Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Trollmas was a special time of year. Coming in the middle of the winter season, it always brought joy and generosity to the Pop Trolls, even more than usual. Trolls could exchange presents, sing carols, and enjoy hot chocolate and marshmallows around the fireplace with their friends. It was a time for holiday spirit. For family and friends. A time for love.

“And I’m just thrilled that all of you celebrate in your tribes too!” Poppy exclaimed as she closed her scrapbook, the delegates all standing in front of her. Snow covered the ground, but all the Trolls were light enough to stay on top. It glistened in the sun and slid off the trees, making the forest seem like a literal winter show. Poppy wore her usual winter dress and headband, always wanting to be in the holiday spirit as much as possible.

For a little while, she was worried the other tribes wouldn’t want to participate in her annual Trollmas party, but after hearing they all celebrated the same holiday, all worries floated away. After all, it could only get bigger, louder, and crazier. “We’re going to have so much fun!”

She looked around at all her friends. All seemed excited for the upcoming celebrations, which she was planning on making extra special. After all, it was the first one with the other tribes since they had united. It was also the first one she got to spend with Branch, and she wanted to make his first Trollmas after getting back his colors a memorable experience.

Coming out of her thoughts, Poppy realized in front of her, Val had her hand raised, looking incredibly bored. Poppy quickly pointed at the Rock Troll, also mentally adding that the only member of the group missing was Branch.

“So…” Val started. “You glitter puffs don’t do that Santa Troll thing, do you?”

Poppy gasped, shocked at what Val was suggesting. Did the Rock Trolls not believe in Santa Troll? He was one of the most revered legends in all of Troll history, even above the Marstato Fairy. For someone not to believe, that would be like…

Like…

Ok, she couldn’t think of anything that bad, but it was definitely up there in the pessimism list. “Of course we have Santa Troll!” she rebutted. “What do you think we are, barbarians or something?”

The Pop Queen was about to continue, but was cut off by Val’s scoff. “Santa Troll doesn’t exist. It’s just some story made up by the ancestors for the Trollings.” She turned to the other delegates and the Snack Pack. “Right, guys?”

They were all silent, looking around as if searching for anyone who was raising their hand. Val’s eyes widened, and she turned to her manager. “Demo, back me up here.”

He looked away, not wanting to meet her scrutinizing gaze. “Well…”

Poppy giggled at the sight. Apparently Val was the only one who argued that Santa Troll wasn’t real, and the Pop Queen watched as she tried to convince the others. However, that still posed a problem, as Poppy now had to convince Val of the opposite. Well, it was only one hitch in her holiday plans, so it wouldn’t be such a big deal. 

“Hey, what’s that?”

Hearing Synth’s questioning tone, Poppy looked into the sky and saw a Zip Beetle flying toward the group. She immediately lit up, knowing that the creatures only came into the village when delivering mail from the Bergens. Her Pop friends also got excited, because they know what it meant, while the other tribes were a little confused as to why they all were joyful about the animal. Poppy reached up and took a small card from it with a word of thanks, waving it in the air for her friends to see, while glancing at the return name. “It’s from Bridget!”

She ripped it open, excited to see what her friend had to say. Poppy had only sent one or two letters since finding out about the other tribes, since she had been so busy with Trollstopia, but she hadn’t heard back. Perhaps Gristle and Bridget had been as busy as her, and hadn’t had time to write either? She looked up from taking the letter out of the envelope to see her non-Pop friends whispering among themselves, and she suddenly remembered…

She had never told them about the Bergens.

Oops.

She chuckled awkwardly and set the letter on top of the envelope on the ground beside her, which got her friends’ attention. “So… You guys are probably wondering who Bridget is!”

The others confirmed it, looking around the group. Poppy figured she had better remedy that, now grateful Branch wasn't there yet, since he would probably be super paranoid about her telling about the story. But it wasn’t really all that big of a deal, and he would probably agree in the end. “Us Pop Trolls are friends with this race called the Bergens,” she began to explain.

Holly hopped up from her seat in the snow, her orange scarf flapping. “Like Troll, Troll, Bergen?”

The Pop Queen pointed at her. “Exactly! Now, I know that you guys have never met them, but it takes two or three days to get to Bergentown on foot if Cloud Guy doesn’t drive us in the Caterbus, and last time he drove us through a wormhole, and Branch would definitely freak out if that happened again.”

She realized she had gone off on another train of thought at the confused faces in front of her, so she cleared her throat and continued back on the Bergans. “Anyways, they used to eat us, for like, 200 years or something, because they thought it was the only way to be happy, but about a year ago, we ended up befriending them and showing them they could be happy! The Queen, Bridget, is actually one of my best friends! We send each other cards all the time, but I haven’t really been able to do that lately because of the whole Trollstopia thing, which I remembered to tell Bridget about in my last letter, so that she and King Gristle didn’t come into the village without a warning, because even Branch sometimes freaks out when that happens cause they’re about thirty times our size. So, yeah!”

The others looked horrified. Poppy didn’t understand why, since she was just telling them about one of her best friends and how they met. “Is there something wrong?” It would be pretty horrible if there was, especially right around Trollmas, when everyone was supposed to be happy.

“‘Course there’s something wrong!” Holly shouted. “Them creatures used to eat you, and you became friends with them?”

“Yeah!” the Snack Pack chorused all at once. 

Silence filled the chilly air as the other tribes processed the information, all silently adding that maybe the Pop Trolls were a little crazier than they thought. Poppy cleared her throat again to get her attention, then bent down to get the letter.

As her fingers grazed the surface, a strong gust of wind blew past, making her gasp and shiver. It was enough that the papers were lifted into the air and carried a little ways by the wind. Panic spread across the group, except for Val, who was tuning her guitar, and everyone ran to try and retrieve the letter. 

“Got it!” R yelled, holding it in the air.

A few feet away, B held up the pink envelope. “And I’ve got the envelope!” The two high fived before giving Poppy both items, a smile coming from all three of them. 

Poppy held both papers in her hands as she read, not wanting them to blow away again. “Alright, she says… ‘Poppy, I’m so sorry I haven’t been replying to your letters! You know how it is when you don’t have many free moments. Ever since we established the Trollabration, the Bergens have been a lot more active in the community, giving the two of us a lot to do.

“‘I think it’s amazing that you found out about other Trolls. I never would have guessed! We would love to meet them. One of these days, when both of us have some time, we should get together and catch up. There’s been a lot going on here in Bergentown.’”

Poppy flipped the paper over, starting to read on the other side. “‘Me and Grissy have been really busy lately because…’ Ahhh!” The Queen squealed, loud enough that even the Pop Trolls covered their ears. “They’re going to have a baby!”

Everyone cheered, even those who had never met the Bergens. Poppy grinned even wider as she started again. “‘We’re even more excited about it than you probably are. We’re going to make sure they know that they can be happy without eating Trolls, because we would never want anything like that to happen again. 

“‘I hope you all are doing well too, especially with all the new Trolls living there. Gristle and I were also so happy to hear that you and Branch finally got together! Well, it was actually just me, because he thought the two of you were already together. He said to tell you that he wants to play keyboard at the wedding! Much love, Bridget.’”

As everyone talked about the letter for a few seconds, a rustling could be heard in the bushes, before Branch ran out, followed by several forest creatures. “Sorry I’m late! Did I miss anything?”

Val finally finished tuning her guitar, and turned to him with a bored look. “Yeah. Some Bergen or something named ‘Bridget’ sent a letter to Poppy.”

He looked at Poppy for confirmation. “What did she say? We haven’t been over there in a while.”

Poppy read the letter again, carefully watching her boyfriend’s reactions to everything. He did get a little nervous at the mention of a future wedding, but quickly regained his composure. “Cool. Anything else?”

“Yeah.” Everyone turned back to Val, who apparently had a question for Branch. Poppy had an idea of what it was, but didn’t want to assume anything until she heard it. “Do you think Santa Troll is real?”

Branch laughed out loud. This was a big repeat of the Marshtato Fairy. Not thinking about his next words, he replied honestly, “Of course not. It’s just an old Trolls’ tale. I mean, a Troll who rides around the whole land with elves and reindeer in a flying sleigh, giving gifts to everyone? What a bunch of…”

He trailed off after seeing Poppy’s face, his mind flashing back to previous years when he had seen that same face. Back before he was part of society, when he ruined everything for everybody during the holidays. When he said the same words to the then twelve year old Princess, not even thinking about how it would affect her and her friends. He was part of the older generation, not King Peppy’s, but the one that remembered trying to make the best of the holidays even though they were living in fear of the Bergens. They didn’t get much snow in those years because of the cage, since they couldn’t travel ‘outside,’ but all the Trollings were still able to have fun building the best snowmen they could. Doing their best to make snowballs to pelt the adults with. Always remembering that even though it wasn’t going to be perfect, there was a whole community willing to make it as magical as possible.

During that time, there wasn’t really much the adults could do to preserve the Trollings’ Santa Troll image for very long, since the secret got out to the youngest ones every year when they asked how the jolly Troll got past the Bergens and through the bars of the cage. There was no answer. In fact, he was one of the youngest who knew the truth. Having his childhood practically taken away from him due to being grey for twenty years, he didn’t want the same to happen to the others. Even though none of them were actually that young anymore, they all still deserved to have the magical image of Santa in their hearts and minds. “Actually, Val? He’s 100 percent real.”

As Val frowned at Branch, unhappy about not having any supporters, but thinking something was up with his answer, he took a glance at Poppy, seeing the sweet smile back on her face. “And I have something for you guys. Mostly Poppy.”

