The Beginning... The snow fell outside causing the ground to glow under a fresh layer of white crystals. It was the season for holiday cheer and reflection on the year past. The time Marine Gunnery Sergeant Robert Christmas hated. To have the same name as an over-commercialized and secularized time made the cheer and happiness everyone felt even worse. He possessed a name he wasn't proud of, but he wasn't a strong believer in changing it to hide from one's past. The fact women kept their maiden names and hyphenated their husbands' was absurd. Yet, several in the military did it. He shook his head at such a thought, 'women in the military', but that was another topic altogether. One he didn't care to get into. Fortunately for him, the only other person in the bar was the owner, and he kept to himself watching some old holiday special on television.