A Snowball Christmas: Chapter 4
- Henry Livingston
- Nov 9, 2025
- 8 min read
Updated: Dec 4, 2025
WHEN PUSH COMES TO SHOVE
Joy and laughter fill the air of the best bakery and coffee shop at the North Pole, sELFies, famous for their Ooey-Gooey Sweet Rolls and Blue Lightning espresso treat, a double shot of espresso, half-n-half, blueberry syrup and whipped cream, topped with fresh, plump, blueberry, among other fantastic treats. It was started by a Snow Elf and a Frost Elf that saw a need to catch up with the times. Originally opened as More Than Cocoa but was changed when they added their full-service bakeshop for what started off as a gamble in 1575. Exactly one-hundred years after Kiva Han in Constantinople, Türkiye,
Coco and Powder Chestnut have been the proud owners of the only coffeehouse to ever be established at the North Pole. Although the More Than Cocoa branding remains, everything else is one-hundred percent sELFies, and they are a worldwide distributor.
Sitting amid the crowd of folks, Glacia and Icelynn are enjoying a couple of sweet treats and small coffees. Glacia seems to be in a tiny bit of pain after drinking her coffee without cooling it off.
Icelynn is holding in a laugh respectfully and tries to offer helpful advice to her friend, “you have to blow it to cool it down first.”
“I thought I did that already,” she responds, trying to get her tongue back to its happy place.
“Looks like your mind was someplace else. You just picked up that hot cup of coffee and drank it. Like it was iced tea. Are you still thinking about that cute Elf from earlier?”
“I told you I am in a relationship.”
“That is not a no.”
“It is not a yes either,” Glacia answers back quickly.
“Um hmmm…”
“Stop, I am not thinking of him like that.”
“But are you thinking about him in another way?”
“No,” she says looking around for anyone listening in on their conversation, “you are the worst.”
“Okay, okay. I get it, I’m sorry. I will let it be.”
“Thank you, Icelynn,” she softly replies with a relieved sigh. Then takes another drink of her coffee without caution and burns her tongue again, “FUDGESICLES!”
“Again, blow it to cool off before drinking,” she pretends to look for a member of the staff, “maybe we should get you something iced?”
Glacia lightly grabs Icelynn’s arm, pulling her attention back to their table, “no thanks, this is fine.”
Icelynn’s expression shifts to concern, “Have you checked to see if you have an early stage of Silver Bells?”
“Oh, my Nicolas, I did not forget, I was distracted.”
“By that cute elf.”
“Yes, by the…, NO.”
Icelynn laughs.
“Please stop,” Glacia asks quietly, trying not to laugh out of embarrassment.
Icelynn is silent, staring and smiling at Glacia before sipping her coffee.
Glacia lifts her cup and blows on it without breaking eye contact with Icelynn, “I said please,” she voices lightly.
“What,” Icelynn questions innocently, “I didn’t say anything else.”
“Its what you did not say that is the issue here.”
“You are so sensitive,” to avoid picking on an elder, Icelynn begins to pay more attention to the extra busy shop, “it is really crowded here tonight. Seems like everyone is here for their first Ooey-Gooey of the year. I haven’t seen it this packed in years.”
Icelynn continues assessing the crowd, but her words begin to fade and Glacia’s silence takes her thoughts somewhere else entirely.
Monday, July 7, 1800
Nixie Snowball is sitting on a chair next to the First Assistant’s desk waiting to be escorted back to the lobby to leave. His sad face easily reflects how he feels inside.
Inside the office of The Peak Mother there is a different kind of emotion.
Peak Mother slams a stack of files down onto her desk, “never in all of my years has an assessment been this grueling.”
Glacia standing quietly for instruction breaks her silence, “Peak Mother?”
“I apologize for my outburst and behavior. I forgot you were even there, Glacia.”
“No apology needed, Peak Mother. I was awaiting further instructions.”
Peak Mother continues without acknowledging Glacia’s purpose in being there, “he was THE WORST assessment in my WHOLE career as Peak Mother. How can he ask to be a Toy Maker? HE is a DRIFT ELF,” she huffs.
Glacia gathers several small items thrown about. One being Nixie’s assessment tablet near a few broken ornaments in the corner of the room. She sneaks a peak at the chart inside and sees that Nixie’s scores are the best she has ever seen. They are far beyond any elf assessment ever, not just Drift Elves, “but…., Peak Mother,” she opens without thought, “your results say differently. They say he can be a Toy Maker without question. Even the Memory Wall confirms your findings.”
“He has BEEN PLACED, Glacia. No need in crying over a crumbled cookie.”
Glacia, almost ignoring Peak Mother for a moment, flips though a few more pages to see his Placement results and is shocked to what she has found, “Conservation,” she reads to herself.
Peak Mother sits down as if she has just finished a 10K marathon in record time, “exhausting, simply exhausting.”
“His results… His results are far better than any elf I have ever seen, Peak Mother, but you placed him in the worst Placement he could possibly be put in,” Glacia continues, “Why?”
“Drift Elves have always been great at Assessments, but they are simply not good at toy making.
“How can you be so sure? You have never placed a Drift Elf in the Toy Making Category.”
“Some things are just self-explanatory, Glacia.”
“His scores are even better than mine and I am your First Assistant,” Glacia speaks with a firm, yet respectful tone.
“Careful Glacia, you are on the verge of going too far,” Peak Mother interrupts pointing a finger at her subordinate.
“Did you actually look at the results or JUST him?”
