Fandom: Stargate SG1
Title: All I Want for Christmas
Author: Tiffany
tmh359@netzero.net
Summary: Jack takes Daniel to the Christmas party.
Category: little angst and humor
Spoilers: None
Season/Sequel info: Set sometime after FiaD, written 3rd season
Rating: PG
Content Warnings: One swear word..that's all
Web: http://www.myparlor.tvheaven.com
Copyrighted: 26 Dec 1999 (nope, not new...)
Archive: WWOMB, please
Note: Tis the holiday fics, fa la la... And the holidays are good for my muse!
Disclaimers: * STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of Showtime, MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment.
* I don't own the song 'All I Want for Christmas' and the little reference to the movie 'It's a Wonderful Life'. I'm just borrowing them for the story.
~Fa~La~La~
All I want for Christmas
By Tiffany
"Come on Daniel, I know you're in there!" Jack shouted for the third time in as many minutes. And again, the only response from the other side was a muffled cough. Jack sighed. Great. Well, he was just going to have to do this the hard way, then.
Jack separated Daniel's key from the others on his ring. It was there in case of emergencies. He hesitated a moment before fitting it into the slot. Dammit, this was an emergency! Sort of. It's Christmas Eve and he just couldn't take being alone anymore. He thought that Daniel would feel the same way.
He opened the door to a darkened apartment. The only source of light was the television. Blue gray flashes illuminated Daniel's face, hiding the red of blood shot eyes but clearly defining each line of loneliness. Jack heard the familiar lines from 'It's a Wonderful Life ' and flinched. It's not the thing to be watching on a holiday while dealing with grief. He knew this from experience. That movie had a way of touching all the what-ifs and what-might-have-beens and pulling them to the painful surface.
Jack switched on the hall light and turned off the TV. A sniffle that could have been flu related, though Jack doubted it, was all the comment Daniel made. Tired blue eyes followed him as he retrieved Daniel's coat, glasses, shoes and keys. Jack set them all on the couch next to Daniel and waited.
"We don't have all day," Jack muttered impatiently.
Daniel glanced at the clock. "There's only two hours left in the day."
"Precisely." Jack crossed his arms and tapped his foot, trying to exaggerate the moves he had seen his mother use all too often. "Cassy 's present needs to be under that tree before tomorrow. Besides that, we're late for the party."
Well, technically, *he* was the one late for the Christmas party. Daniel had somehow finagled his way out of it. Probably because Doc Frasier had not sicced Cassandra on him. There was no other way that Daniel could get away with declining Doc Frasier's invitation, otherwise. He didn't even have the excuse of being on duty, having prior plans, or being sick at the time.
Not that Jack could blame him. Christmas wasn't exactly his favorite time of the year, either. Not anymore. And parties only reminded him of what he no longer had. But then, so did being alone. Gotta love no win situations.
The good doctor would not take 'no' for an answer from Jack. Frasier had used every wheedle and blackmail threat she could think of on him. Just to avoid it, Jack had tried to get a mission scheduled for that time period. Daniel, he knew, preferred to stay busy. And the days were all the same to Teal'c, who celebrated few of the holidays of his Tau'ri companions. Carter and her brother were not exactly on speaking terms, again. And her father was on who knew what planet. So he would not have had any arguments from his team.
Except that the SGC got hit hard with the current flu bug. Jack had been down with it for nearly a week. As soon as he recovered, Daniel caught it. This left Jack well and with no place to go. That was when Doc Frasier tried her last ditch attempt to drag him to her party. She sent Cassandra.
Cassandra didn't even need to harass him. She just batted those pretty eyes, threatened to turn on the tears, and said "pretty please" in that tone only children know how to do. And he thought Daniel had the patent on falling under the spell of beautiful females.
Jack had seriously contemplated skipping out. He doubted anyone really expected him to show, anyway. But between all the holiday shows, the Christmas songs, and the cheerfully blinking lights on his neighbors houses. Jack just couldn't stand it anymore. He finally decided that if he was going to be miserable, he might as well be miserable in good company.
One member of said company merely looked at him.
Jack sighed. "Come on," he said, hoping he didn't sound as desperate as he felt. "I won't guarantee that it'll be fun. But sometimes it's easier to forget for a while when you have other things to occupy your mind." This Jack also had a lot of experience in.
