It was Christmas Eve, the very night before what most would call the most wonderful time of the year and yet, your very core was filled not with joy, but with dread and resentment. You progressively grew to dislike Christmas, all the things they say about Christmas being a time of expressing love and good will towards others was always overshadowed by commercialism and avarice. What should be a day for spending quality time with family is hypocritically paired with people trampling over each other and fighting over microwave ovens. With a world already filled with so much unhappiness and uncertainty, you thought all the things Christmas stood for was just a fairy tale that could only exist in a stop motion Christmas special.
It was late one snowy night. You lay in your bed tossing and turning, trying to fall asleep so that Christmas can be done and over with already. Just as you felt like you were about to fall asleep, a flaring, red glow filled your room and a burst of bone-chilling cold shook your soul. You groaned in annoyance as you assumed that you absentmindedly left the window open and the practically radioactive glow of a neighbor’s Christmas lights were the culprit of the blinding light. You opened your eyes to see a humanoid shape standing at the end of your bed, you gasped in horror and reflexively backed up to the wall, you tried to scream as a reflex but your throat could only summon a choking gasp. The shadow stepped forth, showing itself.
Your eyes widened in unadulterated horror to see a man so thin that he looked like a skeleton with a thin blanket of old, wrinkled skin draped over it and vacuum sealed. Said skin was as red as blood, his sunken in eye sockets had no real eyes but instead two dim lights that pierced your soul, protruding from his wrinkled forehead were long, curled horns, like those of a mountain goat, a dozen or so candles adorned his shoulders, perpetually melting and reforming as they were lit with flames that took an unnatural, purple color. He wore a black suit and pants with a red tie that accentuated his emaciated form. His arms were so long that his hands reached past his knees standing and his bony fingers were long and thin, like the roots of an old, dead tree.
“Be not afraid, I mean you no harm”. The entity spoke in a deep yet strangely comforting voice, he had an accent that you couldn’t quite place. The entity then bowed in a gentlemanly sort of way, sufficiently adding confusion on top of fear.
“I am pleased to inform you that you have been invited as the guest of honor at a Christmas banquet.” The entity spoke in a professional manner, like how a butler would. You confusion only grew while your fear started to slightly subside.
“W-Who are y-you… w-what are you?” You managed to force the question out from your trembling mouth, your words as shaky as your body.
“My name is incomprehensible to mortals, as for what I am, I am what your kind has come to know as a demon.” The entity said in a matter-of-fact manner. Your heart jumped at the word demon. “My God” you thought, if this creature was telling the truth, there was an actual demon in your bedroom... inviting you to dinner!?
“I know you have some reservations but I assure you, I’m not going to harm you, if that was my intention I would’ve done it by now.” The Demon brought up a good point. You’re not sure if it was his soothing voice or the dream-like absurdity of the situation but you start to feel less scared, still uneasy but not as terrified as you were before.
“If you could be so kind as to follow me, we mustn’t keep the others waiting.” The Demon said as he bowed with his hand outstretched. A million thoughts were running through your head and you instinctively wanted to say no, who wouldn’t in this scenario?
But for some unearthly reason you couldn’t quite explain, you felt compelled to come with the demon. You cautiously climbed out of bed and followed The Demon. He lead you to where he entered your home from, a massive cave-like opening resembling the maw of an anglerfish that looked like it was made from clay, it almost looked like something you would see in an old movie. Shivers ran down your spine as your legs felt weak. A question came to your mind and you couldn’t help but ask.
“A-are you taking me where I think you are?”
“Yes.” The Demon said without a moment of hesitation. “But do not worry. You are merely visiting and as far as your records show, you are not even close to being deserving of coming here after death.” Strangely, that actually made you feel relieved. The Demon spoke in such a straightforward and professional manner that it never felt like he was lying to you.
The maw-like opening closed behind you and literally melted in a stop motion claymation-like fashion as you followed the Demon. You found yourself in a narrow hallway, reminiscent of one you would find in a fancy hotel, it had red wallpaper, but it was a mystical kind of red, a shade that you thought could only exist in dreams. Down the hallway were multiple gates, each looked vastly different from the last.
