“Wow!” I breathed, taking in the Christmas scene. The gazebo had been strung with lights, big red bows, and loops of garland. In the center was a big red chair. But the man of the hour wasn’t sitting in it. Instead, he was pacing around in front of the gazebo.
“I can’t work like this!” the big bearded man thundered to the other elf when he saw her. “This is madness! This didn’t happen when I was the Macy’s Santa.”
“Harrogate pays better than—”
“I’m trying to get into character, and that thing”—Santa pointed at the reindeer—“stole my cookies.”
The elf pinched the bridge of her nose.
“The kids are lining up,” she said, gesturing to the antsy crowd behind the rope.
“I have cookies,” I told Santa, pulling my emergency cookie stash out of my purse.
Santa peered at me over his spectacles.
“Do you have any milk?”
The elf was shaking her head in disbelief.
“Uh, no?”
Santa made a disgusted noise. “I used to be on Broadway, you know.”
Good gracious.
“We’re doing this for the children,” I reminded him. “They want to see Santa and give him their letters.”
He and the elf burst out laughing. Even the reindeer seemed to be chuckling.
Suddenly the big hoofed animal lunged at me. I screamed and threw the bag of cookies at him.
“You see?” Santa thundered. “It’s madness!”
“Let’s just bring the kids and fur kids in,” the elf said, “and get this over with.”
“We should have better attitudes,” I protested. “It’s Christmas.”
“If you want to do cheery and bright, that’s on you,” the elf said as she headed to unhook the rope, “but I’m getting paid minimum wage.”
Honestly, some people.
The reindeer took a few steps toward me and butted his muzzle in my purse, looking for more cookies.
I giggled. “You’re so friendly. Unfortunately, I don’t have any more cookies.” I petted the huge beast as the crowd streamed past. The kids gaped at the big tan and white animal.
“Merry Christmas!” I sang to the kids. One of them pointed silently.
“Yes, it’s a reindeer!” I clapped my hands. “His name is—”
“He has your phone.”
“What the—” the reindeer had my iPhone in his mouth and was teething on it.
“No!” I yelled, trying to chase after him. “No, don’t eat that.”
I wrestled with the reindeer for the slobber-covered phone.
“I can’t afford a new one,” I puffed and finally dragged it away from him. There was a huge scratch on the screen.
