Mary tossed him the box, her smile only growing in anticipation. "It will make everyone laugh, but not in a mean way. It will distract them from the plagues of insects outside, and make it a Christmas to remember." Besides, she thought, we both know I would have talked you into doing it eventually when the boys were young if I had been there. If you look at it that way, you're late.
Then he opened the box and everything changed. God how she loved it when his voice went low and husky like that. When he called her 'woman' Mary rose and went quickly to him, a very wicked look of mischief in her eyes. Really, it wasn't fair, how she was getting both another much longed for kiss from him and the amusement of seeing him dressed up as Santa on Christmas Eve. She leaned up and kissed him. Mary was sweet and gentle at first, but if John as much as returned the kiss, she fully intended to deepen the kiss. As far as she was concerned, with things like mistletoe, the holidays were the perfect time to reach out to him and discover things like kissing again.