All Christmas in July Posts are standalones, no second parts, FYI

“Don’t you think you’re taking this Christmas in July stuff just a little too seriously?”

Jim eyed his best friend, Leonard “Bones” McCoy, as he strung multicolored lights all over the artificial tree he’d just set up in his dorm room at Starfleet Academy.

“What do you mean?”

Bones snorted. “I don’t know. Do you know anyone else who is setting up a holiday tree in their living space when it’s ninety degrees outside and it’s time for barbecues and picnics?”

“I can’t help it if no one else has any imagination.”

“All this because your old granny did this for you when you were a kid?”

“Don’t be disparaging my granny,” Jim warned.

“I’m not. But she’s been gone for years, right?”

“She has,” Jim admitted. “But, I don’t know, I’m kind of missing her and the whole thing, so I figured why not. What’s wrong with a little festive cheer out of season. There’s even a song about it.”

“We Need a Little Christmas. Yeah, you told me. If anyone knew about this little quirk of yours, you wouldn’t get any dates.”

Jim rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Anyway, that’s part of my Christmas wish.”

“A Christmas wish? In July.”

Jim laughed and clapped his hand on Bones’s shoulder. “You really struggle with this concept, don’t you?”

“Fool-hardness? Yes.”

“No. Whimsy.”

Bones looked a little uncomfortable. My dad was a doctor just like me. We deal in facts, not whimsy or whatever you want to call it.”

“Okay, well, feel free to ignore the tree when you visit.”

Bone folded his arms across his chest. “Done. So what’s your wish?”

“Other than you’d stop being grumpy”

“Har har.”

“I know not gonna happen.  I shouldn’t tell you or it might not come true.”

“Seriously?”

Jim laughed again. “It probably won’t anyway so fine. My Christmas wish is to finally get Spock to say yes when I ask him out.”

“Professor Spock? The guy who failed you on the Kobayashi Maru test two times and reported you for cheating when you beat it on the third try?”

“Yep,” Jim said cheerfully.

“You’re right. You have no chance.”

“We’ll see,” Jim said, just as there was a knock on the door.

“Who could that be?” Bones wondered with a frown.

Jim merely smiled and went to the door. “Oh, Hi. Come in.”

He almost burst out laughing when Bones gaped at his Visitor.

“Good afternoon, Doctor.”

Spock, yes that Spock, gazed at Jim’s tree and arched a brow. “It is certainly brightly colored.”

“Yeah, thanks. I love these little fairy lights I got for it. Very festive, right?”

“Indeed.”

“Why is Professor Spock here?” Bones demanded.

“Bones, don’t be rude.”

“As a matter of fact, Doctor. I just finished grading the paper you submitted in my class. And I must say…fascinating.”

“Fascinating?”

Spock shrugged. “Interesting if you prefer.”

“What I would prefer is to skedaddle right out of here.”

“Not staying for dinner?”

“Hell no.” Bones made for the door.

“How about you, Spock? Want to have dinner?”

“Yes, that does sound agreeable.”

Bones muttered, “I don’t believe it.” And then he was gone.

Spock looked at Jim. “What was that about?”

“Never mind him. He’s always like that. Sugar plum tea?’

Spock nodded. “Christmas in July is really a thing?”

“In my family it is. My granny made a big deal of it.”

“I would have liked to meet her.”

“She would have loved you.” Jim turned on his brightest smile. “Come on into the kitchen. I have cookies.”