Eli ran forward, leaping into his mother's arms the second she walked through the door. "Hello, baby," she cooed, kissing his forehead. Anna took a moment to excuse her caretaker before lifting him back up off the ground and smother her little boy in kisses. "And how was your day?"

"Miss Honey was tellin' me a~~ll about Santa!" Eli giggled and turned over in her arms, pointing to the couch so they could sit together. "Why din't you tell me about Santa?"

Anna bit her lip before sitting back into the cushions, ignoring the press of her server book in her back pocket. Truthfully, she didn't want Eli to get his hopes up about lots and lots of presents. She knew she couldn't afford it, and she always did her best to make sure he had everything he needed. "Well, baby…" He looked up at her with bright blue eyes and she sighed. "Because he's a secret, and if you know about him, he can't grant wishes anymore."

"Wishes?!" Eli sat up and grabbed his mother's cheeks. "He grants wishes?" A sound of amazement escaped his lips before he fell back against the armrest of the couch, his hands dragging down the length of Anna's plaits. "Miss Honey just said he gave away presents!"

She cursed herself, struggling to come up with a new excuse. "Yeah… But…" Her eyes widened with mischief, and she leaned in close, almost conspiratorially. "You have to meet him. And when you meet him, you have to tell him your Christmas wish. But you won't know it's him…" She sat back up, popping her bottom lip out. "It's all way less convenient than it seems!"

Eli was staring at her, clearly just trying to process the information that was given to him. Anna almost felt bad, but he was a fan of magic and mysteries, and she hoped this would seem more interesting than a fat man climbing down your chimney and giving you presents. This had intrigue.

"Where does he live?"

Anna glanced down at her son, pursing her lips in consideration. "Some people say the north pole… but I don't know where that is." She shrugged, squeezing at Eli's sides and smiling at his giggles. "I guess no one really knows! All anyone knows about him is that he lives somewhere snowy with tons of reindeer."

Eli's eyes widened and he took in a huge gasp of air as he climbed up onto his knees, grabbing hold of his mother's cheeks again. "The man on the hill!"

"Wait, what?" Panic rose in her voice as she struggled to keep a smile on her lips. "What about the man on the hill?"

"He has," Eli started, stretching his arms out wide in emphasis. "So~o many reindeers!" He clapped his hands on his own cheeks, smiling wide. "What if he's Santa!"

"Oh gosh!" Anna placed her hands on the sides of her face in mock excitement, before faking a sigh of disappointment. "But Santa is old, and has a big white beard!" She scrunched up her nose. "Grumpy Mister B up the hill isn't much older than me!"

"Well you are old!"

"Hey!" Anna darted forward and picked up her son, standing up off the couch and throwing him over her shoulder. "I am not old, mister." Eli couldn't stop laughing, even as she shifted him around to cradle him in her arms again, nuzzling her nose up against his. "And I think it's time for bed."

"Aww, mama!"

"Don't aww me… You're already up way past your bedtime." She put his feet back on the ground and patted his behind as he ran to get changed without much argument.

Anna took slow steps back to his bedroom, waiting patiently for him to finish his nighttime routine. She never took for granted how lucky she was to have such a good, independent child. Having to raise kids alone was enough of a challenge, but she had still been one herself when she had Eli. She watched with adoration as he approached her, grabbing her hand and tugging her back into his room.

"Can you tell me a story, Mama?" he begged, climbing up into the small bed, Anna following close behind.

She crawled in with a smile, and patted the sheets beside her. "Scooch in," she hummed, remembering her mother fondly. "Cuddle close."

Her story tonight was one of Rock Trolls, icy magic, and a True Love's Kiss… And it didn't take long for Eli to doze off.

Anna got up reluctantly, remembering all of the bills she still had to pay this month and sighed, closing the door behind her.

It was only as she settled into the kitchen, leaning against the small counter, that she noticed the two reindeer gnawing on the grass outside her window. "Oh," she laughed, propping her chin in her palm and rolling her eyes at the irony.

"Are you going to grant me a Christmas wish?"