Secret Santa - Andrew Shaffer
Chapters Unbound: Episode 33
Andrew Shaffer’s Secret Santa takes place inside a publishing house where the holidays don’t lighten the workload. Everything keeps moving, even when the decorations go up. People watch each other a little more closely than usual, especially during the annual gift exchange.
“She’d been keeping track to who gifted what to whom.”
It’s the kind of detail that fits the setting. It feels small and ordinary, yet it is more telling than it first appears.
A Winter Figure From Another Place
For this episode, I printed a Percht. It’s a traditional winter figure, and it is not something you expect to see near office desks or typewriters. That contrast felt right. The Percht carries a unspoken weight, shaped by age and handling rather than design.
“It wasn’t in the best shape, antiques never are.”
The line could describe many things in the story. It fits old objects, long routines, and habits that stay in place even when the atmosphere changes.
Set Aside From the Noise
While reading Secret Santa, I noticed how certain details stayed with me longer than expected. They weren’t dramatic, but they left a mark anyway. That feeling influenced how I approached the Percht. I didn’t try to recreate anything from the book. I focused on the impression that lingered while turning the pages. The Percht felt like the right shape for that idea, steady and a little out of step with its surroundings. It gave me enough to work with without needing more explanation.
Just Enough to Notice
I found Secret Santa surprisingly refreshing as a change within the horror genre. It moved differently than I expected, and it kept me curious without relying on heavy scares. Reading it also pushed me to look up more about the Percht, which turned out to be more interesting than I thought at first.
Official book page: https://www.8thcircle.com/store/p/2hnvvot53epgnienn6f79ps58ugxr5-syjrh-ft9ks