Day Twelve: How Do You Make Finding Something Ugly Stressful?

Sam reached out and caught Vala's elbow, pulling her out of the way of a handful of harried looking parents hurrying out of the toy store. Vala had spotted another display of ugly Christmas sweaters and, for reasons neither she nor Carolyn understood, it was like a moth to a flame. "Do you want an ugly sweater?" she asked after Vala thanked her for the save.

"I don't understand why I'm supposed to want one," Vala said, looking at the glittery, blinking stormtrooper-themed sweater from a distance. "Everything else says Christmas is supposed to be beautiful and stunning and giving gifts and then all of a sudden you're like 'nope, time to buy a sweater… for myself… that I'll probably only wear once… the uglier the better.' How is that the festive Christmas spirit?"

"It's just a silly tradition," Carolyn assured her, "and a fairly new one at that. I always figured that somebody decided it was too stressful to compete with each other in fancy clothes so they started bucking the system. And now corporate America is involved and it'll end up costing more to wear an ugly sweater than a nice one."

Vala wrinkled her nose. "Well, I don't like that part but… Teal'c does love Star Wars and I couldn't think what to get him so I think I'll get him that. I bet he'll like the quirkiness of it."

"He'll love it," Sam said, laughing because she knew that he actually would.

Stormtrooper sweater purchased and bagged, they waded back into the holiday rush of the mall concourse a few minutes later in search of gifts for the other boys in their group. Their shopping was done for their significant others so the goal was to find what Sam had termed 'friend gifts.' The boys were supposed to be finding 'friend gifts' for the girls.

Carolyn threw out her arms suddenly, smacking both Sam and Vala because she was walking between them. "Oh my god, that's it."

"I feel like Carolyn's just had an idea," Vala remarked dryly, rubbing her arm.

"You think?" Sam laughed. "I don't know…"

Her cheeks a little flushed, Carolyn apologized to them. "But I actually did have an idea since we've been walking around so long not knowing what to get. And the sweater inspired me."

Vala snickered. "That might be alarming."

"No, no. It's like how you said Teal'c will like the quirkiness of it… what if we pick something they like, like Star Wars, but find a quirky side to it, like an ugly sweater. Like… I don't know… one of those fake fish mounted on wood that sings 'I Will Survive' for General O'Neill."

Sam clapped her hands together. "He's always looking at those but never bought one. It's perfect. Now quirky things for Daniel and Cam…"

"And watch out for singing fish," Vala said, having seen ads for the singing bass but not having trusted it was a real thing. Earth people could be so confusing.

Over the next few hours, they bought a double-sided 3000 piece jigsaw puzzle that featured a collage of book covers for Daniel and 'blind date with a retro game' pair of PlayStation games that for Cam on a console that Carolyn assured them he had. They got them each a less quirky, more useful gift as well and took all six packages to the gift-wrapping station where Vala let the others do the wrapping while she texted Daniel that everybody was getting two things.

Fine, he replied, and good because that's we got each of you too. What am I getting?

That's not how Christmas works! she text-scolded back. But you'll like it! ;)