Dancing to the Altar

by Christi Bortner

  “Welcome Santa and Mrs. Clauses,” she said. Today she was back in her elf costume. “We are down to the final four couples. Earlier today the Misses Clauses went head to head in a Christmas cookie challenge.” Elle pulled out a cookie and took a bite. “Congratulations Green Team, you won that challenge. Those cookies are now being delivered to the children’s hospital in Anchorage.”

  The four couples gave a round of applause.

  “This afternoon it is the Santa’s turn. We are going to work on your breaking and entering skills. Behind me is a house that is filled with sleeping children. Each Santa will have to grab their bag of gifts, get into the house by either the window, the chimney, or the front door. Once you enter the house you will need to climb out of the top window onto our roof, slide down the chimney and return to your sleigh. The second Santa will do the same thing. Once both Santas have arrived you may ring the bell signifying the clock to stop. The team with the quickest time will be going onto the finale on Christmas Eve. Once someone has entered the house, that means it’s no longer available. So if you use the window, the second Santa will have to use the chimney or the front door.”

  “Let’s do this,” Santa Bubba yelled.

  “Santa Drake and Santa Steve, you are up first. When I say Ho, the clock will start.” Elle held up her hand. “Ready. Set. Ho!”

  Santa Drake tried to climb up the chimney, but he couldn’t get his feet to stick on the faux bricks. Finally, he jumped through the window, reappearing at the window at the top. He scrambled through the window and slid down the slide, running over to where Santa Steve was waiting. Santa Steve took off to the cheers of all the folks watching the festivities. Steve ran over to the front door and tried the lock.

  He looked around searching for a key. Elle watched him lift up the welcome mat and groan. Underneath were at least a dozen keys. “One of them has to open the door,” Elle called to him.

  It took seven tries before Santa Steve found the key that opened the door. He picked up his sack and raced inside, reappearing at the window above. He slid down the chimney and ran over to the sleigh and rang the bell.

  “Congratulations, Red Team, you took eight minutes and twenty-seven seconds. Green team, are you ready?”

  Dan watched from the soundproof booth at the scene before him. He laughed as the Santas scrambled to find a way into the house. The camera panned back to Elle. “Green Team are you ready?”

  She was dressed like the elf again with the red costume and red streaks in her hair. She was the essence of the holiday. Dan had observed her over the past few weeks, and she was very good at keeping their relationship professional.

  He tried to ignore the hints that Marcy dropped about Elle. Even his father made comments when he came to watch the filming. He knew he could have a real life with Elle. If she would just give him the chance.

  “Ready! Set! Ho!” she yelled and Dan watched as Santa John raced across the scene. He immediately went to the chimney and scrambled up the rope like it was nothing.

  “There’s that firefighter training,” Marcy said behind him.

  Santa John was down the slide and back to the sleigh before Dan could blink. Then Santa Bubba took off. His red pants falling down his scrawny body. Bubba held his pants with one hand and the sack with the other. Once he got in front of the staged house, he dropped the sack and lifted the window. As Bubba leaned over into the window Dan saw his velvet pants get caught on the windowsill. The pants ripped exposing the long underwear underneath.

  Bubba disappeared into the house and reappeared a moment later at the top window. He scrambled through and slid down the chimney, racing over to the sleigh where Santa John was ready to ring the bell.

  “Oh, my goodness,” Elle said, placing her hands on her knees. “I can’t believe that just happened. While we wait for the official time, I just have to ask: Santa Bubba, do you have alligator long johns under your Santa robe?”

  “Congratulations, everyone!” Dan said, lifting a glass of champagne in a toast. “It has been a rough four weeks of filming, but we are at the end. Right now, the episodes have been edited and will start playing on stations nationwide next week! Then the live finale on Christmas Eve.”

  The group lifted their glasses in a toast.

  “To the end of a new show and the start of new friendships and relationships. Merry Christmas!” He looked directly at Elle as he gave the toast.

  “Merry Christmas,” everyone responded.

