The Great Santa Showdown
By Glenn Quigley
Beneath the mistletoe-laden porch of the Four O’clock Bookstore, Gregory stamped his feet, trying to keep them warm. Dressed in his favorite holiday sweater—which featured a red-nosed Darth Vader holding a candy cane—he hugged himself as his breath turned to fog.
From the back of the store’s tiny delivery truck, his friend and co-worker, Floyd, heaved out yet another heavy box and handed it over to him. “Santa’s retiring.”
Gregory let the box fall onto the wet pavement. The cardboard immediately sucked up some of that morning’s snow. “What do you mean? Santa can’t retire. It’s two weeks before Christmas.”
“Well, he is.” Floyd put his own hands under his armpits and rocked from side to side. “And you know what that means.”
Gregory raised his s
