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“Do we have anymore tinsel?” Chekov asked, barely able to contain his excitement.
“Oh yeah, I replicated a LOT of that,” Sulu replied, handing over another box of the sparkly strands.
“Oh yes, make sure you get that thrown over EVERYthing,” Uhura encouraged with a bright smile as she strung up more garland that was pre-decorated with shiny balls and lights.
“Are you certain this is a tradition?” Spock asked from where he was leaning against a wall, arms crossed over his chest, his face openly skeptical. “My mother explained many Christmas traditions to me, and while this is similar...”
“Families have their own traditions, too,” Scotty explained from somewhere inside a ceiling panel where he was rigging... something... up. “This one is ours.”
“Yes, I am aware of different traditions from family to family, but we've never done this, therefore...”
“Therefore it's a new tradition,” his girlfriend interrupted with a smile. “It's one we just thought of and that we'll do so long as we're all together to celebrate this holiday. You know how much Dr. McCoy loves talking about the Christmases back home, and how they decorated the tree....”
“Yes, but this is not a tree.”
“They're coming down the corridor!” an excited Hendorff announced as he dashed into the room and then towards the bathroom. “We've gotta clear out!”
“Grab the boxes,” Uhura said as she hurriedly grabbed some herself and followed the security officer into the bathroom.
Spock, Sulu and Chekov gathered up the empty boxes and unused decorations as Scotty quickly made one last connection and dropped out of the ceiling, slamming the panel closed. They all dashed through the bathroom with the others and into Spock's quarters, the door closing just as the door to the Captain's and CMO's shared quarters opened, admitting the two men who were in the middle of a spirited debate.
“I'm telling you, Jim,” McCoy was saying with a grin on his face, “I saw it with my own eyes. Fourteen pies in five minutes. He devoured them all and that's how he won that prize on Hularia.”
“But Pavel's only as big around as a... what the hell.”
They stopped in the doorway just as it snicked shut, triggering all the lights to come on and traditional Earth Christmas music to start blaring out of the ceiling. Every surface of their quarters was covered in tinsel, garland, shiny balls, blinking lights, and other sparkling decorations. Some were free standing, spinning, bouncing, or swaying, throwing lights everywhere. Nothing had been spared. Garland had been twisted around everything possible as well as strung against walls and pictures and knickknacks had been carefully gift wrapped. Their entire sofa was gift wrapped. Their BED was gift wrapped, the pillows wrapped to look like giant poppers, or possibly peppermint candies.
With a look of weary acceptance, Bones collapsed onto the sofa, the paper crinkling under him, and kicked his feet up on the garlanded coffee table next to a bouncing penguin wearing a winter hat and scarf. Something he recognized as a gift he had given to Uhura the year before.
“I bet the asshats thought this was funny,” he groused at Jim who was still standing at the door, looking at everything in shock. “Just you wait until their next checkups. I'll give them a Merry Fuck'n Christmas.”
The End