I've had this idea sitting about for a while now and finally decided to write it out. The list is taken from a song entitled Christmas Alphabet that my father used to play and sing for us when my siblings and I were kids. It's a cute song and if you want to listen to it, you can find it on youtube. The version I remember best is the one by the McGuire Sisters.

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate SG-1

Christmas Alphabet

Vala absolutely loved Christmas. Of all the Tau'ri holidays, it was her favourite. The gifts, the food, the decorations...everything. She loved it all. But what she enjoyed most of all were the traditions that went along with it.

C is for the Candy trimmed around the Christmas tree...

Samantha was the one to introduce her to this delicious tradition. During her first Christmas on Earth, she'd still been residing on the base. One night Sam had shown up at her door with a small tree and a box of goodies in hand. After explaining their purpose, she'd pulled out a box of candy canes and taught Vala how to hang them on the branches. Of course, they hadn't remained on the branches for long, especially once a certain Jaffa learnt of their existence. But she didn't mind, she enjoyed sharing with her friends. Now a Christmas never went by where Vala didn't have candy canes on her tree.

H is for the Happiness with all the family around...

Vala hadn't known true happiness since her mother died when she was a child and she hadn't expected to find it again, either. Especially not on some backwards plane like Earth. She'd tried to tell herself that the loot and her freedom were all she needed to be happy but she'd known it was a lie from the start. On Earth, though, she'd rediscovered what happiness meant. It had nothing to do with the trinkets and everything to do with the people surrounding her. She loved that once you got past all the frivolities of the holiday Christmas was really just a celebration of family and the happiness they brought to life.

R is for the Reindeer prancing by the window pane...

It was on her second Christmas that Cameron decided she needed to visit Santa's workshop at The North Pole. Thanks to Teal'c, she'd already known who Santa Claus was and that he was supposedly a myth. What she couldn't understand was why he had a village of his own when he didn't really exist. Cameron had tried to explain but, as with many things concerning Tau'ri culture, the explanation hadn't made much sense. But she'd gone along with it because Cameron seemed so keen on the idea. The trip was long and boring but she'd trusted her friend when he'd told her it would all be worth it. And for once, he was absolutely correct. She'd seen many things in her travels around the universe so rendering her speechless was a difficult task. That all changed the moment her eyes came to rest on a reindeer. She'd seen them in cartoons and in pictures but it was an altogether different experience to see them in person. They were such a magnificent creature, one she'd never seen the likes of on any planet she'd visited. It reminded her that, no matter how jaded she became, there were still wonders out there to behold.

I is for the Icing on the cake as sweet as sugar cane...

Vala had never been one for baking. As a child she'd done everything she could to get out of helping her mother with that particular chore. It wasn't that she couldn't bake, she simply preferred not to do it at all as it was usually a tedious task. But that all changed during her first Christmas. SG-1 had been on standby for the holiday so they were confined to the base. Samantha, Cameron and Daniel filled the time by working so she'd been left to her own devices...always a dangerous situation. She'd been filling her time by watching television, the Food Network in particular, and it gave her the urge to try her hand at baking. She'd enlisted Teal'c's help and he'd been surprisingly willing. Of course, he was the one who introduced her to that channel so maybe it wasn't so shocking. Between the two of them, they'd somehow been able to talk General Landry into allowing them the use of the SGC kitchens in order to do their experimentation so long as they promised not to blow anything up this time. The first few batches did not turn out well but once they'd gotten the hang of the Tau'ri measurement system, things became easier. Somewhere along the way a flour-fight broke out and to this day she contended that Teal'c started it. In the end, they'd wound up with about seven dozen edible baked goods that were doled out amongst the SGC personnel. She'd been proud of their efforts and made certain that every year there were freshly baked cookies for the Christmas crew at the mountain.

S is for the Stocking on the chimney wall...

