(Story by  MandelSoft )
Even after she's been living under the sea for months now, Luna couldn't shake off some of here land dweller's habits. She dressed more modestly than her peers, not being comfortable yet to expose herself more. Elio had been understanding and be kind to her (and their newborn son Nemo), but he too saw the strange looks she was getting, and her struggles to find her way in her new life underwater. Her swimming was getting better, as she was getting used to having a tail instead of legs, but he caught her occasionally thinking too much in two dimensions, forgetting she could swim up and down or over gaps. A land dweller's mind has some tendencies to remain stubbornly rusted in habit...

But even underwater, one could notice the days had been getting shorter, with winter approaching. Luna had not completely lost track of time, knowing that it had been long enough to be December by now, but she had no idea what exact date it was right now. She reminisced about Christmas from the years before. The decorations bringing colour and light in this cold and dark season, the tree prominently present in the living room, and presents under the tree on Christmas Day, going to church on Christmas Eve (though she never liked that), the lavish dinner served in the evening Christmas Day. It was a time where she could forget about her worries. But this would be the first year where she would miss all that. When she asked Elio if they celebrated Christmas in Poseidon, he looked at her, puzzled. He mentioned that there was a celebration coming up, the Mystic Solstice Festival, where they'd celebrate the Sun making its return after the Darkest Day of the Year. She told him about her traditions, and how she was missing it. Elio could read the sadness on her face as she shared her memories with him. He didn't like to see his wife unhappy.

But Elio had an idea. He gathered some of the prettiest shells he could find around the Kingdom of Poseidon. When he got back with a bag full of them, he said to Luna he should follow him. They swap to a large coral tree, located prominently in one of the open areas near the Palace. There he told her that even though he couldn't find her a fir tree underwater, they could try to decorate this tree instead, together. Luna smiled. It may not replace the Christmas traditions she had, but seeing that Elio would do so much effort just to make her happy was invaluable to her. They started decorating the coral tree together when two prominent passer-bys noticed them; none other than prince Maku and princess Antaypoo. They asked what curious thing they were doing with the coral tree. Elio was flabbergasted in front of such royal presence. But when Luna explained how she missed some traditions from her old life, they decided it would be fun to join in. Maku said that maybe this is a new tradition they can do for the years to come. And so, the four of them decorated the coral tree together, just making life under the sea a little more colourful...
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This is a wonderful commission that me and  MandelSoft got from the talented  lustrum that features Mandel's two characters, Luna and Elio, and mine, Prince Maku and Princess Anpaytoo, decorating a coral tree in a mix of the Mystic Solstice Festival and Luna's Christmas Tradition. Needless to say that they seem to really enjoy it and who knows that it may be a new tradition to add to the underwater world.

Luna and Elio Belong to  MandelSoft

Maku and Anpaytoo Belong to me

Art done by  lustrum