Merry Christmas every... wait, I guess it really isn't Christmas yet, huh? Technically, it's still November, but Thanksgiving has passed and in America that means it is 100% okay to start thinking about the holidays. I really wanted to write a holiday themed Miraculous Ladybug story. I don't know if they'll be a holiday themed episode, but I hope there is. I'm a sucker for those kinds of things, which is why this story exists. I'm not sure how long it'll be. I guess I'll see how things play out. Either way, please enjoy! :)

And don't forget to support Miraculous Ladybug in your country when it comes on TV. December 6th for all you Americans! The countdown has already begun.

Marinette circled the 25th on her calendar with red marker. Around the date, she scribbled a small Christmas tree and snowflakes. Christmas was still over a week away, but Marinette could barely contain her excitement. This year she was going to get Adrien a present. The problem was she didn't know what yet.

"What should I get him, Alya?" Marinette asked her best friend, who was hanging out with Marinette in her bedroom. "Well, you already made him a scarf, kind of…" Alya giggled. Marinette frowned and gave a loud sigh. "This is hopeless!" She collapsed on her bed in exasperation. Alya rubbed her friend's back and said, "Cheer up, girl. You could make him a card and he'd still love it. That's just the kind of person Adrien is."

"But I want to do more than that," Marinette groaned. "I want to get him something he'll really love." Marinette grabbed her phone and turned it on, revealing a modeling picture of Adrien. He was so perfect, so handsome. And Marinette knew that whatever she ended up getting him couldn't even compare to what Chloe would buy him. Was it even worth it to get him a present? It was unlikely that Marinette would be able to give it to him without making herself look like a complete fool. Not to mention, she'd probably forget to sign it… again. "Here's an idea," Alya said. "How about we take a trip through town and look at some Christmas displays for ideas?"

"Sure," Marinette said, getting off the bed. Marinette grabbed her coat, earmuffs, and scarf. There was snow on the ground and it was cold outside. She didn't want to get sick before she gave Adrien his present. Alya and Marinette climbed down to the main level of the bakery and put on their boots. The bakery was decorated for Christmas. There was a Christmas tree decorated with bakery themed ornaments. Tinsel and paper snowflakes lined the walls and windows. Many of the bakery's most popular treats were redesigned for the holidays. There were candy cane cookies and snowman cupcakes. Marinette's personal favorite were the homemade gingerbread men. She loved to eat them on Christmas Eve, especially when she was little. They were a present her parents always made for her.

"That's it!" Marinette cried out, startling Alya and her parents, who were serving a customer. "What?" Alya asked in confusion. "I'll bake Adrien cookies!"

"That's a great idea," Alya exclaimed. "No one is a better baker than you, well except your parents, of course. He'll love them. I'll love you if you make me some too." Marinette laughed and agreed to make some treats to share with all her friends. The two girls said goodbye to Marinette's parents and headed outside to do their window shopping. Marinette was always in awe when she walked around Paris in the winter. It had just snowed the night before, so the ground was white with pure snow. The lights from the buildings reflected off the snow, creating a beautiful scene.

Marinette and Alya wandered through town, enjoying the holiday cheer. People seemed to be happier everywhere. Festive music played throughout the streets and there was laughter and smiles from all. They loved looking at the Christmas displays, especially the displays of clothing stores. "Look at this outfit!" Marinette beamed, pointing at a mannequin wearing a red and black spotted sweater. It had on black pants and a cute red hat. "It's adorable." Marinette leaned her face against the display window. "Too bad I don't have any money."

"It's Ladybug inspired too," Alya grinned. "Speaking of Ladybug, I wonder what she does for the holidays." Marinette laughed to herself. "I bet she does what everyone else does. She's a normal person too," Marinette replied, knowing the truth in that. Alya shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe she and Chat Noir have a romantic Christmas date planned." A shiver ran up Marinette's spine and her face turned red. "W-why would you even say that?" Marinette retorted defensively. "She doesn't feel that way about that silly cat!" Alya raised an eyebrow. "How would you know that?"