The Pop Queen smiled as Branch backed up toward the various forest creatures next to the big mushroom. Music began to play, courtesy of the forest creatures’ vocalizing. 

“Lookin’ back on early days, I can’t believe my foolish ways,” Branch started to sing. “Thought that Trollmas only came from a story. Didn’t know what was there for me, right near the Trollmas tree. I didn’t know there could be so much more!” All those years he had been alone for the holidays, he never knew someday, he would be surrounded by friendship and love. There really was such a thing as Trollmas miracles.

“On my own for too many years. I miss the happiness, I miss the tears!” He had always longed to have that holiday love. To have some kind of miracle. And he was looking forward to it this year. “When I close my eyes, and I’m all alone, I think of all the love we share. When I need a friend or a helping hand, I know that you will all be there!” Branch gestured to the group, who he now knew he could count on. Even those from other tribes, who knew about his isolationist instincts, but didn’t know the reason for them.

He had spent way too many years hiding in his Bunker, and it was time to join in on the season. “I’ve been gone for so many holidays. But you can light the fire, cause this year, I’ll be home for Trollmas day.”

He paused for a second, listening to the backing of the woodland animals, before focusing solely on Poppy. “I never knew the meaning of Trollmas, ‘till you came into my life. I was lost in the dark, ‘till you opened my heart, like an angel shining bright. I wished upon a star, and now here you are! Suddenly I realized…

“That I never knew the meaning of Trollmas ‘till I looked into your eyes.”

Poppy put a hand to her heart and smiled warmly as the forest creatures sang a few ‘fa la la’s. “And you can light the fire. I’m sending out this wire! ‘Cause this year, I’ll be home for Trollmas!”

“I’m coming home!” the forest animals repeated over and over again, as Branch vocalized in the background to finish out his song. “And I never want to be away again,” he said to Poppy. She was his Trollmas miracle.

The two hugged, Poppy having been hit right in the heart at his display. Everyone dispersed after a while, and the Queen watched them all walk away happily, more excited for the holiday than they had ever been. It surely was going to be the perfect Trollmas with all she had planned, even though Val still had to be convinced that Santa Troll was real. That was the only snag in the plans.

There was also the fact that she needed to make the holiday extra special for Branch. He would say that being there was enough, but he deserved the best Trollmas she could provide for his first one out of the Bunker. Ok, so maybe there were two snags in the plan. That was manageable.

Poppy started for her pod, wanting to get some more decorations to put up in the forest. She felt a crunch under her foot, and looked down to see a sheet of paper on top of the snow. Confused, she picked it up and saw what it was. “There was another page to Bridget’s letter?” she said aloud, mostly to herself since there was no one else around. Now she was curious as to what it said, but was sure it wasn’t anything life or death important.

“‘P.S. - We moved the Trollabration this year, since there’s been so much going on. Instead of the seventeenth of next month, it’s going to be on the twenty-fifth of this month. Looking forward to seeing you all here!’”

Her eyes widened at the missed part of the letter. The twenty-fifth was Trollmas. She couldn’t call it a third snag. No, this was an out and out problem.

Sugar and frosting.

Chapter Text

Despite the snag in her plans for the upcoming Trollmas holiday, Poppy decided to make the best of the season with her friends, both old and new, before dealing with something that would take a lot of time out of her fun. There was plenty of time before the actual day, and therefore plenty of time to do something about it later. Instead, she brought all of her friends together to share different traditions and songs from their own tribes, hoping to both learn something about the other cultures and have some holiday fun at the same time. 

“Alright, who wants to go first with a tradition?”

The Trolls from the other tribes just stood there awkwardly, nobody wanting to step forward and be the first to share. Although it had been a good 3 months since Trollstopia had been set up, there were still worries about different tribal relations, since many of the Trolls still weren’t a hundred percent comfortable with taking part in different traditions or customs.

Seeing everyone was silent, Poppy looked to the Snack Pack for some support. “Guys, come on!” They were silent as well, doing their best to avoid eye contact with their best friend. Poppy sighed. “Alright, I’ll start.”

Everyone gave the Pop Queen their attention as she began, taking a small book out of her hair. “One of the things we Pop Trolls like to do during the holiday season is go caroling!” There was a murmur of recognition and several smiles from the other tribes, since many of them also occasionally participated in that in their hometowns. 

“Sounds lame,” Val voiced. She just frowned at the book, leaning against a nearby tree. “What kinds of songs do you glitter puffs like to do?”

Poppy lit up at the opportunity to showcase some of her favorite Trollmas carols, and she brought up her hand to list them off on her fingers. “Oh, you know, stuff like Winter Wonderland, Sleigh Ride, Jingle Bells-”

“Yeah.” Val grabbed her guitar out of nowhere and adjusted it around her shoulder. “We have Jingle Bells.” She began to play on the instrument, producing a hard rock sound rather than the normal, jolly, Jingle Bells sound. 

”Dashing through the snow, in a one horse open sleigh, over the fields we go, laughing all the way!”

Many of the other Rock Trolls in the area yelled out with a “Hey!”

“Bells on bobtails ring, making spirits bright, oh, what fun it is to laugh and sing and sleigh tonight!”

Demo ran up next to her and started playing a set of random drums while singing along. “Jingle bells, Bat Troll smells, Robin ran away!” they half sang, half screamed. “Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way! Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one…!”

“Horse!”

“O-pen!”

“Sleigh!” she screamed out, the other Rock Trolls all yelling out as well. Val finished up the guitar riff, then smashed the instrument on a nearby rock.

Poppy just stared at Val after she finished. That version of the classic song certainly was… interesting, to say the least. The Pop Queen decided that she still didn’t understand some of the things the Rock Trolls did. “Uh… are… all your Trollmas songs like that?”

“Pretty much,” was the reply from both Val and Demo.

Still a bit puzzled, Poppy stashed her caroling book in her hair once again, planning on using it later, and turned to the group as a whole. “Any other traditions?”

Holly stepped up with a smile, and Poppy matched it when she saw she had a volunteer. “Well, one thing us Country Trolls like to do is hand out baked goods to our neighbors! Always makes a Troll’s day when they git fresh fruitcake or gingerbread first thin’ in the mornin.’ My daddy always made really good gingerbread when I was growin’ up.”

“That sounds great!” Poppy exclaimed, looking to the Snack Pack, who seemed to agree.

Well, mostly.

When Holly was finished, and everyone began talking again, Branch, who had been silent up to this point, stepped forward from his spot beside Poppy. “Is that sanitary? Eating stuff that was made by other Trolls, I mean?”

Poppy laughed. “How could that not be sanitary, Branch? It’s baked goods! The best kind of goods!”

Everyone agreed, while Branch just stared at her. “Poppy, you don’t know what anyone might have touched! Or what the food might have touched! That’s why I don’t eat Cooper’s cupcakes!” he explained. “Not even those holiday cupcakes!”

While most were confused, Dante shuddered at the reminder. That was one thing in Trollstopia he didn’t want to see again. Wanting the topic to be over before the absentminded Funk Troll produced said cupcakes, he volunteered to present something the Classical Trolls did for the holidays. Poppy was delighted.

“Excellent!” he exclaimed. “Every year, we put on a ballet for all the Classical Trolls and their families to enjoy! It is complete with traditional costumes and music composed by the great Trollkovsky over 100 years ago!”

“Yes,” Minuet chimed in. “It’s always quite an honor for one to be chosen to perform in the ballet, whether one is chosen as a dancer or instrumentalist.”

“In fact, we’re planning on presenting it in the Classical Crest this year for all to see!”

At Dante’s announcement, Poppy got more excited than she had been previously. That was a lot, considering she had been pretty pumped up before. She was really looking forward to seeing the show now that she knew about it!

After a bit more chatter, the three Funk Trolls presented one of their traditions. Lownote came to the front of the group and chuckled in his deep voice. “Well, baby, we like to hang up some funky lights and put music to them. Makes a real cool show.”

R and B went up to the front as well, visibly excited about sharing. “Yeah!” the latter began. “Back in Vibe City, everyone pitched in and hung awesome lights around the ship! You could see every color there was!”

“Then, when all the lights were up,” R continued, “We used some Funky science to make them glow and flicker in time to a song!”

Poppy was just in awe of that. She really wanted to know what that looked like. “Ok, that sounds super complicated, but also super amazing!”

“We know!” the sister chorused together. Satin and Chenille grumbled, jealous of how well the two got along.

The Techno Trolls were next to share. “While we do a lot of stuff similar to all of you,” Synth started, shrugging, “we usually just have a holiday rave. Everyone in Techno Reef would give King Trollex their favorite Trollmas song, then he would remix all of them and we would have a big party on Trollmas Eve!”

“It is most fun,” Laguna noted, taking out her notebook. “I also have a list of some of everyone’s favorite holiday songs, so we might be able to do that here as well.”

“That sounds great!” Poppy yelled at the same time Branch said, “Sounds loud.” Poppy attempted to glare at him, and he quickly corrected himself. “I mean, something super loud can still be lots of fun. That’s pretty much every day here.”

The Pop Queen nodded and smiled at him, understanding his concerns, but also wanting him to connect with the other tribes a little like she was trying to do. Granted, he had been doing that for the past few months, but not exactly to the extent she had hoped. Coming out of her thoughts, she looked at Val and Demo. “Well, how about you guys? Any fun traditions you want to share?”

Val still looked super bored, but was obviously trying to hide her excitement for some of the other activities. “Not really. We just exchange presents and smash stuff.”

