All by My Elf Summary, Characters and Themes
Olivia Dade’s All by My Elf is a heartwarming and humorous holiday romance about love, miscommunication, and the struggles of adjunct academia.
Set against the backdrop of a quirky seasonal job promoting mincemeat pies, the story follows Nina and William—two underpaid history instructors who find themselves stranded in a snowstorm on Christmas Eve. What starts as an awkward work trip turns into an opportunity for long-held feelings to surface, proving that love can bloom even in the most ridiculous of circumstances. With witty banter, steamy tension, and a festive touch, this novella is a delightful holiday read.
Summary
Nina Teems is no stranger to disappointment. As an adjunct history professor at Dogwood University, she’s spent years juggling underpaid contracts, struggling to make ends meet, and longing for job security that never comes.
To make extra money over winter break, she takes a seasonal job with Mrs. Claus’s Mincemeat Treats, a marketing gig that has her traveling the Mid-Atlantic in the absurdly named “Mincemobile”—a repurposed Weenie on Wheels. Her colleagues on this journey? Claudia Ko, her best friend, and William Dern, the nerdy and reserved historian she has been harboring a hopeless crush on for months.
From the moment they hit the road, Nina’s emotions are a mess. She adores William—his quiet intelligence, his dry humor, the way he somehow manages to make a ridiculous elf costume look good. But she’s convinced that her feelings are one-sided, especially as William and Claudia constantly whisper and exchange glances.
The two are inseparable, and Nina assumes the worst: they’re secretly falling for each other. It stings, but she buries her feelings, focusing instead on surviving their demanding and humorless boss, Ruth, who insists on strict schedules and exhausting public appearances.
As they navigate crowded holiday events, handing out free samples of mincemeat pies to skeptical customers, Nina’s frustration grows. She’s exhausted, underpaid, and—worst of all—forced to watch the man she wants fall for someone else.
Every time William and Claudia huddle together in hushed conversations, it feels like another small heartbreak. She tells herself it doesn’t matter, but the loneliness gnaws at her.
Everything changes on Christmas Eve when a blizzard traps Nina and William in the Mincemobile overnight. With the heater failing and temperatures plummeting, they have no choice but to share body heat—something that should be awkward but instead feels… electric.
They curl up together, and as the snow falls outside, William suggests a game of Never Have I Ever to pass the time.
What starts as lighthearted fun quickly turns revealing. As they trade confessions—some silly, some serious—Nina hesitates before admitting her true feelings. But before she can say anything, William drops a revelation of his own: he has been infatuated with her for months.
In fact, he took the seasonal job just to spend time with her.
Shocked, Nina stares at him, processing what he just said. The whispered conversations with Claudia?
Not romance—Claudia had been coaching William on how to confess his feelings. The reason he always seemed to linger near her? Because he couldn’t help himself. Every assumption she had made was wrong.
Overcome with relief, joy, and pent-up desire, Nina kisses him. The moment is sweet, passionate, and long overdue. They spend the night tangled together—emotionally and physically—finding warmth in each other in more ways than one.
By morning, the snowstorm has passed, but something between them has irrevocably changed. They’re no longer just coworkers, no longer just friends dancing around unspoken feelings. They’re something more—something real.
As they pack up and prepare to return to their job, reality creeps back in. They are still underpaid adjunct professors, still trapped in a broken academic system that offers no security. But for the first time in a long time, Nina feels hopeful. Because now, she doesn’t have to face these struggles alone.
Hand in hand, she and William step out into the crisp morning air, ready to face whatever comes next—together.
Characters
Nina Teems
Nina Teems is a witty, self-assured adjunct history instructor at Dogwood University, but her confidence masks a deep sense of insecurity. This insecurity is rooted in both her financial struggles and her past personal life. As an adjunct professor, Nina faces the uncertainty and instability that comes with non-tenured positions, a theme that permeates much of her life.
Her career is precarious, and she often grapples with the harsh reality of being undervalued in academia, relying on a seasonal job with the holiday-themed food company, Mrs. Claus’s Mincemeat Treats, to make ends meet. This job, though humorous and absurd, reflects her ongoing fight to stay afloat financially.
Despite her intelligence and strong sense of humor, Nina has internalized the belief that she is unworthy of love and affection due to her curvy body and past divorce. Her crush on William, one of her colleagues, is central to her emotional journey.
Throughout the story, she struggles with the idea that William could be romantically interested in her, especially as she assumes he is enamored with her best friend, Claudia. Nina’s arc is one of self-discovery, as she comes to realize that she deserves love and that William’s feelings for her are genuine.
William Dern
William Dern is a reserved and deeply affectionate history instructor who, like Nina, is caught in the relentless cycle of adjunct life. He is quiet and professional, a trait that initially leads Nina to misinterpret his feelings.
While Nina assumes that William’s closeness with Claudia is romantic, William’s actual affections have been directed toward Nina for months. His deep love for her is quietly expressed through his actions, such as taking the seasonal job just to be near her.
He is aware of his position in the adjunct system and struggles with the financial instability that comes with it. However, his emotional vulnerability makes him hesitant to act on his feelings.
Over the course of the story, William works through his insecurities, learning to express his emotions more directly. The way he initially hides his love, coupled with his quiet nature, adds layers to his character as someone who has internalized societal and professional pressures.
His relationship with Nina becomes a journey of emotional honesty, where he must overcome his own self-doubt to express his desires.
Claudia Ko
Claudia Ko, Nina’s best friend, plays an important role in both the plot and the emotional development of the two main characters. Claudia is intelligent and often absentminded, particularly when it comes to reading social cues.
She has a playful and open demeanor, which contrasts with Nina’s more cautious nature. While Nina is convinced that Claudia is involved with William, Claudia is actually quite aware of William’s feelings for Nina.
