Page 3 of Wrapped Up In Tinsel

“Yes, this is my second year. It was a lot of fun last year and I guess I’m a glutton for punishment.” He snickered again before taking a bite of his own sandwich.

“Must not be that bad if you came back again.”

He shrugged his shoulder and settled into the chair he sat in before answering. “It’s not bad, but the kids get a little crazy—and some of the parents too. They cry, yell, scream, throwtantrums, throwthings, poop, puke, and pee, all in a shift. And the hats always itch.”

My lip curled at the image, and I hoped I never had to experience that. “Sounds—charming,” I said and took another bite to hide my grimace while ignoring the need to itch my head again.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Steve Reynolds,” I said, and he rolled his eyes.

“No, I mean your elf’s name. Mine’s Twinkle,” he said and held his hand under his chin while batting his eye lashes.

“Oh, Tinsel. I think they chose it from my last name.” He gave me a look that said he had no clue what I was talking about. “Reynolds? Like the foil?” I led him through it.

“I still don’t get it, but that’s okay. As long as you like it,” he said and took another bite.

“It could be worse I guess,” I said and went back to my sandwich.

“Yeah, the whole uniform could itch as much as the hats,” he said making us both laugh. “Why’d you take a job here?”

Drawing in a deep breath, I proceeded to tell him all about how I’d worked at the same electronics store for years doing tech support and how the boss had decided he no longer needed me, without any notice. Then I explained how I was very antisocial and hadn’t been to the mall in years.

“So, why take a job wrangling kids if you’re antisocial? It sounds like torture. I mean if you’re into that I’m not one to judge but it seems like a lot to go through if you hate people that much.” He was curious and obviously not afraid to ask the hard questions, and I found I liked that more than someone who judged but never took the time, or had the balls, to ask.

“Well, I just got laid off and came here first. I’m hoping it’ll get me through the holidays, so I have time to find something else.I don’t hate people; I would just rather not work around a lot of them.”

“They’re always hiring,” he said, and pointed at an advertisement for one of the big retail stores nearby. “High turnover rate.” He grinned at that and both of us laughed. It felt so fucking good to laugh, and for a split second I thought maybe I wouldn’t hate this job as much as I imagined I would.

Four

Garrett

I watched as childafter child walked over to Santa to tell him what they wanted for Christmas and stayed long enough for the elves to take a picture of them. Some kids screamed and cried, terrified of the bearded man in the bright red and white suit. It didn’t matter how friendly he was to them, they wanted nothing to do with it.

Others looked at him like he was the most wonderful person they’d ever seen, and as I watched, I remembered how I felt as a child when my parents brought me to meet Santa. It had felt like the biggest honor in the world to my six-year-old self, and I guess it left such an impression on me that I wanted to remember that feeling as an adult. A quick look at the time letme know it was time to get going. One last glance and I was hurrying toward the door I’d entered through and out to my car.

As soon as I was seated and had the door closed behind me, I took out the journal and gave it another look. It really was beautiful, and I hoped Grandpa thought so too. I tucked it under the seat before starting my car and heading off to work. I’d been a delivery driver for three years now, and every year during the holidays I loved it even more.

Not only did I get to drive all over the place and see lots of decorations and Christmas lights, but I also got to deliver gifts to people that made them happy or very excited to see them arrive on time. When they were late—not so much. I drove one of the big brown trucks you typically saw making deliveries from house to house or business to business. In my case it was mostly a residential area, and I’d had this route long enough I knew most of the people who I made regular stops at. After making my way down Greenback I got onto the freeway and drove toward Rocklin where I’d get my truck.

The weather was beginning to change and even if it wasn’t winter yet, it was definitely getting colder and rainier. It wasn’t bad until you were running in and out of a truck trying to keep a package dry and not slip on a slick sidewalk or wet lawn.

After parking in the employee’s lot and grabbing my uniform and the bag that held everything else I’d need, I hurried inside and right to the backroom to change. “Hey, Garrett, how’s it going?” Jimmy asked as he walked in behind me.

“Pretty good, how about you?”

“The kids are driving us crazy already and traffic was a bitch, but other than that it’s a great day to be alive,” he said making me laugh.

“I stopped by the mall on the way here and there was a huge line for Santa,” I said as I shoved my things into my locker.

“Which mall?”

“Sunrise. I ordered something there and needed to pick it up,” I said and pulled on my uniform shirt over my t-shirt.

“I haven’t been there in years. Was it busy? I know it’s lost a lot of businesses.”

“Yeah, surprisingly so. The line for Santa was at least as long as it was when I was there last year.”

---