Poppy recoiled a little at that, but quickly remembered that the Pop Trolls also exchanged presents on Trollmas. That reminded her of her final surprise for the group. “Well, thank you to everyone for telling about how all of you celebrate the holidays!”

A chorus of ‘yes’ and ‘of course’ rang out among the group, and Poppy smiled and moved toward the big mushroom, stopping by a large object which was covered by a tarp. “Now, I have something to share with all of you that has become one of our most popular and most revered traditions.”

She motioned to Branch to come over, moving aside so he could pull the tarp down. While the rest of the Snack Pack looked really excited, he was really confused. He didn’t know what in the world could be as big as the thing next to him. For the love of the Troll Tree, it was as tall as a Bergen. He swallowed thickly as he tugged, using his hair to assist him. 

When the tarp was down, it revealed something he knew well, but never thought he would be willingly, happily, participating in for the first time since he was a kid.

But he was happy he was. Judging by the look on Poppy’s face when she showed it to the other tribes, she was excited too.

Chapter Text

The other tribes awed at the object revealed by the Pop Trolls. None of them had anything like that in their own tribes. The Snack Pack just smirked, the other Pop Trolls in the area got super excited, and Branch just stared at the giant item.

Holly was the first to speak. “That is one big tree, y’all.”

“It sure is,” Val said, too lost in the amazement. Everyone’s eyes were wide as they looked to Poppy for an explanation. The Snack Pack followed, while Branch just kept looking at the giant, snow covered, green tree next to the big mushroom. 

Poppy began to bounce on her toes. She was just so excited to talk about the biggest Pop Tradition! “Everyone, this is the Wishing Tree.” She gestured toward the large plant and took a small snowflake ornament out of her hair, and light chatter arose among the other tribes. “You take an ornament, and you write your name and wish on the back of it, then you hang it somewhere on the tree. When the ornament is up there, it looks amazing, but if it disappears, that means someone has taken it off and is trying to make your wish come true!”

There was silence. “Do you guys do this every year?” Demo asked.

“Yep! Everybody participates!” She slowly frowned and glanced at Branch, who was still staring at the tree. “Well, almost everybody,” she corrected softly.

His eyes didn’t leave their target, and when he spoke, it was barely heard. “I always did.”

The Queen looked at her boyfriend, a little confused. “What?”

He finally tore his gaze off the tree and focused on her. “I always did. Hang an ornament on the tree, I mean.” He sighed when he saw her questioning look, feeling everyone’s eyes fixed on him. “I-I always put it near the back of the tree, right near the bottom, and your dad would always take it off. He honestly tried to help all those years, but everyone else always ruined it, and I would lose my resolve to work with him. Those wishes never just take one person to work. Sometimes, they take a whole community. Or sometimes, they just take a Princess and a crazy adventure.” He smiled at her, and she understood just what he was talking about. He looked at the main delegates from the other tribes. “I think you guys are really going to love celebrating here this year. I know I always complain about a lot of stuff, Trollmas sometimes included, but it really is magical around this time of year. There’s a whole community willing to help make it special, if you just ask.”

Of all the things Poppy expected Branch to say by the time her Wishing Tree presentation was over, that was not one of them. She more expected something about that Trollmas miracles didn’t exist, or that everyone was crazy for participating in it. “Branch, if I can ask, what did you wish for over the years?”

He chucked, looking into his memory, at both the good times and the bad. “Well, when I was a kid, before my Grandma died, I would always wish for a little Prince or Princess to play with in the Troll Tree. That one came true, but not until… after.”

The Snack Pack all nodded, knowing what he meant. He wished for that before he turned grey. “And after we escaped?” Poppy questioned.

“Colors. Friends. Family. Basically all the different things everyone else had that I also wanted to have.” He looked back at the tree for a moment, then at her again. “For the first couple of years, it was family. After we learned about grey Trolls in school, and nobody wanted to talk to me anymore, I wished for my colors back. When I moved into the Bunker, it was both friends and my colors. Now, I have all three.” They gave each other matching smiles, and Val pretended to gag while everyone else awed.

Temporarily lost in the moment, but quickly remembering why they were all gathered there, Poppy glanced at the Wishing tree and her friends, bringing out a stack of glittery ornaments in all shapes, sizes, and colors form her hair. “Now’s the time if anyone wants to try it!”

The Trolls jumped on the opportunity, each choosing an ornament and making a wish. Poppy went to stand next to Branch as they watched. 

“So…” Branch looked at her in response, making sure to keep one eye on the chaos by the tree. “Excited for this year? First Trollmas and all?”

He shrugged with a half smile. “Yeah. I haven’t really said anything, but I’m actually really looking forward to redeeming my ‘lost childhood.’ I also heard about an annual Trollmas Eve Party you always host?”

She smiled and nodded. Although Poppy loved throwing big, loud, and crazy parties, her Trollmas party was a bit different, and that’s why she loved it so much. Like Funsgiving, her party on Trollmas Eve only consisted of her closest friends and her father if he could make it. She always invited Branch, and she was extra excited he could actually make it this year and see just how magical Trollmas could be.

At seeing her answer, Branch continued on about Trollmas. “It hasn’t at all been the same since I was a kid, but even then it was really different since we were in the cage in Bergentown. We didn’t really get much snow like we do here.”

Poppy mentally shuddered at the vision. No snow? How did they make snow angels and snow trolls and have snowball fights? 

As if on cue, a snowball hit her dead center in the face. Branch started laughing his head off, and the others, now finished making their wishes, came over to investigate the reason. She wiped off the snow, frantically looking around for the one Troll she knew would pelt her with a snowball. The one Troll she hadn’t been able to hit with a snowball in her entire twenty-two years of living.

She found him standing on top of the big mushroom, waving his cane in the air in triumph. “You’ll never be able to get me, honey!”

“Oh, think again,” she said lowly. Using her hair, the Queen gathered up as many snowballs as she could and shot them at her father with a makeshift hair cannon. He dodged every one of them with expertise despite his old age. Branch sighed when Poppy, with a battle cry, ran to the old King and engaged in a snowball war.

“Who’s that?” Synth asked, going to stand next to his friend. The others followed.

Branch brought up his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. “King Peppy. Poppy’s dad.” He was sure those who didn’t know him had at least seen him around. That being said, now that King Peppy was going a bit… senile, for lack of a better word, none of them would replace that with the memory of the strong, brave King he had been before they escaped from the Bergens.

All eyes moved toward the battle between father and daughter. They noted that while Poppy was practically covered in snow at this point, and constantly getting pelted, her dad was avoiding every single snowball she threw. They had never seen Poppy so frustrated.

“Yeah, I’m not seeing the family resemblance there, y’all.”

Everyone nodded and looked around, seemingly agreeing with Holly. Branch was a bit tired of the whole thing, and decided to go hang his wish on the tree. Every year in the past, Poppy would go to his Bunker and go on and on about how she always tried to hit King Peppy with a snowball, and he would try to ignore her, not understanding how a guy that old was so hard to hit. Now that he had actually seen it, he realized the former King had a lot of stored energy in his old age. 

He picked up a small blue snowflake ornament and inspected it. The glitter stuck to his hands, but he would wash it off later. He snuck a quick glance to make sure no one was watching, and seeing most everyone in Trollstopia was engrossed in their own Trollmas preparation activities, he slipped the snowflake into his pocket. He really was looking forward to openly hanging a decoration on the Wishing Tree, but needed some time to think about what he was going to wish for, since most all of his lifelong dreams had come true already. But he didn’t want to wish for just anything - he wanted the wish to be meaningful. It was best to wait.

“What are you gonna wish for?” Poppy’s voice and hand on his shoulder snapped Branch out of thoughts, and he realized she was finished with the little mini battle between her and King Peppy.

He looked up at the entirety of the tree. “Don’t know yet. I’ll need to do it soon, though. Trollmas is only in two weeks.” He offered her a small smile before walking off in the direction of the Bunker, wanting to take a small break from all the socializing he had been doing that day.

Poppy internally panicked as Branch walked away. She must have looked at her calendar wrong, because there was no way that Trollmas was in two weeks. She had to have more time than that. Right? RIGHT?

“Poppy!” She jumped when Smidge said her name, and looked to see her friend standing in front of her, reaching up to wave a hand in her face. “Are you ok? You look a bit… spooked.”

The Queen extended her hair in a ball around the two of them, and explained her dilema to Smidge. She showed the yellow Troll the letter, and soon they were both on the same page, just with Smidge having a couple questions.

“Why can’t you just send another letter to Bridget saying the day they picked the same day as Trollmas?” she inquired.

Poppy groaned, taking another look at the letter. “Because the Bergens only have this one holiday! If they want to move it to a date they can actually celebrate it, they have that right!”

“And… why can’t you just move Trollmas a day later?” Smidge suggested. “You are the Queen, after all.”

“Smidge! Trollmas has been on the same day for hundreds of years. It’s a tradition for all of the tribes! If I changed it, I would be changing it for everyone, not just the Pop Trolls.”

She opened her mouth to protest, but closed it again. “Yeah, this is a problem, isn’t it?”

Poppy slowly nodded, thinking. One thing she definitely wasn’t going to do was go back and forth between the two populations like she had done for Branch and Bridget’s birthdays, and she told that to Smidge before she could ask. 

It certainly was a dilemma. They couldn’t tell anyone else, though. Pop Trolls were horrible at keeping secrets, and the problem would get to Branch and the other tribes in no time if somebody knew. Poppy didn’t want to ruin everyone’s Trollmas like that. She was sure she would come up with a solution in no time.