Daniel stared at his shoes and seemed to consider this for a moment.
"Really late?" he asked, finally, his voice a hoarse whisper.
"Oh, yeah. The Doc has probably given up on me by now."
It was Daniel's turn to sigh. "Well, I guess we should at least make sure Cassy gets her gift."
Jack, who was prepared for some major arguing on his part, was a bit taken aback. Daniel's mind must have really needed occupying to capitulate that easily. Or, Jack reflected with knowing sympathy, his heart really needed someplace else to be.
The drive, slow due to snow and last minute travelers, was made even longer by the silence that fell over them. There were days when Jack absolutely hated the silence. Daniel was gazing out the window on his side, lost in his own world. Jack fidgeted as much as he could while actually driving, wondering just how to bring his friend back to this world. Jack was afraid that if he stayed alone too long, even figuratively, that he would go down some paths he would really rather not visit again.
Unable to think of anything to say, Jack decided to turn on the radio. At least it was some noise. His hands tapped the steering wheel in time with the beat of the quick paced songs. When the station put on something with too slow a tempo, he changed the channel. Then a song came on that he had always thought was funny; an adult voice wavering over a childhood complaint.
"All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth, my two front teeth, my two front teeth."
Jack chuckled. "You know, that was all I wanted for two years in a row," he said, finally drawing Daniel's attention away from the side window. "For a while there I was convinced that Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy were in collusion to prevent me from having a mouth full of teeth. I really hated waiting for them to grow in."
"I guess Christmas wishes are always the hard ones," Daniel said with a faint smile. Jack could actually hear him over the radio. It was a start, Jack decided. Both the smile and his voice.
Jack snorted. "Hard ones! Are you kidding. I always wanted the impossible things. One year I got it into my head that I had to have a horse."
"Every one wants a pony when they're a kid."
"Oh, no. I'm not talking pony, Daniel. I wanted a horse. And not just any horse. I wanted a real live race horse."
"You ever get it?"
"Are you kidding? All I got was some plastic toy and one of those stick with a horses head that you were supposed to pretend with." Jack shook his head. "I just couldn't understand why my parents would be so mean.
"'Course that's nothing compared to when I got older. I never did get that red convertible I begged for when I was a teenager."
Daniel made a noise Jack hoped was a laugh. As rough as his voice was, it was hard to tell. But the smile was definitely wider.
"Or those season tickets to the hockey games?" Daniel hazarded a guess.
"Damn straight," Jack said with a laugh.
A more comfortable silence fell over them for a moment. Not quite looking at him, Daniel softly asked, "What's your impossible wish this year?"
Jack frowned. "The same as yours, Daniel," he said with a sigh. Then mentally kicked himself for saying it. Not that it wasn't true. Jack had wanted the same thing since Charlie's death. But neither he nor Daniel needed to be reminded of their losses. Least of all at this time when Jack was determined that they forget. Or if not forget, then at least put it aside for a while.
Luckily, Jack didn't have to endure the now painful quiet for long. They had finally arrived at the party.
Frasier's house was brightly lit, decked out in all the colors those strings of blinking lights would allow. It would have been garish if it weren't so festive. Jack wondered who talked who into stringing up so many. The decorations had a parent's tendency to go overboard mixed with a child's enthusiastic decorating of all the unusual places. Jack raised a brow at the string of lights outlining the lawn.
Frasier answered the door on the fourth ring. She leaned against the frame with a glass in her hand. She smiled up at Jack, then glowered. "You're late, Colonel," she accused. "I thought you were going to skip out on me."
"I know. Sorry. Had to stop and get some things." He held up his hands to show that they were full.
She blinked at the brightly wrapped package with Cassandra's name on it and the bottle of wine with the festive ribbon. Oh, yeah, the good doctor had had a bit too much to drink. It took her a full five seconds to stare at the gifts and realize what they were. Her face turned a lovely shade of pink as she grinned at Jack.
"You're letting the cold in." She waved her glass toward the crowded living room. A bit of the off-white liquid - was that eggnog he smelled? - sloshed out, splattering her hand and the floor. "Oops," she muttered, sucking the eggnog off her hand. She blinked and frowned at the carpet. "I hope that doesn't stain," she said vaguely, but made no move to wipe the small mess up.
