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“Sorry I’m late, Captain,” you muttered as you hurried to the vacant seat in the Briefing Room. The other senior officers were already present and you were careful not to make eye contact, lest any of them be upset at your waste of their time.
“That’s alright, (Y/N), better late than never,” Captain Janeway answered in that motherly tone she was so known for.
“Thank you, Captain,” you replied, allowing yourself to look her in the eye.
The meeting got underway, and after a few issues had been resolved, Janeway looked back to you.
"(Y/N), I believe I remember you saying there was something you wanted to discuss at this meeting?”
You smiled. “Yes, Captain. Well, as you all may be aware, by the Gregorian calendar of Earth, we are nearing Christmas. Now, I know that not all of us are human, and that out of those who are, not all of us celebrate Christmas, but I was thinking, since we haven’t had the chance to celebrate any holidays with our families for a while, that we could have a party celebrating all sorts of holidays, to boost morale and help us think fondly of our homes.”
Janeway was smiling as you finished and you could see out of the corner of your eye the rest of the officers looking between each other. The Captain gestured to the rest of the table.
“What do we think?”
“I think it’s a great idea!” Harry Kim immediately spoke up. “It’d be a great opportunity for us to learn about each other’s cultures and traditions.”
“Not to mention it’d give us all something to celebrate,” Tom spoke up.
“We could do holidays from different planets,” B’Elanna chipped in.
“I could research the foods typically served during the holidays and set up a buffet!” Neelix said excitedly.
“We could work out a gift exchange,” Chakotay suggested, turning his head to Janeway.
Her smile widened, and she looked to the three who hadn’t spoken.
“What about you three? Anything to contribute?”
Tuvok looked pensive for a moment. Then he answered, “It would be difficult to incorporate the festivities typically celebrated by the species to which each crewmember belongs. However, if it is possible, it may increase crew morale and therefore productivity.”
Janeway nodded in agreement. “What about you, Seven?”
Seven tilted her head in thought. “I agree with Mr. Tuvok. In the past, birthday celebrations and even time off on the holodecks have shown to bring about positive results.”
“Well, I for one think this whole thing will be very good for the crew,” the Doctor said finally. “I’ve been seeing far too many cases of depression and homesickness lately, and I think this party might just help.”
“We’re all in agreement, then,” Janeway said. “(Y/N), I don’t suppose you mind being put in charge of this whole operation?”
You blinked in surprise. A party of this scale was a huge responsibility, and certainly a serious time commitment.
“The rest of us would help you, of course, particularly on the research side of things,” Chakotay reassured you with a kind smile.
“It might be most efficient for each department head to ask those they’re in charge of to submit a holiday they find particularly important,” Seven added.
“That’s a good idea, Seven. Then all you would have to do is compile the list and make sure everyone’s culture is represented.” It sounded so easy when Janeway said it.
“Well, as long as I won’t be doing it alone, I guess I wouldn’t mind being in charge.”
“Excellent. Everyone, you have your orders. Dismissed.”
~*~
“(Y/N)! (Y/N)! Wait up!”
You internalized your groan of frustration as you turned to the man chasing you down the hall.
“Yes, Harry?”
“Here’s the list. And, I’ve come up with some ideas for decorations. Oh, and I think I heard Chakotay talking about a gift exchange earlier? How is that going to work?”
You sighed, sorting through the plans you had stored in your head for this massive party. “Uh, everybody’s gonna draw a name from the manifest and either make or replicate, with a limit of 5 replicator rations, a gift for that person.”
“We don’t get to choose who we give gifts to?”
“I wanted to make sure everyone got something, Harry. If you want to give something to someone in particular, you may, but you have to do the formal gift exchange, too. I don’t want anyone getting left out.”
“That sounds fair, I guess. Let me know if you need help with anything.”
“Oh, I will.”
~*~
“Neelix, I still don’t understand why you called me down here. I told you to run food ideas past the Doctor. He’s the one who can make sure it’s edible. You can have whoever you want taste-test it.”
“I know, (Y/N), I know, but I didn’t call you down here for food. I want to know what you think of my idea for Christmas.”
You held back a sigh. Barely. “Alright, what’ve you got?”
“Wait right there,” he answered, ducking into the kitchen. You took this opportunity to put down the pile of PADDs you’d collected, not only from the senior officers, but from some duty officers as well.
“Ta-da!”
You looked over and couldn’t contain your smile. The Talaxian was decked out in a red and white suit worthy of the jolly old man himself. It wasn’t quite the traditional Santa suit, as it had definitely undergone some changes thanks to the beaming alien himself, but it certainly fit with the whole meshing of traditions anyway.
“I love it, Neelix. Is this what you thought up for Naomi?”
“Of course! I thought since her mother celebrates Christmas, she might enjoy this. Oh! And I thought maybe we could decorate cookies together before the party.”
“I’m glad I can count on you to spend time with her. Just make sure she doesn’t drink the eggnog if you get around to making it.”
“You can count on me, (Y/N)! Oh, by the way, the Doctor was in here earlier and told me he wanted to speak with you.”
“Yeah? Wonder why he didn’t just call me on comms?”
“I don’t think he wanted to interrupt your party planning. You know, between you and me, I think the Doctor is more excited about this than he lets on.”
