Wilf helps the Doctor prepare for Christmas.

Wilf still felt a little thrill run through him every time the Doctor showed up for a visit. The knowledge that the completely human-looking man was actually a real, live alien sparked something deep inside of him that had been present since he was a child; a sense of wonder that there was so much more out there than he could ever possibly imagine. "Hello there," he greeted the Doctor in cheerful tones. "Have you brought my granddaughter home for a visit?"

The Doctor grinned as he offered Wilf a thermos of tea. "I have, yes. She asked me to bring you this."

Wilf took the thermos and wrapped both hands tightly around it. "Ah, thank you. My fingers were starting to go a bit numb."

The Doctor reached for the blanket Wilf always kept folded on the back of his chair. He spread it out on the ground and sank down onto it, tucking his long legs up underneath him as he settled in for an evening of astronomy chat. "So, what are we looking at tonight?"

"Oh, not much, I'm afraid. It's a bit too cloudy out to see anything right now, but I'm hoping the sky will clear up before long."

"Yeah," the Doctor agreed.

"That reminds me," Wilf began, "Christmas is coming up at the end of the week. Are you ready?"

"Christmas?" the Doctor asked, wrinkling his brow.

Wilf frowned as he realized the Doctor wasn't prepared at all, and then he gasped as he realized something. "Oh, you wouldn't know, would you, son? Last time, you were busy at Donna's wedding." He smiled. "You're in for a real treat. Christmas is a traditional holiday on Earth. We have decorated trees, lights and songs, and we exchange gifts and eat a special meal. It's lovely, and I know that Donna claims to hate Christmas, but I also know for a fact that she'll be upset if you don't get her a gift. But don't worry, I'll help you get everything ready. You'll have a marvelous first Christmas here on Earth!"

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Er, I'm actually quite familiar with Christmas, Wilf. I just didn't realize that it was coming up so soon. Time travel and all of that." He shrugged. "But thank you for offering to help."

"Right." Wilf nodded sheepishly. "Well, I suppose Christmas must be celebrated on other planets as well."

"Oh, yes, on plenty of them," he said. "But not mine. I've only been acquainted with Christmas since I started spending time Earth. It's a wonderful holiday. I just love it. We didn't have anything like it back on Gallifrey."

"No?"

"We only had a few festivals in honor of important people and scientific advances. None of the fun you lot have here."

"Oh, I'm sure your festivals must have been something wonderful." Wilf couldn't even entertain the thought that an alien celebration might be boring. Still, he sensed that the Doctor didn't talk about these things often, and he didn't want to say anything that might be taken the wrong way.

The Doctor shook his head. "Maybe if you enjoy standing around, listening to twelve hours worth of speeches in honor of the person who invented food replacement cubes. And they didn't even serve nibbles. Just the cubes."

Wilf's shoulders sunk. "Oh. Well, I guess not."

"But see, Christmas is great," the Doctor continued. "All sorts of fun things to see and do." He tugged on his ear. "Speaking of, what kind of gifts does Donna like?"

Wilf smiled at the other man. "That's for you to decide. Get her something special."

"Well, that narrows it down," the Doctor said dryly.

"Don't worry. I'm sure she'll love whatever you give her." Wilf took a sip of his tea. "Do you decorate your ship?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Can't say that I do."

"I bet she'd love it if you did."

"Maybe I should give it a try," the Doctor mused. "If you really think she'd like it."

"I really do," Wilf said, as a smile spread across his face. "Oh, I've got an idea. Why don't you and I go out and do a bit of shopping? The girls won't miss us or the car, and neither will the stars. I can help you find some decorations and a decent gift."

The Doctor grinned as he stood up from the blanket. "Wilf, you're brilliant! Now I see where Donna gets it from."

Donna hugged her mum and grandad as she and the Doctor prepared to leave. "I'll miss you," she said, as she stepped back and took the Doctor's hand. Leaving always made her sad, even though she knew she could always come back.

"Ready to go?" he asked her softly.

"I am." She squeezed his hand and smiled at him.

