Page 41 of Stuck in Christmas

“Oh my goodness,” Bonnie exclaimed, handing me a napkin. “Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad.”

But I knew it was. “Oh yes, it is,” I choked out. “I think I’m going to die today.”

Bonnie gasped, clutching her 12 Drummers Drumming pin like a lifeline. “Die?”

“Or cease to exist. I’m not really sure.” My voice trembled, the hopelessness swirling inside me.

She looked perplexed. “You’re not making any sense, dear. Start at the beginning.”

I wiped my eyes and tried to compose myself. “Santa cursed me to re-live the same day over and over until I learn a lesson.” It sounded ludicrous, even to me.

“At first, I thought it was a dream. My friend Sherry loves those holiday romance movies, and I figured if I could just navigate through those moments, I’d wake up. But then Santa made it clear this was no dream—it was real. The only way I would get to move forward was to learn my lesson before the 12th Day of Christmas.”

Bonnie frowned, glancing at the clock on the wall. “But it’s only Christmas Eve.”

My heart raced as I realized the implication. “The 12th Day of Christmas brooch. Your pin.”

Bonnie reached up to touch it, confusion etched on her face. “This old thing? It was a gift?—”

“From Joe on your 12th Christmas together,” Ifinished, feeling a pang in my chest. I could almost hear the echoes of those memories. “Somehow, your Christmas pin collection reminds me how many chances I have left.”

“So you have 12 chances?” she asked, eyebrows raised.

“Had. This is my 12th chance, and I can’t screw it up because there is no 13th Day of Christmas.”

Bonnie regarded me with a serious expression. “That does sound serious. What do you think the lesson is?”

“I thought it was about the meaning of Christmas,” I said, my voice trailing off. “I hadn’t celebrated since my mom died. I forced myself to participate in everything—the cookies, the sledding, the gingerbread competition—and I enjoyed it all. But it wasn’t the meaning of Christmas. So what lesson is it? I’m too stupid to figure this out.” My frustration bubbled to the surface, and I felt the tears threaten to spill again.

“Well, that’s not true,” Bonnie exclaimed.

It felt true that much I knew.

Bonnie looked at me with a glint of determination in her eyes. “You worked for years as an investigative journalist. You could find the dirt on anyone, which means you’re smart and know where to find clues others can’t. What if you applied those skills to this problem?”

I sniffled, then grabbed a napkin to blow my nose, thinking about what she said. I nodded slowly. “Might work.”

With a flourish, Bonnie pulled an order pad from her apron and handed it along with a pen tome. “Here’s a pad and pen to write things down. Now, what do you know for sure?”

I took a deep breath, the weight of my situation pressing down on me. “I know I’m stuck in Christmas, Mississippi, until I learn a lesson. I can’t drive or walk out of the town square by myself. Every time I try, I end up right back in the same spot.”

Bonnie’s brow furrowed. “You haven’t been able to leave this whole time?”

I hesitated. “Well… I can leave with Eli.”

“Eli,” she repeated, her tone shifting to something more serious. “That’s important.”

“Yes. Eli can drive us out of here. And we can walk past the town square limits together.”

“Then why not tell him all this?” Bonnie asked, leaning in.

I bit my lip, recalling the frustration of trying to tell him. “I tried once, and he didn’t believe me. The second time? Santa wouldn’t let me. He said I had to learn this lesson myself.” I scribbled a note on the pad, the ink feeling heavy against the paper.

“What else has Santa said to you?” Bonnie pressed.

“He said I couldn’t be half-hearted in this lesson. I had to go ‘all in’ and be one hundred percent.”

Her eyes lit up. “That reminds me of something Joe’s grandfather told us right before we married.”

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