The Doctor roamed the hallways of Rhodes Island on the morning of Christmas. From the Doctor's perspective, he observed operators hanging decorations and ornaments around the interior to signify celebration. The children emanated excitement as they sprinted around with boundless enthusiasm. Despite the warnings, the children didn't slow down, nor did they listen. It was expected.

The infectious atmosphere encouraged everyone to indulge in their desires for the day off. It was a pleasant time of the year.

As for himself, he still had office work to do. At least for the morning.

It wasn't uncommon for the world to stop on Christmas, but the work he had to do was self-imposed. Still, it was a balancing act. If Rhodes Island observed global holidays per Terra, work piled up for him.

This meant an increased workload for the day after the break. However, it wasn't a problem; he could always ask for help from other operators. But it didn't hurt to get ahead of the curve.

The Doctor continued his trek to his office, greeting operators. As he passed by the dorms, he spotted Angelina and Dur-nar decorating a Christmas tree, along with Vermeil, Suzuran, Shamare, and Popukar. Perfumer and Breeze were sifting through decorations, picking out the finest ones.

The Doctor smiled and walked past them without a sound. There was no reason to interrupt them.

When the Doctor made it to his office, he lifted his identification card to the sensor but dropped it. As he picked it up, the Doctor heard footsteps. Familiar footsteps.

"Doctor, what are you doing here?"

When the Doctor looked up, he noticed Dur-nar in front of him. Instead of her usual work clothes, it was more festive. Even the beret she wore was replaced with a Christmas hat. Or maybe it was underneath the hat.

"Nothing. I'm just checking my office for something."

"Are you sure? It looks like you're trying to hide in your office."

"No, no. Not on Christmas day. I'll be checking some emails and be right out." The Doctor said.

He tried to place his identification card on the scanner, but Dur-nar stopped him by wrapping her fingers over his wrist. Dur-nar's grin was enough to tell him she saw right through his alibi.

"C'mon, Doctor. The children are waiting for you."

"They are?"

"Doctor, you don't know the half of it. The three of them have been searching for you since they woke up. The older operators and I convinced them to let you sleep in, so they relented. But they're still searching for you, so imagine my surprise when I saw you sneak past."

"I didn't think you caught me. Okay, alright... I'll leave the work for tomorrow."

"Okay, let's go, Doctor," Dur-nar said. Dur-nar linked her arms with the Doctor and led him to the Christmas tree her group was decorating. "You deserve the break after all. From the missions you direct, the paperwork you suffer through, and helping every operator. Why don't you let us help you this time?"

The Doctor didn't respond, opting to nod instead. Dur-nar's compassionate warmth spread from her hand and illuminated his heart. He couldn't lie. It felt nice to be appreciated.

They walked together to the decorated Christmas tree. Dur-nar released his arm and introduced him in front of the other operators. The mature operators greeted him with mild reactions while the younger operators gathered around him with more fervent reactions.

"Doctor! Merry Christmas!" Suzuran exclaimed, with the others following along in unison.

"Oh, it's Christmas, isn't it? Merry Christmas to you too, Suzuran. And Shamare, Vermeil, and Popukar. How are you girls doing today?"

"We're doing fine, Doctor!" Suzuran replied.

"I got a chainsaw keychain from Miss Blaze!" Popukar exclaimed.

"Morte finds Christmas exciting," Shamare answered. "But loud."

"And I find these clothes uncomfortable," Vermeil said, sniffing the material. "I can't move well in these restricted clothes. How are you supposed to hunt in this...? At least it's fuzzy."

The Doctor laughed, patting them on the head. Their answers were precious. But while Suzuran and Popukar accepted his head pats, Shamare and Vermeil opposed it. Shamare's reaction was a pout, but Vermeil had the most adverse response as she yowled at the Doctor for daring to touch her.

The Doctor chuckled and retracted his hand to his side. Vermeil stopped yelling and stared at him. To the Doctor's surprise, Vermeil pointed at her head. The Doctor hesitated for a second but obeyed her beckoning gesture. This elicited giggles from the other operators surrounding them.

