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"There's a happy feeling nothing in the world can buy
When they pass around the coffee and the pumpkin pie
It'll nearly be like a picture print by Currier and Ives
These wonderful things are the things we remember all through our lives"
--Sleigh Ride, Mitchell Parish
“What are we looking for again?” Maya asked, trailing behind Leo. He had dragged her out here into the forest almost an hour ago, saying he needed her help to find something. But this was the sixth time she had asked, and Leo still hadn’t told her what they were trying to find.
“I’ll know it when I see it,” Leo replied.
“See what?” she asked, stopping in frustration.
“The perfect tree,” he told her, with the same wide, boyish grin he’d been wearing all day.
“We’re surrounded by trees, Leo,” she pointed out to him. His grin faded a little. She sighed, rolling her eyes. He would start getting that kicked puppy look on his face soon if she didn’t humor him. “Fine. What does this perfect tree look like?”
The grin came back in full force. “Well, it needs to be tall—we could probably fit an eight-footer in the living room, though Kai might complain a bit. And it has to have a nice shape—wide around the bottom with no gaps between the branches, and plenty of room for ornaments.”
Maya tried to picture the tree in her mind, tried to figure out why none of the trees around them wouldn’t work, except that they were all certainly taller than eight feet. And—“Ornaments?”
“Yeah, you know, lights and tinsel and macaroni glued to a little piece of cardboard and spray painted silver?” he said, giving her a hopeful look. She shook her head and shrugged. His face fell again. “I can show you—”
And then his face crumpled completely. He turned away from her, and Maya took a step forward, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Did I say something wrong?” There were still so many things about Earth culture that Maya didn’t understand, and sometimes she said or did something that hurt her teammates’ feelings without realizing it.
“No, it’s not that,” Leo said. His voice sounded tight, the way it had sounded when they’d all thought Mike was dead and Leo spoke about his brother. It worried Maya, because Leo was usually cheerful and easygoing.
“Leo?”
“All our ornaments are on Earth. Mine and Mike’s. He said he wouldn’t have space for them on Terra Venture, so he was going to leave them with me on Earth,” Leo replied.
Maya knew Mike’s choice to leave Leo behind was a sore subject between the brothers; she wrapped an arm around him in comfort. He leaned into it. “Let’s find this tree of yours first, and then maybe we can see if the others have any ornaments we can use,” she told him.
He offered her a tired smile. “I’m starting to think we might just have to settle on a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, if I can’t find anything better.”
She considered his statement for a long moment. “I’m not sure we have that kind of tree on Mirinoi,” she said.
Leo stared at her in the way that meant she’d misunderstood something he’d said, before bursting into laughter. She shrugged and grinned; at least she’d cheered him up again.
“So help me, Leo, if you take one more bite of that cookie dough,” Kai threatened.
“You’ll what?” Leo retorted. Maya stifled a giggle as Kendrix rolled her eyes.
Kai fixed Leo with a glare. “I’ll make you do a duty shift for Commander Stanton,” he said.
Leo was doing a bad job of containing a grin. “You know he’d never agree to that.”
“Fine,” Kai said. “I’ll make sure you don’t get any of the cookies once they’re done baking. They’re not for you, anyway,” he finished haughtily.
“If they’re not for me, then who are they for?” Leo asked, giving Kai his best mournful look.
Kai gave Leo a disparaging look and declared rather primly: “They’re for Santa.”
“You can’t be serious,” Leo argued. He turned to Kendrix, who had raised her eyebrows. “He can’t be serious.”
“Leo, when have you ever known Kai not to be serious about anything he does?” Kendrix replied.
“Who’s Santa?” Maya asked. Three sets of eyes turned to stare at her in varying shades of shock and horror. She sighed. “I did it again, didn’t I.”
“Santa Claus—also known as Saint Nicholas—” Kendrix started, getting interrupted by Leo jumping off his stool and waving his arms around enthusiastically.
“No, wait, I’m sure someone has to have a copy of Santa Claus is Coming to Town around here!” he exclaimed.
“Maybe Commander Stanton does. He has a daughter, after all,” Kendrix supplied. “I’m sure he would be willing to lend them to us.”
“Oh, seriously,” Kai complained.
“You’re Blue, not Green, Kai. Don’t be a Grinch,” Leo said.
Maya looked back and forth between them, feeling more lost than usual. “Can someone explain what we’re talking about, please?” she asked, giving Kendrix a hopeful look.
“Christmas movies,” Kendrix said. “It’s an Earth tradition to watch the ones that are considered classics around this time of the year.”
“Before Leo so rudely interrupted me,” Kai said, giving Leo a hard look as he slid the tray of unbaked cookies into the oven, “I was going to say that I have the whole collection of Rankin/Bass Christmas movies, as well as other classics.”
