The holiday ritual of indeterminate origin returned to the Heineman-Fleck household over the weekend with the hanging of a small rubber chicken, at least two plastic bananas and other assorted traditional family remembrances. “Where’s the pickle,” Nora asked as soon as the lights went up. And so the pickle launched this year’s Yule festivity.

I was given the privilege of hanging the family’s favorite ornament:

It plugs into the string of lights and when you push a little red button on the ship’s belly you hear:

Shuttlecraft to Enterprise. Shuttlecraft to Enterprise. Spock here. Happy holidays. Live long and prosper.