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Something Elio wasn't really prepared to do once he started spending more time at the Communiverse was explain aspects of Earth's culture. He'd figured the other cultures from the different Communiverse members would be so interesting, they wouldn't really care about Earth.
But it turns out there was definitely an interest as Elio had been asked to explain things like animation, dubstep, and influencers.
And when Elio had offhandedly mentioned his town's Christmas decorations and was then asked what Christmas was, some of the ambassadors expressed interest.
Turns out there were similar holidays on other planets. Helix explained that on Falluvinum, on the day the planet is supposed to complete it's cycle around the sun, families and friends will gather and celebrate by singing songs and sharing what they're thankful for. Questa explained that on Gom, entire cities will gather together and perform ceremonies to ring in the Winter Solstice. Tegmen explained that on Tegmen, there are no seasons and the planet stays hot and dry the entire solar cycle, so there is no purpose in celebrating each cycle's completion. And Grigon said there were holidays on Hylurg, but not like any of the holidays others shared and left it at that.
So, when Elio invited them to Earth on Christmas Day to see what it was like, they were very interested. Grigon said he was only going for Glordon, but he was secretly happy other members of the Communiverse were starting to trust him.
Elio had already brought up the idea to Olga and Samuel and, while Olga was initially a bit hesitant, she ultimately decided having some of the Ambassadors over for Christmas was fair after everything they'd done for Elio and her.
So, the three of them spent Christmas Eve partaking in some Christmas traditions Elio and Olga usually practiced, now sharing them with Samuel: watching some classic Christmas specials, playing some games, and preparing and eating cerdo asado. They also exchanged gifts tonight before the others arrived tomorrow. And Elio put some finishing touches on his gift for tomorrow after Olga and Samuel went to sleep.
Olga had to get up early so she could go pick the guests up from their arrival point at the beach. Thankfully, she was already used to getting up early on Christmas after previous years with Elio.
She also had to borrow Melmac's van just to get everyone back to her house, and explaining that she had proper clearance to bring everyone onto the army base to the MP at the gate took a bit of time and a phone call or two.
And now everyone was gathered in the living room, drinking hot cocoa while Olga explained what a Christmas tree is and Elio shared some of the different Christmas movies they could watch. Samuel was the only one absent, working on something in the kitchen.
"I still say we should watch the conquerings of this John McClane," Grigon argued, "From the sounds of it, he would be considered a glorious warrior on Hylurg."
"Oh, but the emotions and stories in Love Actually sound absolutely enchanting," Questa countered, "So many stories of love all in one picture..."
"I wish to learn more about this Santa Claus figure," Helix retaliated, "And Ambassador Solís argued the Santa Clause is the best film to learn about them."
"I want to watch In Bruges," Tegmen opposed, "It sounds nihilistic and subversive."
"We appear to be at an impasse," Helix appealed to the Solís family, "Would any of you be able to help us reach a decision?"
"Well, those are all great," Elio mused, "But I think we should show them a Christmas movie they might be able to relate to a bit more..."
"We are not showing them Santa Claus Conquers the Martians," Olga stopped.
"But it's so fun," Elio argued, "You can't tell me you don't jump every time the old guy explodes into smoke."
"Be that as it may," Olga continued, "I think we should watch a more traditional Christmas movie for our guests' first Christmas."
"I like Arthur Christmas," Samuel shouted from the kitchen, "I've never seen Christmas portrayed in such an efficent, structured way."
"Yeah, real efficient," Elio murmured, "That's why Santa forgets a kid and almost ruins Christmas."
"Elio," Olga scolded, "I think a good introductory Christmas movie for everyone would be Home Alone. It has a little bit of everything: comedy, emotional moments..."
"Oh," Elio interjected, "A kid does use booby traps to stop two guys from breaking into his house, so Grigon might like that."
"A child striking down two assailants," Grigon questioned, "They must not have been very skilled."
"Yeah," Olga conceded, "Not really."
"Alright," Samuel announced, bringing a tray of cookies into the living room, "The Mantecaditos are ready. Who's hungry?"