“These are Sin Doors. Each gate leads to a realm that houses mortals who are guilty of that particular sin, where they must contemplate the errors of their ways for all of eternity.” The Demon explained as you passed by each gate. You were familiar with the concept of the Seven Deadly Sins of Christianity, and there were indeed seven gates, but none were named after the traditional sins you were familiar with.
First, there was Hatred. The words were written in what looked like blood on a gate made entirely of bone and skulls, and held together by rusted barbwire. The overpowering smell of blood and rust assaulted your nose as you passed by.
Then, there was Selfishness, a gate made entirely of black, rotted wood carved to look like a mass of twisted, gnarled arms and hands desperately grasping at something unseen, with green, reptile-like eyes peering out of the “arms”, one of them blinked and looked directly at you, making you jump.
Next, there was Degeneracy. The door looked liked it was designed to look like a giant human heart and you swear you could see it actually beating, wrapped all around it were rusted chains and locks.
Next was Deceit, it was carved from stone, making it resemble a giant tombstone with carvings of horned and winged gargoyles covering their ears and eyes.
After that was Violence, the door seemed to be made entirely out of knives and firearms of all sorts, all melded together to form a twisted gate with the name of the sin violently carved into the front of it.
The second to last door was Apathy which was a simple wooden door with an iron ring handle with the word “Apathy” sloppily written on it with black paint or ink with the same black substance leaking from the cervices of the door.
The Demon lead you to the final gate of the hallway. The gate consisted of two doors appearing to be made of solid gold, adorned with rubies, emeralds and sapphires and expertly detailed. On the doors read the words “Greed and Gluttony” in fancy cursive. As you stood before the doors, the most enticing aromas of delicious foods and baked goods imaginable wafted through. The very scents actually started to make you feel hungry and images of delicious food of all sorts started to swirl in your mind.
The Demon took out a keyring carrying dozens of very old-looking keys, he shifted through his many keys until he placed one into the keyhole. He opened the doors and gestured you to step in. Through the golden doors was an equally glimmering hallway, the halls appeared to be solid gold as well, gold statues of frog-like creatures wearing crowns rested on marble pillars. The halls and statues were adorned with expensive jewels and diamonds of all sorts, the floor was endowed with a velvety red carpet with gold trimming. Beautifully painted portraits of food, castles and landscapes decorated the walls.
As you progressed through the hall, the delectable scents grew stronger, welcoming you more as The Demon lead you to the second door at the end of the hallway. The handles of which were statues of frog’s heads wearing crowns with ring-shaped handles in their mouths.
The Demon opened the doors and you could not believe your eyes, even after what you’ve seen so far. Your eyes were met with the single most magnificent and extravagant feast you ever laid eyes on, placed on a massively long table that had to have been at least a hundred feet long.
There was too much food to even list and some of the delicacies you’ve never even seen before. But from what you could observe, there were two golden brown turkeys, both far larger then any turkey you’ve ever seen before, several racks of lamb, an enormous honey glazed ham and an entire suckling pig, glazed and roasted to perfection. There were cornish hens, corned beef, smoked halibut, hotlinks, a farm’s worth of eggs, hot-buttered biscuits and croissants, mince pies, mashed potatoes, mashed squash, sweet potatoes, brandied plums, grilled okra, creamed spinach, cranberry sauce made by hand, a variety of stuffing and an impressive array of soups and stews.
The centerpiece of the banquet was the absolutely towering Christmas cake in the center of the banquet table, twelve tiers tall and several slices taken out showed that each tier was a different flavor. The cake was masterfully prepared with meticulous detail, iced with red and white frosting, adorned with icing roses and decorated with whole baked apples and poached pears.
The decadent sights and smells of the spread truly astonished you, but what was even more impressive then the beyond-indulgent banquet were the guests.
Demons, you guessed, but they were not horned, red skinned men with forked tails. Each demon looked vastly different then the last. They all resembled mish-mashed animal hybrids. There was a pig with the wings of a bat and monkey-like hands, one had the body of a praying mantis with the head of a lion and one had the head of a raven or crow but with the body of a flea, who was also dressed in an expensive-looking green suit with a monocle over his left eye.
