"Jingle Bells! Jingle Bells! Jingle all the wayyyy!" Blaine sighed, as his daughter happily sang along the holiday music. It wasn't so much that Blaine didn't enjoy the carol, or that he wasn't in the holiday spirt. It was just that the song had been playing on a continuous loop for the entire hour they were waiting in line to see Santa at the Findlay Village Mall. Blaine was positive he'd never stop hearing the sound of sleigh bells after this wait.
He smiled at Mackenzie's excitement, however. She had taken off her pink winter coat and matching mittens, but left on her team hat with dangling pom-poms. If you didn't know the child, you'd think her hair was tame, braids falling softly over her shoulders. Blaine knew better. Part of him was glad she kept her hat on, because he didn't want to know what kind of birds nest existed underneath. Kenzie clutched a letter in a big purple envelope – one she insisted on writing herself. Blaine had to spell every word out, and it had taken them a collective 2 hours to list everything Kenzie wanted for Christmas, but she was so proud of herself. Blaine was proud too.
"Daddy! We're almost there!" Mackenzie squealed as the line started to move again. Blaine nodded, noticing they could finally see the back of Santa's chair from their spot in line. The queue had been placed strategically behind the two-story-tall Christmas tree at the center of the mall's atrium, hiding the grumpy faces of the adults who had been waiting way too long for their child's turn.
"I know! Are you ready to tell Santa how bad you've been this year?" Blaine joked, leaning over, to pull Mackenzie's white shirt down as it rode up her back. She was getting bigger fast. He couldn't believe she was already outgrowing her clothes from her August birthday.
"Daddy, I'm good!" Mackenzie insisted, a look of disapproval on her face.
"I know, baby," Blaine said with a chuckle, tugging at his daughter's braids lightly. "I just like your mad face!"
"Not. Funny," The little one insisted, a little pouty lip appearing on her face. Blaine only chuckled again, and gave Mackenzie's sides a tickle, causing her smile to come back quite quickly. "Stop daddy!" she giggled, pushing the man's hands away. "Stop!"
"Alright, I'll stop," Blaine noted, taking his hands and putting them back in his pockets, keeping Mackenzie's coat and gloves tucked securely under his arm. "For now. But when we get home…"
Before Blaine could finish his statement, a cheerful voice rang from in front of him, "Next in line please!" Mackenzie reacted faster than Blaine, very quickly scurrying to the front of the line. A man dressed as an elf stood on the other side of a velvet rope, ushering a family with 4 boys through. The mother and father clearly had their hands full as they tried to sit a toddler on Santa's lap while the older children all fought to be the closest to Santa. Blaine wondered how long it would take to get a picture where all four were looking at the camera, and in the toddler's case, not screaming.
Blaine glanced at Mackenzie, and was glad to see how her eyes lit up at the scene before them. Santa's giant velvet chair sat in front of the tree, fake snow was piled high all around. The employees were dressed as elves, and a North Pole themed play area awaited the children on the other side of Santa. There was even a woman dressed as Mrs. Clause who was currently wandering around the photo area. Blaine, of course, found it pretty cheesy. But that was part of being an adult. It was part of participating in a visit to a mall Santa.
"Will you be buying a photo package today sir?" the elf asked, extending a pamphlet in Blaine's direction. Blaine jumped a little, having totally forgot that he was there.
"Oh… uh… no, sorry," Blaine said, after taking a moment to regain his footing.
"Are you sure? Cell phone photos are prohibited, and we have a special on…"
"I can't afford any pictures today, sorry," Blaine clarified, when the elf tried to hand him the pamphlet again. Blaine could feel Mackenzie's eyes on him. He turned to her with a smile, assuring her that everything was alright. She quickly turned her attention back to Santa and her letter, which Blaine was thankful for. He sighed, slightly, and looked back up just in time to see the elf say something to the photographer and Mrs. Clause. Probably about how cheap he was to not even buy a single picture. But Blaine wasn't lying when he said he couldn't afford it. A single print cost $20, and he was saving that to take Kenz out to lunch.
He felt Mackenzie take a step closer to him, and he realized that Mrs. Clause was walking directly toward them. As excited as Mackenzie was, she was still wary of strangers – apparently Mrs. Clause included. "Why… I can't believe my eyes," Mrs. Clause said when she was closer to the Andersons. Blaine raised an eyebrow, wondering what the woman could possibly be referring to. He looked behind him to make sure there wasn't an elf waiting to scare him or something. "Is that Blaine Anderson? I don't think I've seen you since you were a child yourself."
