Jingleberry's stunned silence filled the office like fresh snow. The loyal elf's eyes glistened with unshed tears as he struggled to comprehend what his ears were hearing. Santa turned from the window, and in that moment, Jingleberry saw something he'd never witnessed in three centuries of service—his boss looked genuinely, utterly worn down.
"Sir," Jingleberry began, his voice trembling, "you can't just leave. The elves depend on you. The children depend on you. Christmas depends on you."
Santa moved to his desk and slowly lowered himself into the leather chair once more. He gestured for Jingleberry to sit across from him. When the elf complied, Santa spoke with a clarity that came from a place of profound exhaustion.
"Do you know how long I've been doing this, Jingleberry?" Santa asked quietly. "Three hundred years. Three hundred years of Christmas Eves, of toymaking, of managing operations that grow larger every single year. I've watched the world change, watched Christmas become bigger and more complicated, and I've tried to keep up with it all."
He looked at his hands—weathered, calloused, ancient in ways that had nothing to do with age.
"When did it stop being joyful, Jingleberry? When did it become this... weight?" Santa's voice cracked slightly. "I can't remember the last time I felt excited about Christmas instead of terrified I'd fail to deliver it."
Jingleberry opened his mouth to protest, but Santa raised a hand gently.
"Reginald Frostbottom is an incompetent fool, yes. His metrics and spreadsheets will destroy what we've built. But perhaps... perhaps it's time for someone else to carry this burden. Someone younger. Someone who still believes Christmas should be simple." Santa paused, his expression softening. "Maybe I've been holding on too long."
The office fell silent except for the distant hum of the Workshop's machinery floors below. Outside the window, the Arctic night pressed against the glass, vast and indifferent.
"Pack my things, old friend," Santa repeated, with finality this time. "I need to rest."
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