This is just a lame attempt to get the mood for Christmas.

Donna had hated Christmas when she had first met the Doctor, though he had worked hard to remedy that every chance he got. It was Grace that made her take a second look though, and she couldn't help but find the delight and joy of it when she saw her eyes light up. And she loved to decorate and bake and Donna was fairly sure that she would make every day Christmas if they would let her, and she had threatened the Doctor if he told her that technically every day could be in the TARDIS. Grace was smart enough to know that now, but at the time she might have taken him up on that offer and Donna couldn't bear for it all to become routine. It was far too precious for that now.

And this was Christmas Eve, at least on Earth, but it was just past midnight. And the Doctor and Donna had just sat down for a quiet moment in the library to read, with the fire going, and flickering across the walls. Grace was…somewhere…her and the TARDIS were always having fun. The TARDIS had taken to her in a way even the Doctor had said he had never seen, even though Grace was the first and the only child raised inside of the TARDIS. She made rooms for Grace, moved things, added things at only a passing thought from Grace. Donna remembered when she saw bowling lane in one of the rooms that she was certain used to be a bedroom. Grace had just shrugged and told her that she had wanted to bowl.

She heard the rapid footfall before she could hear the words but the she thought she caught the Doctors lips curl just a little. She could make out the words now that Grace was closer, "Christmas, Christmas, Christmas." She had made it into a single word song as she ran into the library and made a wide lap around them still singing and beaming at them.

When she left again and the sound of her voice faded a little Donna moved her book to the side table and looked at the Doctor "What is wrong with her?"

The Doctor shrugged but didn't look up at her. "Not sure."

"What did you do?"

"Why do you assume I did something?"

"Doctor." She used the no nonsense voice.

"Fine, she may have had some coffee."

"Coffee? Really, you know how she gets when she drinks that…just like you…you had some too didn't you?"

The Doctor looked up now, letting out the smile he had apparently been fighting and tossed his book behind him, without regard. He leapt up. "Christmas!"

"Really!" Donna growled but looking at the Doctors face she couldn't help but smile also. The energy that they were producing was too strong not to be infectious and she sighed. "Fine, find your daughter and then we will start decorating. I swear she is the female version of you."

The Doctor didn't argue, she was remarkably like him, the gentler, kinder version of him. "She got all the good stuff from you, love."

"Sweet talker," Donna murmured and began to walk to the door. "Find the child."

The Doctor nodded and took off at a run, shouting for Grace, and singing about Christmas. Donna just shook her head and went to try to find the room that held the decorations. She doubted that Grace would have let it be moved so with any luck she wasn't far from it.

DW

The Doctor was bouncing with energy but it went beyond the effects of coffee. He loved Christmas time, now that he had a family to share it with. And he loved how Donna had finally come around to see the joy that it could be, plus it was one of the rare times Grace baked and she was even better than Donna at making banana bread. She just refused to do it on most days. He found her running through the obstacle course that he had passed some time back and he had just closed the door without bothering to ask Grace why it was now there.

"Your mom says its time," he told her brightly.

"Really," she asked him from the top of the beams she was hopping across. She made to make the long jump down when the Doctor shook his head.

"If you break your leg, your mother will have my head."

Grace gave a loud sigh and took the long way back down. "It's not like I haven't done it before." She told him when she reached the bottom.

"I'm sure," he nodded and held out his hand. "Come on, decorations and then pretty please bread."

She laughed slipping her hand into his, "Fine, but I want a real tree this year. Not that thing you guys tried to pass last year that caught fire."

"That wasn't my fault. The TARIDS did that."

She nodded. "She hated it too. Real tree and I'll make enough bread to last a while."

The Doctor nodded eagerly. "Deal."

DW

The Doctor and Grace had returned and Donna had directed them in different directions to decorate. There was only so much energy that should be held in one place at one time and they were both bursting with it at that moment. Grace had taken her box and ran off down the hallway to do her will with the decorations and Donna and the Doctor stayed in the console room.

"She wants a real tree," the Doctor told Donna as he balanced on the coral and was stringing lights.

"Last year's tree was real," Donna defended her choice of tree. It was a real tree after all, just not an Earth tree. But it was so much more beautiful with the leaves glowing around the lights.

"Earth tree," the Doctor explained calmly. Donna knew that if the Doctor had already agreed, probably on the promise of bread, that that would in fact be what they were doing.

"You are such a sucker," she told him playfully.

"Well," the Doctor hopped down and pulled her to him. "It did catch on fire last year."

"Softie," she kissed his lips softly. "Just admit that you would move the world for her."

"I would move the universe for my girls," the Doctor told her kissing her again.

"Ew," Grace muttered from her spot, holding the empty box.

"Get your coat," Donna told her with a smile. "I'm sure you wanted there to be snow when we get your real tree."

"You're the best Mom," Grace told her and she headed off towards the room.

"I am kind of the best," Donna told him.

He laughed. "The very best. All right, Earth it is."