It was always impossible to get into the Bunker in the Winter. Every time the snow fell, Branch berated himself once again for making the main entrance a hole in the ground. Since it was covered with white stuff, he had installed an alternative entrance and exit for the colder months that first Winter after seeing how he couldn’t go in or out. He made sure to keep it a secret from everyone, which meant Poppy didn’t even know about it. When she came to the Bunker in the Winter, she would normally just knock on the rock and he would come out from behind it, pretending he had been out gathering supplies. Now that they were dating, he made a mental note to show her where the entrance was so she would be welcome anytime.

He punched in the secret passcode and stepped inside, knocking the snow off his boots and pulling his hood down. He really needed to find some way to keep his head warm that wouldn’t restrict his hair. It hadn’t been a problem before since he usually just stayed inside during the holiday season, but this year was different. 

Instead of going to the main area, he walked down one of the many hallways to a storage room, where he put all the stuff from the Troll Tree. One of his family’s songs was stored down there, and he wanted to share it with everyone. Poppy had been trying really hard to make the holiday season special for him, but now it was his turn. And the song he had in mind was perfect to show everyone the true spirit of Trollmas. Miracles did exist, after all. 

He was sure this Trollmas was going to be perfect, and he was excited to see what other Pop Troll traditions Poppy had for him to participate in with everyone this year.

Since Branch had gone back to the Bunker, Poppy figured it was the perfect time to set up some of the Pop Traditions for him to participate in the next day. She had once again tucked the Bergen issue to the back of her mind, wanting to focus solely on this. Like Branch, she had even made a list of all the stuff she wanted to prepare. He would have been so proud of her if he were there!

The Snack Pack stood in front of her, ready for the list. Branch had been reluctant to accept it when he first got his colors back, but they were all friends now, and so they were more than glad to help. 

“Alright… first on the list is ugly Trollmas sweaters!” That was one of Poppy’s favorite parts of the holiday. Most Pop Trolls didn’t actually wear ugly sweaters, so it was really a tradition unique to her and her closest friends. 

“Got it!” Satin and Chenille chorused together. They held up different sketched designs of sweaters Branch would like, but would still be as ugly as theirs. Those were the one non-stylish fashion item they would willingly create, especially for a friend.

Poppy looked back at the list. “Next is ice skating! Is the ice on the lagoon thick enough?”

Smidge gave a salute. “Checked it this morning.”

The Queen nodded. “Thanks. We all know he won’t go on the ice unless it’s safe.” The others looked around and nodded in agreement before Poppy continued down the list. “Decorations!”

“All se-e-et!” Guy announced in his autotune voice. Tiny came out of his hair and showed a small picture of the pile of decorations they had prepared.

“Ok, baking! Biggie?” She turned to her large blue friend, who nodded for an answer and took a small book out of his hair.

Poppy tried to see the title, but Biggie beat her to it. “It’s a recipe book! It’s filled with holiday treats for someone to bake, with step by step instructions in case the Troll… isn’t the best at baking.”

Even Poppy had to try and hold back a giggle at that. She had many memories of Branch’s baking fails, but luckily, they would all be there to help this time.

She smiled at all of them again, more than excited that they were all helping her with this despite Branch’s… reputation for ruining Trollmas in the past. Every year, they would try to put decorations around his bunker, only to have him tear them down and yell at the group. This year was going to be different, since he agreed to participate in jollying up the area around his home. 

There was only one more thing on the list after that, and Poppy considered it the most important. “Last thing is mistletoe!”

Her friends snickered, and she gave them a lame look. “Seriously?” They stared right back, then went into another fit of giggles. Even Mr. Dinkles mewed in amusement.

Poppy crossed the word off the list, and spoke to herself. “I guess I’m getting the mistletoe.”

She was thankful her friends from the other tribes had gone back to their homes, or else she would never be able to live that down.

Chapter Text

The next morning, Branch emerged from the Bunker to find all his friends standing there, prepared with lights and decorations, obviously to help him with his little part of the forest. He recalled Poppy mentioning something about that, but had honestly given it no thought.

Until now.

“Uh…” He was filled with unease at the amount of decorations they had come equipped with, thinking they had all forgotten that the Bunker was supposed to be camouflaged, not a big bright light for predators. “Are those all for me?

Chenille scoffed. “No, Branch. We always carry around pounds of decorations.”

He blinked. With him, he had to have practice on separating his sarcasm from his normal speech, but sometimes it was even difficult to tell with the Snack Pack. “Was that sarcasm, or…”

They all facepalmed, and he put his hands up, ready to verbally defend himself. “Ok, I have seen you all just carrying a bunch of random decorations around the village sometimes, so that question was totally justified.”

Seeming to find that answer acceptable, they backed off.

Well, except for Smidge. With her hair, she walked forward and dropped a box of decorations in his arms. The others put their boxes on the ground, and it was only then Branch realized his favorite Troll was absent.

“Where’s Poppy?” His eyes widened and shot around the clearing. Knowing Poppy, she could have been anywhere - in the trees, camouflaged in her hair, on top of the rock, - just waiting to jump out and surprise him. That happened way too often, and it would just be worse in the Winter. Best case scenario, he would get pelted with a snowball.

His friends saw his worries while hanging some snowflakes in the trees. “Oh, Poppy is just preparing some things for the annual childrens’ Trollmas show in the village,” Biggie explained. He placed Mr. Dinkles on the ground as he hung some decorations a little higher, then looked back at Branch. “It’s your Bunker, you know. You should decorate with us!”

Branch shrugged and picked out some lights, smiling at the group. He didn’t trust any of them to do the lights, because they would surely go overboard. The “party” started, and they all had fun decorating while engaging in some banter. Most of it was stupid.

“Hey, do you guys think that cloud up there looks like Santa Troll?”

Everyone looked up in response to Cooper’s odd question. “Yeah!”

Branch also looked up at the cloud the Funk Troll was pointing to. It looked like a cloud.

Some of it was actually reasonable.

“If Trollmas has been around for centuries,” DJ started, “and the tribes split up before that, how come everyone celebrates it?”

That was a question nobody had the answer to. Branch made a mental note to look it up in the history books later. 

And some of it reminded him just how lucky he was to have a group of friends like that for the holidays, even if they confused him sometimes. Since it was fellow Pop Trolls he was decorating with (plus one Funk Troll who was raised by the like), they sang a lot.

“Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer… Had a very shiny nose! And if you ever saw it, you would even say it glows!”

“That’s actually impossible,” Branch interjected, analyzing a roll of golden tinsel. “Reindeer can only have noses that are black or brown in color, not red. And it definitely wouldn’t glow.”

When the group was silent, he turned around to see them all staring at him. “What?”

“Branch…” Satin began. “You do know the story of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer… right?”

He shook his head no, and everyone gasped. He didn’t really understand why that would be a big deal. It was just another one of those stories for the Trollings, wasn’t it?

Much to his dismay, he ended up getting a “lesson” on the oddly named Trollmas animal, which unsurprisingly had to do with Santa Troll, elves, flying sleighs, and all the other crazy stuff having to do with the holiday. When Biggie and Guy decided to launch into another story about Rudolph’s supposed, less well known son, Robbie the Reindeer, and his unrequited love, Branch just couldn’t take it anymore.

“Is everyone just crazy or something?” he suddenly yelled, cutting off his two friends. “First of all, reindeer can’t talk. Second, and I will say it again, Santa Troll doesn’t exist!” As he said that, he pulled another large box of decorations towards him, this one filled with yard decorations. The first one he pulled out, much to his dismay, was a lifesize model of the jolly icon. In frustration, he shoved it back into the box.

There were multiple shouts of protest to his belief, and long story short, he ended up getting a long - very long, if he might add - talk about not acting like that around the trollings this year, since Santa Troll was a long revered tradition and the kids would be crushed if they heard something like that. However, that was the exact time everyone’s hug time watches went off, so the whole “scolding” session, if he could call it that, was completely contradicted by everyone hugging.

Branch also discovered that, although the Snack Pack always went with the flow like Poppy, they had, apparently, made a schedule of things for him to do during the day to get the whole Trollmas experience, and decorating was only the first part. While they all bounded off toward the village, he stayed behind for a few minutes to clean the area around his Bunker, and was surprised when Biggie stayed behind. “I hope there’s no hard feelings about the Santa talk, Branch. But you understand, it is in the Troll nature to have some sort of icon for the holidays, and Santa Troll brings that to everyone. It can be a bit difficult not to spoil it for the others, but it’s something that has to be done.”

Branch just stared at him, confused. It made sense for him to be the only Pop Troll of his generation not to believe in Santa Troll, but Biggie? Based on what Branch had seen over the years, his worm loving friend dressed up as the Trollmas icon every year, and seemed to agree with the others whenever the topic was brought up. Biggie, however, even though he saw Branch’s confused face, didn’t offer any further explanation as the two made their way to the lagoon, where Poppy was supposedly waiting for them.

“Branch, my man! Ready for your first time ice skating?”

The teal Troll looked at Poppy, then at the frozen lagoon, closely inspecting it. He had heard about ice skating, of course. Supposedly, Trolls would literally skate on the frozen lake, making designs on the ice and apparently having the time of their lives. 

However, the ice wasn’t safe for so many Trolls to be on, and could break at any moment, causing someone to plunge into the freezing cold water. No matter how much Poppy gave him the puppy dog eyes this time, he wasn't going to do it. He would watch, and that was all.

Oh, how he was wrong.

Now that they were dating, Poppy knew the power she had over him, and was able to convince him that the ice was thick enough to hold them. She got him laced up with the skates, and soon he was on the ice, legs wobbling. The first time he fell, which was right as he stepped onto the ice, he noted that everyone else, even the other tribes were having a really easy time with the activity, as if they had been doing it all their lives.

