Adley is an unusual elf. He prefers skiing to parties, doesn’t like to sing, and cares so little for elf conventions that his brother despairs of him ever getting married. Which is fine, because Adley has no intention of marrying just anyone.<br><br>When he meets Keru at the annual Christmas Eve party, the two are drawn to each other. The party may be the most important event of the elvish social calendar, but neither Adley nor Keru minds leaving early to take a walk. They enjoy an idyllic and romantic first date under an aurora, rescuing a reindeer calf along the way, and a relationship seems promising.<br><br>But their second date takes a dire turn when a skiing trip brings them face to face with a polar bear. They’d like to keep seeing each other ... if they can make it through their second date without being eaten!

Christmas Kisses at the North Pole

To their right, the sliding path shimmered, reflecting the blues of the aurora. The sliding path was a smooth groove down a steep hill, designed to provide very little resistance to the saucer-shaped sleds preferred by elves. Children adored it, teenagers dared each other to go down it in new and inventive ways, and on occasion the path hosted timed races.


“For once the sliding path isn’t crowded,” said Keru.


“Years? That’s far too long. We need to do something about this lapse.”


“We don’t need sleds. Surely you’ve gone down without one.”


“I have,” Adley admitted, “but it was head first and I ended up with a mild concussion, so I’m not eager to repeat the experience.”


“I’ve gone down headfirst plenty of times without any injuries, but we can skip that.” Keru took Adley’s gloved hand and began to tug him along towards the hill. “We can’t miss this chance to have the whole path to ourselves.”


Chapter 8