Title: Celebrating With Friends
Fandom: Torchwood
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Jack, Ianto, TARDIS, Others.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1757
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Despite being far away from earth, some customs die hard. Ianto and Jack still make a point of celebrating Christmas every year, preferably in the company of family or friends.
Content Notes: None needed.
Written For: Challenge 247: Customs.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
A/N: Set in my Through Time and Space ‘Verse.





Christmas was a human thing, considered just another strange Earther custom by the various races earth’s inhabitants encountered as they spread out among the stars, colonising other worlds. Some humans tried to convert the aliens they met to Christianity and other religions, but they found that most races either already had their own religion and origin story or had advanced to a point where science had completely taken over from religion. Such races might still have some customs left over from their old religious ceremonies and sacred days, but they were more habit than anything else, a way of keeping in touch with their past, remembering how far they’d come from their uncivilised and superstitious beginnings.

Far from converting their new neighbours to their beliefs, many humans chose to convert to the more popular galactic religions, adopting various alien customs as their own. While Christmas and Easter, Diwali, Ramadan, Hanukkah, and other important holy days and festivals continued to be celebrated in a great many human colonies, over the millennia the meanings behind them gradually became diluted or even forgotten completely. Traditions died out, new ones were born, the ones humanity had left earth with became muddled together with the new customs and traditions picked up from other planets and other peoples.

That was how it always seemed to go when a comparatively primitive society met a far more advanced one; it had been the same back on earth, with missionaries converting whole tribes to Christianity, forcing them to abandon their old beliefs. Not that human settlers were being compelled to adhere to the religions of the people they met, they were generally free to make their own choices, but assimilation was inevitable considering all the marriages that started to take place between the colonists from earth and people of other races. By the time humans had advanced enough scientifically to be able to leave their planet of origin far behind, most of them had also become far more open-minded and less given to prejudice and discrimination. They embraced new people and new cultures with enthusiasm, eager to learn all they could. It was the beginning of a golden age.

Travelling through time and space in their TARDIS, Ianto and Jack soon discovered that every day had cultural or religious significance somewhere in the universe. Habit and familiarity, however, saw them continuing to observe both Welsh and Boeshanian traditions and holy days; neither man wanted to lose the connection such things provided with their roots, but they threw themselves wholeheartedly into the myriad different festivals they encountered, learning new traditions, rites, and customs everywhere they went.

It wasn’t just about the big celebrations though. Day to day customs varied from one world to another too; correct modes of dress to indicate marital status, ritualistic greetings, proper manners for the serving and accepting of food and drink… the list was endless. Having the TARDIS inside their heads usually helped them to avoid offending people; she told them what actions to carry out, which phrases to use, what to avoid doing at all costs… They still made occasional mistakes, no one was perfect, and even a TARDIS couldn’t be expected to know everything all the time, but for the most part they were able to fit in wherever they went, Ianto in particular often being praised for his exquisite manners. He’d always been a quick study when it came to such things.

It was fun learning and discovering, meeting new races, helping people and even whole planets, but some bits of earth culture transcended everything else; Christmas, for instance. A religious holiday from some parts of earth, one that was observed in Ianto’s native Wales, one that was still celebrated after a fashion on the Boeshane Peinsula where Jack spent his childhood. If anything could be said to epitomize both men’s roots, it was Christmas, the season of goodwill to all men, aliens, whatever. They remembered Christmases with the team back in Cardiff, with their families as the were growing up, with loved ones and friends long gone, and so they celebrated every December 25th, no matter where or when they happened to be

The TARDIS liked Christmas too. There would always be a gaily decorated tree or two within her walls, one in the console room and sometimes one in Jack and Ianto’s quarters, a replica of the flat they’d lived in all those years ago in Cardiff, just on a larger scale and with a few extra rooms. There’d be paper chains too, and gifts wrapped in colourful paper tied with ribbons. Fairy lights and tinsel, Christmas carols playing, roast turkey and all the trimmings, mince pies and Christmas pudding, crackers and paper hats… In short, all the things Ianto had grown up with and Jack had grown accustomed to during his time on earth.