  Dan finished his glass and handed it to someone in a server’s uniform. He needed to get back to his office and check up on the rest of his businesses.

  As he made his way across the lobby, one of the Santas stepped in front of him. Rino. Dan recognized him from all his tattoos.

  “Mr. Holliday?” Several other Santas circled around him.

  “Good job, Santas. I need to get to my office.” He went to move around the bulky man in front of him.

  “We’s needs to talk to ya,” Bubba joined in.

  “What about?”

  “Elle,” one of the Santas said.

  “Elle?”

  “We’ve seen the way she looks at you.”

  “And the way you look at her.”

  “Fellas. There is nothing going on between Elle and me. It is strictly professional.”

  “But there could be.”

  “After all Christmas is a time of magic, and what is more magical than twelve Santas together?”

  Dan looked at the twelve faces of Santa surrounding him. If he could award everyone a prize, he would. Each of these men and their wives represented the true meaning of Christmas – belief and love.

  “If you have any ideas, Santas, I’m all ears.”

  Chapter 11

  “Where’s Mr. Holliday?” Elle asked.

  “Which one?”

  “Pierre. I’m not kidding.”

  “I think he was getting ready for tonight.”

  “I didn’t see him in the sound stage.” Elle wanted an opportunity to see him before she left. She would never forget the experience of being on Dancer Island, but if she left after the filming she could make it home in time for Christmas.

  The thought of not being on this magical island for Christmas about killed her. But she didn’t want to be so close to the man she loved and not be able to share her feelings.

  Pierre shrugged and laid out several makeup brushes on his vanity.

  “We need to get you in costume.”

  “What am I tonight?” She sat in the chair and Pierre swung her around. Every night she had a different costume. Sometimes it was the elf, other times it was a different christmas character, but they always related to the challenge somehow.

  “Tonight, you are the sugarplum fairy. You’ll be sending all the children off to sleep so the winning Santa can go visit them.”

  “I can’t believe we are down to the end.”

  “I can’t believe it is between Santa Bubba and Santa John.”

  Elle laughed. The two Santas – Cajun Bubba and Fireman John were as different as could be. It would be interesting to see how this last competition played out.

  “Did you know that Bubba wanted alligators on his Santa robe?”

  Elle laughed. “Well, he is consistent.”

  Tonight, was the live reveal. The previous five episodes have been recorded, edited and had already played around the world through social media. Tonight, there could be no mistakes.

  Elle sat in the chair as Pierre touched up her makeup. Her eyes were frosted in a silvery-blue shadow, framed by magnetic lashes. Pierre brushed plum blush on her cheeks and then covered her entire face in some shimmery dust. He glued individual sequined snowflakes on her cheeks

  “I need to get your hair done and then you have to go change.” Elle watched as he clipped in strands of blue and silver into her brown locks. When he was done Elle was breathless.

  “I don’t even look like me. You are amazing, Pierre.”

  “I know. Let’s get you dres
sed and then on goes the lip gloss.”

  Pierre helped her into a dress that was layers of sparkling tulle and silver brocade. He placed a small tiara on her head and secured it with pins. After coating her lips with a silver colored lip gloss he stood back so she could look at herself in the mirror.

  She looked ethereal. “All I need is a wand and a house to drop on my sister.”

  Pierre laughed. “Good thing you are an only child.”

  There was a knock at the door. Pierre pulled the door opened and Andrew was standing on the other side.

  “What do you want?” Pierre asked.

  “I wanted to speak to Elle.”

  “What if she doesn’t want to speak to you?”

  “Pierre, it’s fine.”

  Pierre gave her side glance. “Don’t do anything that messes up your costume. We don’t have time to fix it.”

  “Like what?”

  Pierre looked at Andrew and snorted. “Like punch him.” Elle watched her friend flounce down the hall.

  She turned to Andrew. “What do you want? We are going live in an hour.”

  “You look beautiful, Elle.”

  “You didn’t come here to tell me that.”

  “No. I came to apologize and say goodbye.”