"Now, you've got to promise me to come back on Christmas Day," Sylvia told the Doctor and Donna. "Both of you are welcome at the dinner table."

"We'll be there," the Doctor assured her, sharing a look with Wilf. "I promise."

With a few more goodbyes, they were out the door and on their way back to the TARDIS. The Doctor couldn't help but bounce a little as he walked, tugging on Donna's hand to hurry her up.

"What's gotten into you?" Donna asked, grinning at him. "You must have seen something really special through Gramp's telescope tonight."

"You'll see," he said, as he unlocked the door and ushered her in.

Donna stepped into a winter wonderland with the Doctor close on her heels. Snow fell from the ceiling and blanketed the console room. Foliage and garland covered all of the controls, and a beautiful, silvery Christmas tree loomed over the jump seat.

"What's all of this?" Donna asked, her mouth open in amazement as music began playing softly in the background.

"Wilf and I decided to decorate the TARDIS for you," the Doctor explained. "We only did the console room, but you and I can decorate some other rooms together later if you like. I was thinking maybe the kitchen and the library would look nice. Do you like it?"

Donna kept looking around, holding one hand out to catch a snowflake. "But… Won't it be hard to drive with all of this stuff in here?"

"It's actually just artificial snow and frost, so driving won't be a problem. It's not cold, wet or slippery, and it goes away at the touch of a button." He paused. "Why? Don't you like it?"

"I thought you'd forgotten it was almost Christmas."

The Doctor's grin fell. "Well… Wilf reminded me. I'm sorry. I usually just sort of land and stumble into Christmas." His hand found its way to the back of his neck to rub. "We worked hard on this room, and I just thought you might like it. But that's okay. I'll take it all down."

"Oh, don't you dare. I love it!" Donna turned to face him, warmth and affection in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I just wasn't expecting this at all. It's beautiful." She opened her arms for a hug. "Come here, you."

He stepped into her embrace, letting her wrap him up in her arms. "Really? You like it? You're not just saying that?"

"I promise. It's gorgeous, like something out of a catalog." She hugged him even tighter. "Who decided to use the sonic screwdriver for the tree topper?"

"That was me," he admitted softly, casting a glance at the shining blue light on top of the tree.

"Very creative." She chuckled, and the sound was warm in his ears. "Shall we bake some banana nut bread and hot cocoa? We can come back in here to enjoy them."

"Yes, please," he answered, and grinned in delight. "Oh, but first, I have a gift for you. Wilf said I should wait and give it to you on Christmas, but we're in a time machine, so Christmas can be anytime."

"Oh, but I don't have your gift ready quite yet," she said, softly.

"That's okay. I'll be happy to open it on Christmas, but would you mind…" He dug around in his pocket and pulled out a small wrapped gift. "Go on."

She shook her head fondly at him and picked it up. She carefully unwrapped it and revealed a velvet box with two small purple diamond earrings inside. She gasped. "Oh, Doctor! How did you…" Tears filled her eyes as she examined them, turning the box left and right. "Are these hers?"

"They are," he confirmed. "Wilf told me about your Gran's purple earrings and how she'd always promised them to you when you were a little girl. I managed to find the day that she lost them and backed up until she had them on again. I told her our story, and she was more than happy to give them to me for her little Donna. She said to tell you that she loves you, and she hopes you never lose your spark for life." Eileen had also told him that he seemed like a great match for Donna as her husband, but he didn't tell Donna that part.

Donna cried as hugged him tight, thanking him over and over again, and all of the Doctor's worries faded away. He'd done well with Wilf's help. "Shh, I know," he soothed her, as his own mind drifted to a bracelet that his mum used to wear all the time. He wished that he could have just a tiny piece of her back, but he was so glad that he could this for Donna even if he couldn't do it for himself. "Here, why don't you put them on so we can see what they look like?"

She smiled at him through her tears and let go of him to do that, easily slipping the shiny posts through her own ears. "Well?"

"Beautiful," he replied, and smiled gently as he moved to hug her again.