It wasn't long after she moved into the Tower that it was the holiday season. She didn't know what that would mean for her and Ronald, since they sort of lived with someone from another planet, as well as some of the widest assortment of people she'd ever come across, but she bet whatever the festivities would be, they would be utterly and completely ridiculous.

Tony Stark didn't fail her.

A week before Christmas, an email was sent out to all occupants of the Tower, announcing a Christ-Hannu-Kwanz-Asgard party.

Dear Freeloaders

We will be having a holiday celebration. In the interest of not excluding anyone's religious beliefs, we will be having a super fun celebration that encompasses basically everything, so no one can complain. Presents are mandatory. Receiving that is. I don't care if you get me or anyone else a present, but I will give you gifts and you will like them.

Alcohol will be provided, and no Thor, you cannot bring Asgardian mead.

Our super awesome fun party will be on December 23rd, starting sometime in the afternoon, and ending the next day, or whenever the alcohol runs out, and let's face it, this is a Stark party, which means never. Also, guests are okay as long as they're not completely insane, and no more than two per person. And they don't get presents from me.

Tony hadn't even bothered to sign it.

Thor replied shortly after, and managed to send it to everyone.

FRIEND TONY, THE WINTER CELEBRATION ON ASGARD IS CALLED YULE AND IS SIMILAR TO YOUR CHRISTMAS.

Tony sent one back, to everyone, which she assumed was for amusement sake, because Tony knew how to work a computer.

Okay big guy, but I'm going to keep the name. Next year we can come up with something together. Are you bringing Jane?

VERILY. LADY DARCY ALSO WISHES TO COME. LADY JANE WISHES THE FINE ERIK SELVIG TO COME AS WELL. I HOPE YOU CAN MAKE AN EXCEPTION FOR THE LIMIT OF TWO GUESTS.

Of course. Clint and Darcy are bros. Can't say no to her. But I'm serious, you can't bring Asgardian mead.

IT SADDENS ME, MAN OF IRON, BUT I AGREE TO YOUR TERMS.

She heard that Coulson would be bringing a pair of scientists that he had worked with, and that Bruce would be bringing a scientist friend. Tony would have Pepper, of course, and his friend Rhodey would be coming as well. Steve didn't seem to have any friends outside of the Avengers, or if he did, she'd never heard about them. Clint and Natasha were both also mysteries; their best friends seemed to be each other.

She spent the next couple of days panicking over gifts.

"He said he doesn't want or expect gifts," Ronald told her, sighing while she flipped through catalogues and perused online stores.

"Of course he doesn't, he's rich and can buy anything his little billionaire heart desires. It's everyone else I'm worried about." She tossed away another catalogue.

"Then, I don't know, get them all socks or something," Ron sighed.

She threw a catalogue at him.

"Okay, fine, not getting them all socks," he amended.

"If you're not going to be helpful, then just be quiet," Miranda muttered. Ron took the hint and shut up for the next while.

She finally settled on gifts for all of them, however ridiculous they might be. New York was a magical place in that sense, because she could find the most unusual things, all within a short tube ride.

She came home with bags of gifts and rolls of wrapping paper, and threw them at Ronald to wrap while she went to soak in the enormous bathtub.

There were a lot of things about London she did miss, and a lot of things she didn't miss, but she certainly appreciated the weather there, which was less biting cold than New York.

Ron had only managed to wrap two things by the time she emerged, wrinkled like a prune and thoroughly thawed, which was probably for the best, because she'd forgotten to tell him which present was for who, and he hadn't labelled them.

(Not that she told him, but she rewrapped the two he'd already done.)