Well, they probably had. For trolls’ sake, even the Rock Trolls were better than him, and they lived near a volcano!

Struggling, he slowly tried to stand up, this time with Poppy’s help. She held him as he turned to her with a serious expression. “Don’t let go. I mean it.”

She just laughed and waved it off. “Oh, relax. Ice skating is easy. You’ll have it down in no time.”

He was pretty sure that wouldn’t be the case. They began slowly, with Poppy guiding him and showing him what movements to make with his feet. After a few minutes, they were going strong together, and he hardly even noticed when she took her hands off of him. 

Branch laughed in triumph and amazement as he successfully glided across the ice. Upon realizing Poppy wasn’t with him anymore, he panicked, looking frantically around the ice, before seeing her and her amazing smile watching him from the shore. When he caught sight of that, he instantly relaxed, once again remembering the rhythm of his feet across the ice and the cool air blowing against his face.

When Poppy joined him again, and all their friends ended up breaking into a spontaneous song, he decided he liked ice skating.

After ice skating, Poppy led him back to her pod for activities she deemed “secret.” It must have been something the Snack did together every year, though, because he noticed the other tribes weren’t joining them this time. Believe it or not, though, he was actually looking forward to whatever the group had planned, no matter how crazy it would be. He had to redeem his lost childhood, and would partake in any and all holiday activities he could get his hands on. 

That promise to himself might have been a bit premature.

“What, may I ask, is that?”

The sweater Satin and Chenille were holding up didn’t seem like something they would make, but Branch could feel the pride radiating off of them, so he knew they did. Why, was the only question.

Poppy bounded in front of him, beaming. “It’s your ugly Trollmas sweater! It’s a tradition for all of us!”

Well, one part of what she said was right. The thing was ugly. It was probably the most hideous piece of clothing he had ever seen. His eyes hurt just looking at it. “I am not wearing that thing.”

He did. And he allowed several pictures to be taken of him, too. Granted, he was with Poppy in all of them, but that was beside the point. He wasn’t going to let anyone other than those present to see him in the thing. He didn’t know how the others were able to just stand there and wear them so easily.

“We’ve been doing this for years, Branch,” Satin said, her back to him. “We’re used to it!”

Wait, did he say that last part out loud? Frosting.

“Alright, everyone!” Poppy pumped her fist in the air and ran into her kitchen, everyone following. “Who’s up for some holiday baking?”

Branch sighed in relief. Baking was good. Baking was nice and relaxing, and fairly easy, and not embarrassing like the sweater.

But Biggie made it embarrassing. The large Troll, as soon as the announcement was made, and as soon as Branch convinced himself it was going to be a fun activity, took a fairly large book out of his hair and presented it to him. “Branch, we all know you’re not the best at baking, so I got you this book of recipes for holiday treats!”

Branch slightly stuttered as he took the book, looking to the rest of the group, who seemed to agree. “Guys, I’m not that bad at baking! Am I?”

They all shuddered when they thought of some of the other times they had tried to help Branch bake. “Well, the first time you baked a cake,” Poppy started, “you put in too much baking soda and it bubbled over in the oven.”

“There was the time he made the brownies so fudgy that they melted.”

“And remember when he burned the frosting?”

Branch stormed into the kitchen, placing the book on the counter and opening it to a random page, tired of hearing everyone recap on his horrible baking skills. “Ok, enough of that. I’ll use the book.”

There were lots of satisfied smiles, but surprisingly no cheering. Usually they did that when they did something difficult successfully. 

Despite the little chatter about his skills, Branch actually did enjoy baking with everyone. The book was filled with good stuff, much of which they actually made. That included cookies in the shape of Santa and his reindeer, decorated cupcakes, and gingerbread cookies. 

The gingerbread cookies were his favorite. Poppy made them, of course, since she was the best baker out of all of them, but she presented a square of it for him before it had been cut, and he reluctantly accepted.

With everyone watching, he sank his teeth into the treat, savoring the taste, and let out a hum of pleasure. His eyes involuntarily closed as he took another bite. It had been so long since he had gingerbread, since the last time someone actually made it for him was his Grandma in the Troll Tree. It brought him back to afternoons baking with her during the season when he was young, then going around to all the different pods and spreading some more holiday cheer. Without him realizing it, a nostalgic smile was spread across his face as he finished and opened his eyes.

“What?” Everyone was just staring at him, amused for some reason. 

Branch looked down, and noticed he had involuntarily taken a few steps forward, but he didn’t see why that would be funny. He looked back at the group to see Poppy coming toward him, a serious expression on her face. She never did that. Something was up, and he panicked. “What’s wrong? Is there something wrong?”

Poppy smiled again and leaned in to whisper in his ear. “There’s nothing wrong. Only something incredibly right.”

He was beyond confused as she looked him right in the eyes, and he found himself getting lost in her pink ones as she spoke again. “You’re standing under the mistletoe.”

His gaze flicked upward, and there it was. Viscum album, right above him. And he was under it with Poppy. Branch looked down again at the Troll he loved, who was staring at him expectantly with a sweet smile. He smiled back as they both leaned in and wrapped their arms around each other, their lips connecting.

A wolf whistle came from behind them, probably from Guy, and he could hear aws from the rest of them, as well as a camera flash. He would ask Biggie for a copy of the picture later.

The annual Trollmas play was put on by the Snack Pack every year for the Trollings and anyone else that wanted to watch. Branch didn’t participate, obviously, and he discovered Poppy was more of the behind the scenes Troll. It was supposedly the most anticipated play of the year, and they had never repeated a concept. He didn’t doubt it, since the Pop Trolls had a very, very large repertoire of stuff.

It was also apparently a musical, which Branch discovered as soon as he and Poppy went to watch it. At least, that’s what Poppy called it. In all actuality, there were only two songs in the entire thing, and they were really weird, but really pertained to the plot. 

See, there were two brothers who each wanted Trollmas to be a different temperature. There was the Snow Miser:

“I’m mister white Trollmas, I’m mister snow! I’m mister icicle, I’m mister ten below! Friends call me Snow Miser, whatever I touch… turns to snow in my clutch. I’m too much!”

Guy played that odd character, most likely because of his silver glittery skin that resembled snow. There was also the Heat Miser:

“I’m mister green Trollmas, I’m mister sun. I’m mister heat blister, I’m mister hundred and one. They call me Heat Miser, whatever I touch… starts to melt in my clutch. I’m too much!”

That one was played by Cooper, which Branch thought was a little odd. However, the Funk Troll stayed in character despite his absentmindedness.

The play, overall, was probably the weirdest thing he had ever watched.

Poppy had also prepared an afternoon of caroling for all her friends, and Branch learned when they all got together to prepare that they were required to wear crazy costumes. Not just crazy like, say, a few hats. No, crazy like full blown elf costumes.

“Nope.” He crossed his arms and scowled at the green garment, much to the Snack Pack’s very loud protest. Technically, he didn’t understand why they weren’t doing this much to convince some of the others. Val, Laguna, and Dante all didn’t want to wear one either, but he didn’t see them getting scolded.

“Guys.” Poppy silenced everyone and put her hand on his shoulder. “If Branch doesn’t want to wear the elf costume, I think we should respect his decision.”

He sighed in relief. “Thank you.” He just caught, out of the corner of his eye, a sly smile as she took her hand back, and knew she had something else in mind. “Wait…”

…

When Branch said he didn’t want to wear the elf costume, he didn’t exactly mean he wanted to wear a bulky snowflake costume instead. So, they ended up compromising. Those who didn’t want to dress up were required to wear an elf hat and bells around their wrists. It was a good compromise, he figured.

Poppy handed everyone caroling books for the activity, which she claimed were filled with various classic Pop carols, and even a few the other tribes might like. They went around Trollstopia, bringing joy to all the tribes with the various songs. There were a lot in the book, even a few that sounded like they could have been written by the Rock Trolls.

“Rockin’ around the Trollmas tree, at the Trollmas party hop!”

“Santa baby, and hurry down the chimney tonight!”

“Here come Santa Troll, here comes Santa Troll, right down Santa Troll lane!”

“Come on, it’s lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you!”

“It’s beginning to look a lot like Trollmas, everywhere you go!”

It surely was looking a lot like the holidays. And Branch discovered that, even though it was just hours of straight up singing, he actually enjoyed caroling. When they were done, though, he noticed there were still two songs left in the book that they hadn’t done. Odd.

“Hey, guys?” Everyone turned to him as he began to flip the page. “I think we missed-”

Before he could get very far, Poppy ripped the book from him, laughing nervously. “I don’t think those are songs you would like, Branch. Let’s go do something else, ok?”

After she and the Snack Pack were out of sight, Branch quickly turned to Val, who got the message and decided to sing the last two songs instead of just showing him. Bad idea.

“Alright, first one. You’re a mean one, Mr. Branch. You really are a heel!”

Everyone’s eyes widened at that, and Branch snatched the book. “Dude, I had heard you were pretty bad, but I didn’t expect them to make it into a song,” Val said. He glared at her as she snatched the book back, flipping to the last song.

“You Pop Trolls are officially out of your minds,” she said when she saw the last song. “Guys, listen to this. Grandma got run over by a reindeer… walking home from our house Trollmas Eve!”

Branch didn’t even stay to hear any more after that. What were the ancestors thinking? Thinking Poppy had something else planned, he ran toward her pod, only to find she wasn’t there. When he tried checking the Bunker, he was met with an unusual and heartbreaking sight in the middle of the forest. Poppy sat on the ground near a rather large tree, looking the same way she did when Trollstopia began to fail that first day. He had to fix that.

