Reindeer James

Chapter 2

James followed Santa with his head down and his shoulders slumped. He'd rather receive nothing but underwear and socks for Christmas than let his dad down, yet there he was getting the look. Not even a lecture to go with it, just quiet disappointment and resignation as his dad led him by the hand, not even trusting him to walk beside him without causing trouble.

Santa paused outside a bright red door with a golden envelope engraved in the middle of it. "I want to show you something, but I need you to promise me you'll be careful. Can you do that?"

James nodded.

A warm smile and an outstretched hand ushered James into a room jam-packed with letters. Crayon portraits of Santa and reindeer that resembled flying potatoes with branches on their heads lined the walls. James spotted a familiar doodle of himself sitting on his dad's lap. Even though he'd drawn himself as a sloppily scribbled stick figure, James's love for his father was plain to see in the massive smile taking up half of his self-portrait's face and the piles of chocolate chip cookies they were sharing.

"There must be a bajillion letters in here!" James said as he craned his neck to look at the towering shelves.

"Definitely a few billion, anyway." Santa showed him a world's worth of handwritten letters, some with ink so smudged from years of reverent rereading it was impossible to tell where they had come from, much less what they'd asked for. "A lot of folks prefer to send me typed letters or even email me what they want for Christmas now, but I still save every last message."

A puppy. A tea set just like the one their grandma used to have. A dollhouse that had its own working elevator. All this and more were asked for by people of all ages. James could only gape at the endless rows of letters, all addressed to Clauses across the generations.

Santa laughed. "Ho ho ho, I might just have to put a cookie in there if you keep your mouth open like that."

"Sounds good to me!"

"Tell you what, as long as you're super careful for this next part, I'll let you have mine." Santa gently patted his pocket where a gingerbread man watched him with cracked M&M eyes. "I was saving it for after today's meeting, but you seem like you need it more than me."

"I'll be so careful it'll be like I wasn't even here!" James's enthusiastic response sent a whoosh of air ruffling the envelopes. "Promise," he said in a much more careful whisper.

In the very back of the Library of Letters, a pedestal displayed a wooden box with a sleigh pulled by a team of reindeer carved on its side, each of the legendary nine rendered in so much detail James could practically feel the frosty air rippling through their fur. Santa gestured to the box as his eyes shined with tears.

James gave him a questioning look.

"Go ahead and open it." Santa's voice cracked like ice splintering beneath reindeer hooves, but he was still smiling.

James lifted the lid, revealing a single sheet of paper yellowed with age. At Santa's nod, James unfolded the letter and began to read.

"Dear Santa," he began, "I hope you and Mrs. Claus are doing well. The book you brought me last year was awesome! I must've read it at least a dozen times, or at least enough for Nurse Wilkins to have it memorized." James's eyes burned as his tears joined the others that speckled the page. "I know you can't make it so I can go home for Christmas, but I'd really appreciate it if you would bring me a stuffed reindeer. Donner is my favorite, but don't tell the others. They're cool, too! Love, Wendy Smith."

James placed the letter back in the box with trembling fingers. Santa offered him a handkerchief, which he gladly took.

"Was that her last Christmas?" James asked hoarsely after mopping up the last of his tears. Just thinking about that poor little girl all alone in the hospital on Christmas made his heart hurt, and it sounded like she'd been stuck there an awful long time.

"No." Santa cleared his throat and dabbed at his eyes. "She still writes to me every year. This year, she asked for a tea set for her kids. Thinking about her still makes me emotional, though. You never forget the first gift you deliver."

"It sounds like she never forgot it either." Warmth spread through James's chest at the thought of making someone that happy.

"That's exactly why I wanted to show you her letter. I know you understand how important it is to spread joy, James, but I need you to know it's important to take things seriously sometimes, too. Even the simplest wish can mean so much to someone, and we all play a very important part in making sure everyone gets what they want for Christmas."

"I won't let you down, Dad."

Santa handed James the cookie he'd been keeping in his pocket, his smile mirroring the gingerbread man's. "I know you won't. I believe in you."