Instead, she somehow managed to glower and smile at the same time. "It's cold out there, Colonel." The sternness never reached her eyes. "And if I have to contend with any more cases of the flu because of draft in my house, I'm going to hold you personally responsible." She nodded once to emphasize the point, then sneezed.
Jack smiled. So the good doctor was not immune, after all. "Yes ma' am!" He winked and gave her a sloppy salute as he stepped inside. She sure knew how to keep a place nice and toasty, Jack noted with relief and pleasure. It felt good, after being out in the snow for so long.
Jack nearly got his hand mashed as he stopped her from closing the door on Daniel's face. Not that he would have been able to feel anything, both hands having gone numb sometime during the drive from Daniel's apartment. But it kept Daniel's nose from getting broken, anyway.
"These aren't the only things I brought along," he explained at the annoyed look he received. He reached out and pulled a reticent Daniel into the warmth of the party.
Frasier, at least, was not so drunk as to not know an unexpected surprise when she saw one. She treated them both to another pretty flush and pleased grin as she finally got to shut the door on the hateful cold outside.
"I'm glad you changed your mind, Daniel." The candid pleasure in her slurred words was enough to make Daniel do the blushing this time.
He was half out of his coat when Jack heard their names shrieked. He almost lost his grip on the gifts as Cassandra ploughed into him. She gave him a quick but earnest hug, then subjected Daniel to the same.
"I didn't think you were going to come," she admonished in a tone she could only have picked up from Doc Frasier.
"Jack changed my mind," Daniel said with a glance at Jack.
"And I," Jack started, just in case Cassandra had been addressing him as well, "Almost forgot to wrap this."
Her already excitement-bright eyes lit up even more at the package. "Oh, thank you!" She gave both men a one armed hug.
Cassandra turned to Frasier. "Can I open.No," she changed her mind mid-sentence. "I better wait till tomorrow." Jack grinned, knowing exactly what was on her mind. No matter how many presents you have, the unwrapping always gets done too soon.
"I'll be right back," she informed them before she raced toward the tree. Her puppy, which was hardly a puppy anymore, chose that moment to come out of hiding and help trip her up.
Jack and Daniel added their coats and hats to the pile and Frasier, being the good hostess, offered them drinks. Cassandra wound her way through the obstacle course of adults and followed them into the kitchen.
Stopping at the entrance, Cassandra turned to the dog. "Stay," she ordered. "Sit. Good girl." The dog obediently sat and happily waited for her, tail wagging and eyes watching her with absolute adoration.
Cassandra turned back to Jack and Daniel. "I made these for you." She presented them each with a small package. The bows were large enough to obscure the colorful wrapping.
"What's this?" Jack asked.
"Thank you," Daniel managed, his voice scratchy and hoarse from too much coughing.
"Well, aren't you going to open it?" Jack asked, pausing from doing just that with his own. Daniel looked a bit uncomfortable as he gazed at the tiny package in his hands. He gave an embarrassed half smile and a shrug and started opening his gift.
Daniel opened it slowly, pulling the wrapping apart at the taped seams. Jack was surprised. He had always figured Daniel to be the sort to rip into a present to find the prize, the same way he would tear into a new book or eagerly try to find the answers to a new puzzle.
Cassandra rocked on her feet, eagerly watching their faces. Jack noted the small smile on Daniel's face and grinned. He was prolonging the experience to tease her.
Daniel finally unwrapped Cassandra's handiwork. He exposed an object similar to Jack's, a piece of colorfully decorated cardboard with a safety pin attached to the back side. Jack's had a drawing of the Air Force dress cap with the words 'Colonel Jack' stenciled inside. The hat was outline in blue glitter, the letters written in silver. Daniel's had a pyramid in the background, outlined in gold glitter. His name, 'Dr. Daniel', was written in black glitter. Jack swallowed a laugh when he saw the period after the 'Dr' - it was an irregular circle with some shading that could only have been a rock.
"Cassy decided she didn't like our name badges," Frasier explained, pointing to her own new label. Hers had a bed outlined in white, with the name 'Dr. Janet' written in blue.
"It's very nice," Daniel said, attaching his new badge to his shirt. "Thank you."
"Yeah." Jack knelt to let Cassandra put it on for him. "I always knew you were an artist."