Blaine's eyes widened when Mrs. Clause knew his name. His mouth hung agape for a moment, searching the woman's eyes for a familiar feature. Mackenzie looked up at her father questioningly as well. "Oh… uh… Mrs. Clause I…"
"Oh Blaine, you don't need to call me that any more. Carol will do just fine," the Mrs. Clause said with a twinkle in her eye. Blaine's features softened with realization. He knew he recognized the voice, and he was sure if it weren't for the white wig and half-moon spectacles, he would have recognized her face as well. Carol Hudson-Hummel. "Carol, like a Christmas Carol," the woman added, looking down at Mackenzie who still stood as close to her father as possible, one hand clutching the back of his navy pea coat. "You must be little miss Mackenzie!" she said getting down to the child's level.
Mackenzie stirred a bit, hiding a bit more of her face behind Blaine. But her fascination with the woman, and the fact that she knew her name was apparent. Kurt must have told her about Mackenzie. That was the only reason she'd know. "I've heard you were a very good girl this year."
"Yeah," Mackenzie said somewhat quietly, a small smile crossing her face. She loosened her grip on Blaine just slightly.
"Very very good," Blaine confirmed, placing a comforting hand atop Mackenzie's head for just a moment. The little girl looked up at her father, beaming, proud of the compliment she'd received.
"It looks like Santa is ready for you," Carol said, glancing over her shoulder. "Can I take you over?" Carol offered her hand to Mackenzie, who responded by looking up at her dad. Blaine nodded assuredly, and Mackenzie tentatively took Carol's hand, clutching her letter to her chest with the other.
Blaine stepped into the area, and around the camera, over to where Mackenzie would go once she was done talking to Santa. He watched as Carol took little Mackenzie to Santa. Mackenzie smiled shyly as Santa patted his lap, then lifted the girl up. Carol whispered something in Santa's ear, then pointed over to Blaine. Santa looked over, a smile crossing his face. Blaine received a small nod from the jolly fellow, who Blaine now knew must be Burt.
As Carol left the little girl to discuss important matters with Santa, she walked back over to Blaine, and enveloped him in a huge hug before any words could be exchanged. "Oh sweetie, I can't believe you're a father! Kurt had told me, but it didn't really sink in until now!" Carol cried, leaving character while she was away from the line of small children.
It took Blaine a moment to respond, but he hugged the woman back tightly, not able to remember the last time he had a proper conversation with her. Part of him was surprised she had recognized him, but the other part knew he'd spent enough days in the Hummel house that his face would be hard to forget.
"What are you doing here?" Blaine asked, as their hug ended, and they separated. "I mean… obviously…" Blaine gestured to the costume. Carol chuckled, smoothing out one of the panels of her large, festive skirt.
"Well Burt has been semi-retired now for a few years, and I've been cutting back my hours. We volunteered a couple years back and loved it so much that we do it a few weekends every year! Usually at the Lima mall, but the Santa who was supposed to be here today got sick, so we're filling in. I can't believe you managed to run into us here," Carol explained. She, like Blaine, was clearly impressed by the coincidence. Any other day and Blaine and the Hummel's certainly wouldn't have crossed paths.
"That's really cool. Burt looks like he really enjoys it," Blaine said with a smile, watching as Mackenzie handed her letter to Santa, and shyly answer the questions he had.
"Oh, it's great for him. It's been so long since we've had kids in the house. This keeps us young. He loves it until someone wets themselves on his lap," Carol replied with a laugh.
"Well I can promise Mackenzie won't have that issue," Blaine assured, laughing as well. He could imagine how grumpy Burt must have been the first time such an event happened. Burt didn't always come across as warm and fuzzy as he actually is. Blaine could only imagine his face after a kid soiled his Santa suit.
"Oh, Blaine. She's precious. How old is she?" Carol inquired, attention back on Mackenzie. Which was best. It was so much easier for Blaine to answer questions about his little girl than the way his life was going.
"She turned 4 in August," Blaine started. "She started Pre-K in September."
"Wow! So she's ahead for her age," Carol noted, impressed.
"A little," Blaine nodded, knowing that the cutoff was technically in September. So Mackenzie was on the younger age for her grade. She was able to keep up though, so why not keep her ahead? "She's really smart. Smarter than me sometimes, I think."
Carol chuckled, "Kids will do that to you. Sometimes it feels like they know way more than they should. They absorb everything and anything. She'll keep you on your toes."
"She already does," Blaine agreed.
