Today was certainly a busy workday for Skye.
Of all the shopping days left in the busiest season of the year, this particular one was undoubtedly the most hectic for the department store in the middle of the city. The store was packed with last-minute shoppers getting something they needed and those there to pick up orders they had made, commotion of them rushing around aisles and grabbing things on either end of it.
The busiest spot in that moment, however, happened to be where Skye had been stationed, and that was desk where the wrapping of gifts took place. With a pretty deep line of mammals waiting patiently to get an array of different items wrapped in pretty paper and topped with a sparkly bow, there was no room for her to make any sort of mistake or take longer than needed.
"I can take you up here too," she told the customer that was next in line upon seeing that he looked like he was growing a bit tired of the wait.
Slapping the red bow on top of the box she had already been wrapping it up and handing it back to the customer, she gestured for the other one to bring his gifts up.
Skye quickly got to work and carried on the procedure that she had been instructed on from the moment she was placed in the department. She quickly measured the box that was for a stand mixer, pulled out twice the length of red and white wrapping paper out from the roll to her left, and immediately cut it off and started to wrap it up.
After getting the hang of it throughout the prior days of the season, she had gotten a knack for managing to do it neatly but stay under a certain amount of time so the next customer could get their stuff taken care of. The constraints of time, however, made it difficult whenever a customer asked for ribbon on top of the box instead of a bow, as she personally wasn't as good at that as her some of her coworkers.
"Thank you, sir," Skye told the customer upon finishing the gift wrapping for him.
With that now finished, it was on to the next mammal in line. A beaver holding onto one of the newest stuffed animals and a dollhouse walked up to the counter, and she kindly told said hello to her.
Skye smiled back at the friendly customer. "Shopping for the little ones?" she asked.
The beaver nodded in response. "Yes," she said. "My children have been wanting these since they first saw them."
"Alrighty," the vixen at the counter said to herself, reaching down to retrieve another roll of wrapping paper that had a more playful design of Santa Claws on it. "Let's get these wrapped up for you."
It was after Skye finished things up and another customer walked up that one of her coworkers, a badger that had worked in this department, came over to see how she was doing.
"You're doing amazing at this, Skye," the mustelid complimented with a smile.
"I'm just doing the best I can," replied Skye as she wrapped another package, this time smaller than the rest.
"I just got back from my break. You mind if I lend a paw?"
"I'd be more than happy to have you help me. That way we can get some of these customers with the bigger orders done a little faster."
After an announcement came over the speakers of the store for another employee to assist a customer in the jewelry department, a Christmas tune from decades ago repeated around the store for the umpteenth time. Normally those who worked in retail grew to despise certain songs like the one playing since they seemed to come on every hour on the hour until the holidays were over, but Skye might have been the exception. If anything, music of any kind always seemed to help her get whatever she was working on done more efficiently.
"You know," the badger told her, "I honestly think you've been working the hardest out of everyone in here today."
"That's what I've been trying to do," Skye replied while keeping her work going. "Been saving up to get something really special for someone really special."
"Oh," the mustelid working alongside her responded. "For Jack, I presume?"
"Yep. Sure, I already got some shopping done for him earlier and got him a few things, but there was something that I'm sure he will be absolutely excited to get."
"What's that?"
The vixen smiled and nodded back. "You know that orchestra that's coming to Zootopia next year? Well, I know how much Jack loves their music and has always said that it was on his bucket list to go see them someday. So, I've been saving up to get us both tickets, ones where we're sitting not too far away from the stage."
"Aww, that's so sweet of you, Skye," her coworker said. "You're such a caring mammal."
"I try to be as giving as I can to everyone. That's how my mother taught me to be.
"I, on the other paw... I still got to get a gift for my husband after I clock out later this evening. I'd get a gift card to the restaurant we like since it's easy, but I want to surprise him with something too.
Skye started to pause as she started to imagine and picture the scene on Christmas morning.
She could see her and the buck opening the gifts they had gotten for each other, the fireplace crackling and both of them enjoying a cup of hot cocoa. It was while they cleaning up the wrapping paper and such that she would pretend to step out of the room for a moment and come back with the gift box containing the prized tickets to the orchestra inside of it. Jack wasn't normally the mammal that demonstrated a great amount of enthusiasm for many things, she could imagine that this would be something that would have him jumping up and down before he wrapped his arms and around her and gave her a warm hug.
"Skye?"
The vixen smiled warmly as the scenario played out in her mind as if it were projecting a scene from a Christmas movie, and the kind that brought a warm smile to her face at that.
"Skye?"
Can't wait to see how excited he is when he sees those tickets... she thought. That smile on his face will be priceless. Just a few more days til Christmas is finally here.
"Skye!" the badger next to her repeated with a raised voice.
Skye was suddenly startled in the middle of the daydream that she had experienced then, looking back at her coworker with widened eyes. She looked like a ghost had appeared and spooked her. "Yes?"
"We're gonna need a change in wrapping paper, and quickly. The line's starting to get longer."
Skye's mind immediately returned to the tasks at paw and brushed what she was thinking about a moment ago aside. "Oh, yes. I'm so sorry. Of course."
Author's Note: I know that Christmas was yesterday and all, but I still felt like sharing this short holiday story. This was one of those stories that I hadn't shared in time for the holidays before they officially arrived, but I figured it was still better late than never for it. I figured that holiday tales are enjoyable at any point of the year, right?
Don't have anything else to really say this time around, so I hope you all enjoy this little story of mine. I know there wasn't much to this one, but I still hope that it was enjoyable. Your feedback, whether good or bad, is gladly appreciated.
'Til next time! :)