Cassandra beamed.
"So, what do you want, 'Colonel Jack'?" Frasier teased. "We have beer, punch, eggnog, and." she gestured to the counter full of bottles. Jack wasn't the only one to bring along a drink.
"Eggnog?" He gave her a look that said he wasn't so sure about that.
Frasier grinned, and looked as if she were about to loose her balance. "The good kind," she proclaimed. "And the kind that Cassy and Teal'c can drink," she added as she handed Cassandra a cup.
Easy choice. "Well, then. The good kind, of course."
"Daniel?"
"I'll have what she's drinking." He nodded toward Cassandra, who was rewarding her dog with a vigorous scratch behind the ears.
"Right. And virgin eggnog for you." She handed Daniel a cup and led them back out to the living room.
"It's too bad you weren't here sooner." Her words were steadier than her gait. "You guys missed some good fun. Like hearing the General and Colonel Makepeace sing their rendition of 'We Three Kings'. They were actually quite good."
"Well, it's been a while since I've gone caroling. I was a bit rusty." General Hammond grinned and stood at their arrival. "It's good to see that you've made it, Colonel. Dr. Jackson, how are you feeling?"
"Better, thank you," Daniel answered in something slightly louder than a whisper. He turned away to cover a harsh cough, a direct contradiction to his words.
The General winced. "Why don't you have a seat, Son?" He moved away from the couch he had recently vacated.
Jack frowned. It was saying something about exactly how he felt - Daniel didn't even put up a token protest to the offer. He sank into the seat, carefully balancing his drink on the arm rest as he pulled his legs under him. Jack almost felt bad for pulling him out of his apartment. Almost.
The General made himself comfortable on the floor next to the tree. Frasier took her seat next to Carter. She put her feet up on the coffee table between the couches, nearly knocking over a bowl of nuts and eliciting a giggle from Cassandra, who took the floor next to her. Seeing no convenient places left to sit, Jack decided to stand behind Daniel.
Jack looked around to see who had shown up. Not as many people as he had thought, unless there was more to the party in some other part of the house, or if some went home early. Teal'c was sitting relaxed on the floor next to Carter. Simmons shared the couch with Daniel. Against the far wall stood Sgts. Harriman and Davis, Davis saying something Jack couldn't hear. What ever it was, her words were causing Harriman's face to turn into a holiday color. Nurses Ellen and Clark were milling by one corner, alternately eyeing the mistletoe and Daniel, no doubt scheming ways to maneuver him under it.
Siler, if he remembered correctly, had family to go home to. And Feretti and Sg-2 were off planet with Kolvachek and Sg-9 on a diplomatic mission. He gave the room another once over. Where were Makepeace and Connor?
Everyone wore their gift from Cassandra. All the Air Force personnel had one similar to his, blue hats with silver names. The Marines had green hats with blue names. The medical personnel white beds and blue names. Daniel's and Teal'c's were the only unique ones. Teal'c's name was printed in multi-colored glitter with a background of stars.
The warmth was finally penetrating his cold hands. He took a deep breath. It smelled of eggnog and pine. The former from their drinks. The latter from the tree. It must have been a recent kill; it was still full, lush and dark green. The space underneath was well provisioned.
Jack's eyes rested on the gifts for a long moment. It was an unpleasant reminder of the spoiling he could no longer do. Five Christmas's or twenty, he was never going to see trees and gifts in quite the same way.
Jack sighed deeply. He ignored Daniel's concerned glance as he took a deep drink from his glass and tried hard not to think for a while.
"The singing was fun," Cassandra said, pulling him back to the present. "'Cept, I still don't get why kings would travel so far just to give a baby gifts."
"You'll have to get Carter to explain that to you," Jack said, giving the Major a wink.
"Hmm," Carter mumbled. "Maybe later when I'm not so drunk and stuffed."
Jack glanced from one woman to the other. They were much more intoxicated than the rest of the party. "What'd you do, start the party early?"
Frasier blushed. Carter grinned and reached for the nearly empty plate of deviled eggs. It was Cassandra who answered for them.
"Sam and Teal'c came early. Sam helped Mom cook and wrap, and Teal'c and I watched some really funny shows called 'Star Trek'. It was
great!"
Jack lifted his brows at Teal'c. "So, does this mean the next time I make a Spock reference you'll know what I'm talking about?"
