Joy parked the SUV in her usual parking spot on the side of the bakery.

“You coming in?” asked Joy.

“Yeah, let me just find that megaphone for Avery,” said Sean.

“Alright, meet you inside,” said Joy.

Joy went inside the bakery. Sean rifled through the car and finally found the megaphone.

“It’s time,” said a voice.

Sean turned. Krampus was there, by the SUV. He was wearing his familiar black tailored suit, and his chain was around his neck, on top of his suit jacket.

“What?” asked Sean. “No. It’s only six. You said I didn’t need to be at The North Pole before eight.”

“Plans changed,” said Krampus. “Old Man Winter refuses to stop the blizzard. It’s centered around The North Pole, so take off, and landing is going to be a bitch. You need to come with me, now.”

“Shit,” said Sean, causing his mark to burn. “I promised Joy I’d go with her to this party.”

“There’s no time,” said Krampus, ripping the chain off his neck and tossing it on the ground.

Krampus pushed Sean through the hole and hopped through, grabbing the end of the chain as he did so, closing the gap and leaving no trace of its existence. The snow by the car remained unmelted.

Joy came out of the bakery looking for Sean.

“Sean? I got us some hot apple cider,” said Joy, looking around the SUV for Sean. “Sean?”

“Joy,” said Avery, coming outside. “Come back in. It’s freezing out here.”

“Where’s Sean?” asked Joy.

“Krampus told me he had a job he had to do tonight,” said Avery. “He won’t be coming back tonight.”

“Really?” asked Joy. “That’s too bad. I thought he was…never mind.”

“You thought he was what?” asked Avery.

“I really thought he was serious about me,” said Joy.

“I’m sure he is, he just —” started Avery.

“It’s fine, Avery, you don’t have to lie,” said Joy. “I know he must not have been that serious about me. Look. Sean’s not here. Forget him. Let’s go have this party, okay?”

“That’s the spirit,” said Avery. “Come on.”

Sean fell out of thin air into a pile of snow. Krampus came down next to him and pulled him up.

“Come on,” said Krampus. “This way to The Workshop.”

Sean got to his feet and brushed himself off. He followed Krampus through the snow. Sean had expected Santana Claus’s workshop to be one giant log cabin or some other rustic type of building. He wasn’t expecting what looked like a military contractor’s building slapped right in the center of The North Pole. At the front of the building was the pole itself, taller than any flagpole Sean had ever seen before. It was red and white, glowing, colored and shaped like a giant candy cane. On the top of the pole was a glowing red gumdrop.

“Take a good look at that,” said Krampus. “When you come back from the ride, you’ll be looking for that. There’s low visibility tonight. You might not be able to see it well. You’re in for a Hell of a Ride, Sean.”

Krampus lead Sean through the revolving doors of the lobby. Sean wiped his feet on the welcome mat but noticed there was no snow left on his shoes. He looked down. There was no snow left on any part of his body.

“Is there some sort of dryer in the door?” asked Sean.

“Christmas magic,” said Krampus. “Our engineers came up with doors that dried you as soon as you enter them. Never sent them out. Wasn’t able to come up with some science bupkis to cover up the Christmas magic. This is the only place in the world you’ll find them. Come on.”

Krampus walked through the lobby, which was filled with various workers in green and red and gold hustling and bustling.

“Hey, Krampus,” said a familiar voice.

Krampus stopped in his tracks and did a heel turn.

“Yes, Avery?” asked Krampus.

“What on Earth were you thinking, stealing Sean away before he could say goodbye to Joy?” asked Avery. “And Sean, why on Earth didn’t you explain to Joy that you’re a reindeer.”

“Isn’t that against the rules?” asked Sean. “Isn’t this supposed to be a secret?”

“No,” said Krampus, frowning. “Who told you that?”

“Nobody, I just assumed — “ started Sean.

“Uh-huh,” said Avery, arms crossed. “You assumed. Santana has a policy against me letting my bakers in on the secrets, for his own reasons. Says it gives you bad boys a chance to help – well, I’m getting ahead of myself here, and if I reveal that, Santana might just have my hide for Christmas. But, those rules don’t apply to you, shifter. After all, you’re a bad boy. If Santana tried to impose even more rules on you, I think you’d fall into mate madness at once, even without your bear spirit!”

“Wait, what are you even doing here?” asked Sean.

