Sleighed by the Farmer’s Daughter (Sweet Christmas Kisses)

Chapter Six

Flinging open the large double doors leading to the formal dining room, she announced, “Welcome to Santa’s wrapping room!”

The table, which was every bit of twenty feet long, was buried under hundreds of unwrapped toys, piles of wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, and bags, all waiting to be transformed into Christmas surprises.

Seth was overwhelmed looking at all of it. There wasn’t a square inch of table visible from where he stood, and a large portion of the surrounding floor was covered in toys as well.

“Do you know how to wrap gifts?” Mackenzie asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

Seth placed a hand on his chest, feigning offense. “Do I know how to wrap gifts? Please, I might be one of Santa’s newest hires, but I promise, I’ve got skills.”

Mackenzie chuckled, shaking her head. “All right, elf, let’s see what you’ve got.” She pointed to the various piles. “Each stack of gifts needs to be wrapped and tagged with the appropriate child’s name. Under each pile, you’ll find a piece of paper listing which children receive each gift. Once wrapped, place each family’s gifts into a Santa bag, and make sure to note the color of the bag on the family’s page. The parents will have limited time to locate their gift bag and load it in their car at Santa’s Village, so it’s important they know which color bag to look for. Write the family name very large on these giant gift tags and secure them to the top of the bags. This way, the parents can easily find their sack of gifts.”

“So, each family is taking home a giant sack of gifts from the event and hoping the kids don’t notice it?” Seth asked.

“Most of these kids know Santa isn’t real, but the giant sack helps make the morning of discovery more fun for everyone. Years ago, they went home with a large box of gifts, and the kids could see what they were, so they already had ideas of what was inside. Then, there was a family walking around with huge boxes of gifts and some with smaller ones. This way, it helps create a sense of fairness and adds to the sparkle of the whole thing. And don’t get me started on how much more organized it is. One year, we had a parent decide her kid’s gifts were too small, so she just switched her family’s gifts out for random gifts in other boxes. Needless to say, there were some very sad children on Christmas morning, and everyone knew who had done the switching because the names were on the gifts. We haven’t had that problem since switching to the extra-large family sacks. Okay, do you have any questions? Organize your space however you need, but don’t confuse the gifts! Got it?”

“Aye, aye, Miss Peppermint,” Seth saluted, clicking the heels of his shoes together.

Moving to her station at one end of the long table and setting to work, Mackenzie mentioned, “We need to come up with an elf name for you since you will no doubt still be stuck here.”

“Yeah, I was hoping to be on my way by Christmas Eve, but with the snow still coming down, I don’t think the roads will likely be cleared until the day after Christmas at the earliest. What about “Mistletoe” for my elf name?” Seth suggested wrapping his first piece of paper around a large, boxed toy.

“Mistletoe? So, you’re the love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy,” Mackenzie accused.

The tape he had been pulling on ran with a sharp, staccato rip as he jerked his hand in surprise. “What? No! Are you kidding? I have barely had a date since high school, and there was no loving involved then, either.” Seth defended his character, his wide green gaze meeting Mackenzie’s suspicious brown one. He lifted his hand to make his point, pulling more tape off the roll and twisting it around his raised arm. “I was just thinking of things that people like, and “Holly” sounds like a girl’s name, so then I thought “Mistletoe” sort of sounded more manly.”

More tape was pulled free of the roll as he tried to untangle himself from the sticky mess. He gasped as tiny hairs were ripped from the back of his hand, forearm, and fingers. “Gha, this stuff is so sticky!” he exclaimed, trying to shake off the now-wadded tape that insistently clung to him.

“Need some help there, Tinsel?” Mackenzie called, a smirk playing on her lips as she watched him struggle.

“I’ve got it under control,” Seth groused, trying to look dignified as he disentangled himself. Flinging the messy ball of tape to the floor, he scoffed, “Tinsel? That’s the best you could come up with?”

Mackenzie laughed softly and returned to her own pile of gifts, her hands moving deftly with the experience of someone who had done this many times before.

“Well, Jolly and Holly are my oldest brother and his wife. Their kids are Sparkle, Glitter, and Dash. My other brothers are Cedar, Spruce, and Jingle, so… Tinsel seemed to work. What’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing, Tinsel is fine. I think it’s better than Cedar. Who came up with these names anyway?” he asked, getting back to work on the gift he was wrapping but deciding to change his strategy. He tore strips of tape off and stuck them to the edge of the table for easy access.

