Christmas Tree Man

A Short Story

De: Molly Pine

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

She was sent to exploit him. She stayed to save him.

Zelda Fairbank used to dream of writing stories that mattered. Now she’s a culture correspondent for a clickbait empire, chasing viral moments for ad revenue. Her latest assignment: track down the mysterious “Christmas Tree Man” whose fourteen-second video has captivated millions—a rugged stranger caught carrying a Fraser fir through the snow like a modern-day Paul Bunyan.

Abe Wilkerson doesn’t want to be found. The owner of a sprawling architectural salvage warehouse in Chicago, he’s spent a decade surrounded by beautiful broken things, rescuing what the world throws away. He has no interest in internet fame, social influencer culture, or the journalist who just walked through his door.

What begins as an assignment becomes something neither of them expected. As Zelda trades her notebook for work gloves and enters Abe’s world of condemned buildings with century-old craftsmanship, she begins to see him—and herself—differently. But the story that brought them together could tear them apart. Her editor wants the exclusive. The internet wants its viral hero. And Zelda must decide what she’s willing to sacrifice for a career that’s already cost her too much.

A heartwarming holiday romance about finding value in the discarded, and love in the most unexpected places.