"Whew! What an unpleasant fella," Ellie said

I only hummed. He was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone... Wait a minute. You can't see inside! This really is a dirty city. I used Ellie's coat to wipe the window clean, not that she appreciated it. Well, you can see inside now. I'll start again. He was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Loki. A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, clutching, covetous old sinner. Inside, Loki saw one of the people from who he took money waiting to talk to him. He wanted to talk to Loki about his mortgage. The man was terrified to talk about it.

But he couldn't pay Loki because it was Christmas and things get hard during these times. Especially when you work with Loki. One of his employees, Tony Stark, only gets paid a very little amount. It barely covered the rent for the house, normal shopping, and medication for his youngest son. We'll also get to that later. But the man who came to talk to Loki was thrown out. Loki didn't want to discuss it. The man was behind on his payments and wanted to ask for more time to pay it.

On top of that, his daughter had an illness that was affecting her lungs so he had to pay the doctor. Loki didn't much care. After he threw the man out, he told Tony to finish up the eviction notices for tomorrow. Tony tried to argue that it was Christmas day tomorrow so it wouldn't be fair to kick them out of their homes. Tony gave the papers to some of the workers while Loki started his own work. As he did, the other bookkeepers told Tony to ask something for them. They wanted more coal to put in the fire to keep them warm.

You see, Loki was immune to the cold so this didn't bother him. But it bothered his employees because they weren't like him. They had to put on as many clothes as they could to keep warm but it didn't help the fact that the whole workplace is cold when they arrive. Loki only asked if they would like to be unemployed. He did have a fire going for them but coal was expensive and he liked to save his money as much as he could. So, the employees just acted like it was warm and got back to work. And, at that moment, who should arrive at the door but Loki's brother, Thor. His only living relative. 

"Brother Thor? I don't see him," Ellie said

"Trust me," I said waiting

That's when he arrived and knocked on the door. Thor walked in and I saw that the knocky had scared Ellie who fell in the snow.

"Ellie?" I asked

"You're very good at that, Miss Creator," Ellie said

Thor walked in, "A merry Christmas, Brother. God save you."

"Merry Christmas. Bah, humbug," Loki said

Ellie got up and told me to go inside since it'll be warmer. I just agreed so we went in only to learn it was colder in here than it was outside.

"Christmas a humbug, Brother? You don't mean that, surely," Thor said smiling

"Actually, I think it's colder in here," Ellie said as I hummed in response.

"Merry Christmas, you say? What right have you to be merry? You're poor enough," Loki said

"What right of you to be dismal? You're rich enough."

"He's got him there. The old boy's speechless," Ellie commented

"If I could work my will, every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips would be cooked with his own turkey and buried with a stake of holly through his heart," Loki told his brother

"Well, not quite speechless."

"Oh, Brother," Thor said not believing it

"Brother... you keep Christmas in your own way and let me keep it in mine," Loki sneered

"Christmas is a loving, honest, and charitable time. And though it's never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that Christmas has done me good and will do me good and I say, God bless it!"

The bookkeepers cheered at Thor's speech. Not that it did anything

"And how does one celebrate Christmas on the UNEMPLOYMENT LINE?" Loki yelled at them

They got back to work. Now, in these times. It was customary on Christmas Eve for well-meaning gentlemen to call upon businesses, collecting donations for the poor and homeless. Mr. Stephen Strange and Wong walked in.

"Mr. Laufeyson, I presume?" Wong asked

"Who are you?" Loki asked

"We're from the Order of Victoria Charity Foundation. We'd like to speak to you about a donation."

"Ah! Welcome! This jolly old gentleman here is Mr. Laufeyson. He's very generous to charities," Thor sa2id smiling

"My dear brother!" Loki scolded

At this festive season of the year, Mr. Laufeyson, many of us feel that we must take care of our poor and homeless," Wong said

"Are there no prisons? No poorhouses?" Loki asked

"Oh, plenty of those, Sir."

"Oh! Excellent! For a moment, I was worried."

"Some of us are endeavoring to raise a fund for the poor and the homeless. What might I put you down for?"

"Nothing."

"You wish to remain anonymous?"

"I wish to be left alone. I do not make merry myself at Christmas."

"That certainly is true," Thor said

"And I cannot afford to make idle people merry," Loki said

"That is certainly not true."

"Don't you have other things to do this afternoon, My dear Brother?"

"Sadly, I do, Brother. So I shall make my donation," Thor gave Stephen some money, "and leave you to make yours."

"Thank you so very much," Wong said as Thor walked away

"Oh. Brother, come and have Christmas dinner with me and Jane tomorrow," Thor said smiling

"Why ever did you get married?" Loki asked

"Why? Because I fell in love."

Loki laughed, "That's the only thing in the world sillier than a merry Christmas. 

"It's no use. Brother. I shall keep my Christmas humor to the last. A merry Christmas to you.." Thor hung up a Christmas decoration he brought for Loki, "and a happy New Year."

"Merry Christmas. Thor," Tony said smiling

"Merry Christmas. Tony," Thor said smiling

"Humbug!" Loki said as Thor left.

Loki got back to work. But Stephen and Wong hadn't left yet. They were still hoping for that donation. Loki wasn't going to give them one. The only donations that Loki gives to these charities are for the poorhouses and the workhouses. The ones that actually do things. Not give money to help the poor. So he told them what I've told you and to send the poor to one of those places. Wong argued that people would rather die than go there. All Loki had to say about it was:

"If they'd rather die, then they'd better do it, and decrease the surplus population!" 

Seeing how they would have no luck getting a donation out of Loki, they left. When they did, Loki tried to destroy the decoration that Thor had given him. That's when he heard singing outside. It was a boy hoping to get some money from his song. He didn't get any. Just the decoration thrown at him. So, Loki went back to work. He knows he can't escape this month. He's tried so many times but it always comes back to haunt him and there's nothing he can do about it. All he can do is work to take his mind off it.