Ok, everyone ready to finish off this year's holiday tale?

Peter: Me! :D

Jordan: Me too! :D

Katie: Me!

Mike: Yeah.

Micky: You bet!

Davy: I am.

*The twins cheer.*

(We open about a week after the end of the main story, in the large, cheerful kitchen of the Montgomery House. Peter bustles around, pulling out flour and sugar and brown sugar and baking powder and colored sugar and sprinkles. Mike helps Katie and Jordan into aprons. He wears the frilly apron he wore in "Monkee Mother.")

Mike: Tell me how we got talked into bakin' cookies again? :p

Peter: Michael, it'll be a great bonding experience with the children!

Katie: Cookies! :D

Jordan: Yum! :)

Micky: *comes in carrying containers for the cookies* And it's a chance to make some great cookies!

Davy: *follows Micky with more containers* 'E shouldn't be 'elping. Jack mentioned something about Micky really loving Christmas cookies... *smirks*

Micky: You're lucky I still have my hands full, short stuff.

Mike: Ok, guys, cool it. I don't think the girls would appreciate blood in the cookies.

Peter: (Lifts Jordan) You can get the cookie cutters! Just be careful! Don't cut yourself!

Jordan: 'Kay! (He pulls down a box, which Peter opens after he sets his son on the floor)

Katie: Oooh! (She pulls out a cookie cutter) An'del!

Jordan: (Pulls out another cutter) Lion!

*The twins run in, each carrying a bag of chocolate chips.*

Katie: Hi! :D

Jordan: Oooh!

Peter: Thanks, guys! (Takes the bags)

Mick: You're welcome!

Mike: Better not have eaten any.

Shelly: Heard that! *sticks her tongue out*

Peter: Ok, everyone ready to start? (He pulls out a bright red cookbook decorated with Early American accents) Good ol' Betty Crocker.

Mike: Yeah, let's get this over with.

Katie: Toclit tip!

Jordan: Sug'r!

Peter: (Pulls out a few porcelain mixing bowls of various sizes and a heavy-duty, professional-grade mixer) Ok everyone, let's get started!

(The group goes into action as "Little Saint Nick" begins. Jordan dunks the 1-cup measuring cup into the flour, then the sugar. Peter packs it with brown sugar and lets Jordan dump it in.)

(Mike lets Katie put the shortening in, but has to pull her hands out of the greasy white stuff. It's NOT edible. He adds the salt and baking powder.)

*Little Mick dumps in his bag of chocolate chips.*

(Peter mixes everything. Jordan watches, facinated, as the mix goes around and around. When the mixing is done, Peter hands Jordan and Katie the beaters with a bit of dough left on them. They grin and lick the beaters in delight.)

(Mike brings the dough over to the table, along with pans and spoons, and admonishes everyone that the cookies have to go on the pans, not in mouths...or else.)

(As Micky, Davy, and the twins load the cookies onto pans, Mike puts them in the oven, and Peter washes the dishes. Jordan hands him light dishes.)

(Mike looks over everyone to make sure cookies are actually going on the pans.)

(Katie points to Micky, who is about to eat a spoonful of dough. Mike glares at him.)

*Micky puts it back in the bowl, thren ducks out of the kitchen...*

(Mike sighs and sits down in Micky's place to finish the dough. Katie joins him. She shakes her finger at Little Mick when he tries to eat dough, saying "That's a no-no.")

(Mike puts the last of the pans in the oven, then turns to the door and scratches his head. He turns to Davy, asking "Where did Micky go?")

*Davy grins, then puckers up and kisses the back of his hand.* ;)

(Mike frowns, then shrugs. Lauren must have come home, or he's practicing with something...)

(Mike sets up towels along the breakfast island where the cookies cool. The kids "ooh" and "ahh" as Peter pulls them out.)

(Peter starts in on the next batch, sugar cookies. He puts the big plastic cutting board on top of the stove as he starts mixing sugar, butter, and lemon flavoring. He helps Jordan add the flour and baking soda.)

(Davy and Mike set the twins up with colored sprinkles and sugar. Peter, Jordan, and Katie cut out the cookies, and the twins, Davy, and Mike decorate them. Mike calls over his shoulder to Micky that they're decorating the sugar cookies.)

