12.20.24 - I got an early Christmas present this year with Adam Richter's piece showing the secret to happiness isn't having "stuff" (well, maybe SOME stuff). Boyd and Dryville (great name) are Elves on a hunt for kids on the good list when Boyd co-opts the trip to a record store to fulfill his own wish list. But the real secret Santa of this piece is the store clerk who helps out (and moves a little merchandise for him as well). I want to see the Rankin-Bass animated version of this play now.

This is a "smile until your face hurts" story featuring the whimsy of quirky, specific characters (Santa's Elves!) in an unexpected setting (a record store?!), leading us humorously, sweetly, and quite deftly toward a charming lesson about the true meaning of Christmas in our consumerist hellscape! The specificity of the musical references, the goofy names, and the absurdity of the confrontation and circumstances make it a consistently surprising stocking stuffer! Plus, great world-building!

It took just a couple of lines for me to be transported back to Ries Records at the Westgate Shopping Center in Toledo. This adorable short play by Adam Richter has Santa's helpers doing some discreet recon at the record shop and purchasing for their own list of toys, and you can feel the love for both them and the place where they're finding the right gifts for the right reasons. Thanks, Adam, for the vinyl memories, hopes, and dreams.