The largest demon of them all however, who was seated at the very end of the table, was a gargantuan toad or frog that resembled the many statues you saw in the hallway. The amphibious giant had skin of a shiny yellow tone, making it look as if it were made out of gold but still with a distinctly organic quality to it. It had six, skeletal, almost human-like arms all attached to the same shoulder with long bony fingers attached to each one, each finger endowed with multiple jeweled rings. It’s massive belly had a ginormous red jewel haphazardly stuffed into it where it’s belly button would be. It’s eyes were glassy and pupil-less and yet, they glowed with expression and it’s wide mouth stretched outwards in a surprisingly welcoming smile. Atop it’s head was a massive, regal crown garishly adorned with diamonds, rubies and emeralds. You didn’t know if this was the devil himself or just the head demon of this particular room but he was an intimidating presence either way.
“Ah yes! The guest of the hour. Come, sit, take part in this bountiful banquet and know me better man!”
The giant toad demon spoke, waking you from your awed and yet disturbed state. His voice was booming and yet, had a warm and welcoming quality to it, he sounded like how you would imagine Santa Claus would sound like.
“Come, come, don’t be shy now. There’s plenty to go around!”
The toad said welcoming you with six open arms. You reluctantly obliged, not wanting to offend the demon and it’s guests. Forcing a smile, you walked up to an empty chair that was placed at your end of the table. Your guide sat in the other empty chair adjacent to you, sitting next to a demon that you could describe as a “literal spider monkey” as it resembled a chimp but with six, large spider-like eyes, a spider’s fangs, a large furry thorax above it’s hindquarters and six arms to boot.
“Have whatever you’d like, tis’ the season for indulging in life’s gifts and sharing that bounty with your fellow man! If you see something you’d like just ask your neighbor to pass it!”. The toad said as he drank from his massive golden chalice. You were hesitant at first of course but the more you observed and listened to the toad and it’s demonic guests, you progressively felt more at ease, feeling as though these abhorrent bastardizations of nature really meant you no harm.
They say that eyes are windows to the soul and as you looked into the eyes of these creatures, you saw warmth, kindness and joy, qualities that one would never associate with demons. The creatures ate with gusto but were very generous and kind to each other, they passed food around and spoke to each other like good friends would. These demons, creatures of Hell and servants to the prince of darkness, acted more friendly and loving to each other then your own family would at Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner.
“Excuse me mortal!”
You jumped as a demon addressed you in a chipper manner. The demon in question had the body of a large green snake, the head of a horse with long, black and stringy hair, and bird-like wings with rainbow-colored feathers.
“Would you like anything to drink? We have mulled wine, eggnog, hot chocolate and spiced apple cider, warm AND cold!”.
The winged horse-snake said excitedly in it’s unnaturally high-pitched, helium-esque voice. You struggled to find words, confused beyond all reason but you didn’t want to be rude, especially since they were being so generous, even if it didn’t quite make sense to you.
“Um, hot chocolate would be nice please.” You said in a shaky voice. The horse-snake whistled, signaling a large centipede-like creature to start skittering from the other end of the table towards your end. This ten foot long centipede had multiple containers and dishes of dressings, sides and other fixings balancing on it’s hide, including a gravy boat, a dish of cranberry sauce and a large vintage looking pitcher. The centipede stopped by your plate, the pitcher containing what you assumed was hot chocolate was positioned right in front of you. You grabbed the handle of the pot and poured it’s contents into your golden chalice.
“Thank you”. You said to the centipede in a slightly unsure manner. To your surprise, the centipede looked straight at you and gave a nod. It then turned right and moved upwards a few inches and stopped, right in front of you, was a small tin containing mini marshmallows for your hot chocolate. You took a small handful placed it into your drink. You looked into the chalice containing the hot brown liquid, unsure if you should drink it, it looked like hot chocolate and it certainly smelled liked it too. You took a deep breath and decided “screw it” and took a sip.
Your eyes widened as the hot chocolatey drink touched your tongue, it was the single most delicious cup of hot chocolate you have ever tasted in your life, the taste was almost unbelievable. Your cautious sip turned into a hearty gulp as you drank half of the hot chocolate in one go.
“So, what do you think mortal?” The Demon you met in your bedroom asked as he couldn’t help but notice how much your enjoying yourself.
“It’s... it’s good, it’s really good!” You said, all hints of fear or uncertainty left your voice. All the demons in earshot laughed and cheered from your response.
“I’m glad you like it!” A demon with the head of an owl and tentacles like an octopus spoke up in a female voice. “It took me 2500 years to get it right! Not too hot, extra chocolate, made with hot goat’s milk and with just a hint of nutmeg!”. The demon said quite proudly.
