Carmichael's St. Nick

Tara Noelle Thomas loved Christmas; she loved everything about Christmas. Some speculated that it was because she was born on Christmas day, but Tara knew that she would love Christmas even if she'd been born on the Fourth of July!

She loved the lights and Christmas trees; she loved snow and the pervading cheery atmosphere; she loved Christmas music from Frosty the Snowman to Handel's Messiah; she loved the story of the birth of the Savior as recounted by Luke in the Bible; she loved presents and Christmas treats and decorations. And she loved Santa Claus, which was a good thing because during the month of December, Tara Noelle Thomas became Elsa Elf; right hand assistant to Santa at the North Pole in Carmichael's department store.

What she could never have anticipated was that when George (the real Santa at Carmichael's) became ill, his replacement (St. Nick) took Christmas euphoria to a whole new level.