The Galk were in shock. They had received a request from the species that they were currently in the process of subjugating for a forty-eight-hour temporary cease-fire.

"Why would see allow this?" Ventstrill, the high warlord in charge of this campaign asked the human who had been brave enough to bring the message.

"Well, see here is the thing." The human said rubbing his furred chin. "It is a religious holiday for lot of people, and simply a family tradition for others. We have a history of this cease-fire being honored throughout our history, and if we are going to continue fighting, we would like this opportunity to say our goodbyes, as well as for you to observe some of the human culture."

The laugh that rumbled out from the Galk in the room reverberated like steel drums. Ventstrill raised his hand for silence. "What trick is this?" He asked the human.

"No trick, just a human tradition that we hoped you would honor." The human seemed strangely comfortable here and wore a strange uniform. "We know that you like to say you are not what we think you are, that this war is all a big misunderstanding if that is true and you are not the liars that the rest of the universe seems to think you are, then do this for us."

Ventstrill thought about that. He knew that it was just propaganda. Propaganda that was failing miserably against the almost preternatural communication abilities of the humans, but maybe this could lend weight to it. "Very well, going by the calendar you humans use, you would ask that all wartime activities cease at 0001 December 24th, and resume at 0001 December 26th, is that correct?"

"Yes, it is." The human said his large stomach rolling in his red uniform, his voice what could only be described as jolly. "And to further show that this is in goodwill, I would like my wife and I to be granted permission to bring the holiday spirit to your own table. Bring as many family or friends as you would like, and we will cook here for all that come."

This took the Warlord by surprise. "Very well." He thought that it would be a good thing to learn more about the race that he would soon be in control of. "I shall see you again, here on the 24th of December. What should I call you?"

"Ohh, I have many names, but if you would call me Chris, and my wife Penelopy, I would much appreciate it." The human said, returning his strangely adorned cap of red to his head. "See you on Christmas eve."

The months went by, the humans had asked for the cease-fire well in advance, and finally the day came, on December 23rd, the clocks struck midnight, and sixty seconds afterward, Venstrill was shocked as true to their word, all combat activities ceased across seven worlds, and hundreds of continents. Almost simultaneously he received a message, it was from the human Chris.

"High Warlord Ventstrill, we will be arriving in several hours. Thank you for honoring your word." Was all the message said. Ventstrill thinking little about the fact that the message had come through hundreds of layers of encryption uninterrupted, went to sleep. When he woke his family had arrived, all seventy-three of his children, his wife, his twenty remaining siblings, his mother, and even his father. His subordinates had called in their closest family. All told there were nearly five hundred of his closest family and friends on board.

"I hope they came hungry." A female voice said behind him, and Venstrill turned to see the large red-clad Chris, with a petite woman also clad in red.

"Warlord Ventstrill, this is my wife Penelopy." Chris said, taking his cap off his white head fur.

"It is a pleasure to meet you." Ventstrill said stiffly, unsure of how to react. The humans had slipped through the docking bay security, and into his inner sanctum with zero security response. He shook his head assuming that the guards had been lax as they had been away from their family for years.

"If someone could show me to the kitchen, I will get started." Penelopy said, and one of the female security officers whose family had not been able to come volunteered to show her the way.

"Now if I could address the rest of the people here?" Chris asked, and the warlord nodded, wondering what would happen next.

The warlord stamped one of his four feet, and the hall fell silent. "Attention everyone." Chris said and thanked them all for coming, his smile and tone were infectious, as he quickly explained some of the histories of Christmas. "So I had hoped that I might share some of these traditions with you." He reached into a sack and pulled forth a massive tree, with a stand attached to the bottom. It seemed weightless in his hands as he stood it up.

With smiles and laughs, the children in the group eagerly went to help with the decoration as he called them. Hesitantly and with the Warlords blessing the adults joined in, though Venstrill noticed that many of the women, and exceptionally young children were absent. He wandered the halls of the ship and finally made his way to the kitchen where he found Penelopy leading the women through the steps of baking cookies as she called it. All the while the woman tended to multiple large pots made of red metal that he was sure that the ship did not own.

When he went back to where Chris was, Ventstrill was greeted by his youngest child and the human. "Warlord Ventstrill, this little one tells me that she wants to put the star on top of the tree, I thought it only fitting that her father help her do it."

Ventstrill smiled down at his youngest daughter, and scooped her up, standing up on his hind legs to get the height required. And when the star was finally on top of the tree Chris snapped his finger, and the tree, the star, and hundreds of other lights on strings that had not been there before lit up in bright reds, yellows, blues, and many other colors.