Once Samuel was done passing out the cookies, Elio cleared his throat to get everyone's attention.
"Before we start the movie," Elio interjected, "Now that we're all here, we should exchange our gifts. Everyone have them?"
That was another Christmas tradition Elio told them about: Secret Santa. Everyone chooses a name and they have to bring a gift for that person. Most of the ambassadors didn't see much of a point to this, since they could all get pretty much anything they wanted thanks to the Communiverse's technology, but Elio seemed adament that gift giving was an important part of Christmas so they agreed to partake.
"Yes," Helix confirmed, "We all brought them, per your instructions."
"Great," Elio cheered, "Who wants to give their's first?"
"I'll go first," Tegmen volunteered, "I was instructed to get a gift for Olga, so I went to the farthest reaches of Tegmen to get her something special."
Tegmen then held up a wrapped box, which Olga gladly took, only to realise how heavy it was.
"Good," Tegmen noted, "Judging from your reaction to the weight, I can tell you haven't gotten something quite like this before."
"Yeah," Olga acknowledged, sitting down while trying not to tumble, "Definitely interested to see what it is."
Olga then unwrapped and opened the box to reveal its contents: a rock.
"It's a rock," Olga stated, lifting the rock up to show everyone.
"Oh, that's not just a rock," Tegmen explained, "That's a piece of the stone that contains one of the earliest fossils discovered on Tegmen. Every piece of that stone is considered sacred among my species. And, as a sign of goodwill among our two planets, I want you to have it."
"Oh, wow," Olga gasped, realizing this gift was much more significant than she initially thought, "Thank you."
"I realize I have set the bar rather high for the rest of you," Tegmen observed, "And for that, I do not apologize."
"OK," Olga stated, "Who wants to go next then?"
"I actually really wanna see what Grigon's giving," Elio breathed.
"Ah, yes," Grigon acknowledged, "It must be eating you up inside wondering what a mighty warrior such as myself could give as a "present". I am honestly surprised I did not go first."
Grigon may have been a member of the Communiverse now, but his ego still hadn't changed.
"I was tasked with getting a gift for the clone child," Grigon began.
"Samuel," Olga interrupted, "His name is Samuel."
"Yes," Grigon brushed off, "Of course."
Samuel being a part of Elio's family was something most members of the Communiverse needed time to get used to.
They were all surprised at first, since no ambassador had ever wanted to keep their clone around like Elio did and no clone ever felt the need to stay after their purpose was fulfilled.
It took everyone a different amount of time to come to terms with this.
Questa and Glordon accepted Samuel as Elio's brother pretty much immediately. Helix and Tegmen took some time, but were soon able to recognize Samuel for who he was.
As for Grigon...it wasn't that Grigon saw Samuel as just a clone. He just couldn't seem to get his name right.
Although, to be fair, he couldn't seem to remember any of the Communiverse members' names.
"I noticed that," Grigon monologued, "Like your brother, you are puny and weak. But, your brother was able to demonstrate impressive skills with an arm cannon."
Olga cringed a bit when remembering that. She still didn't like thinking about some of the things Elio did when he was pretending to be the leader of Earth.
"So," Grigon concluded, bringing out a small bag stuffed with wrapping paper, "I went ahead and got you something to help you protect yourself and your family."
Olga looked skepticly at the bag as Samuel began to take out the wrapping paper. This then revealed a lighter version of the same gun Elio used on Grigon's ship.
"Oh, wow," Samuel unsurely gasped.
"That's about what I expected," Elio noted.
"Are you kidding me," Olga questioned, grabbing the gun from Samuel, "You brought a weapon onto an army base? Humans who do that get court martialed!"
"This is not like the cannons I possess on my ship," Grigon countered, "This was specially designed to help train weaker individuals like yourselves. The worst it will do is supply a light sting."
That made Olga relax a little, knowing Grigon's gift wasn't as dangerous as she thought.
