Why Reindeer Gifts Have Bows — Under the crescent moon, Quin tucked a small box beneath his coat and hurried through Spruce Hollow, where the snow squeaked like clean glass. Read the full story →
Under the crescent moon, Quin tucked a small box beneath his coat and hurried through Spruce Hollow, where the snow squeaked like clean glass. He wanted to leave the box for the reindeer who stamped paths for sled runners, but his fingers shook at the thought of knocking on a stable door. Secret between us: Quin had wrapped plenty for others, but never one gift from himself.
A soft snuffle came from the blue shadows. Out stepped a young reindeer with twiggy antlers and a scarf smelling faintly of cedar. Quin froze. The reindeer froze. Then the box slipped, bounced, and burst open—out rolled two sugar acorns and a silver thank-you bell. “Oh,” Quin whispered, cheeks hot as lanterns. “It was supposed to stay secret.”
The reindeer nosed Quin’s striped scarf, tugged one loose end, and tied it around the box with a wobbly knot and two floppy loops. The bell gave one brave ting. Quin knocked after that, small but clear. Ever since, reindeer gifts wear bows, because the first one was tied by antlers in Spruce Hollow; can you spot the present that remembers the moonlit secret?
