Fun story, but too short. Alex got caught speeding through a school zone in a small town. It was Sunday, but the judge didn't care. Even if it weren't a school zone, it would have been speeding. The judge gave Alex a fine, plus forty hours of community service.

Alex did not make a good first impression on me. He is full of himself, just shy of creepy with his innuendo-laden remarks, and unwilling to put any effort into being Santa. I spent a fair amount of time wanting to kick him in the butt.

Holly is the local resident assigned to ride herd over Alex and keep him in line. She loves Christmas and is involved in many events around town. She also owns the local ice cream shop. She is one of Santa's helpers and dresses as a nutcracker.

The development of the relationship between Alex and Holly is fast. It starts confrontational, as Holly is the court-appointed monitor of his community service. Alex makes no secret of the fact he doesn't want to be there and his unwillingness to perform his role. He looks at Holly as a potential bedmate who can make his stay there bearable. Holly is not impressed with his attitude, nor his attempts to hit on her. Neither can deny the sparks that fly between them. I liked watching the effect that Holly had on Alex as he learns the spirit of Christmas. There were some sweet scenes where Alex demonstrates that spirit, including fun cookie decorating with some senior citizens. When Alex earns an early release, he's a bit freaked out to realize that he's going to miss Holly, and is determined to force his life back on track. Holly is sad to see him go and realizes that she fell in love with him. I liked Alex's big moment at the end. Admitting his feelings wasn't an easy thing for him to do, and his condition showed what he'd been through on his journey of self-discovery.

Originally published in Santa, Honey (Oct 2009) ( )