(Mike grabs Mick's hand. Hey, no drowning the poor cookies in sugar sprinkles!)

*Mick frowns, but stops. He moves onto the next batch of cookies.*

(Some of the cookies look more like misshapen bits of dough than angels or trees, but the kids love decorating them.)

Mike: (As Peter starts to put the last of the cookies in the oven) Hey, Pete, do you smell somethin'?

Peter: (Sniffs) Almost like melting plastic...

Davy: Uh oh...

Mike: Yikes! (He jumps up and grabs the cutting board off the stove) Ok, who put this on the STOVE? Look what happened! (He shows everyone the back - there are definately some grooves, and the thing is arching upwards) You could have nuked us to death!

Katie: Yucky.

Peter: (Gulps) Um, Michael...I think it was me.

Peter: Michael, I'm sorry! We'll buy a new one!

Mike: I ain't worried about the board. You couldn't burnt this place down, or at worst, damaged your stove! :p

Katie: (She puts her head against her father) Papa mad?

Mike: (Looks at his daughter, then at the upset Peter, and sighs) No, not mad, Katie, Just a little scared. (Looks at Peter) Just be careful where you put stuff around the stove from now on, especially anything that can melt or burn.

Peter: Burn! (Reaches for the cookies as Micky staggers back into the kitchen)

Mike: (Grins) Have fun, Mick?

Micky: *giggles a little* Yeah. I love making Christmas cookies. ;)

Peter: (Pulls out a tray of cookies) Me too. :)

(The sequence ends with Peter pulling out more trays of cookies, much to the delight of the kids and the dazed Mick.)

(Cut to the Rainbow Room for a performance video of an upbeat version of "Little Drummer Boy." The guys, Emma, and Lauren wear the red eight-button shirts and dark green pants. Emma wears a small wreath-shaped pin and a red headband, Peter has red-and-green beads, and MIke has his glasses.)

*Davy wears his green velvet shirt and black pants, with red beads. Micky wears a Santa hat, a red and green knit poncho and gold and black striped pants.*

(Emma points to a clump of mistletoe hanging in one spot towards the side of the stage. She gives Peter a kiss on his cheek. She leans over to kiss Mike...and he grabs her and dips her. They both stagger for a few seconds, dazed. Peter's mouth drops open.)

*Lauren and Micky exchange looks. They hurry over to the mistletoe, embrace, and share a loooong kiss!*

(Emma laughs and grins. Mike rolls his eyes, but he's grinning. Davy closes Peter’s open mouth.)

*Lauren and Micky separate. Micky staggers, a bit dazed, back to the bandstand. He tries to slide behind the drum kit, but almost lands on his rear. He catches himself, then grabs his sticks, counts off, and rips off a drum solo that would make Animal of the Muppets proud.*

(Emma nearly falls over laughing.)

(Mike sighs and shakes his head. Emma tugs him on the shirt as the song ends and pulls him off-stage. We hear a few moans, nibbles, and sighs. Davy puts his hand over Peter's eyes.)

*Micky finishes, puts both arms in the air & crows. He puts the stick down, gets up, bows, then leaves the bandstand.*

*We fade out as Micky steps off the stage. Just before the screen goes completely black, you catch a quick glimpse of Micky stumbling. We fade in on Micky and Lauren's home, in the living room, their huge tree taking up an entire corner, while the group takes up the rest of the room.*

Bob: Hey gang, Merry Christmas!

(Variations on "Merry Christmas!" from around the room.)

Bert: So, how did it feel to do this year's holiday extravaganza?

Emma: Good. It's been quite a Christmas, that's for sure.

Bob: How did the rest of the cruise go, anyway?

Mike: Went just fine after all of the thieves were put in the brig. It was actually a little borin' after all the excitement.

Peter: Valerie says it was wonderful publicity for the movie, the gig AND capturing the thieves! :D

Bob: Hey, how do you kids feel? After all, you were pretty important in both these stories!

Katie: We help! :D

Jordan: Yay! :D

Peter: Big yays, for all of you! You helped the Basses, even though the police said they would have let them go anyway, and you helped us get the real bad guys!

Bob: Bet the twins are excited, too. After all, Mr. Bass gave them all something.