"It would probably be good to know how to shoot properly," Samuel thought out loud, "In case I ever needed to use a real weapon for some reason."
"Alright," Olga relented, "But only use it when I'm here and can help you practice."
"Have fun with that," Elio brushed off, "I'm never touching one of those things again."
"I suppose we can now move on to Ambassador Grigon's son," Helix suggested.
"Alright," Glordon began, "Well, I got myself for Secret Santa, and I didn't really know what to get myself, so I asked Elio if I could have his shirt with the little green thing on it. I've always liked that shirt."
"That's what that thing is," Grigon questioned.
"Yeah," Glordon answered, "It took me a while to replace his scent on it with mine."
"OK, for the record," Elio pointed out, "If you get yourself for Secret Santa, you're supposed to tell somebody. The whole point is to get gifts for somebody else."
"Does that mean I have to give the shirt back," Glordon asked, "It helps keep me cozy while I sleep."
"No, that's ok," Elio brushed off, "You can keep it."
"I can go next," Samuel volunteered, "Since I was the last one to actually get a gift."
Samuel then grabbed a wrapped present from under the tree and handed it to Tegmen.
"So, I got Ambassador Tegmen," Samuel announced, "I'm sorry, I don't know any of you that well, so I didn't really have much of an idea on what to give. So, I hope this is ok."
Tegmen then tore the wrapping off the present to reveal a book titled Roadside Geology of Northern and Central California.
"I thought you might be interested in learning about Earth's geology, and you could start with this area, since it's the only place on Earth you've been," Samuel explained, "I know you have access to the Universal Users Manual, but this can present the topic from someone on Earth's perspective."
Tegmen had to admit, he was a bit intrigued by what Samuel was offering him.
"Thank you, Samuel," Tegmen thanked, "I do think this would be interesting. I will be sure to read it."
Samuel gave a soft smile. He was happy he'd gotten the right gift.
"I guess I can go next," Olga volunteered.
Olga then went to the fridge brought back a tall, thin bag that made clinking sounds as she carried it in one hand and an empty glass in the other.
"I guess I don't really know that much about any of you either," Olga admitted, handing the bag to Helix, "So, I asked Elio and he told me about this drink you really like called glorp, so I think you might like these."
A bit confused, Helix looked in the bag to see two full bottles, each labeled Uptown Cocktails Strawberry Margarita. He took one of the bottles out, opened it, poured some of the contents into the glass, and took a drink.
The noise Helix made was one nobody in that room had heard him make before.
"Oh my," Helix gasped, "I don't think I've ever tasted anything quite like this. It's exquisite!"
"Oh, good," Olga breathed out, "I'm glad you like it."
Helix then chugged the rest of the glass and started pouring himself another glass.
"Uh, you might want to pace yourself," Olga cautioned, "I'm not exactly sure how that's going to affect you."
"Perhaps you can give the next gift before you start...indulging yourself," Questa suggested.
"Oh, a splendid suggestion, Ambassador Questa," Helix praised, "I suppose you are excited to get to your gift."
"Oh," Questa gasped, "I'm your Secret Santa?"
"Yes," Helix responded, pulling a wrapped present from behind his spot on the couch, "And I'm sure you will be very happy with your gift."
Questa took the wrapped present, removed the wrapping, and found a simple journal.
"Oh," Questa stammered, "I..."
"This way, you can write down all of your thoughts throughout the day and come to terms with them," Helix explained.
Questa didn't have to read Helix's mind to know he picked this out at the last minute. Why would she write her thoughts down? She already knew her thoughts.
But, everyone else seemed to express satisfaction with their gifts, and Questa didn't want to spoil Christmas, so she played along.
"Thank you, Helix," Questa accepted, "I'm sure I will make great use of this."
"Of course," Helix responded, getting back to his own gift.
"I suppose I'll go next," Questa moved on, "Elio, please come forward."
"Uh, ok," Elio stammered, not understanding why Questa was having him do this but moving in front of her anyways.
"Now, as I'm sure you pieced together, I recieved your name for Secret Santa," Questa explained, "And, after a good deal of thought, I was able to think of the perfect gift for you."