You looked at the spread before you wondering if the food is just as good. You bite into a sausage and was blown away by it’s flavor and tenderness. The smokey pork sausage was stuffed with figs, apples, bacon and fennel. You take a bite of mashed potatoes and was floored by it’s unparalleled fluffiness and rich, buttery-garlic taste.
“Can you pass the sausages mortal?” A demon possessing the head of a crocodile with the antlers of a deer and a nude, human female body with breasts covered up by large deep sea isopods asked in a kindly British accent, taking you out of your blissful flavor nirvana. You nodded as you picked up the somewhat heavy platter of smoked sausage links and passed it to her. The alligator-headed woman then passed it to her neighbor, a mix between a hammerhead shark and a kangaroo, it’s upper half being the former and lower half the latter who then passed it to it’s neighbor and so on and so forth.
As the dinner progressed, you started to take part in conversations, getting to know the demons and their unique personalities. At one point, the demons started to sing Christmas carols, cheerfully singing everything from “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” to “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”, the joy was so infectious that you couldn’t help but join in. You were literally in Hell and yet you were having the time of your life!
All of the sudden, The Giant entity you decided to call the Toad King tapped his chalice with a bony claw, calling the attention of all the dinner guests.
“Friends, I would like to propose a toast to our special guest, who in-spite of everything they were told about demons in their lifetime, decided to gracefully accept the invitation to our banquet, the first of their kind!” The other demons agreed saying “here here!” as they raised their chalices.
“And mortal,” the toad king addressed you personally, you perked up as a result.
“I want to express my appreciation to you, as you can see, we demons and ghouls love Christmas too and for good reason. We are creatures of sulfur and bone, existing only to punish evil and wicked mortals on the behalf of the Powers That Be but it’s seeing the worst in humanity how we’ve learned to appreciate the good human beings are capable of, for that is what Christmas is truly about. It is a time for reflecting on the importance of love, generosity and good will towards man in spite of the cruelty and misfortune that plagues your world. We try to invite mortals who have lost the meaning of Christmas every year to remind them of two things. That being the true meaning of Christmas, and that, if we demons are capable of recognizing and celebrating the goodness of mankind, then so are you.”
Toad King’s words brought tears to your eyes. You felt as if your soul started to shine ever brighter, feelings of love and joy you once associated with the holidays now returning to you.
“And as much as we’d love for you to stay, I’m afraid now is the time for you to return to the mortal realm.” The toad king said in a slightly more somber tone. You were sad to hear this but you know you had to return home eventually. But, with a heart full of renewed love and faith in Christmas, you were ready to return so that you could spread the message of the true meaning of Christmas to your fellow human beings.
The centipede returned with a single tin full of multi-colored buttermints on it’s hide. Your demonic guide placed a hand on your shoulder.
“Take one and you will awake in your bed, on Christmas morn.” The Demon said as he nodded reassuringly, his wrinkled mouth now smiling back at you. You took a mint and placed it into mouth, a feeling of drowsiness hit you in a flash and the room started spinning, a cold chill washed over your entire body as everything went black.
Your eyes fluttered opened to see that you were in your bed once again and you were freezing cold in spite of your thick blanket enveloping you. You got up from your bed to see that your bedroom window was wide open, some snow was blowing into your room as a result. You got up and closed your windowsill and rubbed your arms to get warm, then it hit you, you realized what today was, it was Christmas morning and you didn’t miss it!
You put on your winter coat and your best scarf, ready to welcome Christmas into your life like never before. You remembered bits and pieces of the odd dream you had last night. You were invited to Hell for a Christmas feast with friendly demons but the one thing you remember clearly was the Toad King’s wonderful speech that resonated with you. Ever since that night you had a different outlook on not just Christmas but life in general, you celebrated every day as if it was Christmas, showing kindness and generosity to all you meet and inspiring them to do the same for others.
As time passed you accepted that the dream you had was just that, a dream, but a life changing dream that reminded you of the ideals you still held within your subconscious. With that said, it’s funny. Despite not eating anything the night before, you could still vividly remember the taste of Christmas turkey prepared with spices and herbs, and the most delicious cup of hot chocolate you’ve ever tasted.