A Snowball Christmas: Chapter 5
- Henry Livingston
- Nov 15, 2025
- 7 min read
Updated: Dec 3, 2025
JAGGED LITTLE PEPPERMINT
Many hours have passed since Icelynn realized that she may be responsible for the biggest mistake made in her entire career. Someone’s change of assessment was authorized on her watch and not just anyone either. It was the one to never, EVER be changed.
“How did this happen,” she thinks to herself walking in circles in the snow far from the city lights. Hiding like she was avoiding being captured by an angry celebration of polar bears, “his name isn’t even available as a choice in the system to pick. How could he possibly be authorized to change his P.O.C.?”
Suddenly it hits her like a ton of tinsel and the scene in her office replays like a movie in her head. She can see it from every angle, and it is as vivid as the snow right in front of her.
- - F L A S H - -
Figgy lets out a scream after his hot cocoa spills into his lap and several elves rush to help him clean up the mess quickly.
- - F L A S H - -
“No, no…, nooo…,” she speaks in blurry clarity. She continues to review the images flickering in her mind.
- - F L A S H - -
“Did you finish the list,” she questions Figgy, so she can complete her report to Peak Mother Tannenbaum.
“Yes, Miss Northbrook. I’m sending it up right now as we speak,” Figgy responds confidently.
“Good. Good. Good…,”
- - F L A S H - -
Echoes of the word good continues as she returns to reality unable to identify the error, “What did I miss,” she whispers shaking her head and trying to isolate any probability of a reason as to how this could happen.
Icelynn begins walking to her office in haste, “What didn’t I do? What am I missing?”
After a good twenty-minute walk with her head in the Christmas lights of her mind, she runs right into someone walking in front of her and knocks them to the ground unaware. Icelynn looks up and out of her distracted thoughts to see Peak Mother face down in the snow.
In a panic she looks around to see no one is around them. So, she does what anyone in her position would do for their overbearing, controlling employer, yep…, she runs away quickly to avoid being seen by Peak Mother Tannenbaum.
Peak Mother lifts her head up from the snowbank and is scrambling to get to her feet. The snow on her face seems to melt from the rage building up inside. Documents, file folders, and other paperwork items are spread all around her partially buried in the snow as well.
Icelynn rushes back over and assists her in getting to her feet, “Peak Mother, are you alright,” she asks pretending to have no knowledge of the true reason she was face down in the snow.
“I am fine, thank you Icelynn.”
“What happened?”
“Someone assaulted me in broad daylight. Did you see them?”
“No, I did not, Peak Mother.”
“Look at this mess,” Peak Mother says slightly out of breath, “be a good assistant and gather them up and take them to the office. I need them dried and ready for my appointment as well.”
Icelynn immediately begins lifting the items out of the drift, “Yes, Peak Mother. I will see to it.”
“Good. I am going to return home to change, and I will be in afterward. Please inform my next appointment that I will be a tad bit tardy, but their assessment will begin as scheduled.”
“Of course, Peak Mother.”
Wynter Tannenbaum walks away allowing Icelynn to breathe a sigh of relief, “Jingle Bells that was close.”
Walking and promptly paying attention to where she is going, Icelynn starts her inside inquiry of questions again, “Did I check his list,” she gasps, “I didn’t check the list before it went out. How could I have been so careless,” her eyes catch a glimpse of Santa walking from his office to the workshop, “I get it now. I can see why the Big Guy checks it twice.”
Icelynn opens the door to her office’s lobby, “Good morrow, everyone,” she announces to the morning staff.
“Good morrow, Miss Northbrook,” they return in unison.
“Peak Mother is delayed but inform the next appointment she will still perform the assessment as scheduled. Thank you.”
“Yes, Miss Northbrook,” Lumi answers to the order.
Traveling with purpose to ensure the files in her hands get dried off, Icelynn enters her workplace and makes her way to Peak Mother’s office to spread the papers out to dry. As she spreads the documents out, two pieces of paper are overlapped, stuck together from the wet snow. They look like a different name, but when she separates them, they are the name of the elf being assessed, “no way it is that simple,” she mutters, “a typo?”
Figgy, making copies of a flier Peak Mother needs to boost assessment ratings, is startled when Icelynn erupts into the room, “Ahhh!”
“Sorry, Figgy,” Icelynn apologizes for scaring him, then remembers Elf etiquette, “good morrow,” she smiles awkwardly and slightly out of breath.
Calming down from the jump scare, Figgy responds, “good morrow, Miss Northbrook.”
“Are you busy,” she asks.
“I have a couple more to do, but what can I do for you?”
“The change of assessment list you sent out, would you pull that up for me please?”
