Bah Humbug
"What's this?" Sherlock asked, as John slipped the shimmery silver disk into the DVD drive, and watched as it disappeared with a whir of mechanical engineering. Sherlock glared with distaste as the flickering static disappeared from the television screen, to be replaced by a brightly coloured menu. Watson selected the language – English, although Sherlock couldn't help but feel that one of the many other available languages might have made things a little more interesting. He could after all speak most of them with reasonable proficiency.
"A Christmas Carol," John explained as he took his own seat in the armchair in front of the television, and the film's opening titles began. Sherlock sat up and pulled his legs upwards and towards him until he was sitting cross-legged upon the sofa. "I thought you might like it." John remarked.
"Well I don't." Sherlock remarked churlishly, viewing the montage of snow covered houses and horse drawn carriages with disgust. "Turn it off."
"It's about a mean old man who's visited by three spirits on Christmas Eve, in order to learn the true spirit of Christmas." John explained. "Actually," He added as an afterthought, "He reminds me a bit of you."
"I know the story of A Christmas Carol John." Sherlock snapped impatiently. John looked at him disbelievingly.
"You know the story of A Christmas Carol but you don't know that the Earth goes around the sun?" He asked. The opening scene began to play and the camera panned to a chorus of Christmas carollers singing 'The Holly and the Ivy'. Sherlock looked at them and groaned.
"The book's a classic John." He remarked, waving his hand dismissively at the television screen. "This on the other hand is badly made sentimental rubbish."
"Just give it a go Sherlock." John urged his friend, "You never know you might actually enjoy it."
"I very much doubt that." Sherlock sighed, but he made no attempt to move. "But if they start singing again I'm off." He declared.
John looked back at him for a moment, but his attention was quickly drawn back to the television screen. A further few minutes then passed in silence between them, before John thought that he heard Sherlock mutter something under his breath.
"Bah Humbug."
He turned to see Sherlock Holmes smiling back at him. The corners of John's mouth twitched slightly, forming the beginnings of a small smile in return, when suddenly Sherlock burst out laughing. It wasn't long before John too joined his friend in this rare moment of merriment.
"Merry Christmas John." Sherlock giggled contentedly as he snorted into the palm of his hand. He had no idea what had brought about this sudden change in his friend, but he decided not to question it. It was good to see him happy for a change, instead of sulky and brooding.
"Merry Christmas Sherlock." John grinned.
John Watson had no way of knowing that A Christmas Carol was Sherlock's favourite Christmas story. It reminded him of family Christmas's as a small boy, of opening presents on Christmas morning with Mycroft, and of turkey, and roast potatoes, and parsnips swimming in mother's special gravy – of a time before they both grew up, and drifted apart, and life became so much more complicated – and that, even if your name was Sherlock Holmes could never be a bad thing.