December 25: "Christmas Dinner at 221B" (from ImaLateBloomer)
"My word, Mrs. Hudson!" said Holmes, leaning back in his chair as the landlady traded their empty dinner dishes with the pudding she had prepared for them. "I haven't had a meal this good since..." He thought for a moment.
"Last Christmas?" supplied Watson.
"Actually, I was thinking of Easter, but that definitely could be argued."
"Either way," said Watson, turning to face the long-suffering woman, "it was an excellent meal."
She only smiled modestly. "I am just glad Mr. Holmes is eating today." She cast a stern look at Holmes, who suddenly found a very interesting loose thread in the carpet to study for a moment before meeting her gaze.
"All right, Mrs. Hudson, give me a break!" he said, his tone closer to pleading than he was accustomed to. "It's Christmas, remember?"
She smiled indulgently at both of them, before leaving the room with the dishes. Several minutes and a large amount of pudding later, she was back for the dessert dishes as well.
The landlady apparently didn't miss Holmes's momentary glance at his violin, because on her way out of the room she said, "Why don't you play something in the spirit of the season for the good Doctor. I think he would like that."
Holmes turned to look at his Boswell, whose eyes were gleaming hopefully, and sighed. He never had been able to refuse that particular look.
He went over to his desk, where he had left his Stradivarius after his improvisations of the previous day. Picking up the violin, he played a beautiful rendition of "Silent Night", which was applauded by both a beaming Watson and Mrs. Hudson (who seemed to have come straight back up from the kitchen after depositing their dishes).
That night, at least, all was well in 221B Baker Street.
A/N: MERRY (belated) CHRISTMAS, EVERYBODY!