"Merry Christmas, Vermeil." The Doctor said.

"I'll approve it just this once," Vermeil said. However, it was obvious to tell she was enjoying it despite her protests.

Once the Doctor finished patting Vermeil on the head, he looked up. Dur-nar pointed at the Christmas tree while Angelina stood on the other side with a warm smile.

"It's nice to see you up and about instead of being cooped up in the office all day long. How about joining us to decorate the Christmas tree?" Angelina asked.

"I'd like that. I guess your advice to get some fresh air is doing some good for me. Thank you."

"I'm just concerned for you, that's all, Doctor," Angelina said, bunching her pigtails closer to her face in embarrassment.

The Doctor nodded his head. Suzuran and Popukar grabbed his hand and led him to the box of ornaments where Perfumer and Breeze helped them find the decorations they liked. Vermeil and Shamare tagged along with the former scouring through the box on her own accord until Breeze teased the box would break from her aggression. This set off a bickering competition between the two, with Breeze winning more often than not.

Once the children found something they liked, they handed it to the Doctor to hold it for them. A drop of sweat ran down the Doctor's head. Was he supposed to help them adorn the tree or act as a hanging rack for their favorite ornaments?

Perfumer stepped forward and helped the Doctor by holding them. "Please proceed, Doctor. You can aid the children. I had the privilege of decorating a tree last year."

"Oh, thank you, Perfumer." The Doctor said. "Before I go, do you think we can decorate the tree with some of your perfumes?"

Perfumer smiled, then paused to consider. "Perhaps I could enhance it with the smell of peppermint. After all, it is an aroma representative of Christmas. Now you gave me an idea, Doctor. I could create exclusive perfumes with smells associated with Christmas."

"Do you want me to help you test the end product later?" The Doctor asked.

"I would be grateful, Doctor," Perfumer said, but before he could go any further, she redirected him to the eager children.

And so, the Christmas tree took form, exhibiting its brilliance. However, the festive frenzy to enrich the branches overcrowded the once-tall tree. The finishing touch involved Popukar's attempt to place a star on the tree. Vermeil noticed her special endeavor and tried to lift Popukar to the top, but wasn't tall enough.

The Doctor had to step in. He picked Popukar up and allowed her to position it. When Popukar placed the final decoration, the Doctor placed her on the ground.

"Thank you, Doctor..." Popukar said. She went quiet before she beckoned for him to bend down. The Doctor reluctantly adhered to her instruction. Popukar wrapped synthetic icicles around the Doctor's neck and giggled. "Since we have too many decorations on the Christmas tree, can we decorate you next, Doctor?"

"Huh? Me?"

"Come on, Doctor! It'll be fun! You'll be the second Christmas tree! And we have a lot of decorations left over!" Popukar exclaimed, pointing at the box.

"Can we?" Suzuran asked.

Shamare and Vermeil both stared at him with equal interest. Their expectant eyes were enough to melt his heart into compliance. How could he refuse?

"O-Okay, but please be careful not to wrap anything dangerous around my neck." The Doctor said.

The children cheered with delight. The Doctor sat on the floor while the four children beautified him into a flawless Christmas tree. The children's efforts amused the four older Vulpos. It didn't take long for them to cooperate with the children and embellish him with their share of ornaments.

The Doctor surveyed the pure bliss on their features. Time froze still, capturing the serene moment. It was just the nine of them experiencing joy and celebrating the special day of Christmas. Nothing less, nothing more.

They persisted until they lavished him with decorations meant for a tree. The finishing touch ended up with a star balanced on his head, courtesy of Suzuran. It didn't stay for long because Suzuran's laughter forced it off balance, prompting it to plummet to the floor.

The Doctor joined their merry moment. He'll continue his work tomorrow. But for now, it was okay to indulge himself and relax for Christmas.

Author's Note: Hey, I see you, hard-working reader! Life gets tough every once in a while, but take some time to relax! Get some rest this Christmas, okay?

And gear up for the final chapter next week! I'm going to drop it a few minutes before the new year!

With festive love from your favorite writer, Out4Lunch!