Gina let out a quiet groan when she was awakened by the clock radio alarm. Blue Christmas by Elvis was playing, and the music merged with her feelings as she'd drifted off to sleep. The bed shifted, and she knew Brian was sitting up to shut off the alarm.

In a fit of pique, she rolled over, facing the wall. A quiet sigh let her know that the gesture hadn't gone unnoticed. When he slipped out of the bed without a word or a touch, she knew that he'd likewise received the message she was sending.

Once he was out of the room, she brushed away a strand of light blonde hair that had been tickling her nose from the moment she rolled over. Even as irritated as she was, she felt a twinge of guilt at having so blatantly snubbed him. It wasn't enough to overcome how upset she was at him going in to work on Christmas Eve - and waiting until the last minute to tell her.

"I thought we were going to make it," he'd pleaded when he saw her expression turn dark. "I swear, I would have said something if I knew we were going to have to finish tomorrow. It's only going to be a few hours at the most."

Voice warbling somewhere between barely controlled anger and tears, she could only manage, "On Christmas Eve," as a response.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but before he could find any words, she'd gone to the bathroom for a shower, and then to bed.

Try as she might, she couldn't stop the conversation from running through her mind over and over again. She wasn't going back to sleep this morning. Unwilling to deal with the wedge between them, Gina fought the urge to get up until Brian left for work, and only climbed out of bed when she heard his car pull away.

She'd planned what she was going to wear today shortly after Thanksgiving, but the outfit remained in the closet when she rolled out of bed. With Brian gone at work, she just wasn't in the mood. Wearing faded sweats, she made her way to the kitchen, the smell of the coffee her husband had made pulling her along.

Once across the threshold to the front room, she realized that she was moving on autopilot toward the power strip that would light the tree and the other lights, as she had for so many mornings. She stopped, and nearly turned away toward the kitchen, but thought better of it. He wasn't here to see her little displays of anger anyway, and it just felt wrong not to light the room up on Christmas Eve.

Brightly colored lights blazed to life, bringing a cheery glow to the room. The wreath over the front door blinked in time to Jingle Bells, the notes sounding through the room from its music box. Gina couldn't help but smile. She'd never really gotten over the wonder of Christmas that so many outgrew. It was a big reason why she was so angry at her husband, but also the reason she was having trouble holding onto that anger.

She stood, hugging her arms around herself, and took in the scene until the wreath ended its first song, moving on to Silent Night. The lure of the coffee pulled her again, and she soon had a cup in hand when she returned to the room.

The pettiness of how she'd reacted steadily burned through her anger as she sipped, listening to the wreath play its brief, slightly tinny-sounding carols. Only married for a little over a year, this was their first real fight since exchanging vows. They had battled a time or two while dating, but this was different - more dangerous.

She had already broken her own rule about never going to bed angry. Brian had tried to talk to her when he came to bed, but she'd completely ignored him, and could almost feel him wincing at the lack of response. The air had felt heavy with tension right up until she drifted off into a fitful sleep. He might have made the mistake, but he was also the only one who had tried to air out the problem the way they'd promised.

"I'm such a bitch," she whispered to the empty room, and then put down her coffee. Fortunately, her cell was still sitting on the end table, forgotten in her rush to go to bed the night before.

After a few deep breaths, her thumbs tapped out a message. "Sorry for how I acted. I'm still mad, but I understand."

Perhaps a minute later, his reply came back. "No, it's my fault. I was stupid. Forgive me?"

"Only if you forgive me," she tapped back, beginning to feel a little better.

"Nothing to forgive, but yes. Shouldn't be here much after lunch, if that helps."

"It does." She'd assumed he would be much later, and the news brought a smile to her lips. "I love you."

"Love you too. Got to get back to it."

Not wanting to distract and delay him any further, Gina put down her phone and plucked at her frumpy sweats. Now that her mood was turning, she couldn't stand the thought of him coming home to her, looking as she did.

First order of business was to fix her hair and put on that new red dress - and everything else - she'd kept so carefully hidden.

Gina was busy putting together the Christmas Eve snack buffet - downsized for two - that was the tradition in both of their families when the doorbell rang. Assuming that it was a neighbor come to call - perhaps with cookies or some other goodies to add to the meal - she put down the jar of miniature pickles and went to answer it.

Little could have surprised her more than the sight of Santa Claus standing on the porch.

"Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas, Gina. I hear you've been a very good girl this year."

She could almost place the voice, and the eyes, but not quite. Whoever he was, he played a good Santa. "Does that mean I get a present?"

He lifted his bag and gave it a shake. "Why, I do believe I might just have something in here for you." Santa opened his bag and reached inside, pulling out an envelope and a gift-wrapped box. He handed them over and said, "Open the card first," before giving a wink, a wave, and turning to walk back off the porch into the snow.

