A Krampus Country Christmas: Day 24

 

Chapter 24: Christmas Morning

Snow fell gently over the Winters farm like someone had shaken the world’s largest glitter globe. It was quiet in that way only Christmas morning can be — soft, glowing, peaceful, impossibly new. Holly had prepared herself to wake up from all of it. The Red Forest, the Keeper, the Hunter. Even Nick. It all felt like something her exhausted mind might have invented. But when she stepped into the living room, Max already awake and in his pajamas, her breath caught.

Nick was there on the floor failing spectacularly to assemble a toy train set

He had instructions spread across the rug. Tools in both hands. Holly noticed those hands were not the Krampus claws that conquered the judgments of the Keeper. And there were not horns. This was the Nick that entered her shop with a clipboard claiming to be a consultant. He was wearing an ugly Christmas sweater. And the expression of a man facing the most terrifying challenge of his life.

“Why,” he muttered, “does this require nineteen screws? Who designs this? A vindictive elf?”

Max clapped. “You’re doing great!”

“I am not doing great,” Nick said with complete seriousness. “I have conquered the Hunter of the Night. This is far more complex.”

Holly leaned against the doorway, smiling despite herself. “Need help?”

Nick looked up and the way his face lit at seeing her nearly knocked the breath from her lungs.

“Holly,” he said, soft as a snowfall. “Good morning.”

She crossed the room and knelt by him. “Merry Christmas.”

He swallowed — an abrupt, painfully human gesture. “And to you.”

The fire crackled gently beside them as Max tore into his presents. Nick watched every reaction with such intensity, Holly half-expected him to take notes.

“You don’t celebrate this holiday much, do you?” she asked.

He shook his head. “My role has traditionally been different.”

“Right. Scaring children. Taking them. That whole thing.”

Nick winced — the guilt written plainly on his face. “That is no longer my purpose.”

Holly touched his arm. “I know.”

He exhaled slowly, meeting her eyes.

“The Keeper called me Guardian.”

“I heard.” She smiled softly. “It suits you.”

“It feels unfamiliar.”

“Most new things do.”

He hesitated. “I don’t know what comes next.”

Holly stood, offering him her hand. Nick took it gingerly.

“Well,” she said lightly, “first we finish Max’s train set. Then hot cocoa. Then breakfast.”

“And after that?”

She smiled. “We figure out the rest. Usually, though I take a nap.”

They worked side by side on the train, Nick following her instructions with deep focus like he was defusing a bomb. When the final track piece clicked into place, Max whooped in triumph.

“It works! It works!”

Nick blinked at the moving train as though he’d performed sorcery.

“I… did that?” he asked.

“With some help,” Holly said.

Max hugged him. Hard. Nick froze for a moment then carefully put one massive arm around the boy.

“I will protect you,” he murmured.

Max beamed. “I know.”

Holly felt her chest tighten. When Max went to play, Nick rose to his full height. “Holly,” he said quietly.

She turned.

He looked nervous. Krampus looked nervous.

“I do not know the customs,” he said, “but I believe I owe you something.”

She frowned. “Owe me?”

“Yes. Gratitude. Respect. A gesture. You saved me from exile. You…” He paused. “You held onto me when the whole night tried to tear me apart.”

Her breath caught. “Nick—”

He stepped closer, lowering his head slightly so his horns didn’t hit the ceiling.

“I am learning,” he said softly, “what it means to belong. And I would like to belong here.
If you’ll have me.”

Holly blinked back unexpected tears.

“You already belong here,” she whispered.

Nick reached up, slow and deliberate, and brushed a curl behind her ear with the back of his hand. The gentleness of it unraveled her. He leaned in. The kiss was soft, warm, tentative. More human than she expected. More magical than she could ever explain.

When they parted, he looked stunned. “I like that.”

She laughed. “Good. Because that’s part of the job too.”

He tilted his head. “Being a Guardian?”

“Being ours,” she said softly.

Nick’s face warmed. A glow that neither ember nor magic spread across him.

Outside, the wind shifted. It wasn’t the howling, shrieking blasts of the The Red Forest. Just a gentle winter wind singing softly through the pines. A new kind of Christmas morning. A new kind of family. And for the first time since Holly could remember, she felt something bright, deep, and unbelievably real.

Hope.

My new comedic sci-fi novel, Someone Else's Book Club, is available on my website or through Amazon!