Blaine looked over as Mackenzie slipped of Burt's… Santa's lap, clutching a candy cane and smiling brightly. The little girl ran over to her dad, throwing herself at him. The elf followed her, pamphlet still in hand. As Blaine reacted, and picked Mackenzie up into his arms, the elf trying to sell him photos began his sales pitch once again. "Sir, I'd really love pictures, but… I can't," Blaine insisted, a bit of sadness in his voice. He tried to ignore how Carol's eyebrows furrowed. "Thank you," he added politely, always trying to show Mackenzie it's ok to say no, but still be respectful.
"Daddy! Santa gived me a canny cane!" Mackenzie said, showing Blaine the white and red striped staff in her fist. "And he said that I was sooooo good! And I told him I want a big girl bike but that if he don't got enough its ok."
"That's great, Kenz," Blaine said, kissing his daughter's cheek, and giving her a little squeeze. "You did so good! You didn't even cry this year." Mackenzie made a face that Blaine could only interpret as 'Who me? Cry?'. He set Mackenzie back down, and took her hand as she started toward the exit.
"Can I go play on the reindeer?" Mackenzie asked sweetly, pointing over to the play area where kids ranging from 3 to 10 climbed over Christmas themed playsets. The reindeer were all lined up in front of the sled, and rocked back and forth on springs. There were a couple open still, as a good chuck of the children at the mall were still stuck in line behind them.
"Ok, Kenz, but only for a little bit. And stay where I can see you," Blaine offered, taking the candy cane from his daughter, since he didn't want her running around with it. He took a couple steps outside of the photo area so he was out of the way, and Carol followed. The pair made their way to the edge of the play area, so Blaine could keep close to Mackenzie.
"She's so sweet," Carol commented. "She wants a bike?"
"Yeah," Blaine said with a sigh as Mackenzie ran off in front of him to play. He stayed back, but made sure she could see him, and he could see her at all times. "I don't think I'll be able to swing it, unfortunately. I may have told her Santa might not have enough bikes this year," he said slightly embarrassed. He didn't want to get his daughter's hopes up though. He'd hate to see her with a broken heart on Christmas morning.
"I see," Carol said with a soft smile, now understanding the comment Kenzie had made to Santa. "We've all been there. Don't beat yourself up over it. I'm sure she'll still have a great Christmas."
"I hope so," Blaine said, giving Carol a thankful look. He would hate if Carol had judged him for what he considered to be a parenting faux pas.
"So what are you Christmas plans, anyway?" Carol asked curiously.
"That's a good question," Blaine answered with a chuckle. "Normally we'll spend Christmas Eve with Sam and Brielle, but they're on their honeymoon until the New Year. And as for Christmas morning… Cooper is out in LA with his girlfriend this year. My parents are… doing their own thing. It's complicated," Blaine continued, being slightly vague. This was neither the time nor the place to discuss such things. "So… I guess it's just me and Mackenzie baking cookies and singing carols for two days straight."
"I'm sorry. I didn't realize things with your family…" Carol started, sounding extremely apologetic. Blaine waved it off before Carol could even finish.
"It's fine. Really. Usually we're all together but this year is just crazy for everyone," Blaine noted. The small, unsure nod from Carol went mostly unnoticed by Blaine.
"Well I hope your Christmas is wonderful nonetheless," Carol noted, resting her hand on Blaine's shoulder for a moment. "I better get back to work," she noted, looking back at the line waiting to see her husband. "It really was great seeing you Blaine. I hope we'll see you around soon?"
Blaine nodded, though he wasn't sure he would be seeing the Hummels. He and Kurt hadn't really talked since the wedding, despite the offer to get coffee. Lima and Findley weren't painfully far from one another, but frankly Blaine wasn't comfortable going there without Kurt's blessing. It was as if it was Kurt's territory. Blaine hadn't been there since he graduated high school. "Maybe," Blaine offered. "It was great seeing you too, Carol." Blaine turned to give Carol another hug before she went off to help the photographers again. "Send Burt my love."
"Of course. I'm sure he'd do the same," Carol said, "Bye sweetie." Blaine watched with a smile as the woman turned to go back to her post, immediately throwing herself back into character as she was approached by some children. Blaine chuckled and shook his head, his attention turning back to his daughter who was now struggling to slip off of the reindeer.
Blaine stepped into the play area, avoiding a hoard of kids playing tag, and stood beside Mackenzie as she slid herself off the rocking horse. She clearly felt safer once Blaine was there, and was able to find the courage to let go so her feet touched the ground. "Ready for lunch, kiddo?" Blaine asked, offering Mackenzie her coat. "Wanna go to the diner?"
