Last week the gang had a new addition to the family. They were in Chinatown for some shopping and Ed & Ted came running out of an alley holding hands with a black and white hedgehog. His name is Abercrombie. He's a regular size hedgehog, all black with a white belly. He has spent his whole life in Chinatown hiding out behind a Chinese restaurant, hoping every day that nobody would find him and turn him into dinner. He was a little nervous when he first saw the whole TOMH&R gang but he soon started to settle in. Ed & Ted are very eager to show him everything and help him to fit in ... Abercrombie really likes Alphonso, since he looks different than the others too. He's so happy to finally have a safe, warm home with so many friends. He's quickly getting used to it all and starting to relax and enjoy his new family.
This was Ricky and Abercrombie's first Christmas! They didn't have any idea what it was all about or what to expect, but were both very excited. They all went to sleep together on Christmas eve and woke up early to see what Santa had brought for them.
Since Abercrombie just got here and wasn't able to go see Santa at the mall with the others, Emilio wanted to make sure he got a gift anyhow. He got him a goldfish like Joe ... Crombie's fish's name is Finch. He'll live in the fishbowl with Joe, so it's kind of like a gift for Crombie and Joe together! Ricky got gift certificates to an all-u-can-eat buffet ... he may put them out of business.
Ed & Ted had asked Santa for camouflage outfits so they could blend in. They thought a true camo suit would be like Harry Potter's invisibility cloak and they'd blend in to everything no matter where they were, but Gustave explained to them that it doesn't work that way. They did get camo though ... each 2 complete sets of pants, jacket, gloves and hat - one in brown, one in green.
Lola still uses her bedazzler that she got last year. This time Santa brought her some bottles of glitter glue, in many sparkly colors. Jed was eyeing them up too, he thought they were fabulous. He got some gift cards to Starbucks, so he'll probably share them with Lola in trade for some glitter.
Chico and Jorge got some mexican music cds and maracas so they can play along. Luigi got a big spice rack full of all the spices he ever heard of so he can make some tasty italian treats. Fred got a handy dandy woodworking hobby kit to keep him busy until hockey starts up again.
Guerrero got a cardboard box to sleep in in the sun ... his own personal Ed&Ted-free zone. Freddy got some queen memorabilia that Luigi had seen him eying up when they were at the Olympics. Raoul got some new kneepads and elbowpads for skateboarding ... safety first!
Pierre got a copy of Gray's Anatomy so he can read up on body parts when he's on his break at work in the lab.
Emilio got a digital camera so he can take pictures of everyone when they go out on the town or on vacation. Upyours got some new Converse sneakers for breakdancing.
Alphonso got some white rubber boots ... they'll blend in with his
natural pale-ness and keep his feet clean on rainy days! Julio got some
snazzy earmuffs ... they'll keep his ears nice and warm and block out
Ed & Ted noise - it's a win/win!
Gustave is so happy to see how big his family has grown. He enjoys every minute he spends with them. He got a digital picture frame so that Emilio can share pictures of everyone with him, then he'll still see his family even when he goes away on vacation.
Ned has been working hard for weeks now perfecting the new treat for Santa. Last year was cookies, so this year he decided to go with something else. He whipped up a batch of double chocolate brownies with walnuts, chocolate chips and a dash of cinnamon. He put them out with some milk on Christmas Eve .... when he got up Christmas morning and checked to see if Santa had eaten them he found a note: "Ned ... 3 words Oh. My. God. thanks, Santa" Ned was so pleased he liked the brownies and will keep the note in his lab. Santa also left him the coolest tshirt ever ... he's been wearing it ever since.
That evening they had their Christmas dinner ... turkey, roasted taters, carrots, yams, cole slaw, cranberry sauce, and cheesecake lollipops for dessert. Ricky was very excited about all the food. Abercrombie had never seen such a feast! He and Ricky had a fantastic first Christmas with their new family.