*The twins cheer on cue.*

Mike: Yeah, the Basses ended up bein' cool.

Emma: We talked to them throughout the cruise. They're apparently a childless couple from a Canadian toy factory who were taking their first vacation in decades. They were really sweet, and a lot of fun to be around. The kids adored them, and they spoiled the kids silly.

Katie: Santa Claus!

Jordan: San'ta!

Peter: (Grins) After all, even Santa needs a vacation.

Mike: Well...

Bert: Was that REALLY Santa?

Katie: Yeah!

Emma: Well...that's up to our readers. Was it Santa? Was it a nice old man with a mystery sack? You decide.

Micky: It was Santa. ;)

Mike: Incidentally, the jewel thieves and the Hampshire-Devonhams are all in jail in New York. The jewel thieves are gonna be sent back to the Carribean for their trials. The H-Ds were sentanced to ten years for various toy store robberies in the Northeast. They'd sold the toys on the black market in Mexico but apparently hadn't made much, which is why they had the money for cruise tickets but not for designer duds.

Bert: So, where did the idea for this month's story come from?

Emma: (Looks at Lauren) Lauren was the one who came up with the warm-up story.

Lauren: *shrugs* I actually get a decent idea every once in a while. ;)

Mike: Didn't we do a snowed-in story in January?

Emma: Yeah, but that was an epic. This was a sitcom.

Peter: And Jordan and Elizabeth got to join us!

Jordan: Snow! :D

Emma: The main story was really a bunch of ideas we've had at various times mashed together. I first came up with the idea of us on a cruise ship about two years ago, but we never had a chance to use it until now. The "jewel thief" plotline was my original idea for the August 30s story before we decided we liked the Amateur Hour better.

Mike: Yeah, it does sorta look like you mashed a buncha plots together. There ain't too much Christmas in this one besides the Santa subplot.

Emma: We were both very busy in the last few months and this story was done in a hurry. It actually turned out pretty well for the time we had. (Shrugs) We thought the cruise ship idea was unique. Anyone could do the thousandth version of "It's a Wonderful Life," but how often do you encounter Santa and Mrs. Claus look-alikes on a cruise ship filled with jewel and toy thieves?

Bob: What was your favorite part?

Lauren: Spending time with family and friends. :)

Emma: The kids' Christmas party BEFORE Kris pulled out the jewels.

Peter: Me too. The kids had a great time.

Mike: The day after the ship quit rollin'. I spent the whole night we caught the robbers sick as a dog 'cause Mother Nature wouldn't stop rockin' the boat.

Emma: (Grins) That was something else. I wanted to do Micky a favor and get Mike back for the airplane cracks he made back in May.

(Mike grumbles.)

*Micky grins.* ;)

Jordan: See Santa!

Katie: Snow! :D

Peter: Valerie told me she's just happy everyone's home and safe and the snow is gone. She's out finishing some Christmas shopping.

Bob: You kids sure loved that snow.

Jordan: Yay! :D

Katie: Lotsa fun! :D

Mike: And it didn't last long enough to give the adults a heart attack 'cause they couldn't go on vacation.

Bert: How about the twins? What was your favorite parts?

Mick: Santa! :D

Shelly: Toys! :)

Mick: Toys! ;)

Shelly: *makes a face* Santa gave us toys!

Katie: Doll! Pwetty! :)

Jordan: Car! Vroom! :)

Shelly: Gotta dolly! :)

*Mick shakes his hips!*

Mick: I got a hula hoop! :D

(Everyone laughs as Mick shakes his hips.)

Bob: Hey, Dave, how's Daphne and little Elizabeth?

Emma: (Nods) I wish they could have joined us more for these stories, but we'll see them next month.

Davy: They're doing fine. Daph is taking a nap right now, though, along with Elizabeth.

Bert: Speaking of next month, what's on tap for the first role-play of 2007?

Emma: (Grins at Lauren) A little swashbuckling fun. We're doing a Monkee-ized version of "The Three Muskeers," and unlike this month's story, we've been planning this one since last summer.

Mike: Swords n' stuff?

Emma: And spoof. Lots of spoof. We're opening the year with wacky comedy...and plenty of action.

Mike: I like next year already.

Peter: Sounds like fun!

