Chapter 56: Christmas Eve

December 24th, year 881 in the continental calendar.

It was a chilly December evening in the small town of Axelsen & Nielsen Air Brake Company, and the citizens were bustling with excitement as they prepared for the most wonderful time of the year - Christmas. The company town square was aglow with vibrant lights and festive decorations, and the sweet scent of gingerbread cookies wafted through the air.

As the townspeople bustled about, finalizing their preparations, children giggled and played in the snow, building snowmen and tossing snowballs at each other. Meanwhile, the town merchants were busy stocking their shelves with holiday treats, and the sound of cheerful carols filled the air.

A group of volunteers made up of workers was busy setting up for the annual Christmas party. Tables were being covered with red and green tablecloths, and strings of twinkling light bulbs were being hung from the rafters by the engineers. The cooks in the cafeteria were busy whipping up batches of famous sugar cookies, and the smell of fresh-baked goodies filled the kitchen.

At the company town's main street, the employees of Axelsen & Nielsen Air Brake Company were also getting into the holiday spirit. They had transformed their factory into a winter wonderland, with glittering light bulbs and towering Christmas trees that they ordered from a Christmas tree farm in Pennsylvania. The workers were busy putting the finishing touches on the elaborate decorations, and the factory was buzzing with excitement as they looked forward to the big Christmas party they were planning.

As night fell and the town was bathed in the warm glow of holiday lights, families gathered in the town square to sing carols and watch the first tree lighting ceremony. Poul and Jonathan took the stage, and with a flick of a switch, the towering tree was alight with a brilliant display of colorful lights. The crowd erupted in applause, and the children cheered with delight.

"I must say, this is one of the best annual Christmas parties the company has had since its inception," Jonathan commented, clapping his hand gently and smiling at the townspeople before him.

"It's important to have this holiday every year, to fill our workers with motivation to work for a brighter future for the company," Poul replied, waving his hand at the townspeople.

"You do this every year, Sir Axelsen, Sir Nielsen?" Amelia asked, holding a glass of wine in her hand.

"Yes, do you not do this in your company?"

"Well, Christmas in our company seems like any other day for us, so they don't bother celebrating it."

"That's kind of depressing," Poul mumbled. "Well, if it's your way then who are we to judge? Every one of us has our own way of doing things. We just take life as it comes."

Amelia smiled, taking another sip of wine and watching the townspeople reveling in the form of dancing and singing carols. She glanced over behind her and noticed how beautiful the Christmas tree is when adorned with light bulbs. It was as if the tree itself had become alive and glowing. With each branch lit from beneath.

And if she's going, to be honest, this year's Christmas season is probably the best one she had in her life. The industrialist duo took it to a whole other level. No wonder why Caroline persuaded her to work with Mister Axelsen and Nielsen. The two were indeed interesting.

"Okay, why don't we join the rest huh?" Poul said before walking down the platform and frolicking among the company workers and their company and dancing around the bonfire. The orange glow reflected off the man's face, making him look almost ethereal. After he danced for several minutes, the townspeople began applauding and cheering him on.

Jonathan couldn't help but jump in. Their workers cheered loudly as the others played their musical instruments. They continued for another minute until one of the employees shouted.

"Sir Nielsen! Sing for us!"

Poul stopped dancing abruptly and turned around with a surprised expression on his face. "Eh? Me?"

"Your voice back in Columbus Sir Nielsen was great, we'd like to hear it again. Right everyone?"

"Yes!" all the workers around raised their cups of beer in agreement. "Sing some song for us, Sir Nielsen!"

"Sir Nielsen!"

"Sir Nielsen!"

The workers chanted and chanted again. Poul gave in and laughed. "All right, all right, I'll sing a song, okay?"

"Woooh!" the workers roared with delight and one of the workers handed him the guitar.

Poul tried strumming it to see if it was tuned properly.

"Okay, you wanted this everyone. I'm going to sing for all of you on this special occasion. But under one condition, I can't do this alone," Poul's gaze flickered at Jonathan. "Partner, join me here."

"Wooh! Sir Axelsen is also singing!"

"Sir Axelsen! Sir Axelsen!" they chanted.

"Fine," Jonathan agreed, chuckling as he raised his hand. He joined Poul in the middle.

"So, what are we going to sing?" Jonathan asked. A simple question but hard to answer.

"I don't know what's the popular music genre of this era," Poul replied back in a whisper. "Maybe we can sing anything we know?"

"I am not sure if they are going to like it or not," Jonathan shrugged.

"Well, they only told us to sing, so we sing and get on with it," Poul muttered under his breath. "Come on partner, pick a good Christmas song, and let's get started."

Jonathan pondered for a moment, thinking of a song. He's not an avid music listener but whenever he's on break, he would wear his earphones and listen to what Youtube has to offer. It was Christmas at that time, and he had come across a song that got stuck in his mind. He wondered if Poul knew how to play it on the guitar.

Jonathan leaned over to his side and whispered the song he had come up with. Poul hummed a reply, nodding in agreement.

"Do you know how to play that song?"

"It's easy for me, after all, it was one of the songs I learned from a colleague, who even taught me how to play it on guitar. Oh, how reminiscing. To think that we would have the same taste. Okay, say when you are ready."

"Everyone! May I have your attention please," Jonathan called. "The song that we are going to sing is not mainstream. It's a song that we have come up with in the spur of the moment. You may love it, or you may hate it. Anyways, here we go."

"This is the most beautiful time of the year..." Poul sang, strumming the strings of the guitar.

"Lights fill the streets, spreading so much cheer..." Jonathan followed and continued. "I should be playing in the winter snow,"

And together. "But I'm going to be under the mistletoe..."

The first notes of the song filled the air, and the audience was immediately captivated by the beauty of the music. Poul's soft voice and Jonathan's rich baritone blended together in perfect harmony.

As the song continued, the audience around was transported to a place of warmth and comfort, and it was as if all the worries and troubles of the world simply melted away. The place was filled with a magical feeling, and everyone was completely entranced by the music.

When the final notes of the song faded away, there was silence for a moment. And then, as if on cue, the entire audience erupted into thunderous applause. The workers and their wives and children were cheering, whistling, and clapping, and Poul and Jonathan were grinning from ear to ear, basking in the glow of their success.

"I didn't mess it up, right?" Poul asked, feeling a little bit worried that he might have made a mistake along with the song.

"You didn't," Jonathan said.

The song that they just sang right now was a song that became popular in the 2010s. They were worried at first as the genre of the music was different in this era, but it turned out quite well. When they were singing it, they had to change some contemporary words to fit the era they were in right now.

"Wow, bravo," Amelia clapped her hand as she approached the two. "I didn't know that you two could sing well. I must say, it was a song that I didn't expect."

"Well, we gave you a heads-up before singing it," Jonathan said, grinning.

"Let's enjoy the rest of Christmas eve. Tomorrow will be a non-working holiday, and the day after that, well, you know what it is."

"We return to work," Amelia said. "I'll be finished reading all the files by that day so I think we are a go."

"For the future of the Axelsen and Nielsen Air Brake Company," Poul raised his glass of wine.

Jonathan and Amelia raised their own and clinked their glasses together.

"Expect some major changes in the next preceding year. The Axelsen and Nielsen Air Brake Company will revolutionize the world," Poul said.