"I've never seen a real mistletoe before," Veronica commented, delicately holding the sprig of greenery. "Except in movies."

    "Well, now you have,"Mary smiled, as Veronica handed back the plant clipping, which was tied with a red bow. "Because this is the real deal. And I'm I'm going to hang it right...here." She stood and taped the mistletoe above the living room doorway. "This way, I might get a little kiss from my honey." She winked at the kids playfully.

    "Don't we have a tree to decorate?" Archie asked, looking around at his friends...and Veronica.

    Archie dug through the bin and found a gold garland. Normally, he was a perfectionist when it came to decorating the Christmas tree, but he found himself wrapping the decoration around the branches haphazardly, too distracted by the thought of catching Veronica under the mistletoe. Would he have the courage to kiss her? He glanced at her quickly. She was indescribably beautiful, laughing out loud, with her eyes catching the sparkle of the twinkle lights. "What's so funny?" he asked.

    "I was just telling Veronica about the history of this ornament," Mary giggled. She held up the gingerbread boy with a large bite mark where one arm should've been.

    Archie nodded, grinning. "I remember that." He turned to Veronica." I made it in kindergarten." The ornament was made from a baked cinnamon dough, smelled like Christmas, and looked like a real cookie. But of course, it wasn't meant to me eaten. "It smelled so good. I couldn't help myself." He looked back at Mary. "I can't believe you've kept it this long."

    "It's cute," she shrugged. "And the bite taken out makes it even cuter. Plus," she pinched Archie's cheek. "My baby made it for me."

    "Mom," he groaned.

    Veronica laughed again. "I think it's a cute story." She picked up a glass pine cone, carefully cradling it in her hand. "This is really pretty."

    "That one's very special to me," Mary explained. "My grandmother gave it to me. Would you like to do the honors?" She gestured to the tree.

    Veronica studied the delicate decoration, which sparkled in her hand. "No, thank you. You should do it. I wouldn't want to break it." She passed it to Mary, who hung it securely on a branch.

    "Veronica...what were holidays like in your family?" Mary asked, trying to keep up conversation.

    "They were pretty low-key," she said. "We, uh, never had much money for presents and stuff."

    Mary smiled softly. "People place too much emphasis on gifts, anyway. That's not what Christmas is really about."

    After her father's drinking problem went from bad to worse, the only gifts given to her were usually through charities were all she received on Christmas morning.

    "You know, we should buy a few toys and make a donation. It would be fun. What do you guys think?"

    Just then, the front door opened. "Mary!" Brooke called. "Your tangerines came today!" She came into view, holding a large mailing box.

    "Yes!" Mary cheered. She took the box from Brooke. "Now it feels like the holidays." She turned to the kids. "We used to pick these every year when I was young. Of course, now, we can get them right through the mail." As she set the box down, the mistletoe she'd hung caught her eye. "Don't move a muscle," she told Brooke.

    Brooke looked at her girlfriend questioningly, until she pointed up. "Mistletoe," she laughed, as Mary leaned in for a kiss.

    They finished decorating the tree together, chatting as they worked. Afterward, Mary opened the box of tangerines. "Now everyone gets a treat." She began passing a piece of fruit to each of the children.

    Veronica rolled her tangerine in her hand, then held it to her nose, smelling it. She closed her eyes and breathed in the tangy sweet citrus fragrance, as Archie sat down next to her.

    "You gonna eat that?" he asked, peeling his own tangerine.

    "Of course I am," said Veronica. "It just smells so good. I've never had one."

    "You've never had a Christmas tangerine?" Archie asked with disbelief. "Not ever?"

    "No," Veronica told him as she dug her nail into a bright peel. He didn't understand that a luxury like tangerines would have been unheard of in her family, where she felt lucky to have a hot meal on her table for Christmas. "What's the big deal?"

    Archie shrugged. "I don't know...I guess it's such a tradition in our family, that it's hard to imagine Christmas without it."

    Veronica nodded, as she peeled the last bit of the rind from the tangerine, and separated a segment. She bit into it, the sweet-tart juice filling her mouth. "This is delicious," she sighed. She ate it as slowly as possible, one segment at a time.

    Later, they went shopping, following through with Alice's suggestion that they make a donation to charity. They all got hot chocolate, and wandered around the mall. Archie made it a point to stay close to Veronica, never wanting to be far from her.

    After everyone had chosen one gift, Mary led them to a donation bin, and everyone put the toy they'd picked inside it. "This is going to make the holidays special for a lot of kids," Brooke told them. "I'm proud of you guys."

    Archie smiled at Veronica, who had a faraway look in her eyes. Again, he thought of the mistletoe. When they got home, he hung it around the living room, waiting for the right moment to come along. And finally, it did. Veronica was passing through, and no one was around.

    "Veronica," he said quietly.

    "Hmm?" she asked, stopping to acknowledge him.

    He crossed the room to her, smiling. "You're under the mistletoe. You know what that means, right?"

    Veronica rolled her eyes. "You're not really going to kiss me, are you?" Please kiss me, please kiss me, please kiss me, she thought to herself.

    "I think I have to," Archie told her. "It's the rule."

    "I know how much you hate to break the rules," Veronica laughed, as he came closer to her.

    "Here it goes," he whispered. Slowly, he leaned in, and pressed his lips to Veronica's checking, feeling the warmth of her soft skin radiate through him. He lingered there for a moment, then pulled away.

    Veronica touched her cheek, still able to feel where Archie's lips were. "I could get used to this whole holiday-tradition thing."

    At night, Veronica though about Archie's kiss. She fantasized about hanging mistletoe everyone; from every doorway, even above the mistletoe. Definitely in his room, since that's where he spent most of his time. She'd deck every inch of the house with mistletoe if she could, just so she could get more kisses. The next morning, she decided she'd be the one to catch him standing under it this time. And she'd kiss him just the way she wanted to.

    Obsessing over the anticipation of it all, she didn't see Archie as she was coming from the kitchen and he was leaving the living room. He must have been distracted too, because they bumped right into each other.

    "Sorry," Archie apologized, catching her gaze and holding it.

    "It's okay," she told him. "But...you do realize where we're standing again, don't you?" She pointed her thumb upward.

    Archie grinned from ear to ear. "I guess since we're both under it, we have to kiss each other this time."

    "Makes sense," Veronica nodded, barely able to contain herself. They looked around quickly, to be sure they were alone. Then, Archie wrapped his arms around Veronica's waist, and she put her hands on his shoulders. He tilted his mouth towards hers, and she met him halfway, their lips finding each other. After they kissed, time seemed to stand still. Veronica wasn't sure how long the kiss lasted, but when they parted, they were both breathless. She looked up at Archie, who was running his fingers through her hair. "Yup. Definitely getting used to these traditions."