Shane couldn't begin to guess what time it was when something awoke him from behind his and Jas' makeshift screen. He was positioned awkwardly, half slouched over with an arm draped over a wooden crate, and he groaned as he stretched protesting muscles. He remembered tucking Jas into bed… some time ago, when she had finally given out and fallen asleep, and he silently cursed himself for trying to keep up the vigil instead of just calling it a night and turning into his own warm bed.
A shuffling sound caught his ear, and he froze. He hadn't noticed it before in the darkness and that haze between sleep and wakefulness, but there was someone moving on the other side of the sheet. Someone much bigger than Jas.
On high alert now, Shane grabbed the flashlight he'd been keeping handy and brandished it like a weapon. He silently crept to the edge, peeked around the corner of the sheet, and –
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me."
To his credit, the red-suited intruder didn't start or panic at the sound – merely turned around as casually as though he'd been expecting Shane. "Why would I be?" he asked. "I was invited in, wasn't I?"
Shane snorted and held the flashlight in front of him, heavy end pointed forward. "Yeah, like I'm supposed to believe I just happened to wake up and stumble upon the famously-elusive Santa Claus. I'm guessin' you don't want a fight if you're playing the dress-up trick, so I'm going to give you a chance to leave quietly and forget this ever happened."
The man held out his arms. "No trick, on my honor. Would you like proof? Shane Saunders, nephew of this fine establishment's owner and godfather of young Jas, has a fondness for requesting some rather questionable gifts, recently took a liking to the young hen named "Charlie." His white whiskers curved up in a knowing smile. "Or you could just look outside."
Shane's eyes narrowed, but without ever taking his gaze completely off the intruder, he turned to glance out the window. What he saw stole all his attention away, so dumbfounded that he dropped his flashlight with a clatter.
It was like the world outside had just… stopped. The flakes of a light snowfall that had picked up sometime during the night were suspended in mid-air, and some sort of night creature, just visible in the moonlight, seemed frozen in place.
"Ooookay, that settles it. I am absolutely dreaming. I spent half the night looking out for Santa, so now I'm dreaming about it."
The other man let out a low chuckle. "Perhaps. But how do you think I manage to travel the world in a single night?"
Shane just shook his head. "Right. So, just for funsies, why me? All these years of people trying to catch a good look at you, and for some reason I'm the one you just forget to stop time for?"
The man – Santa, or his dream's conjured version of Santa, or whatever he was supposed to be – gave him another one of those knowing smiles. "The simple answer? It's not just you. Think back for a moment: surely, you've heard the odd stories of people who claimed to see me, only to dismiss them as just another hoax. How can you be certain they all were?" He crossed his arms. "And that only counts those who even said anything. You have already decided that you're dreaming, after all."
Shane folded his arms as well, leaning back against the wall. "And the complicated answer?"
The man chuckled. "The same reason everyone keeps their Feasting gifts a secret until they're given. A little harmless mystery is good now and again." He let out a thoughtful sigh.
"Over time, I've come to find that most of the people looking for me get more out of the hunt than the catch. It's remarkable how creative children – and those adults who stay interested – can be when they're trying to crack an impossible riddle. But, of course, everybody's a bit different.
"Your friends and your goddaughter are all learning and growing, if in different ways. They, like so many others, need chances like this to just have fun, spend time together, and realize that failure isn't always a bad thing. But you, Shane – you need something to believe in. A miracle, an odd chance, a quirk of the stranger sciences, whatever you want to call it. Even if all it leads to is the idea that you may or may not have been one of the few to see something special."
Shane raised an eyebrow. "You know, telling me all this really feels like it's defeating the purpose."
Santa gave him another knowing smile. "I'm not so sure of that. You wouldn't have been satisfied without an explanation."
After a moment's pause, he snapped his fingers and turned to rummage through his bag. It was the first time Shane noticed that he had a bag, and now that he looked, he could see a trio of new gifts under the ranch's Winter Star tree.
"Here. I know it's not much of a traditional Feasting gift, but I think that, in time, you will come to appreciate it."
As he said that, the man straightened up and tossed a small object to Shane. He caught it easily enough, and looked down to see it was a bottle of –
"Sparkling water?" He frowned as he rolled the bottle over in his hands. "What am I supposed to do with –"
But as he looked up to address his visitor again, he found that he was the only one in the room.
The Feast of the Winter Star dawned cold and crisp, and after the morning's mild Santa-sighting related disappointment was swept away by a delicious breakfast, a round of family gift exchange and even a short video call with their dad abroad, Sam's family made their way to the town square and the main party.
