A nod to the Dixie Chicks for introducing me to a funny euphemism! I was going to turn this into the beginning of a full comic story but I changed my mind when I realized what I had in mind: five V4's and 2 M4's in the same scene. My computer just can't handle such a thing so I may tell the story in the "Writing" gallery or skip it all together. I could try to draw it but I would barely make the deadline for NEXT Christmas! :-) But here's a little text that would have been the next page: ---- "If this Christmas party works out," said Suki with cheer, "I could take everyone to a Shinto shrine on New Year's!" "Oh," puzzled Monica, "You mean with those guys who drive the tiny cars in the parades?" Suki could see that the petite curly-haired girl was listening in on their conversation. With a big smile, Suki beamed, "Would you like to come to my Christmas party, Sarah-san?" "Absolutely not," Sarah frowned, turning away. Suki deflated and stared at the floor. "Hey," comforted Sarah, putting a hand on Suki's shoulder. "Don't take it personally, Suki. I never attend Christmas parties. I'm Jewish; it would be hypocritical." Suki looked up, confused. "It... it would?" She blinked twice, pondering whether a non-Christian (herself) should even be throwing a Christmas party in the first place. "But," said Sarah, shuffling her feet, "If you're still going out on New Year's I'd like to join you." "Eh?" Suki responded incredulously. If life were a manga, a large drop of sweat would have appeared on her forehead. "Neat-o," grinned Monica. "Don't forget to bring your fez!" ---- Good luck finding a Shinto shrine in Hillville, Suki-chan...