Chapter Text

Without a word, Branch walked to the tree and stood in front of Poppy, noticing she didn’t even lift her head at his presence.

Poppy noticed he was there, sure. The main reason she came that far out into the forest was because she wanted to talk to him, and nobody else. The main village was filled with Trolls she could rely on, talk to, but there was only one Branch. He was more reliable than any of them, even if he was a bit grumpy sometimes.

She just wasn’t sure he would want to talk to her. Hair, the day was almost over, and he never told her if he enjoyed it. That could only mean one thing - she had failed at giving him the best experience with all the activities he had missed out on over the years. 

On top of that, she still had to figure out how in the world she was going to deal with the problem with the Bergens. Maybe she would tell Branch about that if he asked. He was always able to solve those problems, whereas she needed his and her friends’ help for a lot of problems. Maybe Branch should have been the ruler of the Pop Trolls, because even after almost a year, she still hadn’t gotten it down.

Poppy finally lifted her head, giving him a free invitation to take a seat next to her. They sat in silence for a while, before Branch broke it.

“This seems a little familiar, doesn’t it?” She looked at him questioningly, and he explained further. “After we tried to give the Bergens a new holiday?”

Her brain connected the dots, and she let her head fall onto her knees, his words reminding her of her current predicament. Branch panicked. “Oh, sugar. Did I do something wrong? I’m so sorry that-”

“No, Branch,” she finally spoke, cutting him off. Her head didn’t raise, and her voice was muffled. “You didn’t say anything wrong. It’s me. I’m a horrible queen.”

The teal Troll smiled a little in sympathy. “No, you’re not. Come on.” He scooted closer to Poppy and wrapped an arm around her, watching as her head slowly raised to look at him. “What’s wrong?”

The Queen sighed, avoiding eye contact as she took the missing page of Bridget’s letter out of her hair and handed it to him. He read in silence, and she watched on. He finally gave her the letter again and offered her a small smile. “That’s what you’re worried about?”

Poppy nodded. “I mean, I can’t just ask the Bergens to move the Trollabration! It’s the only holiday they have, and they should be able to have it when they want.” Branch slowly nodded, listening as she continued. He had a feeling that wasn’t all she was upset about. “And then, I find out that Val doesn’t believe in Santa Troll, so I have to find a way to convince both her and you now.”

Branch winced a bit at that part. It was never his intention to make a problem for her by saying he didn’t think the mythical figure wasn’t real; it was just something that was part of him during the season. It was most likely the same with Val. He snapped out of his thoughts when Poppy started talking again, surprising him with another worry.

“On top of that, I completely ruined your day of holiday fun, and I probably made it horrible for you when you were expecting something amazing to make up for all those years you spent in your bunker. I mean, I love you so much, and I wanted to make your first Trollmas magical, not mediocre.”

He didn’t respond to that in favor of bringing his own knees up and looking down at them, like Poppy had been doing moments earlier. Now, the tables had been reversed, and she watched him for what he was going to say. He took a breath and looked up, about to speak, then let it out and broke eye contact. Poppy looked away as well, and the two sat in silence, just enjoying each other’s company.

“It wasn’t mediocre,” he finally said, slowly and quietly, gaining his girlfriend’s attention again. “I know that I’m not much for words…”

Poppy raised an eyebrow with a small, barely noticeable smile. Branch rolled his eyes and corrected himself. “Ok, you got me. I love words. Not as much as I love you, but…”

“Cheesy,” Poppy said, just on the verge of laughing. Branch groaned in response and she rested her head against his arm. He quickly readjusted to make both of them more comfortable, but the weight on his arm was fairly unfamiliar.

“You wanna get off?”

She brought a hand up to her face, pretending to think. “No, I think I’ll stay here. I’m comfy.” She snuggled further into him, almost feeling her problems melting away. Almost. “What were you saying?”

Branch sighed and smiled, resting next to her while also leaning his back against the tree. “Today was perfect. I loved everything that you set up, and I know it probably wasn’t easy to set up all that. After all those years missing out on all the fun, it was just what I needed to get back in the spirit. And I’m looking forward to the next two weeks.”

“Why didn’t you say anything today?”

He gave a small laugh, rubbing at the back of his head. “I was just nervous, I guess. The holidays have always been pretty horrible for me, and I guess I didn’t want the other tribes to know about that just yet.”

The Queen hummed in response, and could feel him relaxing as he spoke. She sighed after a while. “What am I going to do about the Bergen thing?”

Branch stood, much to Poppy’s disappointment, and reached a hand down to help her up, which she gladly accepted. “I might have an idea for that, actually.”

“Can I please have everyone’s attention?” The next day, Poppy and Branch stood side by side on the big mushroom, Poppy in particular a bit nervous about how everyone in Trollstopia would take her announcement. Branch gave her a reassuring smile while the Trolls gathered, and she returned the gesture before looking back into the crowd. Her closest friends and the delegates were at the front, having already heard the suggestions, and the different tribes were mingling. “Listen, everyone, I have something to say… regarding Trollmas.”

The murmurs began. All the Trolls had their own theories as to what the Pop Queen was going to say, but none were prepared for the words that actually came out of her mouth. “As you all know, Trollmas has been celebrated by all the tribes for hundreds of years. This year, for us, it’s going to be a little different. Now, me, Branch, and all the tribal delegates have talked for a while about this, and we’ve decided that this year, Trollstopia is going to celebrate with the Bergens.” She finished with a smile, and watched as the Pop Trolls all cheered, although everyone else was a bit confused. Seeing that, she explained, to the best of their ability, who the Bergens were and why they were celebrating them. Trollstopia was excited after that.

Since the holiday was less than two weeks away, the Trolls, being Trolls, dispersed to sing carols and put up more decorations. All except Poppy and Branch left the clearing, leaving the two young adults by themselves. The Queen nudged her boyfriend after they jumped down from the mushroom, getting a laugh out of him, and they looked into each other’s eyes, both speaking at the same time. “Thank you.”

[Two Weeks Later]

After so much waiting, Trollmas was finally upon the village. The plan for the day was clear.

In the morning, Trollstopia would celebrate their first holiday with all the tribes united. The ancestors probably never imagined that the day would ever come, but nobody was complaining.

Then, Queen Poppy and her friends would travel to Bergentown to celebrate with the Bergens. Most of the Trolls were alright with that after hearing about her dilemma, since the Pop Trolls could celebrate in the village with their friends, and the other tribes didn’t want to meet the giant creatures just yet after hearing the story.

At the end of the day, everyone would be free to finish off the holiday with their closest friends and family, as had been the tradition for hundreds of years. Whether inside or outside, by the fire or in the snow, with friends or with family, it was sure to be a magical day.

But Poppy had one last surprise for everyone.

“What in the t-r-o double hockey sticks is this?” While all the Trolls were gathered in the center of the village once again, the ambassadors had front row seats for whatever Poppy was planning now. They were the most confused at the six large boxes in the clearing, which were easily five times their size, although the rightmost one was considerably larger than the others.

Poppy just smiled innocently at Holly’s question, and they noticed even Branch seemed not to know what was in the boxes, which was odd since he was kind of Poppy’s right hand helper. The Queen gestured to the boxes. “Oh, these? Just something I thought you would all like for the holidays.”

The curiosity skyrocketed, and chatter arose among the Trolls, who were all giving their own theories as to what could be in the boxes. Poppy walked to the leftmost one, and Branch followed, leaning in to whisper in her ear. 

“What is in the boxes?”

She just smirked. “You’ll see.” Everyone quieted down as Poppy turned to the crowd again. “Can Holly Darlin’ and Gust Tumbleweed please step forward?”

The two were already at the front, but they took a step anyways. Poppy turned and knocked on the box, and music began to play from it as the sides slowly fell down. Glitter and lights were everywhere, and a strong voice rang out among the music and the mist.

“You’re here, where you should be! Snow is falling as the carolers sing! It just wasn’t the same, alone on Trollmas day!”

A figure could be seen smiling in the center of the box, one who resembled a Country Troll. “Presents, what a beautiful sight! Don’t mean a thing if you ain’t holding me tight! You’re all that I need underneath the tree, tonight!”

The music continued to play, but the singing stopped as the figure jumped out of the box, a smile on her face and a banjo in her hands. “Well, howdy, y’all!”

All the Country Trolls cheered, and Holly ran up to the now open box. “Well, Delta Dawn, as I live and breathe!”

Poppy couldn't hold it anymore. “Merry Trollmas, Country tribe!” She smiled at Holly and turned to the Mayor. “Thanks so much for coming, Mayor Dawn. It really means a lot for you to be here for a little while to see Trollstopia.”

Clampers popped out of Delta’s hair, and Branch recoiled a bit when he saw her. “I’m here too!”

Delta chuckled and brought down her niece. “Well, thanks a lot fer invitin’ me, Queen Poppy. Growly Pete was glad to hold down the fort back home fer a few hours.” She turned to Gust and shook his hand. “An’ it’s good to see you, cousin Gust.”

When Delta stood off to the side to allow the other boxes to be opened, Poppy turned to the Fun Sheriff. “You two are cousins?” Gust nodded with a smile, and he and Holly went back to the crowd. Poppy shrugged. “Alright, next, I want Lownote, R & B, and Cooper!”

The former three stepped up, but Cooper stayed behind, obviously lost in thought, until Biggie nudged him. “I gotta go up there?” He went to stand with the others, while Poppy stood next to the second largest box and knocked on the side. Like the first one, music began to play, accompanied by female vocalizing and then singing as it opened. 

