Even though it was a few weeks before Christmas, the Kingston Farm was in full North Pole mode. It had been a tradition since Cole's great grandfather took over, to open the farm to the locals and give them all an unforgettable holiday experience. Jonah, his great grandfather, prided himself in looking as close to Saint Nick as he could. Although he had to stuff his shirt with cotton to fill the belly, his white beard and cherub cheeks made him a remarkable Santa Claus. Even though all the adults knew it was Jonah hidden under the fluffy red suit, they still got a kick out of him and his shiny personality playing the part of Santa year after year.

Throughout the years, the festivities became more and more popular on the farm. People from neighboring towns began to stop by along with the local people. Local businesses started requesting the opportunity to sell their wares at the farm during the season to help advertise their name. By the time Cole was in high school, he and his siblings and cousins were working over-time at the farm in the winter to help with the high demand the holidays brought.

Out of his older brother and younger sister, Cole was the only one who left the state of Michigan to go to college. As much as he knew he would miss his family and small town life, he wanted some space to discover who he was and pursue a dream of his in playing professional football. Fortunately, excelling at it gave him the opportunity to choose from many schools throughout the country. His decision to take a full sports scholarship at USC turned out to be the correct choice, which then gave him the opportunity to play professionally for thirteen years.

It was after a knee injury that took longer to heal than anticipated, that Cole decided to retire. He'd created a legacy for himself and used his earnings to make smart investment moves that had him and his loved ones set for life. The only thing Cole hadn't planned for was what to do with his time after football. He could do anything he wanted, but he knew he preferred doing something where he could be needed. After much thought, he realized the only place he could see himself now was back home at the farm.

Kingston farm evolved more and more every time Cole visited. His trips were short and sweet due to a busy training schedule, but he made sure to always set aside time to see everyone before he had to leave again. The past few Christmas seasons, the reign of Santa Claus fell into the hands of Cole's bubbly uncle, Ron. Although Cole's father could have easily taken the red cap for himself, he chose to be a more behind the scenes type during the winter festival. Cole's mother also preferred to be a hidden gem, making sure everything was going smoothly while undercover was her expertise.

This years winter activities began the last week of November at the farm and there was no lull in foot traffic. In fact, it seemed thanks to social media, that this year might be even larger than the last. Fortunately, the entire family prepared for the worst and had back-up plans for everything. Well...almost everything.

It was Saturday morning when Cole left his cozy cabin at the farm to head to the main house. The main house was where his mom and father lived along with his sister and her two kids. Ashley Kingston was younger than Cole, but always much more mature than he or their eldest brother, Gabe. She'd married her high school sweetheart turned Navy SEAL and spent the last year living back at home while he was away. Having two younger twin daughters who had more energy than anyone else combined would have been difficult if she decided to stay by herself so it only made sense to live with their parents in the meantime. The main house was the central hub for the family and it was where they gathered every morning to start each day.

As soon as Cole entered the house, he heard an unusual amount of chatter in the kitchen. There was a tension in the tones and his worries only grew as he got closer. Upon entering, concern caused his brows to furrow as everyone in the kitchen definitely seemed to be worried about something.

"What's going on here?" he asked his dad, who leaned against the counter while sipping his coffee. Even his dad looked slightly concerned and coming from someone who had a really good poker face, it made him worry that much more.

"Your uncle fell and hurt his back this morning," was all he said before looking back towards the scattered family members while they panicked.

"Yeah, that old fart thought running down the icy stairs to catch Buffy was a smart idea," Ashley said with a roll of her eyes. "That dog will be the death of him." Buffy was Uncle Ron's five year old mastiff and was the cause of many of his ailments. She was gorgeous, but much too powerful for him to handle at times. Sadly, this wouldn't be the last time she was the cause of one of his injuries. Most of the time, they were minor things, like being too excited to see Ron that she jumped up on her hind legs and caused him to almost fall on his behind.

"So...what does that mean?" Cole's asked the group. The confusion only lasted for a moment before realization hit. Weekends brought the largest crowds of holiday hopefuls to the farm. Kids didn't have school and most expected to see Santa as well as give their Christmas lists. If his uncle was unable to play the part of Santa, someone else would have to take over. He couldn't remember a time when a back-up Santa was needed and he felt almost ashamed that no one ever thought of having one. For all the planning and over-planning the family did, they didn't prepare for one of the most crucial parts of the holiday.

Cole looked toward his dad, knowing that he should be the one to do it, but his father quickly shook his head. His father's introverted nature would not work out well with what was required when it came to Santa, but Cole didn't know who else could do it.

"Do we know anyone in town that could fill in," Cole asked the group again, who had all switched to lower volumes of speaking. His Aunt Joanne and sister were whispering to each other and looking at Cole in a strange manner. The looks brought a funny feeling to his stomach that he did not care for. Cole mentally prayed and crossed his fingers that they weren't thinking what he thought they were thinking.

His hopes were shadowed when his sister's face morphed into a smug smile. His aunt's face wasn't looking as excited, but it was still more hopeful looking than he wanted it to be, especially with the look pointing in his direction. "I think you should do it, Coco," Ashley said loud enough to get everyone's attention on her and then to Cole where she was looking. The rest of the group took a moment to absorb what she was getting at before hopping on board an agreeing to her suggestion. The sinking feeling in Cole's belly was enough to weigh him down to the floor permanently.

Cole quickly shook his head in disagreement before he protested. "I can't be Santa. I'm not old enough," he quickly pointed out.

"Your face will hardly show and you're not as young as you think you are. I see those grays around your temples," his sister instantly replied.

"I'm too big to play Santa."

"That's not a problem. You're only a few inches taller than Uncle Ron and you'll be sitting most of the time."

"I'm not friendly enough," Cole's defense was dwindling, but he couldn't do this. He wasn't ready nor did he want to be surrounded by so many people having to be extra friendly.

"You've been in the spotlight plenty to know how to fake it. Thanks to makeup and wigs, no one will tell that it's you. You're not going to be bombarded for being Cole Kingston, the offensive tackle of the Niners. You'll just be Santa to them. Please do this Cole. At least for today to give us time to find someone who can fill in till Uncle Ron is better." She had done it. She had used her big, puppy dog eyes and pout to make him feel guilty for resisting in the first place. He hated how much she had used that to manipulate him in the past.

With a resigned sigh, Cole agreed that just for one day he'd be Santa and to give all the little kids hope for a wonderful Christmas haul. While the rest of the family started getting everything together, he followed his Sister to his doom as the largest Santa Claus the Kingston farm ever had.