We’ve been on the Book Elf’s route for just over five years. He generally sneaks in, under the cover of night, leaving a new book in the flannel book bag on each December Friday leading up to Christmas.
I must say, last year his existence was questioned mightily. Jacob set-up his usual notes to the Book Elf and laid traps and accused me of being the Book Elf one morning when the little guy came late and somehow planted his book while Jake was eating cereal and I was in the shower. Curious how his lack of urgency becomes my emergency.
This year Nate began questioning his faith. A few weeks back, we were crossing the street at Higuera and Broad and Nate turns to me accusingly, his finger pointed at my chest. He declares, “And there’s no such thing as miniature people!” I’m sure many a parishioner has been lost to hanger.
That afternoon, a living room showing of the new Netflix classic, The Christmas Chronicles, firmly bought the Book Elf another year’s paycheck. I’m convinced it was the rainbow chimney teleporting that sealed the deal. It just makes sense that the big man doesn’t re-park the sleigh on every roof in the neighborhood, am I right?
This year the Book Elf brought the Guinness Book of World Records 2019, the My Side of the Mountain Trilogy, and a bonus combo of the Wings of Fire Book 10 and Plants vs. Zombies Volume 11: War and Peas. Jake was so desperate for the next Wings of Fire Book that he was yelling out his needs into the air, hoping the Book Elf would hear him and come to his aid.
On the night of Thursday December 20th, the Book Elf had gone out to dinner with his in-laws, had one cocktail, and then made a brief stop at a small work gathering downtown. It was the holidays so, of course, he was running around town, trying to do it all. He made a quick stop at the bookstore to pick-up his nightly rounds and then headed off for the late shift. His job was easy, as the two little boys at the top of Squire Canyon were fast asleep when he made his stop. He finished his work and headed off to bed.
The next morning he woke early with a start. Where was the receipt from Barnes and Noble? The one with the ill-conceived shopping experience where they give you a coupon for the café upstairs, every time you’re leaving the premises downstairs? The Book Elf quickly threw on his curly-toed shoes and beelined it back to Squire Canyon, finding three receipts tucked perfectly into the front of Wings of Fire Book 10. He stuffed them in the recycling and made himself a coffee for the road.
It was a near 7AM massacre of the Book Elf and his entire magical crew– Santa, the Easter Bunny, leprechauns, the Tooth Fairy, and the Pajama Elf all breathed a deep, collective sigh of relief.
And live to gift another day.