“If you must know, my grandmother gave each of us our names when we got our first elf costume. She hand embroidered each design so we all felt special. Mine, of course, has little peppermint details on it.”

“Oh, well, it’s kind of hard to argue with that. Your family takes this whole thing very seriously, don’t they?”

“Like I said, it’s kind of our legacy. Have you noticed how this house isn’t your average farmhouse?”

“Yeah, kinda hard to miss,” Seth confirmed.

“Well, a hundred years ago, my father’s family was in banking. My great, great, great grandfather built this house because he didn’t want to be too close to the townsfolk who wanted to borrow money. As the banking system changed, my family divided. Half stayed here and farmed the land, and the other half went to the city and continued in the world of finance. My dad is from the farming side. We try to give back to the community and host the Santa Village every year. At first, it was my family buying the gifts and a small number of neighbors enjoying the festivities, but as generations passed, it kept growing. Now, the community helps by adopting families and helping us host the village, as it is too much for any one family to continue.”

Seth was trying to finish wrapping the large box but found he had run out of fingers to hold the tape. The paper was blocking the tape on the edge of the table, so he stuck a couple of pieces to his lip and finished the folds.

A moment later, he tugged the tape off his lip, wincing as it took a bit of skin with it. “Ow!” he yelped, touching his lip and seeing a small spot of blood.

Mackenzie rushed over. “Oh my goodness, let me see.”

Seth sheepishly showed her his lip. “It’s not a big deal.”

She grabbed a tissue and gently dabbed at the blood. “Hold still,” she murmured, her touch soft and soothing. Their eyes locked, and the room seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of them in a quiet, intimate moment. He found himself mesmerized by the depth of her gaze.

“Thanks,” Seth whispered, his heart pounding a little faster.

“No problem,” Mackenzie replied, her cheeks slightly flushed. “Now, try not to injure yourself again. We’ve got a lot of work to do, and Mom has never appreciated blood on the rugs.”

“I will do my best to keep my bleeding to a minimum for your mom’s sake,” Seth retorted as they returned to their respective ends of the table, the moment lingering in the air between them.

As they wrapped gifts, the silence stretched until it was no longer comfortable.

“So, why aren’t you married?” Mackenzie asked, her tone casual but curious. “You seem like a good guy.”

Seth paused, considering his answer. “I guess I’m a bit of a lone wolf. I prefer the great outdoors to people. Haven’t spent enough time in society to find the right woman.”

Mackenzie nodded thoughtfully. “I can understand that. I’ve tried dating apps, but it’s all just a waste of time. I want a strong man who knows what he wants out of life, not someone who’s wishy-washy or soft.”

Seth peeked up at her, intrigued. “And you haven’t found that type of man yet? Maybe you should go looking near the gyms.”

“Ha, clever. But no, not really. I realized recently that I want someone like my father and brothers. Someone who understands the value of hard work and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, but I’m not likely to find him in the city. I need to reconsider my current situation.”

“You may want to be more specific about the kind of dirty hands you’re looking for, or you may pray yourself into the wrong kind of fella. After all, I’m definitely not afraid of honest days’ labor, but I’m not sure you properly appreciated my manure-covered self, and taped hands could be uncomfortable when loving someone with lovely hair like yours.”

They both laughed, the sound echoing warmly in the room. The hours passed quickly as they wrapped gifts, sharing stories and getting to know each other better. Despite the flurry of paper and ribbons, the task didn’t feel burdensome. Instead, it was enjoyable.

As the last gift was wrapped and placed in its respective bag, Mackenzie looked around the room, feeling a sense of accomplishment. “We did it. I honestly wasn’t sure how I was going to get it done, but we did!”

Seth nodded, stacking the last of his supplies in a neat pile. “Yeah, we did. We make a pretty good team.”

Mackenzie smiled, feeling a warmth spread through her. “I think so, too.”

They stood there for a moment, looking at the piles of Santa sacks stuffed with wrapped presents lining the walls that would soon bring joy to many children. The sense of togetherness and shared purpose made the room feel even cozier.

“Well, what’s next on the agenda, Miss Peppermint?” Seth asked playfully.

Mackenzie chuckled. “How about a break and dinner before we start the evening barn chores? We deserve it after all this.”

Seth agreed, and they headed to the kitchen for some well-deserved hot cocoa and chili mac and cheese, their connection growing stronger with each passing moment.