Chapter Two

Nicholas

“Merry Christmas!” shouted a smiling street performer, handing out small candy canes.

“No, thank you,” Nicholas Kerstman said, shaking his head as he walked past.

“But it's Christmas time! Take one,” the performer urged. “Embrace the season.”

Nicholas sighed. Why did Christmas have to come every year?

“Sure. Why not?” Nicholas said with a shrug as he took the candy cane into his hand. When he thought the street performer couldn't see him, he threw the candy cane into the nearest trashcan.

However, it turned out the street performer had decided to keep his eyes on Nicholas, and saw him toss it.

“Jerk,” the street performer yelled out. Nicholas frowned, but he didn't feel too bad. He had told the performer he didn't want it in the first place.

Nicholas shook his head and kept walking. Just holding the candy cane made him want to go brush his teeth. He hated this time of year with a passion. Just once, he'd like to go through a December without having to deal with candy canes.

He sighed deeply, and continued hurrying through the New York cold to his condo’s building.

And he sighed once more when he noticed that it had been decorated for the Christmas season with paper snowflakes hanging from the lobby’s ceiling and yellow-lit stars lining the path to the elevators. Soft Christmas music played overhead. Even the staff had gotten in on the holiday. The doorman wore a Santa hat.

Christmas was just so...

Everywhere.

He’d never understood why New York City celebrated the holiday at all. When he was a child, he’d imagined that NYC was the least sentimental place in the world. It was one of the reasons he’d decided to move there as soon as he turned eighteen. At the time, he thought that the city would be the perfect match for his personality. Busy, fast, and not sentimental. He was happy when he discovered that his peers were as focused as he was, not seeming interested in anything outside of their textbooks and GPA standing.

And yet, when it came to Christmas, all bets were off.

His rational, logical classmates would transform into holiday enthusiasts, forcing Nicholas to tag along as they visited the famous tourist hangouts: The Rockettes’ performance, The Rockefeller Tree, The Macy’s window in Herald Square.

Now, at thirty years old, Nicholas felt that he’d had enough Christmas for a thousand lifetimes.

When he’d tried to explain his nonchalant approach to the holiday, he was often met with scowls and gasps, as if he was some kind of monster. The word Grinch was often used in his presence.

He’d even had a woman leave him in the middle of a dinner date once he’d mentioned that he wouldn’t be interested in going to The Rink at Rockefeller Center during the holiday season.

Truthfully, he’d been trying to avoid the legions of tourists at The Rink. Every tourist who ever saw a Christmas movie wanted to go there and the place was always incredibly crowded in addition to being incredibly holiday focused. However, his short-lived dinner date assumed that he was trying to avoid Christmas altogether.

And maybe he was.

And what if he was? What was so awful about wanting a break from a holiday that was so...

Everywhere?

“Good evening, Mr. Kerstman!” A security guard greeted Nicholas at the door with a smile. “Another late night at the office?”

“Another late night at the office and another early morning in... a few hours?” Nicholas replied, groaning as he looked down at his pricey wristwatch. “You wouldn’t happen to have any tips for getting out of a 7AM meeting would you?”

“Just say you’re sick,” the guard said, laughing as he peered down at Nicholas. “I’m not sure anybody would believe it, though. Nicholas Kerstman never gets sick.”

“No. I get sick. I just don’t make a big deal out of it.” Nicholas tapped his fingers along his side, before giving the guard a wave. “Alright. I’ll see you in a few hours. Tell the wife I said hello and give her my condolences. Working at Macy’s? At this time of year? That my worst nightmare.”

“Sure, it can be a pain sometimes, but my wife has always loved the rush of the holidays,” the guard replied with a shrug. “Not everyone hates Christmas so much, Mr. Kerstman. Some people actually like it.”

“I don’t hate it,” Nicholas grumbled. He stopped himself from saying more, not in the mood to explain his relationship with the holiday season. “Goodnight.”

Nicholas then zipped right past the elevator, opting to take the empty staircase up to his condo as he hoped to avoid enduring another Christmas related conversation with his neighbors.

***

Nicholas almost tripped over the large box left directly inside the door of his condo.

He’d signed off on allowing large deliveries to be dropped off inside to save time. He swore slightly as he tried to maneuver around the giant box taking up all his walking space.

He could immediately tell who the sender was by the Christmas-themed wrapping. The package glittered with shiny paper despite needing to be shipped. His mother had never been one for subtlety, but a smile warmed his expression as he tore tape away from the package’s ends.

Once he’d gotten the box open he could see that it was his mother’s version of a care package, complete with loads of Christmas candy and a framed photo of both his mother and father dressed in their usual Mr. and Mrs. Claus attire. He shook his head. They never gave up on trying to give him some of their excessive holiday spirit.

He found a letter, the envelope red and sparkly. There was a bright green sticker in the shape of a Christmas tree keeping it sealed. With a sigh at the unnecessary waste of it all, he slid open the letter and read.

Dear Nicky,

We miss you as always. Here is a little care package to get you through the holidays since I know you'll be working hard. Your father and I will be off to Florida for the next week, but we'll be back home in time for Christmas. I'm so looking forward to being warm for a few days!

As usual, we’ll see you on the other side of New Year’s Eve in New York. We know how much you like to work on Christmas (you get that from your father). As always, you are welcome to join us on Christmas if you change your mind.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the candy. The sweets were always your favorite part of Christmas growing up.

I love you, forever and always, always and forever,

Mom

Nicholas folded the letter back into the box before he took an unnerved seat beside the package itself. Something about the letter made him uncomfortable. It wasn't the festive wrapping or the treats. It was the vacation. Over the holidays.

His parents had told him about their planned Christmas vacation weeks and weeks ago. He'd smiled and nodded when his mother spoke about it, but now that it was happening, it felt very odd.

Nicholas’ parents rarely went on vacation. And they never left their beloved Christmas store during their busiest time. The entire reason they visited him after New Years was so that the shop could be safely closed. Their Santa-related duties ended after New Years.

So traveling now, the week before Christmas, was incredibly odd.

Nicholas grew nervous as an unpleasant thought crossed his mind.

Maybe his parents were calling it a vacation.

Maybe it was more of a glimpse into retirement. Maybe they were testing out what it would be like to leave the store. They were getting older after all.

If his parents wanted to retire from Christmas Wishes, that would leave Nicholas’ life somewhere between unpleasant and inconvenient.

Five years ago, Howard Kerstman handed Nicholas the deed to the store, ensuring that it would stay in his family’s name. Nicholas didn’t mind being the legal owner of Christmas Wishes as long as his parents still ran the day to day operation. He trusted them when it came to their business, and he never took a cent from their profits. The store’s existence was background noise in Nicholas’ life, never interfering with his work. He never had to worry about the store or anything Christmas related.

However, if his parents intended to leave the company soon, Nicholas would find himself needing to run the store. His parents didn't want to sell it, but they wouldn't want to see it closed down either.

He would be expected to keep it running. To keep it in the family.

He cringed at the thought.

He vaguely remembered his parents speaking of some trusted employee. A man? A woman? Someone they referred to as Head Elf. Someone with the job title Head Elf couldn't be trusted to manage a store profitably.

His parents’ retirement would call for his own involvement at Christmas Wishes.

And the mere thought of having to manage a Christmas-themed store sent forceful chills down Nicholas’ spine.

Nicholas realized with a start that he wouldn’t be getting any rest tonight. He moved away from the package and headed for his trusty espresso machine. He had work to do.

There had to be a way to make sure that he would never have to deal with Christmas, ever again.