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#Tistheseason

Joy Brady stopped at the customer service booth and turned the calendar to November 29th. This year’s Christmas season was 29 days long because Black Friday fell on the 27th. What a Black Friday it had been, too, but when you run an outlet mall, every day between Black Friday and Christmas matters.

Thankfully, the early numbers show sales are strong, and people are consistently spending on every trip. As the mall's general manager, Joy found that to be great news. It was even better news for her store owners.

As Joy strolled through the mall, coffee in hand, she kept an eye out for anything out of place. A hint of cool air hit her cheeks, and she stopped, grabbed her walkie-talkie, and brought it to her lips.

“Come in, Kristie.”

When Joy released the button, laughter erupted. “You don’t have to say ‘come in,’ boss. We’re the only two with a squawk box.”

“I know, but it makes you sound important when other people are around.” Joy’s laughter ricocheted down the lane and then up and out into the world. “Lane Four has a cool breeze.”

“Got it,” Kristie said when Joy released the button. “Heat incoming.”

Sticking the black box back in her coat pocket, Joy kept walking, stopping every so often to straighten a sign. Each store had doors that helped maintain proper climate control no matter the season, so Joy would occasionally stop to wipe away a smudge on the glass with her polishing cloth.

Joy insisted on nothing short of perfection at Snowcap Ridge Outlet Mall before the doors opened each day. That wasn’t easy when you were in charge of an open-air mall. How did she do it? It started with great employees who loved the mall as much as she did. It also helped that her apartment was above the general manager’s office. It wasn’t big, but it made it much easier for her to keep her finger on the pulse at all times. Everyone at the mall jokingly called her apartment Snowcap Terrace Apartments, just to make her feel fancy.

It wasn’t fancy, but sometimes convenience outweighed fancy. Her commute was a trip down the stairs every morning by 8 a.m. to ensure the mall was ready to open at 10 a.m. If it snowed, she was up at 6 a.m. to make sure the entrances were plowed and the corridors were clean. That was the case this morning.

Keeping a mall like this open year-round in Wisconsin took careful planning. Heated, slightly sloping floors helped melt and drain water before her team of cleaners and maintenance staff dried them. It was 6 a.m., but by 10 a.m., guests would be greeted by the scent of cinnamon rolls and hot coffee. Managing a mall like this was a lot like organized chaos most days, but Joy wouldn’t trade it for the world. She absolutely loved it. Her time and dedication had made it the best outlet mall in the Midwest for six years running. Joy was proud of that, despite how horrible the past six months had been.

Warmth settled across her cheeks, and she smiled. Thank you, Kristie. Her head of maintenance knew how to keep shoppers comfortable so they didn’t swelter in their winter coats and fuzzy boots. Every holiday season, there were two kinds of customers: those who arrived dressed as if they had just left the North Pole and those dressed as if they had just left the South Pole. The latter were Joy’s kind of people, the ones at the mall looking for new winter gear.

“Good morning, Lorelei,” Joy said, pulling a dusting rag from her pocket and running it across the bronze statue of a woman seated among overflowing shopping bags. Was it weird to talk to a statue? Probably, but Joy didn’t care. Lorelei Van Adler had been the driving force behind not only Snowcap Ridge Outlet Mall but also an entire shopping empire. “It won’t be long before Santa arrives.”

Five days, to be exact.

On the first Saturday evening of December, Santa drove his motor-powered sleigh through the entrance and parked in the middle court. It was a special night of hot cocoa and cookies, with kids taking turns sitting on Santa’s lap. Then, on the Saturdays leading up to Christmas, Santa would be present all day for shoppers to stop and share a wish. Finally, on Christmas Eve afternoon, he’d make a show of piling his sleigh full of gifts and HO HO HO his way out of the mall to set off on his ‘journey,’ with kids from Snowcap Ridge there to cheer him on.

Joy sighed, her heart heavy yet joyous at the thought of Santa and his sleigh. Lorelei loved Christmas. They even ran a ‘Christmas in July’ sale at the mall every summer so she could add a few baubles here and there until December arrived. Since The Cozy Claus Emporium had moved into the anchor spot on Lane One, it offered those who loved Christmas year-round a place to gather. Lorelei had been their best customer. This year would be bittersweet for Joy when Santa pulled in and parked, because there would be no Mrs. Claus standing by the sleigh to help him. Playing Mrs. Claus was Lorelei’s favorite part of the season, and though many had offered, Joy couldn’t bring herself to replace Lorelei. Joy had hired an elf from the staffing agency instead.

“No one could ever replace you,” Joy promised, patting the statue. “Guess we’d better get a move on for the day.”

Joy couldn’t help but smile. That had been Lorelei’s signature saying when she ran the mall. ‘We’d better get a move on for the day.’ As though everything wasn’t already properly prepped and ready. An ache sat deep in Joy’s belly as she gazed at her friend’s likeness. The sculpture had captured the beaming smile that had defined Lorelei in life, but even six months later, the loss of the woman who had become like a mother to her still hurt.

That was a call she’d never forget.

When her work cell rang at barely 5 a.m., Joy was more than a little annoyed. It was Sunday, and the mall didn’t open until 11 a.m., which meant a few extra hours of sleep. Apparently, not today.

“Joy Brady,” she answered, more than a little groggily.

“Joy? It’s Marci.”

Blinking, Joy wondered why her boss’s assistant was calling so early. If Marci had called her private cell, Joy would say it was to grab coffee at a more reasonable time, since they’ve been best friends for years.

“Marci? It’s early.”

“I know,” she whispered and that was when the sleep cleared from Joy’s brain. Marci had been crying.

“What’s the matter?” Joy asked, sitting up and tossing her feet over the edge of the bed.

“It’s Lorelei,” Marci cried, but the next two words were impossible to comprehend. “She’s dead.”

The woman who had taken Joy under her wing and taught her everything she needed to know about retail, all while showing her the love of a mother, was dead? That couldn’t be.