Holly Day
Holly Day: An Award-Winning Holiday Short Story
By Rebecca E. Schmuck © 2023 | All Rights Reserved.
White crystals drifted down from the sky like fragile paper cut-outs. Holly glanced up and the snow misted her face.
“Perfect,” she muttered as she carried a medium brown box up five steps to the front door of her new condo. Inside the living room, she added it to the neat stack already there. Almost done.
She turned and moved out the door, bumping into a tote that was being handled by a stranger. It was marked “BOOKS.” Staring over the top of it was an amazing pair of hazel eyes.
“Hi.” A small laugh accompanied his greeting.
“Uh . . . hello?” Holly replied with reservation.
“I thought you could use a hand.”
“Well, uh . . . yeah. That, uh, that would be fantastic. Thanks. Oh, I’m sorry. That’s such a heavy one. You can just put it there.” She stepped backward and pointed to the tower of boxes.
After he put it down, he said, “I saw a couple more in the car. Can I get them for you?” He sensed her hesitation. “I don’t mind.”
“By all means. I saved the heavy ones for last,” she giggled. He went back out and Holly put her hands on the ends of her braided piggy tails. She must be a mess.
He came in with the last container, an oversized one with a FRAGILE sticker on it, and he moved cautiously with it. “There you go.” He smiled at her, winking with his right eye.
She blushed. “Thank you so much. I-I-I’m so sorry. I can’t even offer you a cup of coffee. Or even a glass of water!” She gave a nervous laugh.
“Well, I can help you unpack.” His eyes twinkled with the reflection of the sun shining through the picture window. “Or I can make us coffee. I live next door, so, we are officially neighbors. And,” he raised his right hand, palm up, to the pile of stacked cardboard, “I do know where my coffee maker is.”
“That is definitely a bonus. But I probably should just stay here and get to work.”
“Okay. I understand. But, if you change your mind, or if you need anything, I’m right next door.” He peered at a label on the box closest to him. “Holly.”
She realized she had put her name and phone number on the packages that had gone into storage before the move. “That’s me.”
He squinted at the writing again. “Day?”
“Yep.”
“That’s your name?”
“Yes, it is.”
He smiled. “Holly Day. That’s . . . That’s . . .” He interrupted himself with a genuine chuckle. “That’s AWESOME!”
“Yeah? Well, I’m glad you think so. If you want to know a secret, to make it even more cringy, I was born on Christmas Day.”
He chortled even harder. “That is priceless. I love it. You know what makes that even funnier?”
“What?”
“My last name is Claws. Not as in Santa. But as in animal.” He curled his fingers and pawed at the air. “But I grew up being called Santa because of it.”
“Oh, please tell me your parents named you Nick.”
“No, mine weren’t as cruel. They uh, they named me Steve.” He extended his hand to her for a formal shake. “Steve Claws.”
“Well, Steve Claws. You might as well be Santa to me. This was a huge help. Thank you so much.”
“My pleasure. I meant what I said. Anything at all; I’m right next door.”
Steve left and Holly began unpacking. Less than fifteen minutes later, there was a knock on the door. She opened it and her neighbor was back, holding a small tray with two steaming mugs, a sugar and creamer set, and a couple of spoons. “I didn’t know how you like your coffee, so I brought it all.”
“I actually do sweeten and lighten my coffee. So, excellent call. Please, come in. But there’s nowhere to sit. My couch isn’t arriving until tomorrow.”
“That’s okay. We can’t find your coffee pot if we’re sitting.”
While Steve and Holly opened boxes and organized the contents, they chatted effortlessly. “At least you still have a few days left to decorate for the holiday.”
“Oh, no. I don’t do Christmas.”
“No? Oh, I’m sorry. I just assumed, with your parents naming you Holly Day . . . is it a religious thing?”
“No. It’s just, well, my parents died two years ago, right around this time, and since it’s just me, I really don’t like Christmas anymore. I guess it makes me sad. So, I would just rather skip it. You know?”
“But it’s such a magical time of year.”
Holly snickered. “A magical time of year? What? You work for the North Pole or something?”
“I just like Christmas. YOU,” he stressed, “You need a Christmas miracle.”
“I don’t believe in miracles. And please don’t tell me you’re going to cast a spell on me, and I’ll wake up with a whole different life.”
He gazed at her intently and she felt her heart pound faster. “If I put a spell on you, I wouldn’t want you to have a whole different life. I’d want you right here.”
The next day, Steve spent the day helping Holly move her furniture into place after the movers left. When they were finished eating a delivered pizza, he said, “I have something for you. I know you don’t like Christmas, but just give this a chance.”
“You better not have brought a tree. I don’t want one. Seriously.”
“No. I thought we could start small. Work our way up. Close your eyes.”
Holly playfully glared at him with a scrunched-up face and then shut her eyes. He moved in front of her. “Okay. Now open them.”
She opened her eyes and saw him holding his hand above her head, dangling a fresh piece of mistletoe.
“What do you think? Too soon, Holly Day?”
“No. Not at all.” Holly leaned closer to Steve, bringing her lips near his. “I think you might be right about the magic of Christmas.”
THE END
A Note from the Author
This story is a favorite of mine because it explores how we find magic in the places we least expect. I am thrilled to share that Holly Day took 2nd Place in a flash fiction challenge! I have also decided this will be the start of a brand new 12-month holiday series coming in 2026.
What do you think? Should Holly and Steve’s story continue? Head over to my Facebook post and let me know in the comments!
About The Write Author
I’m Rebecca E. Schmuck, the founder of The Write Author. I help writers forge swords from quills to slay their writing demons. Whether you need a Reader Response Review or deep 1:1 support through my Creative Catalyst program, I'm here to help you finish your book.
