Our fall guys return

“Ding Dong Merrily on High, In Heaven the Bells are Ringing,” Jim sang out. “Ding Dong Verily the Sky, is Riv’n with Angels Singing.”

“What is the meaning of this song you are singing, Captain?”

Jim smiled as he lifted a string of lights to the artificial Christmas tree he’d put up in the living room of the farmhouse. They’d compromised on the fake tree. He had wanted to get a real one, but Spock had shown his displeasure over killing trees.

“It basically means that a whole bunch of angels are singing in heaven because the birth of the son of God. This particular Christmas Carol is quite old.”

“From the twenty-second century?”

Jim laughed. “No older. The music is from some time in the fifteen hundreds, but the lyrics were added about three hundred years after that. Anyway, my grandmother liked the song, so that’s how I know about it. It’s not that widely sang now, probably wasn’t even before. But you know, I like to. Makes me think of her and those old days.”

“You have a pleasing singing voice, Jim,” Spock informed him.

“You don’t have to say so, I still love you even if my singing bothers you,” Jim joked.

“It does not and I meant what I said.” Spock bent over a box of ornaments they had purchased along with the tree. Jim supposed there might be ornaments and lights somewhere in the basement, he sure as hell didn’t know where, but he felt disinclined to go searching for them so they’d bought new ones. Red and Green and Silver and Gold balls. Spock removed several from the box and put some on the branches of the tree and handed some to Jim to place them himself.

Jim looked toward the kitchen and the window in it. “It’s clouding over. Which means it’s probably going to storm later.”

“Snow?” Spock could barely hide the alarm in his voice.

Jim tried not to show his amusement. “Nah. I don’t think so. I could be wrong, but it seems early in the season for that. Probably just rain.”

Spock relaxed slightly. “It seems cold enough for snow. And I can say that being cooped up inside with you is not an unpleasant undertaking.”

Jim winked. “Sounds great to me too. And even if it’s just rain, we can be cooped up together. Hell, we can just pretend. I sure don’t want to go anywhere. We have plenty of provisions. Coffee, tea, ice cream, eggnog. Lots of food. We’ll be good for several days if we want.”

They finished adding the last ornaments and then Jim connected and turned on the lights.

He stood back, arm around Spock, as they gazed at the lit, decorated tree.

Jim smiled. “Oh, wait I forgot the star for the top.”

He grabbed up the gold sequined star and stood on tiptoes to put it on. Then he returned to where Spock stood.

“What is the significance of the star?”

“I guess to represent the star that led the three wisemen to the manger when Jesus was born. Some people put other things up there. Angels and the like. But I like the star. It’s pretty, huh?”

Spock nodded. “It is.”

Jim leaned over and kissed Spock’s jaw. “Let’s grab some nog and cuddle on the couch in front of the tree.”

And as they turned toward the kitchen, Jim noticed the first flakes of snow falling. He decided not to point them out to Spock.