It was John Shepherd that next brought up the subject of Christmas. He wandered into Weir's office one day when there was not much else going on. “You know, it's Christmas back home soon.”

“I know.” She replied. “I was thinking of celebrating it in some way here, letting everyone let their hair down, having some sort of celebration even if it isn't the traditional Christian Christmas we are used to. We should let everybody celebrate something in some way.”

“I agree. Do you want some help organising it? I have a few ideas.”

“That would be good John. Try and keep it a secret for now so it's a surprise for everyone.”

“I'd like to tell Teyla so we know what the Athosians would usually do for celebration. She can also help by getting her people to cut down some trees for us.”

“That's a good start. See if she has any ideas for decorating too. She knows more about living off the land than we do.”

John nodded then left, happy to know that there was something for the members of the expedition to look forward to.

~~####~~

John found Teyla in the gym teaching one of the scientists how to fight. He hung around and watched until she had finished and the scientist left. “John.” Teyla said with a smile.

“I was wondering whether you had a moment. I need your help with something.”

“Of course. Shall we get some lunch?”

“Actually I was wondering if we could go somewhere more private.” She raised her eyebrows at this. He just looked back at her. She motioned for him to lead the way.

John took Teyla to one of the many balconies around the city. “I need your help.”

“You said that already. What is it that you need my help with?” She asked, puzzled.

“On Earth, some of us have a tradition called Christmas. It is a religious celebration and happens on the 25th of December.” At her puzzled look he explained that this was soon. “I'll fill you in on the story of Christmas another time. The ones of us that are a different religion have other celebrations. Elizabeth and I thought it would be a good idea to have a celebration of some sorts, allowing people to celebrate their religions or just have some fun.”

“I also believe this to be a good idea, but what do you need my help with?”

“We need some trees. And something to decorate them and the populated areas of Atlantis with. We thought you may be able to help with that as you know how to create things from materials on the main land and none of us do. Anything colourful and decorative would be great, especially red and green.”

“We have some dyes that are very vibrant colours, and we have ways of creating decorations.”

“That would be great. We also wondered if there was anything the Athosians celebrated and if you wanted to join in?”

“There is nothing such as this Christmas. We rarely had anything to celebrate in such a way, preferring just to celebrate as a family when an occasion warranted it. We would be pleased to join though.”

“Excellent. I'll take you over to the main land and we can sort out decorations and other arrangements. Food would be good too.”

Over the next week John, Elizabeth and Teyla managed to plan decorations, food and entertainment without anybody finding out. By this time the members of the expedition were starting to look a little downhearted at the fact Christmas would be coming up soon at home. They were missing their families and friends and the thought of not celebrating Christmas at all was not making them feel any better.

Suddenly overnight decorations appeared around the base. There were trees from the mainland decorated with brightly coloured material shaped into stars and other festive shapes. There were paper chains and decorations hanging from the ceiling. There were even plants very similar to holly, ivy and mistletoe adorning some of the busiest areas.

Spirits started to lift slightly. They lifted even more when an announcement on what would be Christmas eve on Earth rang through the base. “Could I have your attention everyone. Tomorrow at 1700 please report to the mess. Any crucial areas of operation will be manned in shifts so that everyone gets to have some fun. This will be arranged and taken care of by tomorrow and everyone will know when to report where.”

The announcement caused much chatter among the members of the expedition. McKay was trying to get John to tell him what it was all about. “Come on, I'm on your team, you can't keep this a secret.”

“Rodney, I am not going to tell you, or anybody else for that matter, what's happening tomorrow. You'll have to wait and find out like everybody else. And there's no getting out of it either; I know what you're like. When Elizabeth said everybody, she meant everybody.”

“Don't worry, I'm too intrigued about what's going to happen to not turn up.”

“Good. Now stop bugging me, I have things to do.”

McKay walked away looking mildly annoyed.

John turned back to Teyla and resumed the conversation they were having when McKay interrupted. “Let's leave it for today and just sort out the mess hall tomorrow. We'll start straight after lunch and tell everyone they have to go somewhere else for the afternoon.”

“That is a good idea. Everything is ready that we can do in advance.”

“Right. Well, I think I'm going to get an early night before the festivities tomorrow. 'night.”

“Goodnight John.”

The next morning there was an air of expectation throughout the city. Work carried on as usual but everybody was happy and chatting about what was going to happen that evening. When the mess hall was closed after lunch and Elizabeth, John and Teyla disappeared into it people began to speculate on what was going to happen.

Behind the closed doors of the mess hall, amazing things were happening. A tree had been planted in a pot created by the Athosians and then decorated. There were wreathes made with the holly and ivy type plants dotted around, and a sprig of what was almost mistletoe was hung above one of the doorways. Candles made by the Athosians were dotted around the room and the lights had been dimmed, giving a cosy effect. The smells coming from the room were also delicious. The few people with cooking skills in Atlantis had been let into the secret and they were busy preparing a meal. There was a bird from the main land in place of turkey, with many native vegetables instead of the traditional. There were also other choices for the people that wanted something else because of their tastes or beliefs.

Everything was just about ready by 1700. When the doors were opened most of the expedition were already waiting outside. The few members of the team that weren't there were making sure everything in the city was running smoothly. They would be relieved in an hour's time by other people so that everyone had a chance to join the festivities.

The looks on people's faces when the doors were opened were priceless. There were smiles all around. Even McKay looked happy, but that was probably because of the food. Elizabeth was the first to speak.

“Welcome everybody. Seeing as it's Christmas Day back home we thought we'd have some celebrations of our own. Rather than a normal Christmas celebration, as there are so many of us from different cultures, we thought we'd invent our own celebration. A celebration of life, as we have been made to realise just how precious it is. I'd just like to say thank you to John, Teyla, the Athosians and the other people that helped make this happen. Now, come and choose your food then find a seat! Most importantly, have fun!”

During the evening, everybody ate, drank, talked and had fun. The food was perfect and the atmosphere was one unlike anything that had been felt on Atlantis so far.

Elizabeth was watching the goings on at the celebration from in a corner. She was thinking about how this was what Christmas should be like, and how happy everyone seemed for the first time in quite a while. She was interrupted from her thoughts by John coming up to her. “Come on, come and join in. It was your idea after all!”

She let herself be dragged back into the fun, smiling to herself, and hoping that nothing bad would happen for a while so that the atmosphere could last.