I peered behind him to make sure parents or guardians were present and we didn't have a lost child on our hands. Thankfully, an alpha and omega couple sitting on a nearby bench waved to let me know all was okay.
"Can I help?" the boy asked, still pointing at the box of baubles.
"Sure! Here, take this... and put it on the tree wherever you'd like."
The boy's face turned serious as he examined the lowest branches of the big evergreen tree. He hummed, thinking it over. When he was done plotting, he carefully slipped the bauble on a sturdy stem, then beamed.
"I did it!" he cried.
"You sure did, buddy. That looks great!"
"Another one?" he asked.
Just as I was going to hand him another bauble, his parents called for him. The boy pouted. Not wanting him to leave in poor spirits, I reached into the treat sack we kept near Santa's throne.
"Here you go," I said, offering him a red-and-green candy cane.
The boy gasped and grinned widely. "Thank you, mister!"
He ran towards his parents, gleefully babbling about the bauble and candy cane. The alpha chuckled, putting his arm around the omega's shoulders as the shorter parent took his son's hand. I smiled as I watched the happy family leave, then sighed. It would be so nice ifthatwas my life. An alpha partner and a child of my own...
"Hey, Angelo! Wanna help me untangle these lights?" Minnie chimed in.
I shook it off. I had to set up the Christmas display—there was no time to daydream about romance.
"Ah, yeah, sorry! Where were we?"
Hours flew by as we decorated the display. By the time we'd finished, the tree was decked out in tip-to-root opulence. Warm white string lights accentuated the shiny red baubles, which were a perfect contrast to the tree's natural deep green. Minnie had set up the rest of the greater display area—plenty of tinsel, present boxes, and poinsettias adorned the meet-and-greet zone. Everything glittered with festive magic.
I stood there for a moment, staring at the display in awe. It was so beautiful, it made my eyes water.
"You good, Angelo?" Minnie asked with a smile.
I wiped an embarrassing tear away. "Yeah."
"Aw, are you crying?"
"I just get emotional about Christmas, okay?"
She laughed good-naturedly. "I know. I'm not making fun of you, I think it's sweet. Oh, hey, I think the new guy's here. I should go brief him."
Before I could sneak a look, Minnie dumped an oversized Rudolph plush in my arms. "Can you set him up behind Santa's chair? Thanks!"
She ran off before I could refuse—not that I'd ever say no to decorating.
I grunted, trying to get Rudolph into the proper place without dropping him or knocking anything over. "Okay, buddy, let's sit you down right here..."
The space between the tree and Santa's throne was tight, so it was difficult to move around. There wasn't enough room for both of us back there. Leaning forward, I wriggled my butt for balance while struggling to place Rudolph's unruly body. My heart skipped a beat when I heard his antlers jostle a bauble above my head.
"No, no, no," I mumbled. "Stay put, please..."
I could do it. I just had to put this big beast down without ruining all my hard work on the tree...
With a final grunt, I firmly placed Rudolph on the floor.
And then I heard the baubles jingle and shake dangerously above me. My heart sank. No! All my hard work—and worse, what if the baubles shattered?
I frantically tried to withdraw my upper body from between the chair and the tree, but it was too cramped.