Bubbling over with excitement, Gina hurried to the couch and sat down. She couldn't resist one shake of the box, which didn't give any clues, but took Santa's suggestion to open the card first. She knew in a single glance that her husband was the one who had written her name on the outside. Her nails made short work of the seal, and she pulled it out.

A soft coo escaped her as she looked at the outside of the card. Brian had obviously paid attention to which cards she liked over the years. The scene was of a snow covered porch with a wreath on the door, a tree in the window, and kids running down the stairs in the background, in a style that reminded her of Rockwell.

The card was one with the inner message printed on leaves of paper bound within, and she immediately noticed that the one on the right was stuck to the body of the card with something. She ignored that curious feature, reading the handwritten message inside.

"I know it's early, but this isn't really a Christmas present, so I thought I'd break tradition a little. There's another card coming tomorrow with a better message, too. Look under the right side. I love you."

He'd perfectly anticipated her reaction to the less than stunning message by promising another card, which made her grin. When she lifted the corner of the paper leaf on the right side, she saw that it was held down with little bits of sticky tack, so she could lift it without tearing up the card. Inside was a folded sheet of paper, and she could tell that it was something printed off a computer.

Curiosity piqued, she put the card down and unfolded the paper. A moment later, she sucked in a great gasp of stunned surprise when she saw the printed confirmation page for a Hawaiian cruise.

Her phone was in hand and the number dialed almost before she knew what she was doing, and she didn't even give him a chance to say hello before letting out a squeal of delight. "Oh my god! Hawaii!"

He laughed. "Did you even see the dates?"

She homed in on the page and gasped again. "Two weeks? Next month? Oh my god, I love you so much!"

Still chuckling, he said, "Glad you like it. Did you open the box yet?"

"No." Gina put down the paper and picked up the box. "Hang on."

"No, let me wrap things up here, and you unwrap things there. You can tell me what you think when I get home in just a little bit. Deal?"

"Why did you have me open the card first? Whatever's in the box can't possibly compare to that."

"You sure? Just hang up and open it."

She wanted to argue, wondering why he was so insistent upon her hanging up first, but decided to let it slide. "Okay. I love you."

"Love you too. Bye, baby."

Visions of sunning herself on a Hawaiian beach still running through her head, she hung up the phone and went to work on the wrapping paper. Within the festive wrap was another layer of plain brown paper, and a spot where a mailing label had obviously been removed. The paper surrendered, finally letting her see what was inside.

To anyone else, the vibrating butt plug would have been incredibly tacky. To Gina, it was perhaps the sweetest, most thoughtful thing her husband could have possibly given her. Her first boyfriend had introduced her to backdoor play, and she'd quickly discovered that it gave her intense orgasms. Brian, unfortunately, wasn't turned on by the thought. She'd stopped suggesting it when they were still dating, due to the awkward moments it had caused when she did.

For him to think enough of her to do the research and spend the money for one of the most expensive models spoke volumes. Her heart fluttering and her pussy tingling, she slid it out of the box. The power pack took C batteries, promising lots of power, and rings of beads in the shaft of the toy offered more than just vibration. Now she understood why he'd put a pack of C batteries in the junk drawer a couple of weeks ago, when nothing in the house took them.

Though soaking wet at the thought of sliding the toy into her ass, she slid it back into the box instead. Unsure that she could stop once she started, she didn't want him to come home to find her with it buried in her ass and the Christmas feast half ready. She did put batteries in the power pack before tucking it away in her panty drawer, though.

With every little wisp of anger at him gone, Gina hummed Christmas carols as she put the finishing touches on the buffet.

Knowing the sound of his car, as soon as she heard it pull into the drive, Gina hurried to a mirror and made sure her blonde hair and makeup were perfect. The cheeses, Chex mix, and other snacks were spread out on the coffee table, ready for them to eat their fill as they watched Christmas specials, building up toward opening the first gift before going to bed.

If she had her way, sleep wasn't even remotely the plan once they got there.

She'd staged everything perfectly and carefully chosen the spot where she would stand to greet him when he came in the door. Her rehearsed flourish and greeting went straight out the window when Santa Claus stepped in the door.

"Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas," he boomed in a fair Santa imitation.

Unlike her first visit from the jolly old elf, she instantly recognized Brian's voice. This Santa didn't carry a sack, but instead a small, wrapped box of a size that made her heart skip a beat. She knew a jewelry box when she saw one, and that helped her forget the effort she'd wasted in planning her greeting.

She asked, "Since when does Santa come in the front door?"

