I pace the length of my room, reminded that I have to be a 'jolly' elf in my father's new 'Santa's workshop' in the mall. I have to tell kids that they look cute, or pretty, or handsome, and that I'm sure they've been excellent kids this year. It's tough enough to look at kids. 

    My mom keeps reminding me that dad worked really hard on the whole Christmas display, and I can't ruin it by being moody. I don't want to be moody, but sometimes it just happens. 

    I grab my elf costume, and run down the stairs to the kitchen. My mom is helping my father get his beard on. 

    "There's my jolly elf Maria!" My father cries. I roll my eyes. I don't want to be called Elf Maria, but my father said it suits the whole 'act'. 

    "Hey dad," I say, patting his shoulder. I grab the basket of candy canes that I have to give to kids, and I grab the few actual presents I have to give to the nice kids. The gifts are little wrapped Lego sets that cost five dollars in the store. 

    "Don't forget your plastic ears," dad reminds me. I groan. How could I forget the ugly things I have to put on my ears? They're probably the worst things ever invented. 

    "Can I please not put them on?" I ask hopefully. 

    "No, you have to put them on Maria, it creates the whole character, and makes the act look real."

    "It will look real if I have real ears," I reply. My face is getting red. I can tell. 

    "Maria, just put them on and stop fighting with your father," mom snaps, giving me a stern look. I roll my eyes and put on the ears. 

    The ears didn't bother me until I knew how bad they were at staying on my ears. Every five seconds they'd fall off. 

    "Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Dad yells, taking mom and my hand, and leading us towards the car. My younger brother, Jonah, is going to stay home this year, as I did last year. 

    "George, slow down!" Mom yells, as dad runs over the ice on our parking lot. "You're bound to fall!" 

    "No one can fall on such a glorious day, Beth!" My dad calls back. Mom sighs, and walks carefully on the ice. I can tell she wants to set a good example for me.

    "Loosen up mom, you can't be a tight elf for the kids, you have to let loose, act the part," I say in a mocking voice. 

    "OK Elf Maria, at least I won't whine about some fake ears," mom snaps back. I giggle, and run on the ice, showing mom that I'm much braver than her. 

    "MARIA! SLOW DOWN!" Mom shrieks at the top of her lungs. I only laugh more. 

                                        2

    The mall is packed with Christmas Shoppers, and dad's: Santa's Workshop, is a blast. Kids and their parents are lined up for miles. 

    "Maria!" Mom hisses from beside me. "Smile more!" I'm on one of my mood swings because of puberty, and I glare at her, but put on a plastic smile. I want to make this worthwhile for the kids and their parents. 

    Mom sets a kid on dad's lap, and he barfs. I giggle, and hand the kid a candy cane, before he leaves with his mom. 

    "Beth..." dad calls when a baby poops on him. "I think I need two showers tonight." Mom nods, and I hand the father of the child a candy cane. 

    "Have a Merry Christmas," I say, and wave at him until he leaves the small room we're all bunched into. 

    "Maria..." dad says in a warning tone of voice. 

    "What? I'm doing exactly what you asked me to do," I say, giving dad a confused look. 

    "Maria, I think you're making people look bad. If someone's kid poops on you, you're supposed to say it's not a big deal! Not hand them a candy cane and say merry Christmas, it makes the whole business look bad!" Dad says angrily. 

    "How was I supposed to know that?" I ask, letting a glare cross my face. 

    "Shush!" Mom whisper/yells. "A new family is coming in." Dad turns away to do his ho-ho-ho thing, and I hand the kids a candy cane. One each. Those three candy canes happened to be my last candy canes, though. 

    While mom snaps pictures, I hand her the bag of presents, grab a twenty out of her purse, and make my way towards the candy store beside dad's place. 

    I buy my candy canes, then go back to dad's place. I expect mom to be happy that I got the candy canes, the one thing we really need, but when I get there, she's really mad. 

    "Where were you?" Mom asks angrily.

    "Getting Candy Canes," I reply, waving the box of Candy Canes in her face. 

    "Without telling me?" Mom snaps, crossing her arms and giving me an angry look. 

    "Well... I needed to get them," I reply. "For all the kids here. Duh!" 

    "Don't 'duh' me young girl, you're grounded!" 

    "WHAT? I got Candy Canes! We needed them!" I protest. 

    "Yes, we do, but you didn't tell me where you were going!" Mom snaps back. 

    "Do I need to? Do you expect me to run away and never come back?" I ask through gritted teeth. 

    "I don't know! I can't predict everything going through your mind!" Mom yells back. I think we created quiet the crowd, because the next thing I know, kids are crying, and everyone's leaving. Dad's glaring at both me and mom, but mostly me. 

    "I can't believe it! I just... can't believe it! You ruined the whole thing for me," dad says angrily, on the drive back home. 

    "I'm sorry!" I cry. Mom turns around and scowls at me. 

    "It was horrid what you did back there, Maria. You snuck off, then you yell at your mother," mom says in a matter-of-fact tone of voice. 

    "Don't act as though you had nothing to do with it, Beth," dad says, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. Mom pats his shoulder awkwardly, then stares out the front window into nothingness. 

    As soon as we get home, I run to my room. I don't feel like talking to Jonah about this, and mom is already acting like a baby and trying to get everyone on her side. She'll probably get Jonah on her side before I have a chance to speak anyways. 

    I sit on my bed, and stare at the roof. Maybe I'll get back at mom tomorrow, when my head is cleared. But for now... I'll do nothing.