“I’m a Christmas elf, duh,” said Avery.

Avery pulled back her hair and revealed her pointed ears.

“How have I never noticed those before?” asked Sean.

“Glamour magic, so I can do my work in the human world undetected. It’s just like how Krampus hides his horns,” said Avery. “I know how humans work. They’re more likely to look over my curves than my face. Well, hello, fellows, my ears are up here.”

Avery flicked one of her ears, making her jingle bell earrings ring.

“We’re in a hurry,” said Krampus. “Wouldn’t want Santana blaming you for us being late.”

“Fine,” said Avery. “I was only hopping in for a second anyway.”

Avery waved her hand, and she disappeared in a nutmeg-scented fog, leaving behind a pile of silvery tinsel.

“That woman,” grunted Krampus.

“I could’ve told Joy I was a reindeer, this whole time?” asked Sean.

“Of course,” said Krampus. “I would’ve encouraged it. You know what powers Christmas magic?”

“What?” asked Sean.

“Belief,” said Krampus. “Only belief in Christmas magic keeps all this going. Not the sugar cookies or the hot chocolate, spiked with whiskey. Just the pure and simple power of belief. Getting someone to believe in Christmas magic is considered a great deed, a worthy deed. Neither Avery nor I should be telling you this…but, she’s a goody-two-shoes, and I break all the rules. You’re a bad boy, but, I’m a bad man.”

Krampus led Sean into a red and white striped elevator guarded by an elf-eared security guard in a tactical black carbon fiber Santa hat.

“Krampus, my man,” said the elf whose nametag read Oberon fist-bumping Krampus. “This the guy? You better put your all into this, bro. Lot of people depending on you tonight.”

“I know,” said Sean. “I think I’m ready.”

“You think, or you know?” asked Oberon.

“I know,” said Sean. “I know!”

“Yeah, that’s right, get hyped, brah,” said Oberon. “Get ready for a Ride you won’t forget.”

“I just don’t get why he wouldn’t at least say goodbye,” said Joy, sitting with Pandora and Jack. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be a party pooper.”

“Hey, you’re our friend,” said Pandora, rubbing Joy’s back reassuringly. “Jack and I are gonna miss you. After all, who else will get our drink orders right?”

Joy laughed and rubbed her tears away.

“Don’t get why you’re sad,” said Crystal.

Crystal had helped with Operation Milk and Cookies behind the scenes, doublechecking Joy’s math, doing inventory checks, all that fun stuff. She hadn’t had time to help on Christmas Eve, but she was still invited to the party.

“It’s just this guy,” said Joy.

“The reindeer shifter?” asked Crystal.

“No, a bear shifter,” said Joy. “This guy, his name’s Sean.”

“Yeah, Sean, the dude who comes here every day, the reindeer shifter,” said Crystal.

“I saw him shift, and he’s definitely a bear,” said Joy, confused.

“I saw him fight off that arctic fox that couldn’t stop perving at you,” said Crystal. “You know bears don’t have big racks of antlers, right, Joy? I know bears and reindeer are both four-legged brown furry friends, but that’s where the similarities end. Reindeer don’t live in caves, and bears don’t drive sleighs.”

“Trust me. If I saw a bear shifter turn into a frikkin’ reindeer, I’d have to believe in Christmas magic, but we all know magic isn’t real. Guess we’ll have to agree to disagree,” said Joy, raising an eyebrow. “I know what I saw. You know what you saw. A shifter by any other name is still a giant jerk for pump-and-dumping me on Christmas Eve.”

“You mean you two…” started Pandora.

Before Joy could answer, Avery came out of her office.

“That was Krampus,” said Avery, wiping some tinsel off her skirt. “He said the job may take a little longer tonight, but, Sean really wants to have a chance to see you off tomorrow. Can I let him know that’s okay, or…?”

“If Sean thinks he can make it before I head back off to Port Jameson, he’s more than welcome to try to catch me,” said Joy, sipping at her coffee. “Let’s see if his time management skills can improve overnight. That’d be a real Christmas miracle. Enough about Sean and me. I don’t want to spend my Christmas Eve being a sad sack. Can we decorate the tree?”

“The tree?” asked Avery, looking over at the tree Krampus had delivered to her.

The tree had sat undecorated since its delivery. She’d never managed to find the time to decorate it. Maybe Avery needed a reminder of the power of Christmas magic too.