"Ho, ho, ho! Only on special occasions," he answered. Twisting the box in his fingers as he approached, he asked, "Have you been a good girl this year?"

She answered in a high-pitched, almost sing-song voice, "I've been a very good girl." Nipples hardening, she was a little shocked that this was turning her on for some reason.

"Good girls deserve presents, don't they?"

"Uh huh, Santa. Do you have a present for me?"

"Indeed I do." He finally handed over the box.

Partially playing the little girl role that was making her pussy tingle, and partially excited by the prospect of what was in the box, she shredded the wrapping paper in short order. She opened the box inside, and nearly swooned.

The necklace was one that she'd spent several moon-eyed minutes looking at while they were Christmas shopping, even though she knew it was outside their budget. Diamonds adorned the entwined gold hearts, sparkling in the multicolored lights strung about the room.

Flabbergasted, she stammered, "H-how?"

"Why, Santa can do anything. I did hear that someone has good news about a promotion, though. It seems all those long hours have finally paid off."

"Oh my god," Gina cried out, throwing her arms around his neck.

He hugged her close, and she could feel the padding beneath his furry Santa suit. She kissed him, giggling when the fake beard tickled her face.

"I think Santa likes this better than milk and cookies," he said when their lips parted, his gloved hands sliding down to her bottom.

Arousal surged within her. Chex mix and It's a Wonderful Life could wait. She slipped back into her little girl voice, pressing her body tight against him. "Help me put on my present, Santa."

He took the box and slipped in behind her. His Santa gloves soon proved a hindrance, so he tossed them aside on the couch. The chain slipped around her neck and the entwined hearts settled just above her cleavage, revealed by her new red dress. He kissed her neck, setting off a shiver that had nothing to do with his beard tickling her.

Gina spun around, seeking out his lips. At the same time, her hand went on a quest of its own. When her fingers slipped over his erection tenting the red fabric, she pulled back from the kiss. "Why Santa, did you bring me a big, thick, yummy candy cane too?"

"Mmm ... Gina." He slipped out of character as she caressed his swollen manhood.

"I have some milk and cookies for you, Santa. Come get them," she teased, and then sauntered off to the bedroom, her hips swaying. She could hear the bells attached to his coat jingling and his heavy black boots thumping on the hardwood floor as he followed.

When she turned around at the edge of the bed, she saw him reaching toward his beard. For just a moment, she too slipped out of character. There was something extremely naughty and exhilarating about the thought of him in a Santa suit. "Leave it on."

"Really?"

She nodded. Before he could say anything, she unveiled a surprise that was actually planned for much later in the evening. Reaching behind her back, she pulled down the zipper of her tight red dress. Brian's eyes widened beneath the curly white bangs hanging out from under his hat.

Gina slipped out of her dress slowly - sensually - revealing only a little bit of her body at a time. First one shoulder, then the other. The dress slipped lower, unveiling the surprise of her fur-trimmed red bra, adorned with suggestive sprigs of mistletoe.

That inspired Santa to shift the velvet tent that had risen in his pants.

Lower still, the dress slid past her hips. Her panties matched the bra, right down to the strategically placed mistletoe. With the material now past her curves, Gina let the dress slide down her legs and stepped out of it, showing off her red stockings with glittering green sequins hidden amongst the lacy band around her thighs.

She cupped her breasts in her hands. "Come get your milk, Santa."

He didn't need even that much encouragement. Bells jingling, he crossed the two steps remaining between them and replaced her hand with his own.

"Mmm, Santa," she moaned as he kissed the upper swell of her breasts, each in turn. The beard's tickle sent a chill shooting up her spine and she moaned again.

A hungry growl escaped him as he tugged down her bra, freeing her breasts. His kisses on her erect nipples caused her to gasp, arching her back and thrusting the firm globes against his lips.

"You'll need to suck them if you want your milk, Santa."

He slipped back into his Santa voice. "Aren't you a nicely naughty little elf." He'd barely finished when he sucked her right nipple between his lips, rolling it with his tongue as he sucked.

"Santa's little ho, ho, ho," she responded in girlish tones. Reaching behind her back to unclasp the bra thrust her breasts against his mouth again. The garment fell to the floor between them a few seconds later.

Her husband's ministrations were making her as wet as she'd ever been, lips and beard both tantalizing her breasts. She caressed the soft hat atop his head, reaching down with the other hand to run her fingertips over his hard cock.

Aching to be touched after less than a minute, she whispered near his ear. "Would Santa like to taste his cookie now?"

He answered not with words, but action. After a final, hard suck that pulled her nipple out and let it snap back, setting her breast to jiggling, he turned her back toward the bed. She put her hands behind her as he leaned forward, pushing her toward the mattress.