She shrugged. “I want a Santa for sure, but he can only be so entertaining. With no rides or attractions, the kids are going to be bored out of their minds. The craft tables and the gift-making tables will suffice for a while, but we are still trying to figure out how to make that happen. We would need at least two people at each station, plus people to man the games that we did manage to secure. I need another army. I wasn’t expecting the interest to be this high. I’m not sure I would have opened my big mouth.”
I smiled, reaching out to push a chunk of hair away from her face. “The interest is there because people saw what you pulled off with the grand opening. They are all looking forward to seeing what else you have up your sleeve.”
“I don’t have much. Nick is supposed to be trying to find some options, but he’s not getting anywhere.”
“I’m surprised Nick is involved at all. This really isn’t his thing.”
“I don’t know,” she muttered. “I need entertainment.”
“Santa has elves running his workshop and toy shop. We need elves.”
She looked at me with eyes wide. “That is such a good idea!”
“Thanks.”
“One problem.”
“What?” I asked.
“I don’t have any elves.”
“What about the Santas? They always have elves at the mall and stuff.”
“Those were usually employees of the stores looking for some extra hours. But I do know some people who did the elf thing as a temporary gig when they were off from college.”
“Does the Santa union include elves?”
She burst into laughter. “That sentence is so ludicrous. I have no idea if elves are a part of the union. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were though. Maybe our current Santas know some elves.”
“Talk about a ludicrous sentence,” I said with a laugh.
“If anyone eavesdropped on our conversations, they would probably think we’ve lost our damn minds.”
“Who cares what anyone thinks? We need elves. I’ll make some calls and see if I can round some up. How many do you think you’ll need?”
She looked thoughtful, her lips moving as she did some mental math. “Fifty? Is that too much? Too few?”
“I’ve never hired elves before,” I told her. “I think fifty sounds like a decent number, combined with the volunteers Cori told me she was collecting and any staff that have the day off and want to pick up some extra cash.”
She nodded, her worried look fading a little. “That’s a good idea. Good plan. I like it. Now, I just need to figure out the fun element. There has to be something big, a main event.”
I looked around her office, trying to find inspiration. My eyes drifted to the window, looking outside at the snow-covered ground. I was used to the snow, but it was still so damn pretty to look at. I could see the ski slopes beyond and the many people in their various ski outfits sliding down the hills. The snow always brought out the youthful part of people. It was fun and exciting and had such an element of youthfulness it was hard to resist.
Even the oldest, crankiest person could find fun in the snow, even if it meant throwing snowballs at people. I remembered the snow days and how all of us neighborhood kids would flock outside and build snow forts.
“Harper,” I said, pulling myself back to the present.
“What is it?” she asked, turning to look out the window as well.
“Why not let the kids entertain themselves in a true winter wonderland?”
“What do you mean?”
“The snow. We have the best outdoor activity right out the back door.”
She wrinkled her nose as she looked up at me. “I don’t think the kids will be thrilled to come here just to get pushed outside into the same snow they have at their own houses.”
“This would be different. We could turn one of the bunny slopes into a sledding hill. We could have a snowman-building contest. We’ll provide all the accessories, right down to carrots and scarves. And snow forts. I know a local guy who builds igloos for people. I bet he would come down and show the kids how to do it safely.”
“That could work,” she said. “We could have a place for kids to learn to use snowshoes.”
“Absolutely.”
She squealed and launched herself at me, throwing her arms around my neck. “This is such a good idea. I knew I liked you for a reason.”