"J-just a guess. Oh, wow! Look at that over there!" Marinette pointed to another display, distracting her friend. Alya walked over and admired the display. "That was a close one," Marinette thought to herself. She was a bit annoyed, however, at Alya's claim. Recently, everyone had decided that she and Chat Noir were an "item". She didn't know what had prompted this change in thought, but it bothered her. She and Chat were partners and friends, not lovers. Her heart belonged only to Adrien.

"If you keep standing there, I'll leave you behind!" Alya yelled. Marinette was snapped away from her thoughts and saw that Alya was walking away. "Hey!" Marinette cried, chasing after her. While running, Marinette tripped in the snow and fell head-first, covering her face and body in snow. "It's cold!" she yelled, sitting herself up. With her knees still in the snow, she tried to brush herself off. "Tikki," she whispered. "Are you okay?" A small face peaked out of Marinette's bag and nodded. "Yep, no snow in here!" Tikki smiled before retreating back into the back. Marinette was about to stand up when she noticed two bodies appear in front of her.

"Marinette?" one of them asked. She looked up and saw Adrien and Nino in front of her. If Adrien wasn't standing there, she would have yelled out in agony. "Um… how much of that did you see?" Marinette said in a quiet voice. "All of it," Nino laughed. "You should've seen your face when you were going down." Nino was laughing so hard he could barely control himself until Alya snuck up from behind and smacked him on the top of his head. "You're so rude. Neither of you offered to help the poor girl up!"

Alya gave Marinette her hand and pulled her up. Marinette stared at the ground, her face red. Adrien watched her fall down. She probably looked like a complete idiot. She quickly glanced up at his face and found him smiling, most likely at her misfortune. Still, it was good to see him smile like that. At school, his smiles sometimes appeared forced, like he wasn't enjoying himself. Marinette worried about him. She didn't know why he always seemed a little sad. In recent months though, he began to cheer up more.

"How about you boys accompany us on our window shopping?" Alya grinned as she nudged Adrien in the arm. "That'd be fun," he agreed. "Lovely!" Alya smiled. She grabbed Nino's arm and pulled him in the opposite direction. "Let's get going then!" She pulled Nino along, leaving Marinette and Adrien behind. "Let's follow them," Adrien said, pointing in the other direction. Marinette nodded. She began to walk with Adrien right next to her. He was almost touching her shoulder. Marinette could see her breath in the air. She wasn't sure if it was because it was so cold or she was so warm. Underneath her coat, she was sweating from the nerves.

She took another look at Adrien and noticed he was wearing the scarf she had made for him. Unfortunately, he thought his father bought him the scarf as a present and Marinette had never tried to correct him. Adrien seemed so happy when he thought he received a gift from his father. The pair continued to walk until they met back up with Nino and Alya. Not to Marinette's surprise, Nino and Alya were talking about Ladybug. Alya always seemed to return to that topic of conversation.

"What do you think about Ladybug and Chat Noir?" Alya asked eagerly. "Oh, they have to be a couple. Have you seen the moves Chat makes on her," Nino responded. "Not that I care about things like that though…" Nino said quickly, trying to regain a bit of his manliness. "What about you, Adrien?" Alya asked, turning to the blonde haired boy. Adrien was taken aback by the sudden question, but answered, "I don't know if they're a couple yet, but he definitely loves her a lot. I think they should get together." His face was red, almost matching Marinette.

"Not you too!" Marinette exclaimed suddenly. Now she was upset. Not only was everyone in Paris trying to push her and Chat together, but the boy she loved said that too. Marinette knew that Adrien didn't know she was Ladybug, but it still hurt her heart that he would tell her to get together with someone else. Everyone looked at Marinette in confusion, making her embarrassed. "S-sorry, I-I have to go," Marinette cried, running from the group. She felt a salty tear run down her face. She had been hurt by Adrien's words and embarrassed herself in front of him.