Leo laughed. “Of course you would.” He sobered a moment later. “Should we start with Santa Claus is Coming to Town, or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?” he asked seriously.
“Maybe we should start with The Little Drummer Boy,” Kendrix said. “That way Maya can get some of the actual Christmas story before she gets the commercialized version.”
“Santa isn’t commercialized,” Leo said, sounding scandalized. “I mean, okay, fine, maybe the whole idea of Christmas has been commercialized a bit, but that was back on Earth. It doesn’t have to be that way any more, does it?”
Kai must have been able to tell that Maya was still confused by everything they were talking about. “What Leo is failing to communicate is that the true spirit of Christmas is about goodwill towards others, which is why we give each other gifts. Some people have made it all about getting them, though.”
“You have lots of gift-giving holidays, don’t you,” Maya said thoughtfully.
Kendrix smiled. “Well, technically Christmas is a birthday celebration,” she said.
“I thought you were supposed to make cake for birthdays, not cookies,” Maya said. “And whose birthday is it, that everyone celebrates it?”
“Ah, that one’s complicated,” Kai said. “Maybe we should watch the movie and explain things after.”
“I say we make Mike do the explaining,” Leo suggested. “All in favor?”
“You can’t make Mike fix all your problems for you,” Kendrix scolded him.
“Not all of them,” Leo replied, giving Kendrix a wide, cheeky grin. “Just the really complicated ones.”
Kendrix threw a dish towel at Leo, who caught it before it could hit him in the face. Maya would have to content herself with the fact that she probably wasn’t going to get any more explanations out of her teammates as Kai started making popcorn for the movie. She and Kendrix exchanged a smile as they left just enough room on the couch so that Leo and Kai would have to sit next to each other.
“No, I don’t think Commander Stanton is going to let you install a chimney,” Maya heard Kai saying as she entered the room the boys still shared.
“But where are we supposed to hang the stockings?” Leo complained. He was holding up a set of oversized socks—one red, one blue, one green—and giving Kai a mournful look. After the Christmas movie marathon, she at least understood—in concept—why Leo wanted to hang stockings by a fire place.
“Hang them by our beds,” Kai said dismissively.
“But be sure to send Santa a letter and let him know you don’t have a chimney,” Maya said, sitting down on the couch.
“I’m already hanging lights around our beds,” Leo complained.
“You’re a fire hazard waiting to happen,” Kai said. He gave Leo a disapproving look. “Is that what you plan on wearing?”
“Yes,” Leo replied defensively. He was wearing jeans and a grey sweater decorated with yellow reindeer, blue snowflakes, pink stripes, and green diamonds. It was only missing some red. “What’s wrong with this?”
“We’re meeting Commander Stanton to go caroling with him and his daughter. In case you’d forgotten.”
Maya had agreed to join them, which was why she was there. “Am I dressed okay?” she asked Kai.
“You’re fine,” he told her.
“This sweater is festive!” Leo argued. “I’ve got a Santa hat, too.” He pulled the hat out from where it had been tucked into his back pocket.
“That sweater looks like a reject from an ugly sweater contest,” Kai said. “Besides, you’ll roast to death in that thing. Why don’t you wear one of the nice shirts you picked out the last time Karone was here?”
“I’m not giving up the hat,” Leo said sulkily.
Kai went over to the pile of presents stacked under the fake silvery tree and pulled out a flat, rectangular box wrapped in red paper trimmed with blue ribbon and a bow. “This is the only one you’re weaseling your way into getting early,” Kai said, holding the box towards Leo.
“I don’t even get to pick?”
“Don’t push your luck,” Kai replied.
Leo took the present anyway, shaking it once. Maya didn’t hear any sound coming from it. “Open it,” she encouraged him, leaning forward on her stool. Leo flashed her a grin, sliding the ribbon off carefully.
“This must be done with careful precision,” Leo said to Maya as he slid one finger under the edge of the wrapping paper, breaking the tap. Kai rolled his eyes.
“You’re going to make us late, Leo,” he said. “Just open it already.”
Leo grinned, tearing the last of the paper aside. He opened the lid of the box to reveal a dark red shirt. He picked it up carefully, running his fingers over the fabric. “This is really nice.”
“I know you didn’t have many shirts, so I thought you might like a new one,” Kai said. He looked like he was trying to hide a blush, avoiding Leo’s eye contact.
“Says the guy who’s always in uniform,” Leo replied.
“I’m not in uniform now, am I?” Kai asked, gesturing down to the shirt he was wearing. Maya covered her mouth to hide a laugh as she realized it was the same style as the one he’d bought for Leo, only in blue instead of red.