“Last Christmas, I gave you my heart, but the very next day, you gave it away. This year, to save me from tears, I’ll give it to someone special.” As the verse repeated again, it was obvious to R, B, and Lownote who the voice belonged to. When the box was open all the way, the mist hadn’t cleared yet, but three figures, obviously Funk Trolls, stood in the center. When the air cleared, the Funk Royals stepped forward with smiles.

Cooper immediately lit up, running over to them. “Hi, son!” King Quincy exclaimed. The four wrapped up in a group hug, and Poppy sniffed, pretending to wipe a tear. Branch gave her a questioning look.

“Sorry, I always get emotional at family reunions.”

He gave her a lame look, seeing Cooper and his brother greeting each other and laughing out of the corner of his eye. “You didn’t the first time they all met.”

While Lownote, R, B, and Cooper caught up with Quincy and Essence, Prince D walked over to Poppy and Branch. “Queen Poppy, thanks for having us!” She smiled, and the Funk Prince turned to her companion. “Branch, right?”

“Yeah. Good to see you again.”

Poppy quickly agreed, and the three talked until the other Funk Trolls came over, and Poppy stood next to the third box. “Alright, Dante and Minuet, come on up!” Instead of just knocking, she smacked the side in a little tune, and only light violin music could be heard as the box opened to reveal Conductor Trollzart of the Classical tribe.

Dante rushed to his side, laughing. “Conductor Trollzart! How have you been?”

The violin was stored in the leader’s hair, and he bowed to Dante. “Just fine, my friend. It hasn’t been the same without you lately.” He also bowed to Poppy, and she did her best to reciprocate. “Queen Poppy, it was excellent of you to invite me!”

“Of course! Glad you could make it!”

Trollzart went to join the other leaders, who were now conversing with each other and the ambassadors, and Poppy moved on to the next box. This time, music and singing could be heard before the box opened. “Sleigh bells ring, are you listening… In the lane, snow is glistening… a beautiful sight, we’re happy tonight, walking in a winter wonderland.”

Poppy smiled and tapped on the box, then motioned for Synth and Laguna to come forward. The sides slowly went down like the other boxes, as the singing continued. “Gone away is the bluebird… Here to stay is the new bird… He sings a love song as we go along, walking in a winter wonderland.”

Although the singing stopped, remixed music still played as the figure inside grooved, snapping his fingers, and floated out. “Hey, all! How you doing?”

Synth’s jaw dropped slightly, and he quickly floated over to the Techno King. “Trollex, what up, man!?”

The lighter blue Troll turned and lit up even more when he saw Synth, immediately taking him into a headlock. “Hey, little brother! How’s Trollstopia treating you?”

Synth just laughed, managing to escape his brother’s hold and just hook an arm behind him. “Dude, this place is sick!”

Poppy just stared, jaw dropped, and Branch pushed it back up with a smirk. She shook her head and addressed the two Techno Trolls. “Synth, why didn’t you tell me King Trollex was your brother?” she exclaimed with a smile. “I would have invited him here sooner!”

The two exchanged a glance, then laughed. Trollex floated forward. “Well, it’s been pretty busy back in Techno Reef.”

“Yeah!” Synth agreed. “Someone’s gotta run that DJ booth, am I right?”

“Nice seeing you, Queen Poppy!” Trollex yelled as they went to join the others. Poppy watched with a smile as she moved to the last box, calling Val and Demo to the front.

Demo watched with anticipation, while Val looked on with mild interest. “You two ready for this?” Poppy yelled. Both flashed the rock on sign, and the Queen took that as a signal to continue, so she knocked on the box.

This time, an electric guitar and drums could be heard, and even more smoke came out of the box than the others. “Well… Out of all the reindeer you are the mastermind! Run, run, Rudolph, Santa can’t be far behind! I said, run, run, Rudolph, Santa’s gotta make it to town! Santa, make him hurry, tell him he can take the freeway down!”

One of the two figures jumped out of the box, everyone recognizing her as Queen Barb. She continued to play the guitar while Riff played the drums on his now visible drum set, then she smashed it on the ground with a yell. She looked up to the crowd, only to find everyone was just standing there. She gave a harsh glare, and the cheers began.

“Barb!” Poppy seemed to be the only one present who was excited to see her, and lunged at the Rock Queen with a big hug. The latter just stood there awkwardly for a few seconds.

“Are you done, Popsqueak?” Poppy chuckled and let go, and Barb just laughed nervously. “Yeah, we don’t really do that. How bout this?” She stuck out a fist, smirking. The Pop Queen gladly bumped it, trying not to seem too enthusiastic.

It was then she realized the crowd was unusually silent. She turned to Branch, who was next to her, but also had his eyes narrowed at Barb. She elbowed him, snapping him out of his gaze, before standing with Barb as she walked toward the leaders. Val intercepted.

“Barb.”

“Val.”

The two didn’t even fist bump, and Poppy saw the Rock ambassador with the meanest look she had ever seen on her as Barb breezed past again. Poppy just gave her a look that said, ‘we’ll talk later’ and followed the Rock Queen once again. When they reached the leaders, they also went quiet.

Poppy thought back to the small party they had just after the world tour, remembering that the leaders had all, for the most part, forgiven Barb. It seemed they had forgotten about that… until they all smiled.

“Merry Trollmas, dear,” Queen Essence said. Barb just smirked, slinging her guitar to the other shoulder, before nodding to all of them and motioning for Poppy to follow her. As they approached the boxes, the Pop Queen saw Riff mingling with everyone, noticing even Val seemed to be having a good time with him. That was odd; she thought Val would be better friends with Barb than Riff.

When they were out of earshot from everyone else, even Branch, who had gone to talk to the leaders, Barb placed her guitar on the snowy ground and rubbed the back of her neck. “Hey, Popsqueak… Thanks for inviting me over.”

“Of course!” Poppy said back. She took a quick glance back to the now loud crowd. “But, uh, may I ask why you decided to come instead of just staying at the volcano? I’ve been doing a lot of research on the other tribes, and it seemed like the Rock Trolls need the monarchy more than anyone else.” As a last second thought, she added, “I mean, I’m really happy you are here, but I was just curious.”

She just looked down, and Poppy thought for a second she didn’t want to answer until she spoke. “Do you remember what I said after I locked you in that cage? Uh, sorry again for that, by the way.” Poppy slowly nodded. “That’s why. I figured Trollstopia might be worth checking out. You did a lot better than me at uniting the tribes.”

Poppy smiled and placed a hand on Barb’s shoulder, causing her to look up in confusion. “It still wouldn’t have been possible without you. And I think you’ll really like celebrating with us this year.”

Barb almost smiled, but instead walked past Poppy. “Yeah. Thanks, and stuff.”

It wasn’t a typical thank you, but Poppy knew that the Rock Trolls were kind of awkward with feelings, so it was perfect for her. The two walked back to the crowd, Barb seemingly nervous, so Poppy nodded to her. “Alright, who wants to get this party started, huh?” 

Hearing that, everyone ran to party, Trolls style, for the holidays. Everyone sang carols with their friends, the leaders now being able to join in on the fun and see how Trollstopia was coming along. Even Barb went to have a little fun with some of them, and the various Trolls gladly let her join. Poppy walked to Branch again, who was obviously lost in thought until she showed up.

“Why’d you invite Barb?” he asked, surprising her. “I mean, Cooper’s family, I can understand. Trollex and Delta I can understand, since they’re family. Even Trollzart, since he and Dante are really good friends. But Barb...”

He just sighed, and Poppy gave him a surprised look. “I thought you forgave Barb at the party!”

Branch sighed again, looking out into the sea of Trolls having holiday fun. “I’m sorry, Poppy. I did. But you know me. She tried to destroy all of us, and she almost really hurt you, and it’s still going to take me a little while to trust her. I know I always try to, but I can’t change that that’s the way I am.” He caught sight of Barb playing with some Trollings and the Snack Pack, all creating a snowtroll with the fluffy white stuff. They were all having the fun he always longed to have in his bunker days, and Poppy had given him in the past few weeks. “But… I’m 100 percent willing to give her a chance. Like you gave me one. The holidays wouldn’t be complete without everyone, right?” He gave her a small smile which she reciprocated, and she slid her arms around him, also looking at all the different Trolls having holiday fun.

“No. They wouldn’t.”

Chapter Text

Inviting the leaders to spend some of Trollmas with Trollstopia was a success. Not only did they get to see the progress at uniting the tribes, but everyone had lots of fun playing in the snow, caroling, and exchanging presents with friends and the village.

Despite all the fun she was having with all the other Trolls, Poppy was looking forward to spending some time with the Bergens. Having sent letters to the leaders two weeks earlier with the invitation, she had also asked them if they wanted to meet the large creatures. To her delight, they were all willing to travel with her and Branch, and King Quincy and Queen Essence even agreed to hold down the fort in Trollstopia while they were gone. In their place, Prince D and Cooper would come with them. Poppy was sure Bridget would be excited that Cooper had found his family and even had a twin brother.

There was only one small problem.

“I’m not going to get on as long as he’s driving.”

Cloud Guy waved from inside the Caterbus, as Poppy tried to convince Branch that the anthropomorphic cloud wouldn’t crash the bus or drive it into a wormhole.

“Come on, Branch! Do it for me?” She playfully batted her eyelashes at him, and he melted, but still wore a frown.

“Fine.”

