Santa smiled as he looked out over the workshop. The workshop bustled as was usual this time of year since Christmas was their busiest time of year. Standing beside him, Eggther, his ever-present sidekick, was humming a tune that sounded suspiciously like a holiday jingle.

“What song are you humming, Eggther? It doesn’t sound like something we did.” Santa gazed down at his helper, curious to find out what the tune might be.

The little elf jumped like he’d been struck by lightning. “Was Eggther humming? Eggther did not notice it as the season and everything.” He stood there rubbing his hands together, something he always did when nervous.

“Come on now, you can tell me.” The jolly man stood with hands on his hips. “It’s not in my nature to get angry at anyone, you know.”

Eggther shook his head in agreement. “Eggther knows, Santa, sir, but...” His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. “Eggther is afraid it is from the competition.”

“Oh, I see. One of those pithy jingles from a tech company I assume.”

He lifted a shoulder. “Eggther really does not know, sir. Jedrick had us listening to them to try and come up with something to get our message across just as well.”

Santa sadly shook his head. “I suppose he’s right. People aren’t as intrigued with the simple things in life anymore. It’s all flash and gadgetry now.”

His small head bobbed up and down. “Very true but you still have your letters, Santa. No one gets as many letters as you do every year.”

“But it gets harder and harder to fulfill those wishes. The presents are expensive and the kids want more than one. Maybe it’s time I hung up the hat and moved on to something different.”

“No, no!” Eggther waved his hands in front of him. “You can’t go away... everyone depends on you... let’s go read a batch of letters.” He gently grabbed his hand and pulled him toward the office. “The elves can take care of themselves for a while. Bevan and Jedrick are there. They can answer any questions.”

The small elf gently guided him to his comfy chair in Santa’s office, pushing him down into the soft cushions. “Eggther will go get the latest mail pouch.”

Santa watched the fire for a few moments as he waited for the small elf to return. He’d been thinking more and more of retirement as time went on. Now with all the elves, except one, in happy relationships, he felt his personal mission nearly complete. Maddox was still having troubles with Tate but he knew it would end well. Tate would help them defeat the dark elf and then, all would be right with their world once again.

He picked up his warm cup of coffee and took a drink. Still, having the elves find their soulmates made him realize all too much how much he’d neglected his own. Because of current events, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d taken Mrs. Claus on a vacation. She had understood the scope of the position when she’d agreed to marry him all those years ago, but even a soulmate needed tender loving care.

The slam of the door against a file cabinet jolted him out of his thoughts, raising his head to see an incredibly small elf pulling a huge mailbag behind him. The ridiculous sight caused him to laugh out loud. “Surely, one of the full-sized elves could have helped you, Eggther. The bag is bigger than you are.”

The small guy gulped in huge breaths of air. “Eggther did not try to find the biggest one of them. They are all big, Santa.”

A hint of his normal chuckle returned. “That’s a lot of mail. I thought we had someone assigned to mail duty. What happened there?”

A wide-eyed Eggther merely shrugged. “Eggther does not know. Eggther thought the girls were helping Janice and Mrs. Claus this year. After all, it has been pretty quiet around here.”

“Quiet is nice.” He picked up his mug of hot chocolate, happy for the warmth. “Hand me a stack, Eggther, then go get into some mischief yourself.”

“Santa, Eggther never gets into mischief. Edana would get angry.” He muttered to himself as he left the office.

Another chuckle and drink before he picked up the first letter. The child’s nearly perfect writing caught him off guard as many letters were nearly unreadable. Made him wonder just what those humans were teaching their children these days as he adjusted his glasses. It took him less than a minute to get through the first one and he sat it aside. Going to the next one, he smiled and nodded as the child listed his wants and desires, something he could provide.

He had gone through about ten more letters before something drew him back to the first letter.

Dear Santa,
I hope the North Pole isn’t too terribly cold for you. I turned twelve this year and heard it can be harmful to old joints. I have to be honest and say there are a lot of things I want but since you didn’t give me what I wanted last year, I find it hard to believe in you anymore. I’ve always been told if I’m good and get good grades, you will bring me something I wanted that’s special. See, I’m staying with my grandma while my mother works in the oil fields. Even though she’s very far away, she sends what she can but we don’t have any money. The housing there takes almost half of what she earns and it makes it so hard for Grandma to try for things I want.

Still, I thought I’d give you one more try to get me the one thing I really, really want. Can my Mom come home for Christmas?

Sincerely,
Dakoda Munro