Mackenzie's eyes lit up like all the lights hanging throughout the mall. "Really?" she asked, bouncing on her toes slightly. Going out to eat was a real treat for the girl. It was extremely rare that Blaine was able to take them out to eat. "Can I get chicken fingers?" Mackenzie started to stuff her arm into the coat.
"Of course you can," Blaine said, holding the fluffy pink jacket so his daughter could slide it on. "Maybe if you're good we'll even get some chocolate pudding for dessert.
"YAY!" Mackenzie squealed, as Blaine helped her put her gloves back on, and zipped up her coat. He took her hand, and started toward the mall exit, but they were stopped before he could even leave the winter wonderland that took over the mall's center.
"Blaine wait!" a voice called. Blaine looked over his shoulder to see a Mrs. Clause frantically running after him, skirt lifted slightly so she wouldn't trip. "Blaine…" Carol said, taking a moment to catch her breath. "Here," she said with a smile, handing Blaine a large envelope. Blaine looked at Carol questioning, as he tentatively accepted the package. "I wanted you to have these. These memories will mean more to you than you could ever guess," Carol insisted, a small, slightly sad smile crossing her face. "Merry Christmas, Blaine. Mackenzie," she said, before turning and making her way back to the photo area.
"What'd you get daddy!?" Mackenzie asked excitedly, assuming her dad must of gotten a super cool gift from Mrs. Clause.
"I don't know," Blaine said, opening the envelope, a little taken aback that he hadn't even had the chance to respond before Carol scurried away again. He lifted the flap of the envelope, and peeked inside, a lump forming in his throat almost immediately. Inside was a set of 6 pictures – all taken while Mackenzie was with Santa. One picture was the two smiling brightly into the camera, while the others were candid's, taken during Mackenzie and Santa's conversations. Blaine froze, unsure of how to react. Her words made sense now. Blaine could only imagine how important moments like these were to Carol, seeing as those memories of Finn were all she had left.
He couldn't believe someone would do that for him. He turned around to thank Carol, but the woman was nowhere to be seen. "Daddy?" Mackenzie asked. "What'd you get?" she asked again, the curiosity killing her.
"Mrs. Clause gave me… some pictures of you with Santa," Blaine said, feeling choked up, and somewhat confused. He squatted beside Mackenzie so she could look at the photos. And she seemed as happy with them as Blaine was, although much less emotional about it.
"Cool. Can we go get chicken fingers now?" Mackenzie asked, having a one track mind now that she knew greasy food was in her future.
"Yeah…" Blaine said, looking around one more time for Carol, but with no luck. "Yeah, let's go."
From the Archives of Blaine Anderson's Text Messages
Saturday, December 19th, 2020
3:24pm
Blaine: Hey… could you tell Carol thank you for the pictures?
Kurt: Sure? You saw Carol today?
Blaine: Yeah. She and Burt were Santa and Mrs. Clause at the Findlay mall. I brought Kenzie today.
Blaine: She got me pictures of Kenz with Santa, and I didn't get the chance to thank her.
Kurt: Sure thing. I'll pass on the message
From the Archives of Blaine Anderson's Text Messages
Saturday, December 19th, 2020
9:55pm
Kurt: Carol won't let me go to bed until I invite you to Christmas eve dinner
Blaine: what?
Blaine: why?
Kurt: Something about everybody deserves a family at Christmas? Does she know something I don't?
Blaine: Sorta? I don't know. My parents aren't around for Christmas so it's just me and Kenz.
Kurt: Oh. Ok. Well… she invited you.
Blaine: Wow. Ok. Uhm… I don't know how to respond to that.
Kurt: Well do you want to come ?
Blaine: I don't know. Do you want us there?
Kurt: It's not my house, it's my dad and Carols. Lol. My opinion doesn't mean much.
Blaine: so is that a no? :P
Kurt: Blaine, if you want somewhere to go for Christmas, you're more than welcome. If not, that's cool too. Carol may not think so, but I understand.
Blaine: I'll think about it.
Kurt: Ok. I'll let her know.
Blaine: Thanks.
From the Archives of Blaine Anderson's Text Messages
Sunday, December 20th, 2020
1:49am
Blaine: Do you still want to get coffee sometime?
Kurt: Blaine its almost 2am. Why are you asking me now?
Blaine: Because today's my only day off until Christmas
Kurt: Good reason.