“I…actually think I sent Pandora to get ornaments for that,” said Avery. “You’re a mind reader, Joy. Jack, help Pandora get them out of her car?”

“I can help too,” said Joy.

“No,” blurted out Avery. “I mean…you can just stay seated. They don’t need three sets of hands.”

“Hey, I’m just offering out of politeness,” joked Joy. “I don’t intend on slipping on the ice and getting myself a magical Christmas bruise.”

Krampus walked past Santana’s secretary’s empty desk and into The Jolly Fellow’s office, where Santana was waiting along with eight other men.

“You two busy brawling and need me to come back later?” joked Krampus.

“Just about,” said the man with a white bear and a blue jacket with white trim.

“Santana,” said Krampus, nodding his head to the man in a red jacket with white trim.

“This your trainee?” asked Santana, walking up to Krampus.

Santana was taller than Sean, wider, too. It was a wonder Santana wasn’t the one leading his own sleigh. Sean gulped as the older man looked over him.

“He’s small, but I taught him well,” said Krampus. “And he’s a runner, too. By profession.”

“Hope he knows tonight’s about endurance,” said Santana. “Nice to meet you, boy.”

Santana extended a hand. Sean shook it. Santana’s smile fell.

“Still Naughty? And on Christmas Eve? Cutting it close, aren’t you?” asked Santana.

“Yes, sir,” said Sean.

“You can call me Santana,” said Santana. “Tonight, you’re going to be joining these seven shifters on The Ride.”

“Where did they train?” asked Sean.

“They don’t need training, boy,” said a man with what sounded like a mix between a Southern accent straight out of Georgia and an Eastern European accent. “I’m Boreas, Boreas Winter. You may know me as Old Man Winter. These shifters are from my own elite team down South.”

“Down South like past the Mason-Dixie line?” asked Sean.

Boreas chuckled to himself.

“No, we’re from the deep South,” said Boreas. “We’re from Antarctica. These penguins have more power in one webbed foot than you have in your whole damn bear – or reindeer, I guess.”

“‘I’ve always wondered how penguin would taste,” said Sean.

Sean gauged the room for a reaction. Krampus put his head in his hand. Santana’s eyes were wide. Boreas glared at Sean, and then, burst into laughter.

“You ever want to come down South and work for mine, we can turn this scrawny body of yours into a machine,” said Boreas.

“Because you need more help ruining Christmas,” said Santana, arms crossed.

“Claus. I meet with you as a courtesy. To warn you about what weather to expect. Would you rather I just send the blizzards without a storm warning?” asked Boreas. “The world’s weather cycles can’t just stop because an old man wants to deliver some toys.”

“Whatever, Boreas,” said Santana. “Only reason anyone believes your kind exists is because of my holiday, or else they’d just hibernate through the winter like a bunch of werebears.”

“Ahem, boys,” said Krampus, clearing his throat. “Think we might want to get this show on the road? Boreas’ storm’s already brewing.”

“Alright, in formation,” ordered Santana, and Sean got in line with the penguin shifters. “The eight of you are driving my sleigh tonight. You’re doing this in pairs. For ease of reference, I’m gonna call you all by your reindeer names. It’ll make it easy for everyone else to remember your names too. Dasher, Dancer, you’re leading the sleigh. You’re the runts of this pack, but you know how to use your shifts. You’ll be making direction decisions at the spur of the moment. You need to stick to whatever decision you make. Think of it like a whip.” Santana walked around, inspecting the fresh meat.

“Next row, second from the front, we’ve got Prancer and Vixen. You’re our ‘swing’ deer.’ You’ll be the second set of deer that changes direction when Dasher and Dancer make a turn. Comet, Cupid, you’re in the row after that, ‘team’ deer, focused on pure brawn, and Donner, Blitzen, you’re running closest to me. You’re what we call the ‘wheel’ deer, even though there are no wheels on the sleigh. It’s a carriage term that’s used in sledding,” explained Santana. “You two are going to have a hard time because you have to help pull the heft of the sleigh, get that inertia going. That’s why the two beefiest shifters are in that role.”

“How will we know what direction to go in?” asked Sean.

The other shifters in the row laughed.

“That’s an excellent question,” said Santana. “We’re going to outfit you, in your shift, with earpieces and the magic harnesses. The harnesses will tug one way or another, so you know what direction to go in.”

