This story is a SG-1 one, done for the 2021 calendar.
No sooner had he walked through the Gate, that someone shoved a mug full of some sort of sparkling mulled wine into Jack's hands.
Looking up, he smiled at his donor, and pretended to take a sip.
" Very good" he pressed, widening his facade smile even more.
The whole village was celebrating. Colorful mats had been erected and garlands of multicolored fabric hung everywhere. Musicians played catchy rhythms, and on long tables set up in the main street, a real feast was offered to everyone.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sam discreetly emptying her own cup of wine into a vase of flowers.
It was their fifth New Year's Eve party in less than two days. They got a little carried away with the first ones, but they were still on duty, and there was no excuse for getting drunk on a mission. Casually, he mimicked his subordinate, while Teal'c gulped his own drink down.
That bastard. He was cheating with his symbiote!
A woman, steamy pitcher in hand, approached Jack. He immediately pretended to have some left to drink. The woman turned, leaving to serve other revelers.
Someone tried to invite him to dance. He politely refused, objecting that he didn't want to step on anyone's foot and that he was a little hungry.
Finally, he managed to join Teal'c who was sitting at a table, so that he could watch everything around.
"So, that mulled wine?"
"Excellent" replied the Jaffa.
Noticing some kind of cookies, Jack pointed to them.
" You tasted them yet?"
Teal'c nodded negatively.
"So I will sacrifice myself." the colonel noted, taking one.
Those were indeed some kind of cookies. Saltier than he expected, but not bad at all. He nibbled his quietly. He wasn't hungry, but who was really hungry on New year's Eve?
He was about to attack his fourth cookie when, a little out of breath, his glasses askew and his hair disheveled, Jackson crash-sat on the bench next to him.
"So Daniel, are you having fun?"
The archaeologist gulped down a tall glass of mysterious fruit juice before answering.
"I'm not having fun, Colonel. I'm studying ! "
" Yeah yeah. And so, are you studying well? "
" Of course! My theory seems correct for now. For some, as yet, unknown reason, it would seem that the peoples of Europe were all placed on worlds with very similar annual revolutions. All of these planets celebrate their New Year almost at the same time! Amazing, don't you think, Jack? "
He shrugged.
"There must be millions of inhabited worlds in the galaxy. It makes sense that some celebrate New Years at the same time. "
"Certainly, but worlds inhabited by people from the same culture ! It's way too unlikely to be a mere coincidence! "
"Daniel, the last ones made us wear ridiculous hats and sing along while hopping on one foot, and the ones before that tried to steal your clothes to sit you in a bath with a lovely young lady. I wouldn't say these people have the same culture." he noted, gesturing to the tables, musicians and dancers.
Jackson looked puzzled for a moment, then chuckled.
"These are really minor cultural differences. "
"If you say so. Well, do you have enough data for your research? "
" No, not yet. I need to study some more worlds! There are four left on my list. "
With a sigh, Jack stood up, leaning on his thighs.
"So, what are we waiting for? Let's go, otherwise we'll still be there next year! "