The Christmas Elf, A Secret-Santa Story

Chapter 8 - The Elf in Secret...part two

Saturday 17 December

Eileen peeped out her window to make sure the coast was clear. She thanked her lucky stars that Christmas shoppers all had a predictable pattern. On every weekend in December and before Christmas, everyone wanted to hit the malls or do some other shopping. The street was deserted and everything sparkled extra bright today.

Her bright green eyes took in the absence of cars and she scanned as many of the porches as she could see from her vantage. Her bright red hair was again tucked under the white beanie that was part of her uniform now and she was back in her mostly white winter wear.

She hummed a carol under her breath as she stepped into the bracing winter day. She started with shoveling the walkways this time, because her deliveries were not yet here. She had gone a little overboard this year with her plan, but when the image had popped into her mind she was unable to stop herself.

Every year, her best friend Jake told her about the trees that were still unsold. He ran a small plot and sold different things at different times of year. At the end of November, it became all about Christmas and was packed with trees and decorations. They agreed the unsold trees were particularly sad, because it felt like they had not found a home or family to love them. It usually wasn't that many, a dozen or so. By now he had a sixth sense about the ones that would remain unsold and he was already dreading having to dispose of them.

She had suggested he give them to charity and he had looked at her levelly saying, "I already gave six of the best ones to all the charities that asked."

She had gone to bed and had a lovely dream about a street lined with Christmas trees, all sparkling with lights and decorations. Jake had agreed to give her a good discount, keep her secret and get someone to put the trees up.

By the time she finished shoveling the first walk, she heard the sound of a heavy vehicle. To her surprise, it was Jake himself and one of his guys.

"Jake!" she greeted the handsome dark-haired man with a hug. "I didn't think you would come personally!"

"Are you kidding? And miss a chance to see these ladies find a home?" he smiled.

"Thought you would be busy at the lot?" she pictured the lot on a Saturday before Christmas and winced.

"Kate decided she wanted some Christmas cheer," he said, "so she's watching the store."

"Did you tell her?" she asked. She would understand if he did as Kate was his wife after all, but it had been nicer when no one at all knew.

"I didn't tell her," he hedged, "but you know my Kate. She looked at us loading these up and then let me have my secret..."

Eileen laughed. She did indeed know Kate. "So shall we?" she asked.

"Yep! Just show us where you want them."

They muscled the trees out one by one and set them up at the corners of alternating lots so that they stood in a straight line on both sides of the street. She managed it so that Claudia had one in her yard, knowing her daughter would get a huge thrill. She still didn't know how they had received or responded to her first salvo.

A little over an hour later and the trees were up. "These ladies may not have been the pick of the litter," Jack said, "but they sure do look proud standing here."

She smiled at his whimsy as they set up the big cardboard boxes full of decorations that went next to each one. She stood with Jake and admired their handiwork.

"I think they're happy, don't you?" she asked.

"For sure," he agreed, looking at it with some of the same pride she felt. "You want to come by later, don't you?" she laughed. "To see them decorated or being decorated?"