Jacqui wrote: <Assuming in the Federation there is a 'general spend your money and buy gifts for everyone' festival, any ideas? >
<grin> I'm one of those for whom Kerr Avon and the Season of Far-Too-Much-Festivity go together like Ebenezer Scrooge and plum pudding ... but seriously, where on or off Earth would they do any shopping? There aren't that many gift boutiques in rock quarries, and while they did drop in on civilisation every so often (if you can call Freedom City civilisation :-)) they usually dropped out again fairly fast (let's face it, getting arrested and/or shot while shopping for socks and undies and chocolate Santas would put a crimp in anyone's festivities).
What would shopping be like in the Federation anyway? There must have been shops (that present the commander brings back for Sarkoff on Lindor, for one example) but somehow what we see of Dome life doesn't inspire me with any great confidence that it's much like what we would recognise (personally, I wouldn't mind betting that there's fairly hefty rationing laws in place in the Domes and Inner Worlds - it would just suit the atmosphere and be another way to control people).
When gift-giving time came around, Our Heroes probably had to make do with what they already had on the ship (they brought few or no personal possessions with them, after all; the Treasure Room would have been one source, goodness knows what else was on a ship that size) or had picked up on their 'business' appointments on more civilised worlds ...
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