Chicago, December 2024

You'd only done a secret Santa at one previous job but you understood the concept well enough, draw a name from the old deli tub and get them a Christmas present, under $20, no gift cards since Richie said that was a cop-out.

On your way out of the locker room, you stopped by the back office to draw a name, since you planned to go grocery shopping on your way home anyway, so you could probably grab something there right?

You shut your eyes and grabbed a folded up post-it note, unfolding it you read the name scrawled in Sugar's near handwriting.

Carmen..

You raised your eyebrows, deducing within a matter of moments that Sugar probably threw Carmen's name in the tub, since he didn't exactly seem the Christmassy type to you.

~

Pushing your cart around, one wobbly wheel refusing to co-operate, up and down the aisles tossing groceries in your cart when you passed the stationery aisle... You paused, recalling Carmen's epic freak-out over Sharpies.

With almost too-fast determination you scooted up the neat stacks of paper, envelopes, stamps, pens, pens, ballpoints, gel, red, green, aha!

A box of 25 black Sharpies on special! $18!

Oh this was too good to pass up, along with some gaudy Christmas paper and a ribbon, you were all set.

~

A few days before closing for the holidays, the staff all had an in-house family meal after hours, to exchange Secret Santa gifts before breaking for the festive period.

Sugar handed you your wrapped present, neatly wrapped and labelled with a ribbon. Checking the label, it said Merry Christmas, love from Neil xx you beamed at the faux pas, clearly the idea of secret Santa had been lost on Fak.

You watched carefully as Carmen was the first to open his present. He carefully unwrapped it, placing the paper to one side.

A soft chuckle left him as he saw what was inside.

"Hilarious, thanks," he smiled, scratching his head as he looked at the Sharpies.