Tracy
The moment Tracy stepped into the library, she felt warmth spread through her body, like she had walked into a dream. She wanted to curl up in the chair, dangle her toes near the fire, and settle in with a long book.
Once again, Tracy wondered what this room was doing at Santa Command. Did they use it to train the Santas how to get up and down chimneys? That was another item on her list she needed to figure out for her project. As quickly as the thought entered her mind, it was gone, replaced with the sweet smell of cinnamon coming from a plate of cookies on a small table between the chair and fireplace.
She realized how hungry she was and took one. As the Snickerdoodle melted in her mouth, she sank down into the comfy chair and lazily picked up a book from a stack on the table. She traced her fingers over the maroon and gold cover, then flipped through the crinkly, yellowed pages. The words were handwritten in fancy cursive, and some of the letters didn't look right, but Tracy didn't have to read it all to know what it said. She had memorized the poem long ago—‘Twas the Night Before Christmas.
Her father recited it every year on Christmas Eve just before they all went to bed. She always chimed in, reciting her favorite parts with him.
The watercolor drawings in the book were comfortingly familiar. The dad in the stocking cap had black hair and thick eyebrows just like her father. The fireplace had one red stocking and two green ones just like at her house. There was even a long brown sofa like the one she slept on when she was eight years old, hoping to get a glimpse of Santa.
“Weird,” Tracy said.
She pulled her feet up under her and reached for the cup of hot chocolate that was sitting on the table. She didn't remember it being there before, but figured she must have missed it. It had mini marshmallows floating in it and a cinnamon stick for stirring, just like her mom always made it. She gulped the drink down, then set the cup on the table and curled up into a ball with the book clutched to her chest and her eyes closed.