Pelican Town was abuzz with activity, and even before the feast began, folks were off giving last-minute gifts or admiring the décor or gossiping about the latest drama between Pierre and Morris and what that guy who was moving onto the old farm next Spring might be like. It wasn't long before Vincent and Jas ran off together to play in the snow, Mom calling after them not to stray from where she could see them.
Sam had already exchanged gifts with his friends a few days before, so he just had to find his "secret friend" Leah and surprise her with her present. (He'd found a nice sketching set that he thought she could use; she loved it.) After taking care of that, he found himself wandering – just taking in the festive atmosphere and the sheer joyful energy of the holiday. The grand Tree of the Winter Star in the square's center was beautiful as always, and the food that Gus, Emily and the mayor were starting to set out made his mouth water by the sight alone.
By chance, he found himself at a table that Shane seemed to have claimed a few seats from for his family. The older man lacked his perpetual grumpy frown for once, but he seemed almost distracted as he absently twirled a half-drank bottle of sparkling water between one hand and the table's surface.
Sam grinned as he approached. "Hey. So, Jas said you two didn't have any luck last night either?"
Shane started and looked up. "Huh? Oh, nah. Both fell asleep." He glanced over at where the kids were building a slightly lopsided-looking snowman. "I told her that would happen, but she doesn't look too beat up about it at least."
Sam shrugged. "Yeah. You know, at this point I think Santa-sighting is more about how you try it than actually succeeding. Like, a journey verses destination thing, right?"
Shane snorted and started, "Now you just sound like –" before cutting himself off with an almost audible snap.
Sam frowned thoughtfully and raised an eyebrow. "Like who?"
Shane just shook his head and looked down at his water bottle again. (Why did he even have that? Maybe Marnie had forbidden him from overdoing the nog or something.)
"It's… nothing. Just a really weird dream I had last night," he said absently.
Before Sam could come up with a response to that, a flash of purple obscured his vision as Abigail tackle-hugged him from the side.
"Happy Feasting!" she practically yelled in his ear, and the next thing he knew, a small gift box had been shoved in his hands. Abigail stepped back and folded her arms, an eager grin on her face and a Santa hat perched jauntily on her head.
"Turns out I was your secret gift-giver this year. Surprised? I swear, the spirits have our stars aligned this season or something."
As Sam thanked her and tore into the packaging, she turned to Shane with a wave. "Hey Shane. Any luck with Big Red last night?"
Shane shrugged noncommittally, but she didn't miss the little smile at the corner of his lip. "What do you think?" he asked.
Abigail let out a huff. "Damn. I thought we might have had him this time. I swear, the one night of the year I can't pull an all-nighter…"
Shane just shrugged again. "Next year, then?"
Both of the younger adults paused and looked over at his suggestion. Sam grinned and said, "Jas really did get you in the spirit, didn't she?"
For her part, Abigail just chuckled. After a moment she hooked an elbow around Sam's to start dragging him off. "Hey, c'mon, I think our families are sitting together and I don't want to miss any spiced cider."
Sam blinked as she pulled him away. "You didn't even give me time to admire your gift."
"You'll have plenty of time for that. Now, it is time for hot apple cider and planning next year's operation."
Even Abigail had to admit, as she and her friend walked side by side to their families' shared table, that she was maybe starting to go a little overboard with all of this. But she couldn't help it – even if this year hadn't gone quite as planned, just getting to try Santa-sighting again gave her an energy that she couldn't entirely explain. It was a mystery, a challenge, an adventure, and now that she had Sam's brother and Shane's goddaughter as an excuse to get back into it, she looked forward to trying it again with a little more time to plan. Heck, with the way she was feeling right now, she didn't see why she had to wait till next Winter Star for another adventure – maybe this would be the year when she'd finally brave those mines north of town.
In the meantime, though, it was time for family and friends and thankfulness and all that other sap her mom liked to talk about come Feasting time. And honestly? That was okay with her.
A/N: It's done! After three years, this goofy little "oneshot" is finally finished, aaaaahhhh
This fic came about because I was thinking about Christmas movies that feature Santa and how they so often involve adults not believing in him, which... doesn't make a lot of sense, if you think about it (thus Shane's comment about kids only disbelieving for a little bit until they realize those presents have to come from somewhere, if it isn't the parents). I wanted to make a story in which Santa Claus is a totally normal and accepted thing as seen through adult eyes, and when I realized that the little Santa flying overhead on Stardew's Winter 24 night screen means he must be around in the game world, I knew I had my setting.
Despite the delays, this has been a lot of fun to write, and I hope it's been just as fun for all of you to read. Happy Feast of the Winter Star everyone ;)