“EXCUSE ME,” Peak Mother says, rising slowly from her seated position.
Glacia realizing she may have been out of line tries to redirect the energy in the room, “I mean no disrespect Peak Mother Tannenbaum.”
“Funny, it seems like you are pushing for a reconsideration but being careful not to overstep with that subtle hint of insubordination. No disrespect…,” Peak Mother purses her lips and walks around to the other side of her desk. Sitting on its edge she continues, “Disrespect is all I have heard come out of your mouth.”
“Apologies, Peak Mother,” Glacia says while hurriedly placing Nixie’s result tablet on Peak Mother’s desk. Without another word she swiftly turns to leave.
Peak Mother lifts her hand, “one moment.”
Glacia stops moving toward the door.
“Let me make this crystal clear for you. I don’t want to hear any more questions about this Drift Elf ever again. Understood?”
“Yes, Peak Mother Tannenbaum.”
“Good. Now get him out of my office.”
“Yes, Peak Mother Tannenbaum,” Glacia exits the room.
Present Day
“Hey Glacia, are you in there,” Icelynn questions.
“I…,” Glacia assembles her thoughts as she returns from her walk down memory lane,
“yeah, just zoned out for a moment is all.”
“Well, it was just in time. That cute elf has just entered the shop.”
After a few moments, Nixie makes his way to Glacia and Icelynn, “hello ladies, how’s the coffee.”
“Its fine,” Icelynn says, staring at Nixie like a schoolgirl with a crush, “OW…,” she exclaims after being kicked by Glacia underneath the table.
“Please Nixie, have a seat. Do excuse my friend, she has had a lot of sugar since we’ve been here. How did your appointment at the NPPD go?”
Nixie sits and begins looking over a menu handed to him by one of the waitstaff along the way, “it went very well, thank you.”
Icelynn rubs her leg without bringing attention to it and clears her throat.
Glacia opens as if on cue, “my apologies. How rude of me. Nixie Snowball, this is the good friend I was telling you about, Icelynn Northbrook.”
The two exchange nods and greetings.
A staff member comes up to the table, Hey Nixie, what are you having today?”
“The usual please, Ginger. Oh, and I’ll also need to order three Ooey-Gooey Sweet Rolls for here and three dozen more for delivery.”
“Are we delivering all three dozen to one location?”
“No ma’am, two dozen to The NPMD and one dozen for the staff at Peak Mother’s Office.”
The staff member smiles, “oh, that is SO sweet.”
“Thanks, Ginger. Just bill my account for it please and thank you.”
“You got it, Nixie,” she winks and leaves to put the order in.
Icelynn raises an eyebrow, firstly to the staff member flirting with her crush, and secondly, why was he giving her office treats, “why are you sending Ooey-Gooeys to Peak Mother’s office?
“Because they finally approved my POC transfer request. The others are for my old department,” Nixie says smiling.
“Oh, well, I work for Peak Mother, and I too think that you are so sweet and kind for doing that, thank you.”
“It is the least I can do,” Nixie adds, “because of your office I can finally have my dream job as… a Toy Maker.”
“Wow. That is indeed a rarity these days. Peak Mother seldom changes her mind on these types of matters.”
“I know, and I have been trying for a while.”
“Really? How long were you in the Maintenance Department?”
Glacia is shaking her head from side to side and giving a non-verbal mayday stop the questions vibe. Unfortunately, it was too late to stop the inquiry at hand.
Nixie gladly answers the question, “two-hundred twenty-five years.”
“Two hundred…,” Icelynn stands, but pauses, “wait, you’re THE Nixie Snowball?”
Glacia nods.
Nixie confirms, “the one and only.”
Icelynn’s eyes go from wonder to worry, “Oh,” she sits down almost missing the seat, “I don’t feel so good.”
“Too many sweets,” Nixie says, repeating Glacia’s earlier words.
Glacia knows the look Icelynn is making all too well. Anyone that has worked directly for Peak Mother has made that face at least once under her employ, “Do you need to go, Icelynn?”
“Yes, I need to go to the office to finish some work I didn’t umm…, finish.”
“Okay, have a wonderful rest of your day,” Nixie answers, “It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Northbrook.”
“You too Mr. Snowball,” Icelynn replies almost in slow motion. She begins to gather her composure and heads toward the Office of The Peak Mother. She knew something was familiar with his name when they were introduced, but it didn’t click until a moment ago. He was the one elf of all elves at The North Pole to never, ever be allowed to change his POC. Those words are in the by-laws of the office, passed down to every employee of Peak Mother’s Office for over two hundred years. Now, she was the one in charge that broke that steadfast rule, “Oh, I am SO done.”
Back at the table Nixie excuses himself to go home and soak in the day after getting his Ooey-Gooey to go. Glacia stops him for a moment when he stands up and prepares to say something.
“Is there something else, Ms. Wintera,” Nixie asks.
Glacia's words won’t come out, and the delay makes them seem forced, so she chooses to offer silence instead.
Nixie hands her the boxed treat from the table, “would you please make sure your friend gets her extra Sweet Roll?”
“I will make sure.”
“It was nice to see you again, Ms. Wintera. Good eve.”
“Yeah, it was. Good eve, Mr. Snowball.”
As Nixie leaves, she sits back down and slowly begins to eat her Ooey-Gooey Sweet Roll. Her thoughts are a mixture of now and then, but one thing is for certain, she will have to let him know the truth at some point. Before this whole thing reaches Peak Mother Tannenbaum.
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