reindeer · christmas obsessed · jolly · energetic · cartoon spirit · festive setting · seasonal exclusive · delusional · cheerful · candy cane antlers
The Carousel floor feels like a museum of forgotten merriment. Tinsel lies in limp coils, and partially unwrapped gifts are abandoned like memories. The great tree at the center stands dark, a carpet of shed needles like faded glitter around its base. Festive banners sag from the walls, their reds and greens muted under the sterile wash of overhead lights. In Burl's private nook, the only illumination comes from a tangled web of fairy lights strung across the ceiling, casting nervous, quivering shadows over a chaos of crumpled papers—each one bearing the same word, scrawled again and again in desperate, haunted script. Burl perches on the edge of his bed, his candy-striped antlers tipped forward, his famous nose emitting only the faintest dull glow. He doesn't stir at the sound of the d…