Page 35 of All's Fair in Love and Christmas
He picked up the God-appointed parent figurines, and Rosa came flying at him from the other side of the long desk.
“You found them,” she declared.
“Yeah, I was just going to set them back in the nativity.”
“No, you can’t.” The ends of her black ponytail smacked her cheeks as she shook her head.
This day kept getting more baffling. “I can’t?”
She shook her head some more. “Mackenzie brought the nativity for me.”
Of course she had.
“See, when I was a child, all my friends had an Elf on the Shelf. Do you know what that is?”
The little toy elf had been the bane of his holiday one year. Remembering to move it every night and thinking of clever mischief for Santa’s helper to get into had sounded like fun, but in reality had ended up using a lot of time and energy. He’d had to scramble to explain why Elfie hadn’t moved from the day before the few times he’d forgotten and fallen asleep.
“I wanted one really badly, but my mom is extremely religious and doesn’t believe in that stuff. So instead of an Elf on the Shelf, she took the Virgin Mary and her husband, Joseph, from the Nativity set, and every night while I was asleep, she moved them around the house. She said they were on their journey to Bethlehem. As soon as I woke up, I’d search the house for them. On Christmas morning, they’d have arrived in Bethlehem at the stable, and Jesus would be there with them in the manger.”
Jeremy set Mary and Joseph back where he’d found them. “That’s really sweet.”
Mackenzie had struck again.
“I haven’t played this game in years. It seems silly, but I almost feel like a kid again.” Rosa giggled before making her way to her desk.
Jeremy shook his head. He’d stick with the original plan he’d mapped out. Which meant bringing in a hot chocolate bar and borrowing his dad’s record player and vinyls of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole.
But just because he was sticking to his Christmas calendar of events didn’t mean he couldn’t add to it. A plan had to be adaptable to be effective. As he looked out over the space and the touches Mackenzie had brought so far, a common thread wound its way among them all. Mackenzie had found the root of the holiday and was wrapping it up for each person individually. Christmas was, after all, about giving.
What if they could reach outside their office and give to those less fortunate in their community?
He snagged his phone from his desk and retreated to the stairwell. After a few minutes of internet searching, he found a local charity with children and families still in need of sponsors to make their Christmas wishes come true. The deadline to get the gifts to them was tight but doable.
He filled out the information on the website, then sent the list of kids and their needs to the wireless printer in the office. Eachname and the three items on their Christmas list were centered in the middle of a snowflake. Already he felt better about playing Secret Santa to these strangers in need than he did about the names drawn from the hat for the office party.
Retrieving the printouts from the machine, Jeremy cut out the individual snowflakes.
“Hey!” He raised his voice to be heard over the clacking of keys and any music being played in earbuds. “I thought it would be nice if we spread the Christmas cheer outside our four walls. So grab a snowflake, adopt a person or two, and let’s make their holiday brighter.”
He passed out snowflakes to Derek and Annabelle. Rosa asked for two, and Frank begrudgingly took one. Jeremy didn’t see Keri or Mackenzie—maybe they had stepped into the stairwell after he vacated it—and Sofiya appeared to be on a phone call. He’d approach them with the snowflakes later.
He turned back to his station, ready to get his work done, but paused at the steaming cup of coffee on his desk. A Post-it had been set next to the mug. Reaching down, he peeled the memo paper off the surface of his desk and read.
You look like you need a hug, and I’ve heard coffee is a hug in a cup.
The note was unsigned, but he knew it was from Mackenzie. He’d noticed her half print, half cursive style before. The edge of his mouth moved toward his ear in a grin. The note felt bold for her. He couldn’t imagine her ever walking up and wrapping her arms around him.
He lifted the mug and drank deeply, managing to singe his tongue. He hissed and set down the cup, staring into the near-black liquid. She’d made the coffee just how he liked it. A spoonful of honey instead of sugar and a splash of half-and-half. How did she know?
The stairwell door opened, and Mackenzie stepped over the threshold. Their gazes met. Her cheeks flushed a becoming pink before she dropped her gaze to the ground. He picked up the snowflakes with a small smile. The perfect excuse to talk to her. That and he had a cup of coffee to thank her for as well.
“Hey, ladies,” he said as he approached the duo. “You missed my announcement, but I signed Limitless Designs up to sponsor some kids and families in the community for Christmas. These are who we have left.” He handed them the snowflakes.
Keri sifted through them first, reading each name and Christmas list. She chose one and handed the rest to Mackenzie. “This is a great idea,” she said almost accusingly as she glared at him.
“Aww. This little boy only listed clothes and shoes.” Mackenzie’s eyes were round in her face. “What nine-year-old wants only clothes for Christmas?”
Keri looked at her friend, and her face softened. “You’re going to buy a whole wardrobe and a toy department for him, aren’t you.” Her inflection did not imply a question.
