WiseAurelius
When Father Noel Carmel, the perpetually flustered parish priest of Saint Nicholas' Parish, is invited to celebrate Christmas Mass inside the town's legendary chocolate factory, he knows two things for certain: it's a tremendous honour, and something is bound to go wrong! Still, he agrees, bringing along eight altar boys to help. Seven of them are experts in mischief. The eighth, their unshakable prefect, is the only thing standing between order and absolute mayhem. Waiting for them is Chris Paddington, the factory's cheerful (if slightly dim) owner. An ex-altar boy who rose from janitor to guardian of a 200-year-old chocolate empire simply because he was too honest to lie and too kind to fake it. He welcomes them with open arms to a wonderland of chocolate, caramel, peppermint, and gingerbread. But when a sudden blizzard seals the doors shut, Christmas Eve turns from festive to frantic. Snowed in with time on their hands and temptation everywhere, the altar boys discover the ultimate danger: a captive audience. Two unexpected guests only make matters worse: one intent on devouring as much chocolate as humanly possible, and another quietly determined to see the factory -and its owner-ruined. Snowed in and surrounded by sugar, secrets begin to melt. Old grudges resurface, tempers flare, and laughter gives way to moments of unexpected honesty as the night stretches on. Between pranks gone too far and kindness quietly given, Father Noel and his unlikely flock must confront what it truly means to lead, to forgive, and to belong!