Whenever possible there’d be family too. Sometimes they were joined by their children and grandchildren and great grandchildren, and sometimes Ianto’s sister and her kids, or Martha and her growing family. Ianto couldn’t go back to a time on earth when his family and friends were alive, but Jack could, and so he’d collect Rhi and Johnny, David and Mica, bringing them by shuttlecraft out to where the TARDIS waited in orbit to whisk them to a suitable planet for a couple of days. The ability to travel through time meant that Jack and Ianto never missed a Christmas or a birthday, even if years would often pass in the TARDIS between visits from Ianto’s family. It meant he got to see his niece and nephew grow up, and was even able to introduce them to their cousins. With the TARDIS’s assistance in returning them to orbit shortly after they left, Jack was always able to return everyone to their home within a few hours, so they didn’t miss out on their own Christmas plans. It worked out well for everyone.

This year the two immortals were spending Christmas on Talla. The Tallans weren’t religious as such, although they had a healthy respect for nature, and they certainly weren’t Christians, but they liked to hear Ianto tell stories from the bible, especially the Nativity, and they did love a good celebration. In order to celebrate Christmas in the proper fashion, according to what they’d been told about the holiday, they’d planted a special tree in a meadow near their settlement and now it was decorated with shiny stones, colourful feathers shed by Talla’s version of birds, and pretty things brought home by those of their people who’d travelled with Jack and Ianto to see other worlds.

On this visit to their friends’ homeworld, Jack and Ianto’s TARDIS had planted herself in the meadow a little distance from the Tallans’ tree where, not to be outdone, she’d sprouted her own decorations; she did love to dress up for special occasions. The Tallans themselves were all dressed up too, arrayed in their festival clothes made of brightly coloured fabrics. Many had sewn on buttons, beads, and tiny bells, things Jack and Ianto had give them as gifts over the years. Like Jack, they were drawn to anything pretty, especially shiny things; they were easy to please, never greedy, and always happy to share what they had with others.

As was the main custom of the season, Jack and Ianto had brought more gifts for their friends this year, wrapping them in coloured fabrics rather than the traditional paper, cloth being more useful, and tying bright ribbons around them before piling them around the base of the Tallans’ tree. For the children there were picture books and wooden jigsaw puzzles and Womble memorabilia, mostly cuddly toys and little models. Because of the Tallans’ resemblance to the fictional children’s characters Wombles seemed more fitting for them than human-shaped dolls. There were more buttons and beads, polished semi-precious stones and shells, embroidery threads, packets of seeds, gardening tools, and flower bulbs. There were musical instruments, mostly pipes and whistles and tambourines, and there were kites. Ianto had a feeling they would go down well with all ages; Talla’s wide grasslands were often swept by brisk breezes that would lend themselves admirably to kite flying.

It was good to be among their good friends again, celebrating and catching up on news, even though it meant this year Jack and Ianto would have to forego the traditional turkey since the Tallans were strictly vegetarian and unable to digest meat. Instead they’d be feasting on a mixture of Tallan and earth cuisine, dishes of Brussels sprouts, parsnips, carrots, and potatoes arrayed among savoury stuffed olgols, carra grain mixed with dried berries and nuts, rolled okka leaves filled with a kind of spiced fruit chutney and steamed until tender, nut breads, roast roots, and a thick vegetable stew. For dessert there’d be fruit, honey cakes, vegetarian mince pies, Welshcakes, and bara brith. The two immortals had spent hours over the last few weeks baking huge batches in the TARDIS kitchen so there’d be plenty for everyone. The great thing about having stasis technology onboard was that no matter how much time passed everything would still taste freshly baked.

Ianto checked all the crates of food stacked in the console room, ready to be carried outside and set out on trestle tables for everybody to help themselves. He knew there’d be no shortage of willing hands ready to assist him with that task.

“Ho ho ho!” Jack boomed behind him, coming into the console room from the corridor that led to their rooms. “How do I look?” He was barely recognisable dressed as Santa Claus, complete with long while beard and huge belly.

“You are certifiable; I hope you don’t scare the little ones!”

Jack chuckled. “No chance of that; they’ll love it. Tallans don’t scare as easily as human children.”

That was certainly true; the youngsters could be shy with strangers, but were more curious than fearful when confronted by unfamiliar things.

Ianto himself had dressed in the Tallan style, a colourful belted tunic over loose trousers, but he had trainers on since his feet lacked the tough leathery soles the Tallans were blessed with. He’d learned the hard way that wandering around barefoot could be painful.

“Ready to get the celebrations underway?” Jack asked, hefting a huge sack over his shoulder. Ianto knew it was full of toys for the little ones, balls and Frisbees and skipping ropes.

“Yep, let’s go; we don’t want to be late for the party!”

This was going to be a Christmas they’d never forget.


The End