“Did you get one of those for Damon, too?” she asked, once she was certain she could say it with a straight face.
Kai scowled, crossing his arms. “No.”
Leo winked at Maya, pulling the sweater off over his head. His tank top rode up as he lifted his arms, and Maya didn’t miss the way Kai’s attention darted towards Leo’s bare stomach. She and Kendrix had taken bets on when the two of them would stop dancing around each other and finally say something, but today didn’t quite seem to be the day, as Leo tossed the sweater to the side of the room carelessly and buttoned up the new shirt.
“Who’s ready for some caroling then?” Leo asked, replacing the Santa hat on his head. Kai huffed, but rolled his eyes, leading the three of them out of the room.
“It’s five AM,” Kendrix said, dropping down onto the couch. “I guess we can go to sleep after we open presents.”
“Leo doesn’t usually get up until well after eight,” Karone said, sitting down on the chair across from Kendrix. Maya sat on the couch next to Kendrix.
“It’s Christmas,” Kendrix said, sounding amused. “If Leo sleeps past six, I’ll be amazed.”
“I’m still not sure I get this whole Christmas thing,” Karone said, wrinkling her nose.
“I’m not sure I do either,” Maya admitted. “But Leo and Kai seem to really enjoy it.”
“That’s because they’re both overgrown children, regardless of how well Kai thinks he hides it,” Kendrix said. She took her glasses off, massaging the bridge of her nose. “But Leo will certainly be surprised.”
“You really think this will make that big of a difference?” Karone asked. Maya hoped it would; Leo had been alternating between gleeful and depressed over this whole Christmas thing. It had been a special holiday for his family when he had been a child, and how hard it was to maintain traditions first on Terra Venture and now here on Mirinoi where things were so different from Earth. Which was why she had enlisted Karone’s help.
The doorbell buzzed. Kendrix groaned. “If Kai didn’t bring us breakfast, we’re not letting them in,” she complained, even as she pushed herself to her feet to open the door.
“Merry Christmas!” Leo said cheerfully. Maya could see Damon using Mike’s shoulder as a pillow, both of them still dressed in pajamas. Kai, carrying a picnic basket, was fully dressed, and Leo was wearing the reindeer sweater and the Santa hat again.
“Merry Christmas,” Kendrix replied, stepping aside to let them in. “I hope you brought food,” she said to Kai.
“Yes,” he said, placing the basket on the kitchen counter. “Fresh muffins, and Mike has a thermos of peppermint hot chocolate, and the turkey is in the oven for dinner.”
“Karone!” Leo said, picking the blond woman up in a hug to spin her in a circle. “When did you get here?”
“Last night,” she said. “I had a special delivery to make.” She gestured towards the corner of the room.
Maya decided that staying up all night was worth it for the look on Leo’s face when he realized that the tree wasn’t the fake metallic one they had bought two weeks ago. He approached it slowly, reaching out to touch the branches. “Where did you get a real Christmas tree from?”
“Ashley and Cassie helped me pick one out,” Karone said. “They said something about making sure I didn’t bring back a Charlie Brown tree, but I wasn’t really sure what they meant.”
Maya laughed. “We can watch the movie later, if you want. Damon’s got a copy.”
“Darn right I do,” Damon said, lifting his head up to look at them both. Kai walked over to join Leo at the tree.
“Are these—” Leo said, cutting himself off. Maya looked over to see him peering at the ornaments. “Did you guys make these?” he asked, turning to face all of them.
Kai coughed and Mike grinned. “It was Maya’s idea,” Mike said.
“I know you said the macaroni was supposed to be spray-painted silver, but I thought it might be nice if we made them our colors,” Maya said.
“It’s perfect,” Leo said, grinning broadly. “And Quasar Sabers made out of popsicle sticks!”
“That was Kai’s idea,” Kendrix supplied helpfully. Kai scowled at her, but Maya could see the corners of his mouth twitching upwards at how excited Leo was.
“I made the star on top with some spare parts,” Damon said. He was looking much more awake now that he had one of Kai’s muffins in front of him.
“I really don’t know what to say, guys,” Leo said, looking at all of them in turn. “I think this might be the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”
Kai cleared his throat, looking suddenly nervous. “I think I know how to make it better.”
“Oh?” Leo asked. Kai pointed up. Leo followed his finger to the ball of mistletoe Kendrix had insisted needed to be hung.
“I believe you owe me a kiss,” Kai said, tone serious.
Leo looked back down at Kai. “It is tradition, after all,” Leo replied, just as seriously, before leaning in to kiss Kai.
Mike whistled through his fingers and Kendrix clapped. I hope every Christmas is as merry as this one, she thought with a smile.