"I made her mad, didn't I?" Adrien said, a frown on his face. "I'm so sorry. What should I do?" Alya shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Marinette is sometimes sensitive about certain things. She'll be better by tomorrow. I'll go chase after her. You two go have some fun. Nino, I'll text you later about that video for the Ladyblog." With that Alya walked away, leaving just the two boys.

"What video?" Adrien grinned at his friend, brushing off the situation with Marinette. Nino rolled his eyes, but Adrien noticed his face was turning red like a tomato. "She just wanted some help with a video for her blog, jeez," Nino huffed. Adrien couldn't help but laugh. Nino was one of the first real friends Adrien had ever had and he was always joyful when he got to learn more about him, like his crush on Alya. Nino had been good at hiding it early in the year, but now it was becoming more and more obvious. "Let's keep going," Adrien laughed, moving his friend along the sidewalk.

The two boys were chatting when they noticed someone causing a ruckus outside of a store. There was a man in a black coat yelling a store employee who was hanging up decorations. "You could have killed me!" the man screamed at the employee, who was a young man no older than 20. He must have been working at the store part-time during the vacation. "I'm sorry, sir," the boy replied. He had a panicked look on his face. He was unsure how to deal with the angry man. "This is ridiculous!" the man continued his rant. "All this holiday nonsense and the stupid decorations and annoying songs. You were so distracted that you almost dropped that giant ornament right on my head." The man pulled back his hand ready to hit the boy when Adrien jumped in front on him and grabbed his arm.

"Please stop!" Adrien demanded, trying to keep the man back. Nino watched in amazement as his friend defended a random stranger. He never knew Adrien had such a strong sense of justice. The man in the black coat scowled and walked away, muttering something under his breath. Adrien turned to the employee and asked if he was okay. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for helping me," the boy nodded. He was immensely grateful for the help. How far would the situation have escalated if Adrien hadn't been there to stop that man?

The store employee thanked Adrien once more and then he and Nino went on their way. "I didn't know people could be so bitter, especially during Christmas time," Nino said. "Neither did I," Adrien agreed. There had been holidays when Adrien felt lonely and sad, but never bitter. It was hard to hate people when everyone was filled with cheer, even if it was a person like Adrien's father. "I wonder if something happened to that guy to make him like that," Nino continued. Adrien nodded and looked up at the sky. The clouds were gray and it was beginning to lightly snow. "Yeah, I wonder…"

The man in the black coat stepped on a candy cane someone dropped on the ground, crushing it into pieces. He took a seat on nearby bench and pulled out a cigarette. He lit it and stuck it in his mouth. His name was Marius. Up until recently, he had loved the holidays. Every year, he spent them with his family and this year, the holidays were supposed to be extra special. He had planned to spend Christmas with his girlfriend, who he wanted to propose to. He had bought a ring and everything. He wanted to propose to her on Christmas, her favorite holiday. Sadly, they had gotten into a fight and she hadn't talked to him since. He couldn't even recall what the fight was about it. It had been something stupid. That was a week ago. Marius leaned back in the bench and blew out a puff of smoke. Now the holidays were disgusting. While he sat there miserable, everyone else was laughing and smiling. The holiday music made his ears bleed. The Christmas displays made him want to poke his eyes out. The happy people he saw made him sick.

Marius pulled out the small ring that he kept in his pocket. It had a large diamond in the center and tiny stars etched along the sides. He wanted to throw it far away, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He held the ring in his palm as a tiny, purple butterfly appeared out of nowhere.

"Shouldn't all the bugs be dead by now?" Marius thought as the butterfly flew closer and closer. It landed on the ring, turning the pure diamond purple. A voice shot through Marius's head. "Amer Noel, holiday cheer is sickening, isn't it? If you help me take Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculouses, you can spread all the holiday hatred you want."

"Yes, sir," Marius said as a purple mist enveloped his body. "Good," the voice whispered. "Have a very unmerry Christmas."