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“Then you’ll have to carry around all that stuff. I like to just leave everything in the car and book it inside.”
“Well, you’re the expert,” Maye unzipped her jacket and tossed her hat and mittens in the back seat. “Ready?”
The two hustled to the convention center entrance, puffs of breath visible with each stride, short-term shivering for long-term comfort.
When they reached the convention center entrance, Tracy ventured off to find some friends while Jayce met Maye by the front doors. A steady flow of entrants streamed by wearing shirts with their favorite actor’s face on it, reindeer antlers, Santa hats, and coordinated custom shirts that spelled a unique phrase when each person stood in the right order.
“Welcome to the big show!” Jayce said and he handed Maye a lanyard and her itinerary.
“This isn’t as busy as I was expecting,” Maye said. “The way Tracy described the crowds sounded like Black Friday in its prime.”
“Wait til tomorrow,” he said as he checked his phone. “Well, any questions? You need anything?”
“Can you show me where I am supposed to go before the premiere? Do I need to be someplace in particular?”
“Oh, right,” Jayce signaled for her to follow him.
She walked with Jayce through the security checkpoint and passed a banner advertising a live music concert with Paul Greene that evening. Holiday music pumped through the speakers of the entire, giant convention center, which was filled with vendor booths in the middle and wintery scenes with giant snow globes and Santa sleighs and decorated trees for photo ops all around.
“Check this out,” Jayce said as they rounded a corner, “this is new this year. It’s called Mistletoe Mile.”
They stepped onto a sidewalk that was painted on the ground. On the left, a tall photo-realistic image was propped up with a scene of brownstone apartments that were decorated with lights and wreaths on the doors. On the other side of the sidewalk were street vendors selling roasted chestnuts, hot pretzels, hot chocolate, and fruit cake that smelled like it had been dangerously soaked in alcohol.
“Pretty cool, huh? “Jayce said. “It’s supposed to replicate a city block from a movie set so people can experience the classic walk-and-talk scene. There’s a camera behind the vendor side that follows you as you walk so you can see a recording of your scene when you’re done.”
“Not bad,” Maye said as they reached the end of the sidewalk. “I’d still take my hometown Candy Cane Lane.”
They weaved through aisles of vendors and finally arrived at the back of the venue.
“Alright, this is where the green rooms are,” Jayce said. “You can be in here an hour before and after your scheduled events. There are some snacks, bathrooms, places to sit, stuff like that. If you need anything, find one of Santa’s helpers.”
Maye chuckled, but Jayce looked confused.
“What’s funny?” He pointed to a group of volunteers nearby, all wearing shirts that said “Santa’s Helper.”
“Oh,” Maye said. “Got it.”
“Well, that’s about it. I gotta run, but reach out with any questions, k?”
Maye found Tracy waiting in a line outside the area designated for photos with all the actors in attendance. The area was roped off, but since it opened to the public that afternoon, a line had already formed.
“This is my cousin Maye I was telling you about,” Tracy said. “Maye, this is Mary, she’s a Penhead. This is Dee, she’s an Ayrehead. This is Cirie, she’s a Tushie. And this is Nicole, she’s a CayOnly Fan.”
“Tushie? CayOnly Fan?” Maye wasn’t sure she heard right.
“Those are the fan groups they’re part of,” Tracy nodded, “named after their favorite actors. So what are you doing now? Are you all checked in?”
“Yup,” Maye unfolded her itinerary. “I’m pretty much free tonight and most of tomorrow, then the premiere airs at 6:00 p.m. and then Chris and I are hosting a Q&A panel.”
The ladies standing with Tracy “oooh’d” at Chris’s mention.
“And then Sunday,” Maye folded her itinerary back up, “we are scheduled to do a short, live version of the show in the morning.”
Cheers erupted from the front of the line.
“There they are,” Tracy said. “The actors are heading into the photo area. Vests on, ladies.”
Tracy, Mary, Dee, and Cirie each pulled a reflective safety vest out of their purse and put it on over their festive Christmas sweaters.