  Elle tried to lift her eyebrow, but the glue and sequins above them made it impossible. “What for?”

  “Marcelle was behind the fraudulent ratings at the station. I didn’t know anything about it. I was simply trying to broker a deal. She didn’t want Holliday’s checkbook getting away.”

  “Blaming it on your girlfriend is rather rich.”

  Andrew shrugged. “But it’s true. She said she had a way to make sure that he purchased the station. I didn’t realize she was one of Hobbs’ nieces.”

  “So, the whole family was trying to swindle this old man out of his money? That’s terrible.”

  “It is. Holliday came after everyone with lawsuits. That is why I came up here. I needed to give him the evidence he needed. It is my way of making things right.”

  “Well, you’ve said your piece, now go.”

  “None of this would have happened if he hadn’t met you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Something happened after you left the station. He had just signed the papers that morning. I think he ran into you.” Elle straightened her back. “I think you made such an impression on him that he was willing to do whatever it took to make it right and that no one else had to endure what you did reporting the weather.”

  “I’m still in costumes,” Elle retorted.

  “Yeah, but you are choosing to do it now. It isn’t being forced upon you. I’ve seen the way he looks at you, Elle. You looked at me once that way. Don’t be a fool and lose it.”

  Elle wanted to sit down, but she couldn’t wrinkle her dress. Instead she paced the dressing room.

  “Merry Christmas, Elle,” he said, leaving the room and pulling the door closed behind him.

  A few moments later there was another knock. “Come in,” Elle called.

  Pierre entered the room again. “We go on in fifteen minutes.”

  “Are you wearing a costume?”

  Pierre laughed. “They needed more nutcrackers, so guess who was volunteered?”

  As they walked down the hallway towards the stage where the live filming was going to take place, Marcy came running up.

  “We’ve had a change of plans.”

  “What do you mean,” asked Elle. She had already memorized her monologue for the evening.

  “The reindeer are revolting. So, the challenge of having the teams hook up the sleigh isn’t going to work.”

  “What are we going to do?”

  “This is plan B,” Marcy handed Elle a folder.

  Elle looked inside and then back at Marcy. “Really? This is plan B?”

  “You’ve got five minutes to get in your position.”

  Elle carried the folder to the auditorium. The same auditorium where she realized she worked for the man who stole her heart.

  Every single seat was taken, and the floor was peppered with cameras from the major broadcasting stations. It appeared that this truly was a night that was being celebrated all over the world.

  Elle took her place and noticed Pierre in the lineup of nutcrackers around the tree.

  The camera turned green signifying they were live.

  “Welcome to The Last Santa Standing, live from Dancer Island, here in the magnificent Holliday Islands Resort. I’m your hostess this evening, the Sugarplum Elle. Let’s take a quick look at what has happened these past few weeks.”

  A montage filled the screen.

  “Santa Bubba, Mrs. Betty; Santa John, Mrs. Lisa, it comes down to you four. To give you some help with tonight’s challenge, we are bringing back all of the Santas and their wives.”

  The crowd roared as the eliminated couples were brought to the stage.

  “Tonight’s challenge relates to being crafty. Each team needs to take the pieces behind this curtain and craft a nutcracker worthy of being in Tchaikovsky's ballet.” The curtain behind her lifted and there were large plastic pieces on the ground. Elle held out a velvet bag. “Pick your team.” Each participant picked an ornament from the bag signifying which team they were on.

  Once the ornaments were picked the teams divided into green for Santa Bubba and red for Santa John.

  “Ready. Set.”

  “Ho!” the audience said in a loud voice.

  Elle moved out of the way so the Santas could race to assemble the nutcrackers.

  The audience cheered as pieces were assembled, disassembled and reassembled. Elle scanned the audience and the backstage hoping to catch a glimpse of Dan. She didn’t see him anywhere.

  Suddenly, the crowd roared as Santa Bubba lifted the last piece of his nutcracker and snapped it into place. He ran over and rang the bell signifying the competition was over.