There were oohs and aahs from all those gathered. Then Chris asked to use his high throne, Ventstrill was curious as to what would happen, agreed, and Chris took his red sack and went and sat on the throne. Seemingly unbidden, the youngest children lined up to talk with Chris, he would smile at them, and ask them questions, such as if they had been good this year, and if they had listened to their parents. Once he played out the initial questions, he would always inevitably ask what they wanted for Christmas, what was one gift that Santa could give them.

The children would ask for toys, or games, or other things, and every time Chris reached into his big red sack and pulled a brightly wrapped gift from inside it. He would tell them to wait to open it, and then send them on their way. After ten or so of the children had gone through, the women and younger children came back and began distributing the fruits of their labor, cookies.

Ventstrill tried the cookies that his wife had baked, and they were delicious, they reminded him of his time when he was young living with his parents. If he had a bad day he could always count on his mothers cooking to cheer him up. Chris continued with the children until only one remained. It was the son of a soldier who had been slain in the current war.

"And what can Santa get you, young man?" Chris asked in his Jolly voice.

"I want my father back. But he was killed by the Humans. He was killed by your kind." The boy said.

Chris looked at the child and Ventstrill tensed as he thought he might have to step in, but Chris surprised him then. "That is unfortunate. So tell me what was your favorite thing about your father?"

The young Galk talked at length about how he wanted to hear his father sing once more. Chris nodded and reached into the bag pulling out yet another large brightly wrapped box, and handing it to the boy. "I know that I can not give you anything to make your loss go away, but hopefully this will make it easier for you to sleep at night."

Just then Penelopy came in with all the large pots on carts seeming to follow behind her without anyone's guidance. "Dinner time everyone."

"Well, this won't do!" Said Chris and clapped his hands. Where before had been a long empty hall was now filled with large tables and benches, the Galk were surprised but quickly took seats and Chris and Penelopy set about serving everyone, before taking their own seats next to Ventstrill. As the night wore on, the food slowly emptied from the pots, and everyone had an excellent time, laughing and talking, remembering the good times and bad. When the clock alerted them that it was midnight, Chris stood up.

"Children, it is now officially Christmas, you may open your gifts." The children were excited and for the next few minutes, all that could be heard was a symphony of tearing paper, followed by excited cries of joy. Every child had received what they had asked for.

Ventstrill looked to the boy who had lost his father, and saw the boy weeping as he hugged a soft stuffed Jixle, common pets on the Galk homeworld, when Venstrill approached, he could see the boy squeeze the paw of the Jixle, and then heard the voice that was clearly the boy's father, singing a lullaby followed by the words "Sleep well my son, I love you."

The night wore on until only Ventstrill, his father, Chris, and Penelopy remained. The rest had filtered off to bed. Ventstrill turned to Chris in time to see the human clap his hand and all the decorations and tables, benches, everything but the tree and its lights and decorations disappear.

"Who...No...What are you." Ventstrill said, stuttering, all of the small things he had written off throughout the day coming together to tell him that this was no normal human.

"I told you I had many names, To you, I am Chris, to others I am Santa, Though most just call me father Christmas." Chris said with a smile.

Penelopy nudged the man. "Ah, yes, Ventstrill, this is for you and your father." He handed the two Galk a large box from his red sack, and then smiled, "Remember to be good, and thank you for the cease-fire, and of course, Merry Christmas!" Suddenly Chris and Penelopy were gone, leaving the two with a tree and a box.

Ventstrill and his father looked at each other, then opened the box together, inside was a puzzle, and when they finished, they burst into tears. The puzzle was an image of the closest memory that the two held together from when Ventstrill was only a few years old, they had not had a way to record the image then, and having it now meant so much to the two.

"Ventstrill..." The elder Galk said, as if unsure how to say what he wanted.

"I know father." Ventstrill said, and walked to the command deck, and issued a new set of orders.

Years later it would still remain a mystery as to why the Galk had first granted an un-asked-for Christmas cease-fire, and why they had sent a message that stated "Merry Christmas" and never resumed wartime activities. It did spark a strange habit that every year on the 25th, Galk ships would jump into human space, and ensure that everyone had food, and presents, and if there were any wars happening, they would forcibly guarantee a cease-fire.

For twenty years no one was able to get to the bottom of it, until one day, a lone human representative traveled to the Galk homeworld, and upon stepping into the hall of the new Ruling High Lord Ventstrill was greeted like an old friend. "Chris! It has been too long, please dine with me."