Emma: Oh, and we might as well add that "Snowbound In California" is our last warm-up. As of January 2007, we're dropping the short warm-up stories and replacing them with occasional one-part stories and short "skits" and "videos," like we did in this part and the short story "We Need a Little Christmas."

Emma: Though we intend to keep doing the stories for as long as possible, we don't quite have the time for them that we used to. From next month onwards, we'll just do one long story and only do a short story if we have a little time on our hands. Prose stories will continue eventually, though.

Mike: I heard you guys say you have a few interestin' ideas for next year.

Emma: (Grins, a bit wickedly) Oh, I think you guys will be on your toes, and paws, and small.

Mike: Ohhkayyy...

Peter: Maybe we'd just better go, before Emma tries to explain that.

Emma: (Nods) Happy holidays from all of us at Dream World! We hope you've had as good of a time reading these stories this year as we have writing them!

Katie: Mewwy Kissmas!

Peter: From all of us to all of you!

Micky: And don't forget the mistletoe!

(Mike kisses Emma. Katie gives Jordan a peck on his cheek. :) )

All: HAPPY HOLIDAYS! :D

(Cut to a mall as "The Most Wonderful Day of the Year" begins. Mike, Micky, Davy, and Peter stand in line with the twins, Katie, and Jordan. Jordan looks like he wants to turn and run, but Katie's facinated by all of the kids and everything going on. Peter's beaming, his arms laden with bags. Mike just looks bored.)

*Micky stands right with the twins, beaming as much as they are.*

(Katie tugs on her papa, pointing to Santa and his "elf"...who are Nyles and Jack. Nyles doesn't even have a beard. He looks like he always does in a Santa suit. ;) )

(Little Mick gets up to "Santa" first.)

*Mick reaches up to Nyles's face and pats his cheek. He makes a face.*

(Mike keeps having to pull the excited Katie back into the line. She wants to go everywhere! Jordan, on the other hand, won't leave his father and clings to his leg.)

*Shelly goes up next. She lists off toy after toy that she wants. Nyles nods off during the list and wakes up as she finishes. He grins and nods as she hops off his lap. He glares at Micky, who shrugs.*

(Mike lifts Katie on Nyles' lap next. She squeals "I wanna tricycle, Nyles!" as loud as she can. SHE recognizes Nyles.)

(Peter blushes and explains to the line that this is one of Santa's helpers...but Jordan doesn't look as afraid as he did before.)

(Peter lifts Jordan onto Nyles' knee. Jordan smiles. He's not afraid anymore, because he knows Nyles. He tells Nyles - well, he and his father tell Nyles - that he wants him to tell Santa he wants a kiddie guitar like Katie's.)

(Katie grins. :D)

*Micky sits on Nyles's lap next. Nyles gives him a look as Micky rattles off a long list. The longer he goes on, the more Nyles looks like he’s in pain. He's about ready to shove Micky off when he finally finishes, gives Nyles a kiss on the cheek, and gets off his lap. Nyles rolls his eyes.* :P

(Mike and Peter just laugh. The kids giggle.)

(Mike just shrugs and whispers what he wants in Nyles' ear. He doesn't wanna damage his legs.)

(Peter tells Nyles what he wants, then picks up Jordan, who waves good-bye as the next kid climbs into Nyles' lap.)

(Mike takes Katie's hand. She waves good bye, too.)

*The twins and Micky wave as they leave.*

(Nyles and Jack wave as the next little boy rattles off what HE wants for Christmas, and we fade out on a long-shot of the two men, wide-eyed as the kid keeps going on...and on...)

(Fade in on the parlour room of the Montgomery House. The four Monkees sit around the tree. The room is dark except for the tree lights, which glow softly. They wear their outfits from the Rainbow Room "Little Drummer Boy" video.)

(They sing "Riu Chiu" as snow falls softly in the windowns in the background. As they finish, the lights go out, plunging all but the snow-frosted windows into the shadows. Fade out on the video and fade in on a "Happy Holidays From Dream World" green font against a red background with a holly border.)

(And we cut to "Christmas Is My Time of Year" played over scenes from both "productions." We end with a live scene of the entire cast and crew waving and wish a Merry Christmas as we cut to "A Raybert Production" in green font on the red holly-border background.)