  His wife waddled over, her large belly protruding from beneath her holiday dress and wrapped her arms around her husband.

  Confetti started raining down on the stage as the audience roared into applause! The curtain dropped concealing everything but the crowd on the stage.

  Elle tried to speak over the noise. “Santa Bubba! Mrs. Betty! You are the Last Santa Standing! How do you feel?”

  “Wonderful.”

  “It’s like a miracle.” Bubba took the microphone from her hand. “But you know what else is a miracle?” He cupped his hand to his ear and leaned out towards the crowd. “Love!” He waved over to Santa John. “Come here, my friend.”

  John took the microphone from Bubba. “We have a sugar plum fairy here. I recall she looked after the Land of Sweets while the king was away.”

  Bubba nodded his head enthusiastically. “And didn’t one of those nutcrackers come to life?”

  “Yes!” the crowd yelled.

  Elle wasn’t sure where this was going, but Marcy gave her a thumbs up signal from behind the curtain.

  The sounds of Tchaikovsky's holiday classic filled the auditorium. The crowd dispersed, walking off the stage towards the sides of the auditorium.

  The men in nutcracker costumes started to march, surrounding Elle, leading her towards the back of the stage.

  Suddenly the curtain rose and Elle let out a gasp. There was Dan where the two large nutcrackers were.

  He was dressed as the king from the ballet. He wore a blue velvet coat, with a ruffled shirt, tight tan pants and high polished boots.

  “What are you doing, Dancer?” she hush-yelled to him.

  Dan walked forward, turning Elle to the side so they were facing each other. “Sugar plums are addictive, and my sweet Sugar Plum fairy; I’m addicted to you.”

  Elle put her hands to her cheeks.

  Dan dropped to one knee and held up a small nutcracker. Held inside the teeth was the largest diamond Elle had ever seen. “Elle Richey, will you marry me?”

  The crowd started chanting, “Say yes! Say yes!”


  Elle looked at the man in front of her. “Of course, I will. I love you, Dancer Holliday.”

  “I love you too, Elle.” He stood and slipped the ring on her finger. “Merry Christmas, my love.”

  “Merry Christmas.”

  Then on live television he pulled her into his arms and gave her a kiss the paparazzi would have been proud of.

  Epilogue

  Christmas Day, Dancer Lodge

  “Dancer? Did you see this?” Elle asked, walking into the large apartment in the back of the lodge. She had just run downstairs to meet with Maxwell to confirm her surprise for later that evening.

  Dan came out of the kitchen with two steaming mugs. “See what?” Elle lifted the paper so he could read the cover story. He placed the mugs down on the coffee table. “Let me see that.”

  She handed him the paper and sat on the white leather sofa, kicking her shoes underneath the teakwood coffee table. She curled her feet underneath her and pulled a fleece throw over her legs. She might be used to the weather by Summer.

  Dan looked at the paper and laughed. “Pops will be happy. I finally made the cover of the trash tabloids.” He read the headline aloud. “Gator Santa is overshadowed by the dull brother.” Underneath was the photo of Elle and Dan kissing, her large ring on display for the whole world to see.

  Santa Bubba, now the Gator Santa, was photobombing in the background of the picture.

  Dan sat next to her on the sofa and Elle tucked her feet under his leg. “You are freezing, Elle.”

  She wiggled her toes. “I’ll be warm soon.” She pointed to the paper that Dan tossed on the table. “Why do they call you the dull brother? There is nothing dull about you.”

  “Because I haven’t been caught by the tabloid cameras, and everything they did catch, there wasn’t enough to even make the back of the paper. So, I was dubbed the dull brother.” He handed Elle one of the steaming mugs from the table. “Pierre told me one of your favorite things is hot chocolate.”

  “It is.”

  “I hope you like mine. It is my mother’s recipe.”

  Elle took a sip of chocolatey milk. “Oh my, this is amazing.” She took another, allowing the chocolate, vanilla and cinnamon to explode on her tongue. “This is better than the overpriced chocolate I paid for in New York.”