What a beautiful tree!

Author's note: Hey there. Time for my first Christmas Fanfiction. Thought I teach Dean one of my favorite Christmas traditions. It is called "Baumloben" and is common in southern Germany. Enjoy.


It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. As the holiday comes closer and closer the people get busier, they decorate their houses like crazy and all the streets get this special shimmer. There is only one place that looks especially like it always does, where the mood of this jolly season doesn't seem to affect anything: Dean's favorite bar. Same beer, same smell, same stories, same bartender and the same atmosphere, just like Dean loved it. Okay, this year there was a small decorated tree in a corner. Easy to miss and the only pathetic attempt of the owner to bring a little Christmas spirit to his customers.

And this was totally fine with Dean. Most of his Christmases had always been just like the tree in the corner: A pathetic attempt. He wasn't the Grinch or anything or had a problem with the decorations, there just wasn't a single tradition the Winchester family had for this special holiday and therefore it didn't mean anything to him. Christmas was a day just like every other with the exception that sometimes he and his brother exchanged stupid gifts. And he grew okay with it over the years. Though sometimes he wished…

"Something strong, please", a voice a few barstools next to Dean suddenly said. That caught his attention. He turned around slightly to inspect the body that belonged to the voice. Brunette, beautiful and most important: she seemed to be alone. Oh and she could drink too he noticed pleased when she downed a shot of Whiskey without pulling a face. The other thing that he noticed was that her smooth almost ladylike movements and expensive looking blouse didn't fit into a bar like this. Her eyes on the other hand where exactly the kind of eyes you'd find in a place like this: Eyes which had seen too much and didn't expect too much of the world anymore.

"Santa must have brought me an early Christmas present and has sent an angel of his", Dean watched a guy sit down in the barstool next to her. He actually had to laugh. His pick up lines where bad, but this was just plain ridiculous. What a jerk. She was going eat him alive.

"Oh yes, you seem exactly like the kind of boy who still believes in Santa. You better go back to mommy before it is Krampus that is visiting you." she replied without even turning to look at the guy. And he was one of those assholes who didn't take the hint. A real jerk.

"Common sweety, don't be like this. It is Christmas. You should be nicer to me" jerk started and moved into her personal space. Dean's bells went off, but he didn't interfere yet. He certainly was ready to.

She slowly turned into jerk's direction. "I am warning you, little boys who play with fire get their fingers burnt" she told him calmly, which was impressing. After all he was taller than her and muscular.

The next thing the guy did had Dean out of his chair in an instant. Jerk got grabby. Not tolerable. He would teach him some… oh, apparently she did it herself.

Not two seconds after jerk's fingers touched her skin for the first time he found himself on the floor, put there by no one else then the brunette. In just one swift Chuck-Norris movement she had him on his stomach with one of her knees on his back.

"You know, usually I would break your arm after the stunt you pulled, but since it is Christmas", she put a little more pressure on the knee she had on jerk's back which made him wince and removed to her seat as if nothing had happened.

"Wow", Dean made sure that jerk left the bar before he turned to the woman, surprised to find her looking at him. With a little nod of her head she indicated him to come closer. Awesome.

"So is it safe to sit here or do I end up just like the other guy?" Dean asked smoothly as he sat down next to her.

"You are the knight in shining armor type, aren't you? Lucky you, I have a weak spot for those", she smiled and turned to him. "So, I am here because I'd rather cut my tongue of than to spend Christmas with my family. What is your excuse to be here?"

Dean smiled back. Not the usual bar talk, but from the moment he had spotted her he had known that this wouldn't be a normal bar flirt. Sexy nonetheless.

"What is so wrong about this place? Look they even have a beautiful Christmas tree" Dean answered and pointed to the tree.

"Okay, okay" she laughed and waved the bartender over "pour the man a drink."

She raised her glass and said "my name is Lena." "Dean" he replied and clinked his glass to hers.

"So Dean, I assume you aren't the biggest fan of the holiday too?"

"What? Why do you think so?"

"You called that thing a beautiful tree." she laughed.

"Well, it is. One of the finest Christmas trees I've ever seen" he mocked.

"Okay, okay, as you wish. Bartender, another one for the man!"

"Ahm, thank you" he said confused and downed the drink. The second time she ordered one for him after he mentioned the Christmas tree. "So you have seen a more beautiful tree than this one?"

"We always had the most beautiful tree in my hometown, still do I guess. But this means nothing, when you don't share it with the people you love. Christmas is a feast of the family and I might have a father and a mother, but after my grandpa passed my real family was gone" Lena answered honestly and was surprised that she revealed information about herself so easily. She knew better. Maybe a Christmas miracle?

Probably it was the guy next to her. Dean seemed to be able to relate somehow. She doubted they shared a similar story, but somehow they were on the same page of life now. For a second she remembered Christmases at home. She came from an old noble family in Europe. Christmases were prestigious, bright but really cold. Except for her grandfather who in her opinion had been the only human being in her family. He had been the only reason why she loved Christmas back then. After his death a few years back she had begun to run. Had served, worked for a human rights organization and so on, but still tried to figure out who she was and what to do with her life.

Dean saw her thoughts drifting to a point where she probably didn't want to be. "You had a Christmas tree more beautiful than this? Unbelievable!"

She smiled again as she pointed to the bartender to refill Dean's glass. "Okay, I am confused. Why do you always order a drink for me when I talk about the tree?"

She laughed and answered "I thought we would 'praise the tree'."

"Praise the tree?"

"Oh, sorry, I sometimes forget that I don't live in Germany anymore. We have this tradition in southern Germany that is called 'Baumloben' that translates to praise the tree. Basically whenever you say something nice about someone else's Christmas tree he has to give you a drink."

Wow, that sounded awesome! "So whenever I say something nice about the Christmas tree of my German friends they have to give me a drink?" Dean asked and wished he had German friends.

"Basically yes. This is the easy version of it. This is what my grandpa and I did every Christmas. But there is a lot more to it. My hometown for example is really crazy about 'Baumloben'. Every 25th or 26th of December you could decide to either stay at home and prepare a lot of Obstwasser and other drinks or you visited all your neighbors and praise their tree. Whichever you decided on, you were completely drunk and had a lot of fun those nights."

"That is awesome! Well then, a really beautiful tree."

"Indeed. So green and with this well selected decoration" Lena chimed in.

And they kept on praising the tree until Lena suddenly said: "You know what Dean, screw it! You want to come to my hotel room with me?"

"You said I was a knight in shining armor. What kind of knight would let a lady go home alone at night?" Dean smiled and had a great time for the rest of the night too.


The next morning at the bunker

Sam got up a little later than usual. He didn't think Dean was back already, but sure enough he heard him doing whatever in the library. What the hell, was he doing in there?

"Good morning, Dean" Sam said as he entered the room. And the picture that was presented to him was so hilarious, he would never forget it. His big brother Dean stood proudly in front of a skew, fully decorated Christmas tree. A smile on his face shining brighter than the lights on the tree.

"Good morning, Sammy" he smiled.

"Dean, are you feeling alright? What is the deal with this monstrosity here?"

"This, my dearest Sammy, is our new Christmas tradition. What do you say isn't this a nice tree?"

From this day on there always was a little Christmas tree in the bunker over the holiday ready to be praised.

The end


Author's note: So what do you think? Do you have a similar Christmas tradition? Let me know and Merry Christmas!