Vala loved this tradition. During the first Christmas holiday she'd lived with Daniel, he'd presented her with a beautifully hand-crafted stocking with her name on it. She'd cried a little over the object and couldn't wipe the smile from her face each time she saw it hanging beside Daniel's on the fireplace. It made her feel as if she truly belonged, as if she were wanted. She'd thought it was the best gift he could have given her but she was wrong. When they awoke on Christmas morning, she'd discovered her real gift: a diamond engagement ring inside her stocking. She'd been shocked and turned to see Daniel kneeling before her, a huge grin on his face. He'd barely gotten his proposal before she threw herself at him, tears of joy falling from her face.

T is for the Toys beneath the tree so tall...

Every year during the SGC Christmas party, the Marines had a Toys for Tots donation bin set up and Vala made certain that she was always first in line with a pile of gifts. She didn't donate the gifts because she wanted people to see how generous she could be. No, she had her own reasons for this. When she was growing up there hadn't been a lot of money for anything as frivolous as toys. In fact, there hadn't been a lot of money for much of anything. With her father constantly off running one scam or another, she and her mother had been on their own when it came to supporting themselves. Her mother had done what she could but it never seemed to be enough. Vala had grown used to wearing patched up clothing and there were many times when they'd nearly starved because they couldn't afford to buy food. If it hadn't been for a few kind villagers, Vala didn't think she would have survived the first eight years of her life. She knew what it felt like to be that kid with nothing and if her donations gave just one child hope that there was a better future out there, that knowledge was all she needed in return.

M is for the Mistletoe where ev'ryone is kissed...

When Vala first learnt of this tradition, she'd been thrilled. On her first two Christmases, she'd placed the sprig all over base, hoping to steal a kiss from Daniel but it hadn't worked. Oh, she'd received plenty of kisses, just never from Daniel. Somehow he always seemed to know exactly where she'd placed them and was able to avoid the plant. By the third year she'd become too discouraged to even bother. In fact, she'd even given up on any sort of relationship besides friends and co-workers by then. She'd stopped flirting with him (mostly) and begging him to take her out places. But just as she started to pull back, he moved forward. It had baffled her until the day he'd called her into his office on some pretence she couldn't really remember. She did remember being confused as he pointed to the ceiling at a single sprig of mistletoe. She been shocked as her eyes slowly found his once more but he hadn't given more than a second to make sense of things before he pulled her in for the most gentle, loving kiss she'd ever experienced. To this day, they had yet to remove that lovely plant from the office...and they often made good use of it.

A is for the Angels who make up the Christmas list...

Vala was aware that most Tau'ri identified angels as winged creatures who watched over them but she had her own definition. She thought about her friends and how they'd done everything to make her a part of their family. General Landry had taken a chance on her, something no one had ever done before. He'd given her a second chance and she'd grown to view him as a father figure. Cameron may not have trusted her in the beginning but he'd soon become like a brother to her. He was always there to put her in her place or comfort her, depending on what she needed at the time. Teal'c had taken her under his wing, introducing her to the Tau'ri culture and he never laughed at her frequent confusion. His patience allowed her the chance to enjoy this world but he also gave her the outlet she needed when the evils of the universe, thing which only they truly understood, got to be too much. Samantha had given her something she'd never had: a sister. She was Vala's best friend, confidant, fellow jokester, and shoulder to cry on. And Daniel...Her Daniel had always been different from the rest. He'd given her everything the others had: hope, friendship, understanding, family. But he also gave her something no one else could, something she never thought she'd be worthy of again. He'd given her the knowledge that she could love and be loved. These were her angels.

S is for old Santa who makes ev'ry kid his pet...

Vala was moderately certain that Santa did not actually exist. Nevertheless, she always made sure to write him a letter every year, just in case. One could never be too careful in these situations. She didn't tell anyone about the letters but never failed to receive exactly what she asked for. She knew Cameron would joke that she asked for diamond earings or a puppy, which she had, but in actuality what she truly wanted most wasn't so tangible. The only thing she ever wanted was the continued health and happiness of her family. And to be able to say she belonged to them, and they to her. It was all she'd ever wanted in her life and now she had it here on Earth.

The End

A/N: There really is a place called the North Pole in Colorado. I'm not sure if they actually have reindeer running around but it seemed like a nice touch.