Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 20th cycle. Now cycle 21! (I realized I didn't fix this line throughout the whole of cycle 20! *smacks forehead*)

Merry Christmas!
(Check out last year's xmas story, "Merry Little Christmas Night" (day 65))
(sorry it's a tad late, but it's Christmas after all ;))

"Ho, Ho, Ohio"
Carl/Emma

Their marriage had not been something they'd planned in advance; it had been a surprise to all, including her. So when they'd returned to Lima, they still had their separate apartments… They talked about moving in together, but it was a question without an answer… Neither of them could decide. So then Carl had started talking about buying a house. What was clear was that for the moment they kept their apartments, alternating as they saw fit.

One thing they realized, in keeping their apartments, was that they could still learn things about one another, and one of those was that they were both 'big on Christmas.' So as the time drew near, the celebration only seemed to get bigger and bigger. Carl was all about hanging up displays of lights outside, and Emma liked to 'design' those displays but could never get them up this way before. The first time she had stood outside in the dark, looking up at those lights, she'd almost cried with joy she was so giddy… And then they started all over again at his place, and his office… This led to a request from Carl.

Every year he had a tradition at his office, at holiday time, for him to 'go on vacation,' at which time with great kindness, none other than Santa replaced him. Now usually one of his hygienists would take on the role of Mrs. Claus, But this year since he had his Mrs. Howell, he thought it was only right that she get to take over the role. She hesitated at first, but then thinking about it, and the way it would no doubt please his younger patients, she asked to at least see her costume. And when she did… she couldn't say no.

She felt magical, looking at herself in the mirror… She twirled about… She especially liked the white gloves, and the holiday-themed mask, which she'd have to wear, if and when she was within proximity of Santa as he worked.

She had no idea how much of an… event this was, down at the clinic, until she saw it. Mindy the receptionist – dressed as an elf – would hand her the schedule for this coming week, to take to Carl, and a theme started to emerge… Kids, lots of kids… His schedule was packed tight with children who wanted to get their teeth cleaned and examined by Santa. At first she might have thought it was coincidence, but each child who arrived had that sort of look on their face… not the 'I'm scared of the dentist!' one, but a 'It's Santa time!' one.

And as only a Christmas lover could, Carl was a wonderful Santa. He played the part with all the respect of someone who had grown up loving it. The kids loved him, and they listened to everything 'Santa Carl' told them about what they had to do to keep their teeth and general oral health in good condition. And once they had promised Santa they would do all that, they would get sent to Mrs. Claus, who had a bag full of goodies. Each of them would get a new toothbrush, with a candy cane tied to it with a neatly pulled red ribbon; she'd tied a good number of those herself.

At the end of the first day, Emma was guiding out one little girl who had taken to good Mrs. Claus because they both had red hair. She waved her goodbye, and then she turned to find Santa Carl coming toward her, brandishing one of the toothbrush-candy cane combos, offering it out to her. She smiled, amused.

"Why, Santa, are you sure? Won't it be bad for my teeth?" she asked innocently.

"That's what the brush is for," he pointed, still with his booming voice. She smirked and tugged his beard down. "Ho, ho, ho?" he played, and she replied with a kiss, making him smirk.

"I had a good time," she nodded. "Thank you for thinking of me."

"It's only just beginning," 'Santa' promised her. "Ready for more tomorrow?" She nodded a yes.

"I think this is going to be a pretty good Christmas, I… I should warn you about my mother," her voice lowered on reflex. "After… last year, I don't know if she believed me when I told her about you," she frowned.

"Don't worry, she'll love me… once she knows I'm… real," he promised.

"Well you're making it pretty special already," she told him. They shared a smile, and Carl pulled his hat off, placing it atop her ginger head. He took her hand, and they headed on home.

THE END

A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.
In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are
always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!