[Originally sent out December 2021 in 24 Days of Christmas Newsletter, with plot synopses for Hallmark-style holiday movies that I’d like to see.]
Part One recap: Katie achieved her dream of owning a bakery, but she desperately needs help – even though she doesn’t want to admit it to anyone. Will Christmas be ruined?
Elves, Love, Cupcakes: Part Two
Katie’s family’s Christmas tradition is to write letters to Santa and mail them to the North Pole. Katie and her two sisters have been doing it ever since they were kids. Every year the sisters get together to write their letters, even if they have to do it over Zoom. This year, Katie misses the Zoom call because of a baking emergency. Before finally dropping into bed at 2 a.m. after a hard day of baking and complaints from her landlord, she checks her phone to find a text from her sister: Don’t forget to write your Santa letter! Katie rolls her eyes, but grabs a pen.
Dear Santa, she writes. All I want for Christmas is some help with the bakery! Who knew dreams could be so hard? Love, Katie. P.S. Say hi to the elves!
The next morning, a handsome but very short man shows up at the bakery door. “I hear you could use some help,” he says. Katie’s skeptical; he doesn’t seem to have ever held down a real job according to his application, and he won’t be able to reach the high shelves. But when he charms a customer who’s annoyed about the long wait and seems to almost magically create perfect treat boxes, Katie tells him he’s hired.
The new employee is tremendously helpful, but never seems to go to the bathroom. (Elves don’t.) Katie doesn’t mind.
The new employee, whose name is Hans, starts pushing Katie to include cupcakes on the menu. “No cupcakes,” she says. “Trust me,” he says. But she’s not sure if she can ever trust again after her last boyfriend stole her cat and moved to Australia.
Hans and Katie take a liking to each other. Hans can’t reach the high shelves, so he climbs on Katie’s shoulders. It makes her feel strong. One night, she kisses him on the cheek during closing time.
The only problem is that Hans won’t stop talking about the special Christmas cupcakes. He tells customers about them, draws little pictures of them and leaves them all over the bakery, and does a little dance whenever someone asks for them. Katie overhears him taking a large order from a customer… for five dozen special Christmas cupcakes.
“I told you, no Christmas cupcakes!” Katie shouts at him.
“You just have to believe,” he tells her. “Believe in Christmas magic!”
“I can’t,” she says, in tears. “I should never have quit my job as a corporate tax attorney. Because of you, my bakery is going to end up in Chapter 7 bankruptcy and my nonexempt assets will be distributed to unsecured creditors!”
“Just believe,” he whispers.
Is this the end for Katie and Hans? Will Katie’s bakery dreams be dashed forever? Will Katie be electrocuted by the faulty wiring in her apartment? Find out tomorrow in the final installment of… ELVES, LOVE, CUPCAKES!
Bonus fact from kid: When volcanoes erupt, dinosaurs shoot out of them into space. The dinosaurs later come back down as meteors.