishes off smoothly and gently:

And have yourself…
A merry...little Christ...mas time…


The End.

Notes