A Star Trek Christmas

Christmas, children, is not a date. It is a state of mind. ~Mary Ellen Chase

Star Trek Night Before Christmas

 'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the ship,
Not a computer was working, not even a blip;
The radios were silenced by Uhura with care,
In hopes the Federation would forget they were there.

The crewmen were nestled all snug in their beds
While visions of Wrigley's Pleasure Planet danced in their heads;
And Kirk in his quarters, and Arex in his nest,
Had just settled down to a well-deserved rest.

When down in the labs there arose such a clatter,
Kirk sprang from his bed to see what was the matter.
To the turbolift he rushed with a roar,
Dropped down two decks and burst from the door.

The light in the walls of the corridor space
Gave dimness of evening to the Captain's face;
When, what to his suspicious eyes should appear
But three anti-grav units, piled high with some gear.

Behind them a fellow, dressed up all in red,
With a white, flowing beard and a cap on his head.
More stealthily than Klingons his helpers they came,
And he whispered, and motioned, and called them by name.

"Now yeoman!  Now ensign!   Now nurse and lieutenant!
Be quick now, commander!  We have a time limit!
To the rooms of the crew!  To the end of each hall!
Now dash it and darn it!  Be quiet you all!"

As good warriors ready to enter a fray,
When they meet with a leader, rush to obey,
So up to the sixth deck, the helpers they flew,
Each pair with a grav unit, and the gear piled on, too.

And, in a twinkling, Kirk gave hot pursuit
To see what this fellow would do with his loot.
As he hid in a niche, and was turning to spy,
Out of a room the fellow backed with a sigh.

He was covered in fur, from his foot to his dome,
And his body was rounded with stuffing of foam;
White trimming about his fat belly traversed,
And he looked like a tribble, ready to burst!

The end of a stylus he held tight in his fist,
And marked off each stop on his computer print list.
His droll little mouth was drawn up in a grin
That went almost unseen `neath the beard on his chin.

His helper was taller, and dressed like an elf,
And Kirk smiled when he saw him, in spite of himself;
The slant of a brow and the point on an ear,
Soon gave Kirk to know he had nothing to fear.

They spoke not a word, but went straight to their chore
And placed a wrapped package inside every door.
Then meeting the others, all finished and done,
They headed back down, from where they had come.

Kirk sprang from his niche, to watch them take their leave,
And the last thing he saw was the red fellow's sleeve.
But Kirk heard him exclaim ere he dove out of sight,
"I'm a doc, not a Santa.  Hope I got everything right."

Spaceship