You quirked a brow. It hadn’t occurred that the Doctor would even care about this party outside of what the health benefits would be. You gathered up your PADDs.
“Well, then I guess I’d better go and see him.”
“Alright. And please tell him that in regards to the fruitcake, fourth time’s the charm!”
~*~
“You wanted to see me, Doc?”
“Ah, (Y/N), come in. I suppose you’ve been to see Neelix?”
You nodded. “You probably don’t want me to tell you what he said about the fruitcake.”
The Doctor cringed slightly. “No, probably not.” He gestured you over to a biobed, and having an opportunity to sit down, you did so.
“I called you here because I wanted to make sure you’re not wearing yourself out.”
“Ah.”
“And because I had some thoughts about the party.”
“Oh.” You resisted the urge to roll your eyes. It seemed everyone had an idea about the party, and while it was nice to have the help, it was beginning to be overwhelming.
“First of all, I want to make sure that this doesn’t put too much of a strain on you or Mr. Neelix.”
“I’m all for ideas in that department.”
“In that case, why not spread the party over multiple days, or even over a few weeks? That way everyone gets their traditions recognized and you have time to rest.”
This time you did sigh, but this time in contentment.
“Doc, that is by far the best thing anyone’s said all day.”
“I thought you might think so,” the Doctor said with a proud smile.
“Any other good ideas?”
The Doctor hesitated. By now, he had finished his scans and was returning the tricorder to the table in the middle of the room. He wouldn’t look at you.
“Well,” he started slowly, “I’ve researched quite a bit about Christmas . . . and I was thinking . . . uh, well, what sort of decorations were you planning on using?”
You thought for a moment. “Hmm . . . well, there’s going to be a Christmas tree. Maybe some wreaths. Tom wanted to do snow-related activities on the holodeck, so I guess there’ll be snowmen. Naomi and Sam were going to make paper snowflakes. B’Elanna and Chakotay are handling garland and poinsettias. If we have time, Neelix and I were thinking of putting up string lights—”
“What about mistletoe?”
You paused, looking confused. “I thought you’d be against it, since technically it’s poisonous.”
“But you can’t have Christmas without mistletoe, (Y/N)! It’s essential to create the atmosphere of the holiday season!”
“If it’s that important to you, Doctor, I’ll ask them to swap out some poinsettias for bits of mistletoe,” you conceded, making a note on one of your PADDs. “But I’d recommend you be prepared in case some of it gets mixed up in the food.”
~*~
In the Mess Hall, Christmas lights adorned the walls and windows, a tree stood proudly decorated in the corner, cookies and a variety of warm drinks rested on nearly every surface, and a certain whiskered Santa sat with a beaming child on his lap.
Just as you were about to make your speech, as you had done for every day during the various festivities, Seven of Nine entered, where she nearly ran straight into the Doctor.
“Ah, Seven, I wasn’t sure you’d be attending.”
“I promised Naomi that I would, but I am glad that you are here as well.”
The Doctor began to step forward, but then seemed to notice something above Seven’s head.
“Uh oh. Looks like someone’s standing under the mistletoe.”
Seven looked up and scrutinized the small plant.
“There appears to be some sort of growth. Doubtlessly a result of Mr. Neelix’s cooking.”
“Oh, come now, Seven, surely you’ve heard of mistletoe?”
“An old Earth tradition wherein two individuals who stand under it are to kiss,” she responded matter-of-factly.
“You have heard of it,” the Doctor said with some surprise.
“I assisted (Y/N)’s research. It is a tradition not generally practiced.”
The Doctor’s face fell at the sound of that.
“However, since this party was put together to celebrate practices of one’s choosing . . .”
Before the Doctor could say anything, Seven leaned in and kissed him gently on the cheek. If the Doctor had a subroutine that allowed him to blush, his face would have been as red as Neelix’s costume.
“I believe that satisfies the requirements?”
The Doctor, too stunned to respond, lost his chance to as Naomi came bounding over.
“Seven! You came! I knew you would! Come on, (Y/N)’s about to start the speech! I wanna show you the cookies we made before that though. Come on!” And with that, the Doctor was once again standing alone at the door.
“Alright,” you said, gaining everyone’s attention, “I think everyone from last shift who said they were going to be here is here. To start us off, I’d just like to say that I am grateful to each and every one of you who helped to make these past few weeks a success. It really was a tremendous group effort, and I’m glad it seems to have paid off. It’s been a great time, and I’m kinda sad that it’s almost over—”
“But before it ends,” Captain Janeway suddenly interrupted, to your surprise. “I believe it is our turn to show our appreciation for your efforts, (Y/N).”
You gaped in shock, but everyone else smiled gleefully up at you. The Captain approached you, holding a wrapped container, and put a friendly hand on your shoulder.
“(Y/N), I think it’s safe to say that this,” she gestured to Mess Hall and all the smiling faces of your fellow crewmates, “would not have been possible without you. You made sure that everyone was satisfied, and you put up with a lot of stress. You never turned down an idea, but you showed a critical eye, and an incredible passion for not only your friends, but for the entire crew. I think I speak for everyone here when I say thank you, (Y/N), and happy holidays.”