It was cold but he didn’t feel it… not through his space suit. The wind blew icy flakes about him. They danced in the burgundy pink sky like twirling diamonds and decorated the alien plants sprinkled about the flat landscape. Paul looked up into the sunset and felt homesick. His world, his Earth, was hundreds of light years away, and it was Christmas day. He knew life would be rough. He chose a one way ticket - a chance to explore a new world in another part of the Milky Way galaxy. But it meant giving up his home, his family. The adventure and the chance to make history suddenly seemed less important. He remembered past holidays when his family got together. His mom would cook tons of food, more than anyone could eat in one meal. And she baked wonderful pies - apple, cherry and pumpkin. The food was the best part of getting together. They would exchange presents after eating. His mother always gave him a sweater, but she never got it right. She found the most garish designs and somehow the sleeves fell short. Still, he would smile and say thank you. He knew she meant the best. After the presents, they would play 'retro' card games. His mom was old fashioned and loved the 'old school' way. Game playing was loud and noisy. His brother always found a way to cheat, and this inevitably led to a big quarrel between family members. His mom would intervene with “Please, it’s Christmas! Let’s not argueâ€. Year after year, it was the same battle. At the time, the stress got to him but now he missed it. Holidays could be a pain, but the struggles were familiar and somehow comforting. He watched the red sun slowly fall toward the horizon. His radio crackled in his ear. “Paul, are you done? The sun sets in three minutes, and radar indicates a storm approaching from the east.†“Roger thatâ€, he replied. “Just got the samples onto the sled. The spectrometers measured their composition to be iron-magnesium carbonate. It’s similar to the older carbonate rocks we checked. This may be an area worth exploring further.†“Sounds good! Bring what you have. We’ll do analysis inside.†“Will do,†Paul replied. “I’m heading back now.†Paul climbed aboard the ATV and put it into 'Drive' mode. The craft rolled over the sandy ground as he navigated it toward home base. The sky glowed brighter now, full of fire as the last rays hit the dust particles in the atmosphere. He marveled at the glorious sight, which was temporary at best. Sunsets were short on this planet. Soon the sky would plunge into darkness. As he neared the edge of his destination, clouds blew in and the wind picked up. Snow mixed with the ice flakes to play havoc with his vision. He wiped his faceplate several times to see. He cursed the clunky gloves that made this difficult to do. The lights lining the path to home base kept him on course as the whiteness thickened with each passing moment. He hit the button on his dashboard to raise the doors leading into the inner docking bay. The doors slowly ascended, and he drove the ATV inside. Behind him, the doors closed. Soft light illuminated the bay. “Atmosphere has been restoredâ€, said the computer voice through his radio. “Gravity field compensation set to 1G.†Paul walked into an adjacent room. He removed his helmet, portable life support system and gloves. He breathed in deeply and pushed the com button. “Hey, Walter, I’m back inside.†“Good,†came the reply. “I’m glad to hear it. It’s getting rough out there. Hey, I have a surprise for you.†“A surprise?†Seriously, you got me a gift?†“Something like that. Come on up here.†Paul changed into regular clothes and headed for the elevator. He pushed the button for the command center, where Walter was. He watched the numbers go upward. Knowing Walter, his “surprise†was probably a lump of coal. The elevator opened, and Paul walked out into the room. Walter had a big grin on his face. He motioned to the monitor. “Hit Play. I know you’ll enjoy this.†Paul sat down in the chair and tapped the Play icon. The monitor screen showed a bit of static. Then the faces of his family filled the screen He knew this recording must be old. Two hundred years had passed since they were alive. Hyper sleep kept him from aging on the journey to this world while his family lived and died en route. “Hi Paul,†said his mother as she beamed into the camera. “We love you and wish you the best on your exciting voyage into space. Hope you discover many wonderful things!†His sister chimed in. “We’ll miss you bro but we know this is your dream, your passion. Big hugs to you. We’ll always remember you!†His little brother peeked out from behind his mom‘s shoulder. “Hey rocket man! I‘ve got your room now,†he said smugly. “I‘ll think about you when I stare at those glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling.†His family then waved at the camera. “Merry Christmas, Paul!†they announced in unison. The screen faded, and the computer’s voice spoke. “End transmission.†Paul couldn’t move, couldn’t speak. Walter broke the silence, “This message just came in. I guess it took a while to get here. It’s kind of cool that it arrived when it did. Great surprise, huh?†“Buddy,†Paul replied in a soft voice, “This is the best Christmas present ever. A real holiday to remember.†And he wiped a tear from his eye. Word count: 945 My inspiration: I'm a scifi fan and I wanted to do a Christmas story with a twist. We all long for the 'perfect holiday' but that's hard to do when you're an astronaut on a planet far from Earth.