“So no whip?” asked Sean.

“You bring a whip to one office party, and suddenly you’re Leather Daddy Christmas,” said Santana with a sigh.

Joy hung up some more tinsel. The tree had come together. Even Krampus’s pickle was on the tree. There was just one thing missing.

Sean was out on the tarmac with the other reindeer, all already in their shifts. A Christmas elf came up and outfitted him for The Ride. At first, Sean was insulted that the elf was telling him what to do, not letting him ask questions, and then Sean realized that of course, the elf wouldn’t ask him any questions. Sean was stuck in a reindeer body. Surely people couldn’t speak reindeer.

“Hey, you hear me, Sean?” asked a voice, coming in through his ear.

Sean grunted back. He knew a mic was attached to his reins.

“Good,” said Krampus. “I can speak reindeer.”

“So people can understand reindeer?” Sean asked Krampus in reindeer.

“Of course,” said Krampus. “How else do you think they managed to get frikkin’ eight of them to work together and help pull a sleigh? Do they teach you nothing in these American schools?”

“Whatever,” said Sean. “How’re we doing on schedule?”

“You’re taking off soon,” said Krampus. “It’s simple. You got briefed.”

“Listen to the reins. Land when necessary. Take off when necessary. Repeat ad nauseam until we’ve delivered presents to every dang place in the world,” said Sean.

“And the teleportation,” said Krampus.

“The what?” asked Sean.

“The runners on Santana’s sleigh and the buckle on Santana’s belt are made of the same demoncrafted metal in my chains,” said Krampus. “They can teleport things.”

“If Santana can teleport, what’s he need reindeer for?” asked Sean.

“The metal’s rare and takes a while to recharge,” said Krampus. “He usually saves it for big leaps. You will be doing the smaller leaps. You’re like a magical battery and a workhorse, all in one.”

“Got it,” said Sean.

“You’re worried about something,” said Krampus. “I can tell.”

“You know what it is,” said Sean.

“Then here’s an early Christmas present,” said Krampus. “Joy’s waiting for you. She didn’t say it, but she told Avery she’d give you a second chance to see her, a last chance.”

“Are you serious?” asked Sean.

“Yes,” said Krampus. “But Sean…it’s Christmas Eve, and you’re still not off The Naughty List. Aren’t you worried about losing your shift?”

“I’m more worried about losing true love,” said Sean.

Joy had another sugar cookie. Avery had turned on the TV in the cafe and put on a goofy Christmas movie. Joy laughed with her friends, but the spaces between the laughs were bittersweet.

Sean was up in the air. He couldn’t believe it. He was actually flying. The magic harness had done wonders for him. He’d run on the ground before, but flying was almost more like swimming than running. He galloped, and magically, floated through the air. His harness would tug one way or another to guide him.

It was simple. Sean just had to lead the team through the air and land on a building. The Jolly Fellow went into the house, or tent, or airplane hangar, and delivered the goods with his magical sack, and got out. Sean didn’t ask more questions. He only had one focus. Getting back to Joy.

Sean put his all into The Ride. Krampus had trained him, but his love for Joy was what fueled him.

“I think it’s time for me to tuck in,” said Joy.

“Really?” asked Avery.

“Yeah, you guys stay up, have fun, but, I have a long drive tomorrow,” said Joy. “I’m going all the way back to Port Jameson.”

“Text me to let me know you got home alright,” said Avery.

“I promise,” said Joy.

While Joy did text Avery when she got home, Joy was far from alright. She cried into the sheets that, just hours before, she’d used while making love to Sean.

“Pacific Islands, done,” said Krampus into Sean’s ear.

Sean was panting. He couldn’t believe it. The last region on the list, going from East to West, starting with Alaska, had been finished. Sean nearly stumbled as his hooves left the sand.

Santana teleported the sleigh back to The North Pole.

“Shit,” said Santana. “I didn’t aim well.”

Sean spotted the candy cane, topped with a gumdrop. He knew how to get to the tarmac from there. He’d made sure to look out for the landmark when they were getting ready.

We’ve got this, said Dasher.

And you trust Dancer? asked Sean.

With my life,” said Dasher. Lead together. Work together.

Sean and Dancer worked in tandem to help land the sleigh. Sean felt an instant sense of relief as he his hooves the tarmac, but then, he collapsed.