Teal'c raised one eyebrow. "That would be a logical assumption."
There was a moment of stunned silence. They came to the same relization almost simultaneously; Teal'c had just made a joke. Jack was pleased to hear Daniel join in the laughter that filled the house.
Frasier glanced at her watch, then down at Cassandra. "I think it's time for bed, young lady. It's way past your bed time."
Cassandra sighed. "I know," she said through a wide yawn. "But can we sing one more song first? Please? It's so much fun."
Carter, grinning evilly, elbowed Frasier. "Yeah, one more song. Pretty please?" Jack was thankful he didn't have to hear her whine too often. She could sound just like a child when she wanted to.
The Doc shot Carter a dirty look. "I don't know. Do we really want to wake Colonel Makepeace up?"
Jack looked in the direction of Frasier's nod and found his Marine counter part leaning against the wall by the kitchen door. His eyes were closed, his glass- Jack hoped it was empty- was slowly slipping from his fingers. Makepeace was snoring loudly enough to be heard over here.
Jack grinned. "Oh, yes we do."
Frasier looked from him, to Carter, to Cassandra, then at the conspiracy of smiling adults. "All right," she sighed. "One more song. What do you want to sing?"
Cassandra frowned. "I don't know. I don't know all the songs yet."
Jack chuckled. "Neither do I." Remembering the drive over, he suggested, "How about 'All I Want for Christmas'?"
Cassandra wrinkled her nose. "But I already have my two front teeth!"
Cassandra had learned some expressions from Teal'c as well as Frasier. She treated the laughing group to one his 'I'll never understand the
Tau'ri' looks.
Then she brightened. "Oh, I know!" She screwed her eyes shut, took a deep breath, and in a really soft voice sang, "All I want for
Christmas."
"I thought you didn't.."
".are more games to play,"
Ah! Jack grinned. The plea of all children, and quite a few adults he knew.
".more games to play, more games to play, "All I want for Christmas are more games to play." Cassandra opened her eyes here and gave Frasier a pointed look. "And a couple of get-out-of-jail-free cards."
"I do not understand," Teal'c put in through the giggles her song elicited. "Why would Cassandra be put into jail in the first place?"
"It's a figure of speech, Teal'c," Carter started. Between being smashed and laughing, her word were barely understandable. "The cards come from.. uhm.. some." She waved her hand, helplessly searching for the word.
"Some game," Jack provided dryly.
"Right. Game!" She flashed Teal'c an apologetic smile. "I'll explain later when I can think again."
"That should be interesting."
"Leave her alone, Jack."
Jack glanced down at Daniel. Daniel shrugged with one shoulder. "She 's too out of it to appreciate it."
"True."
Cassandra put off going to bed for as long as she could by giving every last one of them a hug. Makepeace woke up long enough to return her hug and put his glass down.
Jack watched Cassandra and her four legged shadow disappear up the stairs. "So, I take it she wants games for Christmas."
Frasier looked at the ceiling. "That kid has played half the games in the toy store already. And she can beat me in every last game we have here. But from the sounds of it, singing is going to become her next obsession."
"But singing is fun!" Carter spoke up in Cassandra's defense. She laid her head on the back of the couch. "I liked her idea. I have one...if I can remember how the song goes," she muttered. A moment later, she started in a wavering voice.
"All I want for Christmas is Martouf near me."
Jack winced. He and Daniel weren't the only ones feeling lonely.
".Martouf near me, Martouf near me."
"Well, at least she kept the rhymes of the original song."
Carter lifted her head to glare at him. "Quiet, sir. I'm singing. Now, where was I?"
"Something about Martouf."
"Oh, yeah." She started again.
".All I want for Christmas is Martouf near me,
"And a particle accelerator would be nice too."
"I don't know, Carter. I don't think there's a tree large enough to put that under."
She ignored his comment and held up her glass as if in a toast. "So, who's next?"
There was some polite refusals muttered here and there. Across the room, Harriman vigorously shook his head at Davis's suggestion that he take up the mantle.
"I guess I'm good for a verse," The General said, sparing the poor Sergeant more embarrassment. He cleared his throat.
"All I want for Christmas is a new stunned look."
The guy could actually sing! Jack was impressed.
