Page 28 of The Santa Swap

Then a voice from the back of the room spoke up. “For me, it’s spending time with the people I love.”

The rowdy crowd grew more pensive. “The birth of Jesus Christ. Charity. Surprising people. Humble beginnings.”

As the employees called out their suggestions, Olivia allowed herself to relax. So far everything was going well.

Olivia let a few more suggestions be shouted out. Then she raised her hand to silence the crowd.

“Thank you everyone for your ideas. You have captured what the holiday season means to so many people. At the heart of it, Christmas for me means giving. I know you’ve heard about the Santa booth that we are going to be running. I thought it would be fun to have you guys help us get ready.”

There was a soft murmur that ran through the crowd. “How are we supposed to do that?” someone asked.

“Today’s activities are all about competition. You don’t all know me well, but I’ll shares something about me. I love watching reality show competitions. Most of my favorite shows have the contestants racing the clock to finish tasks.”

People began to nod, a look of understanding crossing their faces. The clock now made sense.

Olivia reached down and picked up a plate covered with a dome. She placed it on the table in front of her and added two more plates covered with domes. “I have the three tasks hidden under these domes. You will be judged on both your quality and the speed with which you perform the task.”

She lifted the first dome to show the crowd a gingerbread house. “I’ve been making gingerbread houses with my family since I was a little girl. Your first task is for each team member to build a gingerbread house. When everyone is finished, you’ll choose your best one and bring it up here for judging.”

People were whispering and nudging each other. Olivia was catching their interest. She waved at the clock behind her. “You have thirty minutes to finish this task. When you bring your team’s gingerbread house to this table, we’ll stop the clock. Every minute you end early will be added onto your time for the next task. Any questions so far?”

A man wearing a gray polo shirt raised his hand. “Do we have to make the gingerbread houses from scratch?”

Olivia shook her head. “Nope. We have a kit for each of you, plus all the extra candies you could want.”

She scanned the crowd, but no one else raised their hands. It was time for plate number two.

“Your next task is a little easier. I have red stockings with white trim for you to personalize. Like the gingerbread houses, you will each make your own. Then the team will vote on a favorite that you will bring to the front for judging.”

The excitement in the room was palpable. Olivia couldn’t wait to introduce the last item. She lifted the dome on the final plate and picked up the final item they would be making. A red, white, and green ornament sparkled in the light.

“If we’re going to have photos with Santa, there will need to be a tree. Each of you is in charge of making an ornament that represents what Christmas means to you.”

A hand was raised in the back.

“Yes?” Olivia asked.

“You want us all to make globe ornaments? Won’t they look the same?”

Olivia grinned. “I’m glad you asked that. Luke? Susan? Tara? Gary? Can you show the company what you made?”

She moved to the side as they stepped forward and each pulled their individual ornaments out of a bag.

CHAPTER13

Luke couldn’t believe he was standing in front of his entire company holding up a glass ornament that looked like it had been thrown together by a five-year-old. He hadn’t been enthusiastic when Olivia told him he needed to set an example by having an ornament in the first place. Now, looking at his friends to either side of him, he wished he had put in a little more effort.

Predictably, Susan stepped up first. She held out her ornament like it was a valuable piece of art that you could find in a museum. The outside of the ornament was covered with sparkling gems, the ornament clearly as showy as the woman holding it. Susan intimidated a lot of people with her perfectly polished look, but Luke knew there was much more to her beneath the surface.

Remembering the news article that had come out earlier that day, Luke realized this would be a perfect time for a show of affection. He wrapped his arm around Susan’s shoulder, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Great job, honey,” he said. He stepped back, telling himself that in large portions of the world, a kiss on the cheek was nothing more than a greeting between friends. For all the time he spent teasing Susan, he knew she was a valuable friend. The fact that she was letting the media splash her name around was proof of that.

Luke snuck a glance at Olivia’s face. She had been watching their interaction, but quickly turned away.

“That is beautiful, Susan,” Olivia said. “Who is next?”

Gary stepped forward. As a strong backbone to the company, he was often overlooked. People thought he was less involved because he was quiet, but Luke had been in plenty of meetings where a word from Gary brought the entire room to a standstill. He had sage advice, and Luke counted himself lucky that they had been friends for so long.

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