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The house was aglow with lights; it was suprising Koko had even bothered to put up the tree and hang the many other festive objects around the house. Not before Tokyo's dusting spree, of course. Regardless, it got done.

Days later, Koko was rushing to finish off her orders for the bakery. One would think that would be done in the bakery itself. Gingerbread men and other assorted cookies, along with cupcakes, brownies and bars that even Koko herself didn't know about. Who'd ever thought of merry meringues or cappuccino cream cheese brownies anyway? Those people better have been glad she had fun baking, or else she wouldn't have bothered looking up those stupid recipes. But she thanked the people who wanted things she actually knew about.

While Koko was baking, no one wanted to go into the kitchen, except for if they just had to take a peek at what she was making. In the end, that managed to get finished without any casulties.

The only difficult part would be getting all the plates and trays and whatever else she had to the bakery. Koko had to pack all of the containers into bags, so the job was made easier, but she didn't like the fact that she had to carry four. That way she was bound to crush some of the cookies, she knew it, and then that would mean angry customers.

All in all, that would lead to an angry Koko baking some of those terrible, confusing things all over again. And then there might actually be a casulty in the kitchen this year.

While she walked out of the kitchen, bags in hand, Koko barely managed to see two of the most dangerous members of the house surround her, best they could. Them being fairly small, and herself being, well, taller.

One of them, the Furrlex, started a mantra: sugar, candy, cookies! The other, the fennec fox, happily offered to take the treats off her and deliver them himself, but Koko wouldn't let Felix go anywhere by himself, much less with sugar.

She shook her head, smiling, and said that she'll make something special for the both of them before Christmas came. The mantra stopped, and the offers stopped as well, as they both turned to face eachother with wide grins. Then the argument of who would get theirs first started. Koko took this as an opportunity, and continued on her merry way.

Kari, as she so dubbed herself, ran into Koko as well - thankfully not in the literal term. "Do you need any help with those?" She asked cheerily, as always. Koko nodded, adding on that she would need a coat and stuff, using her old nickname, Ri. "Kari," the merged thule pointed out to her caretaker, before going to find said coat and stuff in the chaos that was Koko's home. Koko playfully stuck her tongue out at Kari when her back was turned.

Still, the delivery itself went well; both had been carrying two bags, which Koko found to be a comfortable number. While they were at the bakery, Kari snuck a few treats, knowing very well that Koko would never make some of them ever again, unless she had to. Felix and Jazz would be happy if they got some, too, no matter what Koko promised.

When all that was said and done, they really didn't have anything else to do.

"What now?"

"Don't worry about that, Ri," said Koko, ignoring the thule's correction. "I think we should go spread a little holiday cheer, don't you?"

Christmas was as per usual at the Madhouse, as it had been affectionally named. Chaos reigned in the form of children and animals, some of which were high off of sugar, but we won't go there. The tree was seemingly lit up brighter than the sun itself, what with the lights bouncing of the glass ornaments.

It wasn't so painful once you got used to it.

After the festivities were over, and it seemed as if they would never end, wrapping paper littered the floor (along with colorful ribbons and those annoying plastic cases that secure dolls and such). Koko complained that this holiday made her poor, very poor, while Tokyo complained that she did not want to clean up the entire mess.

Sigh.

Though the holiday made Koko spend a lot of money, she didn't want to dissapoint her family, and she was estatic when she saw the joy on their faces. Really. As for Tokyo, the cleaning really didn't bother her, but she'd rather it not be so much; after her hard work, she deserved a break every once in a while.

That's how Kari saw it.

They complained too much, in her opinion. She tried to drown out the females' griping by hiding in her room and shoving a pillow over her head. It didn't work. Augh. Kari didn't see how everyone else could ignore them and go on about their usual business, with an added accessory or two. Then again, she'd been in the Madhouse less than most others, suprising as it was; she just grew faster.

Regardless, it was annoying.

Would there ever be peace?