He followed Poppy into the bus, immediately taking a seat next to her in the front, as always. Behind them were Delta and Clampers, then Trollzart. On the opposite aisle were Trollex in the front, then Cooper and Prince D a few rows back. Barb sat in the very back, looking out the window at the winter wonderland.

Poppy noticed the Rock Queen in the back, and nudged Branch to get his attention. “I love sitting next to you, but how about you go talk to Barb for a little while? You two should try to be friends.”

He looked at her, then at Barb, before nodding and standing from his seat. He pointed at Cloud Guy. “Don’t drive us into a wormhole,” he warned.

Cloud Guy scoffed and turned to look at Branch. “Relax, Dumpy Diapers. I’m-”

“Keep your eyes on the road!”

The cloud’s eyes widened, and he turned back toward the front. Everyone just stared at Branch in confusion as he made his way to the back of the bus. He rolled his eyes, figuring the leaders didn’t know Cloud Guy all that well. They all went back to their chatter as he passed, and he eventually sat in the seat across the aisle from the Rock Queen.

“Happy holidays, Barb.”

She started to turn to him. “Yeah. Same to you.” When she saw Branch sitting there with a small smile, then she recognized him. “You’re, uh, you’re Poppy’s boyfriend... Branch, right?”

“That’s right. I think we kind of got off on the wrong foot with the whole ‘rock zombie’ thing… Don’t you think?”

She nodded and winced. “Sorry about that, man. No hard feelings?” 

She held out a fist, and Branch hesitated for a second before smiling and bumping it. “I’ve been through worse. No hard feelings.”

Luckily for everyone on the bus, Cloud Guy was able to get to Bergentown without any major accidents on the route. He dropped them off right at the edge of town, overlooking the Troll Tree and the decked out building, before bidding his goodbye to Poppy. 

“The main Troll Tree… What happened here?”

The leaders looked around at the town, all agreeing with Trollex’s question. Poppy just smiled and gestured for them to follow her and Branch down the hill.

As they entered Bergentown and approached the tree, it was clear the Bergens were going even bigger for the holiday than the previous year. Chad and Todd stood by a nearby building with several bubble machines, making the children excited. A thick blanket of snow covered the ground, meaning that even though the Trolls stayed on top, many of the Bergens did not, and some wore snowshoes on their feet for that reason. Decorations were strung on buildings and houses, and the Troll Tree was completely decked out with lights and ornaments, much like their own Trollmas trees. Some Bergens were even near the buildings with books or instruments, performing for some of the younger ones and their neighbors.

In the middle of it all, right by the base of the Troll Tree, were Bridget and Gristle. Bridget seemed to be stringing more decorations on the tree where she could reach, and Gristle was playing with his keyboard, likely for a performance later on.

Bergentown looked magical. It was quite a contrast to even the previous Trollabration. It was then Poppy realized that the Bergen holiday was quite similar to their own in many ways, and the other tribes, she was sure, would love it.

With the others on her trail, she ran to the roots near the tree, standing on exactly the same one she had at the first celebration. “Bridget!”

Her Bergen friend turned, immediately smiling when she saw Poppy. “Poppy! I’m so glad you could come!”

Hearing the noise, Gristle walked over, not noticing the Trolls right away and standing next to Bridget. “Hey, what’s going on, babe?”

She turned, excited, and patted his hand. “Grissy, the Trolls are here!”

He looked down, and was greeted by Poppy’s excited smile, and Branch next to her. “‘Sup.”

“‘Sup, man,” Branch greeted back. “How have you guys been?”

At that cue, Poppy and Bridget launched into a long discussion about the past six months, Poppy completely forgetting about the other leaders. Branch facepalmed.

“Who are all these guys?” Gristle asked after a while, pointing at the leaders and getting Poppy’s attention again. She ran to their side and threw her arms open.

“Ok, remember I said in my letters that we discovered we weren’t the only Trolls?” The two nodded, their eyes going between Poppy and the others. “Well, these are the leaders of the other tribes!” 

She moved aside to let each introduce themselves, and the leaders gladly did, although a bit nervously. When Poppy had told them about the Bergens, they expected them to be… different, to say the least. Delta Dawn, being the bravest out of them all, stepped forward first. “Howdy. Name’s Mayor Delta Dawn of the Country Tribe.”

Bridget and Gristle both waved. Poppy was really excited that her new friends could meet her older ones as, one by one, the rest of the leaders came forward to introduce themselves.

“Barb, Queen of Rock!”

“Maestro Trollzart of the Classical tribe.”

“King Trollex of the Techno Trolls.”

Prince D was the last one, Cooper standing next to him. “And I’m Prince D from the Funk tribe! What’s poppin?”

Both their eyes widened, and went back and forth between Cooper and the Funk Prince. Cooper laughed and bumped D. “I got a twin brother!”

Bridget opened her mouth to say something, but D beat her to the punch. “Mom and Pops are back in Trollstopia. We can’t tell you how great it was for them to finally find their long lost son!”

They all celebrated for a few minutes, Bridget in particular really excited, and asking Cooper and Prince D lots of questions. Nobody noticed Gristle disappearing into the town with his keyboard.

“Alright!” Poppy exclaimed when everyone had calmed down from the excitement. She really wanted to celebrate with all her friends. “Let’s party!”

“Since we’re combining Trollabration and Trollmas, I thought we could Troll it up again,” Bridget said. She brought Poppy up on her hand before turning to the center of town. “Hit it, Grissy!”

Gristle began to play his keyboard while Chad and Todd rang bells. Nearby children still played in the snow, but excitedly turned to hear the music.

“As Fall rides off in the sunset, I sweep the snow off my doorstep!” Bridget sang.

As Gristle skated by on the ice around the tree, Branch jumped onto the keyboard with a large smile. “I just can’t help but stop and grin, it’s like I’m five years old again!”

“And everywhere I go I can feel it,” Poppy sang. “Some say it moves like a spirit!” It was true - No matter where she went during the season, whether it be Country Corral, Bergentown, or even Branch’s Bunker, the holiday mood was everywhere. “It falls on us once a year, like it came on a midnight clear.”

Cooper and Prince D jumped to one of the higher branches, taking the next part together. “It’s all love, the season is a gift, when love came down to let us live!”

“Let’s open up and let our hearts embrace this moment!” Poppy’s voice rang out.

Everyone, Bergens and Trolls alike, found the rhythm of the song and sang for the entire town to hear. “For Trollmas this year! Gonna make a sound, gonna make it loud, for Trollmas this year!”

“Gonna make some noise, let the world rejoice!” Trollex sang.

“For Trollmas this year, for Trollmas, for Trollmas this year!”

Barb surprised everyone by singing the next part, her guitar slung over her shoulder. “The laughter starts before the sunrise, excited for the presents and lights!”

“And, oh what joy it brings to me,” Delta sang, “Our family ‘round our Trollmas tree!”

Poppy and Bridget hugged, each happy to be with her best friend for the holiday. “It’s all love, the season is a gift, when love came down to let us live!”

Branch jumped to the root of the tree, pulling Poppy into a side hug. “Let’s open up and let our hearts embrace this moment!”

“For Trollmas this year!” everybody sang.

“Gonna make a sound, gonna make it loud!” the Funk twins sang.

“For Trollmas this year!”

“We can make some noise, let the world rejoice!” Trollzart sang, although a little off key.

“For Trollmas this year, for Trollmas, for Trollmas this year!”

Poppy and Bridget both sang again, leading the way for the others as well. “For Trollmas this year! Gonna make a sound, gonna make it loud!”

“For Trollmas this year!”

“Gonna make some noise, let the world rejoice!” Branch sang.

“For Trollmas this year…”

The eight Trolls, along with Gristle and Bridget, gathered at the tree again, all finishing together, everyone’s voices ringing throughout the town. “For Trollmas, for Trollmas this year!”

Chand and Todd, still with their bells, skated up with a camera and snapped a picture of all of them. A copy was hung in every kingdom, to commemorate the first holiday when everyone came together, despite their differences.

The Bunker was always very warm in the middle of Winter, thanks to the fireplace and vents Branch had been able to install years earlier. Even though he never really liked the holidays, at the end of the day, he would sit on the couch in his robe in front of the fireplace, with a book and a mug of hot chocolate. He always looked forward to that evening, since he knew none of the Trolls would be out in the cold, and he could let his worries go and relax for once. 

Just a quiet evening at home, warm, dry, and safe for one night. Alone, of course. The Trolls had their own families to celebrate with.

But Poppy changed that.

Just the sound of her in his kitchen, preparing hot chocolate for the both of them, was enough to make his heart soar. He was so lucky to have her in his life, and he never wanted to let her go. He never wanted to spend the holidays alone again.

“Do you want peppermint in yours, Branch?” she called, peeking her head out of the other room. “Or those little marshmallows?”

He smiled at her from his place on the couch, his usual book long forgotten in favor of her. “Both sound great. Just make it however you normally do, and I’m sure to love it.”

“Ok!” She disappeared again, and a few minutes passed before she came bounding out, as peppy as she could be without spilling the drinks. When she got around to the front of the couch, she handed one mug to Branch before taking a seat next to him.

“Today was great,” he said quietly, getting her attention. “I’ve never had a better holiday. Thank you.”

Poppy just hummed and snuggled into him in response, sipping her hot chocolate. Branch sighed in content. She leaned her head on his shoulder, just like that day when he helped with the solution to her Bergen problem. 

The only sounds in the room were the crackling of the warm fire and the soft breathing of both Trolls as they sat together. There was no one there to bother them, and they could just enjoy each other’s company.

“Hey, Poppy? Merry Trollmas.”

“Happy Holidays, Branch.”