Page 2 of Wrong Number, Right Santa

I QUITin all caps.

“No. He can’t do this to me.” I opened the app, hoping this was a badly timed Santa joke or there was an explanation.

I only do paid Santa jobs.

“Thanks, Ed, and thank you, Santa.” My best-laid plans had been foiled. Where was I going to find another Santa?

I phoned Ed on the off chance he’s returned for a visit, but the recorded message said, “Gone fishing.”

Slamming the phone on the table, I paced around it, and each time I came up with a solution, I cheered until I told myself it wouldn’t work.

I can put on a white beard and a funny red hat. My reindeer was pleased with his suggestion.

Ha! Very funny. I continued pacing.Wait, could you?

It was a joke, Dario.

Santa arriving was the pièce de résistance of the spectacle. The kids expected it and had been anticipating it all year. I couldn’t disappoint them.

Time to find a replacement though at this late date, how many wannabe Santas were there who weren’t booked?

I scrolled through blogs, websites, social media accounts, as well as calling friends and asking for recommendations. People either laughed, hung up, or never responded to my message.

The next day was more of the same. I’d bitten my nails and raked my hands through my hair so many times it was standing on end.

There was a solution, the last resort!

Me!My reindeer wondered how he’d hand the presents to the children.But they could sit on my back for the photos.

No, but you’re close!

I would have to dress up as Santa. There wasn’t much left on the costumes sites. A few scraggly beards and sad-looking costumes. But I had no choice, as I refused to disappoint the kids.

Ho, ho, ho!

Chapter 2

Santa

For some reason, this year, Christmas seemed to be slamming into me headfirst. I normally had pretty much everything done by now and was just working on making sure everything was in its right place, ensuring I hadn’t missed anything. Double-checking the naughty list and all that, but not this year. There was still so much to be done.

Ryfon, my head elf, was doing a great job picking up the pieces, but that wasn’t his job. Maybe this was going to be the first Christmas we failed, the year where some children woke up to discover Santa hadn’t come. No. I refused to let that happen. I needed to do that working smarter, not harder thing Ryfon was constantly chattering about. If only it were that easy.

I stirred my cocoa and took a long sip. The warm chocolatey goodness always helped settle me. But today? Today it wasn’t as effective as normal, but still, better than nothing.

Grabbing the cocoa pot, I poured myself a second cup. I never understood why those down south of me preferred coffee over cocoa as their daily beverage, cocoa being just a treat. Sure, coffee had more caffeine and kept you going, but there wasjust something so smooth and calming about a nice cup of hot cocoa, especially when paired with a homemade sugar cookie. Although, in my case, it was less “homemade” and more “elf-made.”

A light knock on my door, followed by Ryfon walking inside, told me something had either gone really, really right or really, really wrong. He wasn’t one for surprise visits, and he never came in here during my cocoa break unless I invited him. He understood this was my time to recoup and destress. But to be honest, I was glad to see them. I’d been so busy getting into my own head that I was probably making everything seem much worse than it was. At least that was my hope.

“Did you come to join me for cocoa and cookies?”

He shook his head. It was worth a try.

“No, although I won’t turn down a cup of cocoa. I, um, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Let’s get you some cocoa first.” I poured him a little demitasse of cocoa from my pitcher and handed it to him.

“I… I… You don’t think we’re gonna make it.” I figured I might as well rip off the band-aid.

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