Elio was starting to get giddy. He had to admit, he was most interested in seeing what Questa's gift would be befire he even knew he'd be the one recieving it.
"However," Questa clarified, "Unlike the others, my gift will not actually be physical."
Elio's curiosity continued to grow.
"I know how much you love the Communiverse," Questa continued, "And I'm sure you would've loved to see it when it was created."
Elio admittedly hadn't ever really thought about the Communiverse's history before, but now that Questa had brought it up, he did start to wonder what exactly it was like in it's early days, long before he got there.
"Wait," Elio questioned, "Are you trying to say that you can take me back in time?!"
"Oh no," Questa answered, "I can't do anything like that, at least not in the way you're probably thinking."
Now Elio was starting to get confused.
"Here," Questa offered, her antennae starting to glow like when she read others' minds, "Let me show you, if I have permission to enter your mind."
Elio nodded his head to give permission, leading Questa to place her antennae on Elio's head.
And, in an instant, Elio experienced it all.
He saw, through Questa's eyes, the beginning of the Communiverse. A younger Helix and an about-the-same looking Tegmen, some Communiverse members he'd never even met, the construction process of the ship, its maiden voyage.
And he didn't just see it. He could feel the wind in his face while wizzing around the structure, he could hear the chatter of different alien species in their native tongues, he could smell the folliage of different planets being brought together, and he could feel the prototype of the universal translator latching on, a feeling he was familiar with yet still felt different now.
It wasn't like Elio's memory had been altered, he didn't now think he was there for any of this. It was more like him and Questa now shared these specific memories, and all the feelings that came with them.
As Questa pulled her antennae away, Elio just looked at her with a look of awe that matches the one he had when he first saw the Communiverse.
"Wow," Elio gasped, "That was incredible."
"I thought you would appreciate that," Questa responded.
"Thank you," Elio thanked.
"It was my pleasure," Questa brushed off.
"Well," Tegmen stated, "That leaves only one gift left."
"I suppose it is fitting you would give your gift last, Ambassador Solís," Helix noted, "Since you are the reason we're here today."
Elio nodded, the impact of four different alien species in his living room on Christmas never lost on him, as he got the last wrapped present from under the Christmas tree.
"Well, Lord Grigon," Elio began, "You can probably guess I'm your Secret Santa since you're the only one who hasn't gotten a gift yet."
"Yes," Grigon responded, "And I'm sure you're aware that I will not be won over by any of the sentiment or boozy drinks the others have provided."
"Yeah, I was totally lost on what to even get you for a while," Elio admitted, "Even Earth's weapons, the ones you have on your ship are ao much more advanced."
"Just so you know," Olga clarified, "You giving a gun as a Christmas present was never on the table."
"Anyway," Elio contunued, "I decided to talk to Glordon, see if he had any advice. He told me about something that I thought might work."
Grigon was skeptical. What could his son have possibly told Elio would serve as a worthy gift?
Grigon removed the wrapping and saw a metal box with a wooden top. He removed the wooden top and saw something that actually made his jaw drop. Something he hadn't seen since he was Glordon's age.
"Is that roasted diredirus," Grigon questioned.
"Glordon told me your nursemaid used to make it for you," Elio explained, "He helped me get in touch with a Hylurg who could get me the meat and other ingredients. I made it last night and put it in that box to keep it warm."
It did indeed look warm, like it just came from the flames.
Grigon immediately started devouring it, just like he used to when he was a boy.
"It tastes just like she used to make it," Grigon gasped.
"I'm glad you like it," Elio beamed, "I'm not as good of a cook as Samuel, but I wanted this to be personal."
Olga took Elio and Samuel in her arms. Glordon nuzzled into his Dad, an action Grigon allowed this one time. The other ambassadors smiled sweetly at these displays of familial affection.
"Merry Christmas, Dad," Glordon stated.
For the first time that day, Grigon smiled.
"Merry Christmas, indeed," Grigon responded.