".A new stunned look, a new stunned look."
"But you have such an impressive repertoire, sir."
The General shot Jack a look that was a cross between annoyance and amusement.
".All I want for Christmas is a new stunned look,
"And for SG1 to spare me a heart attack or two!"
"I'll second that notion," a sleepy Makepeace put in, earning good natured glares from the team in question.
Frasier pulled her feet off the table and set her glass down. "Oh, all right," she muttered as if forced to admit to something particularly unpleasant. "This is kinda fun."
"Your turn?" Carter asked, smiling.
She sighed. "Yeah, suppose it is. Okay, let's see. Oh, I know.
"All I want for Christmas is a dermal regenerator, or cortical stimulator.."
"How did she make that fit the song?" Jack wondered aloud, impressed.
".All I want for Christmas is new transphase inducer."
"Hey, Doc, that's the wrong profession."
"Jack, quit making her laugh," Daniel softly complained. "I want to hear how she finishes."
".And an emergency transporter too!"
"Alright, Teal'c! No more cultural research before a party."
"I may be forced to make that an order," the General put in with a smile.
"Who's next?" Carter asked, looking around the small group by the coffee table. She grinned. "Teal'c?"
Teal'c raised on eyebrow. "I do not understand this ritual."
"Welcome to the club," Jack muttered.
Teal'c's other brow joined the first. "I will, however, attempt this ritual song."
"Well, it hardly a.."
Daniel glanced up at him. "Hush, Jack," he said between a cough and a sniffle. "It should be interesting to see what he comes up with."
Teal'c was silent a moment. He sat a little straighter.
"All I want for Christmas is to understand the Tau'ri,
"Understand the Tau'ri, understand the Tau'ri."
"Well, I could have told you *that* much," Jack muttered.
"Jack!" Daniel's scolding was barely heard.
".All I want for Christmas is to understand the Tau'ri,
"And perhaps more of this eggnog drink, as well."
"I thought you didn't drink, Teal'c."
"He isn't," Frasier replied. "He refused the good stuff."
"You mean plain old eggnog makes him drunk?"
"I am not drunk, O'Neill."
"Daniel, you want to go next?" Carter asked, cutting off the argument before it got too far out of hand.
Daniel blushed and shook his head vigorously.
"Ah, come on, Daniel," Frasier joined in, "I bet you could come up with something interesting."
"He probably could," Jack agreed. And saved Daniel from one source of embarrassment by providing another. "But seeing as his throat hurts and his voice is off, I'll sing for him."
"Uh, Jack," Daniel protested hoarsely. "I think I'd rather.."
"Don't be silly," Jack admonished. "I know exactly what you want.
"All he wants for Christmas are more rocks to find.."
Daniel slid down in the couch a little, his face getting redder.
".more rocks to find, more rocks to find."
"Artifacts, Jack," Daniel piped in weakly.
Jack ignored the comment and continued on.
".All he wants for Christmas are more rocks to find,
"And his voice back so he can yell at me, too."
"You got that right."
"You're turn, sir."
Jack put his hands up. "I already sang once."
"For Dr. Jackson, Colonel," the General put in. He was enjoying this situation far too much, Jack thought.
Jack sighed. "Okay, okay. My turn.
"All I want for Christmas is more of everything."
"You would, Jack!"
".friends smiling."
Even as he sang those words, Jack realized they were true. And he had thought it would be just as impossible as any of the other things he's ever asked for.
".my friends singing."
"Quick, Janet," Carter stage whispered, "get the Colonel a drink."
"Yeah," Makepeace put in, "he's getting sentimental on us."
"I am not!" Jack protested.
"Are too, Jack." Daniel smiled up at him.
"Not!"
"Too."
"Not."
"Jack, the rest of the song."
"Darn, I was hoping to get out of it.
"Sir!"
Jack grinned. He was feeling remarkably good, considering. Maybe it was the drink. Or the company. Or maybe it was that he was granted the seemingly impossible this year. His team, both SG-1 and those of the SGC, were together and having fun. And their smiles were touching both their faces and their eyes. And Jack's case, his heart.
"There are only two more lines," he grumbled, and winked. Then took a deep breath and bellowed,
".All I want for Christmas is more of everything,
"And for someone to laugh at a joke or two!"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Hope everyone has a happy holiday!