In every doorway, it dangled innocently. Little clusters of green, no bigger than the palm of MC's hand, had been set up right under his very nose. As he stared at a particularly large cluster hanging above his back door, he couldn't help but smile. It was obvious who had hung them, and it was equally obvious to guess what her plans were. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful gesture for a Christmas Day smooch.

When his thoughts shifted to Christmas itself, so did his gaze. Lying on the kitchen table, covered by a layer of silver and crimson wrapping paper, was his present to Monika. He beamed, for he was proud of the work he had poured into making sure it was more than perfect. However, the left side of his mouth also carried the shadow of a grimace. After all, no matter how hard he tried, he could never make things as brilliant or world-changing as Monika could. This was readily evident by the mistletoe itself. What if it just wasn't good enough for her?

Suddenly, there was a crash, a shrill shriek, a thud, and a groan all in the span of two seconds. MC rushed into his living room to find Monika lying on the ground and perhaps a little disoriented. She was belly-first in a piled of splintered wood and displaced shingles. As MC rushed to help her up, the first thing he noticed was that she was not clad in a typical outfit. Instead, she was wearing a red dress, thick and woolly red boots, a Santa hat, and thigh-high stockings. One was red, and the other green. Lying next to her, a little ways from the disaster area, was a small cloth sack.

"Owowowowowow," Monika moaned as MC helped her to her feet. "I didn't think that through well enough."

"Are you alright?" MC inquired with genuine concern. He paid no heed to the new hole in his roof. Instead, all attention was focused on Monika's condition. She wasn't bleeding, and he didn't recognize any bruises, but that was still quite a tumble. If her wincing expression was any indication, she was also in tremendous pain. However, when she turned her head and locked eyes with him, her pained frown morphed into a tremendous grin. It was as if his very presence was enough to make any amount of suffering worthwhile.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she chucked nervously, rising to her feet. Her gaze flickered to the hole in MC's roof. Snowfall danced into the kitchen from outside. The snow was her touch, of course. After all, Christmas without snow felt just a little bit imperfect for her tastes. Still, she found herself wincing once more, not from pain, but from embarrassment. "Err, sorry about your roof."

MC merely shook his head, offering an intrigued chuckle. "No, no, it's fine. I just. . . What exactly were your trying to do?"

Monika pointed at her clothes and flashed an amused grin. "Well, isn't it obvious? I'm Santa Monika, here to wish my love a Merry Christmas!"

The pun, as well as her assurance that she was OK, abated his worry. "Surely you knew I had no chimney, right?"

Monika blushed a bit, averting his gaze as she flashed an embarrassed smile. "Like I said, I didn't think this through very well."

The snow from above now coated her clothes in speckles of white. The light from above shined down onto her, and she sparkled like a Christmas angel sent from heaven. She may not have planned for things to go this way, but even when making a mistake, Monika was somehow perfect.

MC kissed her tenderly, eliciting a startled moan from her. When he pulled away, she was blushing far more intensely.

"Merry Christmas, Monika," he chuckled.

"Y-y-you too," she managed after a moment. She brushed the snow off of her and stepped away from the light under the hole.

"I've seen what you've put above the doorways," MC remarked with a knowing grin.

"Oh, you did? Darn, I was hoping I'd catch you by surprise," Monika chuckled.

"No, judging your reaction to that kiss, I'd reckon that I surprised you."

Monika nodded. "That you did. But it was the best surprise ever, more than any gift."

The mentioning of gifts jerked MC's thoughts back to the present on the kitchen table. He stepped away from Monika and headed to the table. He returned before she had much time to inquire, carrying the box as if it were a priceless artifact. "Speaking of gifts, I made you something."

Monika's eyes sparkled. "Really? Oh, you shouldn't have! Don't you know you're a gift enough for me?"

MC nudged Monika with an elbow, smiling nervously. "C'mon, don't act like you never do anything special just for me," he defended playfully. Dropping his smile, his eyes glinted with naked sincerity. "I know I can't make the world change on a whim like you can. I know I can't just give you any physical object you want. I don't even know if what's inside there will be something you enjoy, so I just want you to know that it came from the heart."

Monika nodded her head, her smile brightening as the realization dawned. Saying nothing, she gently tore at the wrapping paper until it was all but scraps on the floor. Upon taking a mere glance at the gift, she couldn't stop an awed gasp from escaping her lips. In her hands was a painting of a cityscape in the morning. Grey skyscrapers rose against a light blue background, but the real beauty emanated from the foreground of the painting. Greens and blues danced, somehow reflecting the light of day almost as well as a genuine picture. The location of this place was easily-recognizable: the very spot where MC confessed his love to Monika. However, the addition of bluebonnets rendered it almost new to Monika's eyes. Marvelous didn't even begin to describe it. It was the perfect blend of old and new, and altogether a beautiful spectacle.

Monika was barely able to mutter "Oh my God." It simply took her breath away. "MC, this is. . . This is wonderful! When did you learn to paint like this?"

MC shrugged. "I really didn't. I just, well, I set my brush upon canvas, and the rest came naturally. Maybe I belonged in the art club more than the literature club."

"This is wonderful," she repeated. Then, setting the painting down, she gazed at her sack. Her expression was shockingly forlorn. "And to think, I didn't actually bring you anything, myself. I just brought that for show. I'm sorry."

MC placed his hand on Monika's shoulder. His eyes shimmered with delight, in spite of Monika's self-condemnation. "I wouldn't say that," he remarked, pointing out at the nearest window. Snow continued to fall on a white world. He stepped back, coming to a stop right under the kitchen doorway, and pointed once more at Monika's Santa Claus gettup. "Maybe my gift wasn't exactly wrapped up and given to me like a present, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

Monika felt her eyes water. She wiped the tears away before they could begin to fall, and her doubts were washed away until it was like they never existed at all. Then, she caught something out of the corner of her eye, and her smile took on a more devilish tone.

"MC."

"Hmm?"

"You're standing under mistletoe."

MC barely had time to look up before Monika pounced on him and pulled him into a passionate kiss. For a moment, the two of them were lost in a world of just the two of them. They caressed each other's hair, wrapping their arms around each other's figures. At last, their lips parted, and they found themselves staring deeply into one another.

"Merry Christmas, MC."

"Merry Christmas, Monika."

Annnnnnnnnnndddddddd Merry Christmas to you all. I had to sit on this chapter for a few days, as I finished it about a week ago. I just felt like timing it with the day itself would make it just a little more magical. In case you're wondering, by the way, the painting I described is based heavily off the works of Julian Onderdonk. I'm an absolute pleb when it comes to visual art, but I'm a sucker for landscape paintings. He's one of my favorites, so I decided to let my personal tastes bleed through a little bit.

Anyways, I'm typing this note out on Christmas Day itself, and I really should be spending the day with my family, so I'm gonna go ahead and close it out here. Merry Christmas, all!