Rather than keeping this knowledge to herself, she takes it upon herself to guide William in his attempts to confess his emotions. Claudia’s role as a catalyst is crucial in the way she unknowingly fuels Nina’s doubts, making the eventual revelation between Nina and William all the more impactful.
Despite her perceived involvement with William, Claudia’s true focus is on supporting her friends. Her role highlights the importance of communication and the way misinterpretation of intentions can lead to emotional confusion.
Ruth
Ruth, the demanding and often antagonistic boss of the “Mincemeat Treats” marketing team, represents the exploitation of workers within a corporate structure. She enforces strict rules that disregard the well-being of her employees, such as requiring Nina and William to continue their work despite the blizzard that traps them in the Mincemobile.
Ruth’s character is a symbolic representation of the broader challenges that Nina and William face as adjunct professors, where their work is often undervalued and their labor is exploited for minimal reward. Her presence in the story highlights the theme of corporate greed and the lack of care for employees’ personal lives, especially during the holidays.
Ruth serves as an external antagonist, but her role also emphasizes the internal struggles that Nina and William face within their professional lives. Though her behavior is not overtly malicious, her relentless demands are emblematic of the emotional toll that underpaid, overworked academics endure.
Themes
Miscommunication and the Complexities of Assumptions in Love and Relationships
One of the central themes of All by My Elf is the role of miscommunication and the complex web of assumptions that can shape romantic relationships. Nina, the protagonist, harbors a deep attraction for her colleague William, but her assumptions about his feelings for Claudia, her best friend, lead her to believe that her affections are unreciprocated.
The tension is compounded by the fact that William, who secretly adores Nina, never openly expresses his feelings, leading to a series of misunderstandings. The game of “Never Have I Ever” that Nina and William play during their forced night together serves as a metaphor for the release of these pent-up emotions and the breaking down of barriers.
This reveals a critical aspect of the story—how unspoken feelings, if left to fester, can create distance between people who otherwise have a deep connection. The theme explores how assumptions, driven by insecurity and lack of communication, can prevent individuals from recognizing love even when it’s right in front of them.
The Emotional and Financial Struggles of Adjunct Professors in an Unforgiving Academic System
The precariousness of adjunct life is another poignant theme in All by My Elf, illustrating the emotional and financial toll it takes on people like Nina and William. Both characters struggle with the instability that comes with being non-tenured academics, relying on side jobs like the Mincemobile to make ends meet.
This financial strain highlights the broader issue of exploitation within academia, where hard-working individuals are often underpaid and overworked. Nina and William’s shared experience of navigating the adjunct system becomes a defining feature of their relationship, as it connects them on a deeper level beyond just romantic attraction.
It underscores the emotional exhaustion that comes with feeling stuck in an unfulfilling system and how this struggle can affect personal growth and relationships. The seasonal job that Nina takes on, as ridiculous as it may seem, symbolizes the ways in which people, especially in academia, must take on additional work to survive and feel valued, even when the work itself is unfulfilling.
Challenging Conventional Beauty Standards and Embracing Body Positivity in Romantic Narratives
Another significant theme in All by My Elf is body positivity, which is intricately woven into the narrative of Nina and William’s romance. Nina is portrayed as a curvy woman who embraces her size and refuses to conform to traditional beauty standards.
However, despite her self-assurance, she struggles with the belief that someone as attractive as William could genuinely be interested in her. This internal conflict reflects a deeper societal issue where larger bodies are often excluded from the traditional romantic ideal, creating a sense of unworthiness in many individuals.
William, on the other hand, is depicted as someone who adores Nina’s physical form, and his affection for her challenges these societal norms. His love for her isn’t limited by her size but is based on a deeper emotional and intellectual connection.
This theme offers a refreshing perspective on love and desire, reinforcing the idea that romantic attraction is not bound by superficial standards and that genuine affection transcends body type or societal expectations.
The Transformative Power of Christmas and the Concept of Found Family in Overcoming Loneliness
Christmas plays a crucial role in All by My Elf as both a literal and symbolic backdrop for the characters’ emotional growth. Nina feels isolated during the holidays, especially since her biological family is far away, and the festive season accentuates her loneliness.
However, as the story unfolds, she finds solace and connection with her best friend Claudia and William, forming a new kind of family. The theme of found family emphasizes the warmth and emotional support that can be found in chosen relationships, which are just as meaningful, if not more so, than those dictated by blood.
The shared experience of being stuck in the Mincemobile during a snowstorm acts as a metaphor for how life’s most challenging moments can lead to unexpected forms of connection and intimacy. This theme also explores the healing power of love and companionship during a time that is typically associated with joy and togetherness.
It highlights the idea that the holidays are not just about familial bonds but also about creating new relationships that fill emotional gaps and bring people closer.
Emotional Vulnerability, Growth, and the Journey Toward Open Communication in Romantic Relationships
The theme of emotional vulnerability and growth is intricately explored throughout All by My Elf, particularly through the characters of Nina and William. Both of them begin the story with a degree of emotional armor—Nina, due to her past divorce and insecurities about her body, and William, due to his fear of rejection and the professional pressures of academia.
Over the course of the story, both characters are pushed out of their emotional comfort zones. William, who has been silently pining for Nina, finally musters the courage to confess his feelings, while Nina begins to shed her doubts about his affection.
Their emotional evolution is depicted with tenderness and care, illustrating how love requires both individuals to be open and vulnerable in order to form a deeper connection. The pivotal moment of clarity comes during their forced proximity in the Mincemobile, where the snowstorm forces them to confront their true emotions.
This theme emphasizes the importance of open communication and emotional honesty in relationships, showing how true intimacy can only flourish when both individuals are willing to reveal their innermost feelings without fear of judgment.