“Now?”
“Now…, please,” she says anxiously.
“Is everything okay with you today, Miss Northbrook?”
“Yes, well…, kind of.”
Figgy sets the copier to make the required number of fliers needed, then walks with Icelynn to his desk. He pulls up the list he sent out, “here you go, Miss Northbrook.”
She scans the file and sees N. Snowball on the list and her heart begins to race, “where is the list I gave you from Peak Mother?”
He hands her the list, and clear as day the elf name reads N. Snowfall. She panics but maintains her composure.
Figgy seeing her reaction is curious about what is happening, “they match right?”
“No…, they…”
The door opens. Peak Mother Tannenbaum enters and their eyes widen at her sudden appearance. Icelynn leans on the desk and uses the opportunity to unplug Figgy’s computer monitor, “the papers are drying in your office, Peak Mother,” she adds standing upright again.
“Thank you, Icelynn. Why are you over there?”
Icelynn turns the monitor toward her boss, “computer issues, Peak Mother. I will ensure it is fixed in time for your assessment.”
“Very good. Inform me if that changes.”
“Of course, Peak Mother.”
Peak Mother exits into her business office, “that was close,” Icelynn whispers quietly.
Figgy still foggy about what is going on asks another question, “did I do something wrong?”
“No, you made a mistake. I am the one to blame. I am responsible for not doing my job correctly and I will take the fall for this.”
“For what? I don’t understand.”
“Do you know what By-Law twenty-five is?”
“Yes Miss Northbrook, every elf here knows it. A pre-requisite in all our job interviews, why?”
“Because the list you sent does not match the list Peak Mother gave us,” Icelynn whispers, and after plugging his monitor back in, shows him the two lists side by side, “the list you sent reads N. Snowball…, which sent Nixie Snowball to the Toy Making Division. The one Elf in all the North Pole who was never to be transferred to another Division, EVER. Starts his new job tomorrow. When Peak Mother finds out, someone will have to take the fall to save face. I would rather it be me, than you.”
Figgy lets out a huge sigh and sits down in his chair, “I cannot believe I did that.”
“Don’t worry, I will take care of it,” Icelynn extends apologetically.
“I cannot let you do that. It was my fault.”
“You were working under my orders.”
“Wait, does she know yet?”
“Do I still work here?”
“Yes.”
“Then, she does not know yet.”
Lumi opens the door and quietly announces, “Miss Northbrook, someone sent us a dozen Ooey-Gooey Sweet Rolls from sELFies, did either of you want one?”
Icelynn realizes that they are from Nixie, “is there a note?”
“Yes, I was just about to open it.”
“No need, please bring it to me.”
Lumi hands her the note. Icelynn reads it and smiles.
“What does it say?”
“It says to the best staff in all the North Pole, please enjoy. Signed Anonymous.”
“That is very nice of them,” Figgy adds.
“Please make sure to share them among the staff but keep it hidden. Place them in the breakroom though, you know how Peak Mother is about sweets in the office space. We will get some when we are done here.”
“Of course, I will see to that, Miss Northbrook.”
Icelynn and Lumi exchange nods and the Second Assistant leaves the room.
Figgy sees Icelynn balling up the note, “Is that from….”
“Yep.”
The intercom speaker erupts, “Icelynn, a moment,” Peak Mother states agitated.
“Coming, Peak Mother,” Icelynn answers on the intercom and as she leaves, she tosses the note toward the trashcan but doesn’t see that she has missed her mark.
Inside Peak Mother’s office Icelynn stands quietly.
“Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
“About what are you referring to, Peak Mother.”
There is a long awkward pause.
“How am I to complete my assessment if these files are not in order and ready for my appointment?”
Icelynn breathes a sigh of relief, “let me fix that right away, Peak Mother.”
“Thank you. Please be aware of these kinds of things in the future, Miss Northbrook.”
“Yes, Peak Mother.”
Thirty minutes later Miss Northbrook exits Peak Mother’s Office. Just in time for her assessment appointment. Figgy smiles, “you were in there for a while, I assumed the worst.”
“I’m fine. One thing is for sure. If you don’t want me to take the blame for this, from now on, this stays between you and me. Understood Mr. Pepperfluff?”
“Understood, Miss Northbrook.”
Later on, that evening, Lumi is doing her nightly responsibilities. One is to ensure office cleanliness. She empties the trash and notices that sweet note from the Anonymous Elf is balled up on the floor, “Who would do that,” she says quietly, picking it up and straightening out as best as she can, “I’ll keep it then,” she reads it again and her faces changes, “Anonymous, huh? Not even close.”
Comments