In snowy Quebec City, where streetlamps illuminate streets lined with glittering snowflakes, TechSolstice is preparing to close its offices for the Christmas vacations. The christmas tree is decorated, the electric tinsel pulsates rhythmically, and the employees’ screens display their last connections before the long-awaited break.
In the meeting room, a large, glittering Christmas tree stands by the window. CEO Éliane Lambert raises her glass of champagne.
— Here’s to an exceptional year! Here’s to our successes and resolutions for 2025!
Applause and laughter fill the room, warming the atmosphere. Clara, the cloud computing expert, hands a present to Antonio, the infrastructure manager, nicknamed “Tonio” by everyone.
— A little something for you, Tonio. Merry Christmas!
Antonio bursts out laughing.
— Thanks, Clara! But you know there’s no gift that can beat what I got last year… that beautiful coffee mug with “IT Hero” written on it!
The jokes are still flying when a shrill noise interrupts the party. One by one, the screens turn black before displaying a message in red:
Warning: a critical bug threatens your systems and those of your customers. Impact expected in six hours. Ho-Ho-Ho!”
An icy silence falls…
A silence as heavy as the snow covering the city. Glances are exchanged…worried. Clara is the first to break the silence.
— Is this a joke? A viral marketing stunt?
Éliane frowns, her instincts telling her there’s something fishy going on.
— Tonio, check the security protocols. Clara, inspect the databases. I want an analysis in 30 minutes.
The laughter has died down, replaced by the clatter of keyboards. The tension in the room is palpable. Antonio finally looks up from his screen, his complexion livid.
— This isn’t a drill. This bug is real, and it’s synchronized to hit all our customer databases at the same time.
Clara, concentrating on her terminal, adds:
— This script… it’s old. It’s been dormant for years. How did we not detect this before?
Éliane straightens up, her face serious. She’s always been able to keep her cool in a crisis.
— There’s no room for regret now. We’re mobilizing resources. Clara, contact our partners and ask for reinforcements. Tonio, prepare the crisis room.
Reinforcements arrive
An hour later, as the clock strikes 8pm, the situation room is buzzing with activity.
– Oliver, from Nova DBA, undisputed master of databases, arrives with a serene air and a suitcase of high-performance tools.
– Esther, an IT infrastructure specialist from Oriso, a true strategist and expert in predictive maintenance, is also on board…
Clara summarizes the situation in front of a whiteboard covered with diagrams.
— The bug seems to be linked to a script coded internally ten years ago. But there’s something more… strange. Look at this signature: “Santa Claus”.
Oliver frowns.
— A sleeping script? That’s dangerous. If it’s badly written, it could corrupt all the cascading bases. We’ve got to act fast.
Éliane sighs…
— Why now? Why this timing, on Christmas Eve?
Then Esther, inspecting the servers, raises her head.
— The code isn’t static. It’s evolving. As if it’s learning… or responding to something.
A silence fills the room. Clara murmurs:
— This is no ordinary joke.
A mysterious Christmas apparition
Just as the team is getting down to business, someone knocks on the door. It’s a man dressed in a red coat embroidered with star motifs, with a luminous tablet in his hands.
— Good evening,” he says in a soft, soothing voice. I am Nicolas, guardian of the forgotten systems.
Stupor is painted on everyone’s faces. Tonio, incredulous, murmurs:
— Is this a joke?
Nicolas raises his hand, a benevolent smile on his lips.
— Don’t panic. This bug is a relic left by a prankster developer, a tribute to Christmas. But it has evolved and now threatens your systems. If we don’t neutralize it before midnight, the consequences will be irreversible.
Despite their doubts, the team senses a strange confidence emanating from this Nicolas.
The three challenges
Guided by Nicolas, they set out to face three challenges, each more complex than the last:
1- The forest of lost logs
System logs were scattered and fragmented across obsolete servers. With the help of Oliver from Nova DBA, they reassemble the fragments to identify the source of the script. It was here that an anomaly appeared: a hidden, encrypted, unlisted file.
2- The permissions maze
The file was protected by obsolete permissions. Esther restructured the accesses, but each time the file was modified, the script reacted, as if trying to defend itself. Clara proposes a daring solution: create a mirror permission to fool the script.
— It might work,” says Esther. But it’s risky.
They give it a try… and it works!
The signature challenge
The bug can only be removed by validating the “Santa” signature. But the system refuses to recognize it. Éliane called on eZsign, an electronic validation platform. After a thorough check, it confirms the authenticity of the signature.
The clock strikes midnight when the systems return to normal. TechSolstice’s customers were never aware of the crisis that almost disrupted their operations. Before disappearing, Nicolas addresses the team with a smile:
— Take care of your systems. And remember… Even in IT, a little magic can work wonders.
The magic of Christmas
The team members and their valiant reinforcements, exhausted but happy, decide to celebrate their success by improvising a little Christmas party in the office. Around the meeting room’s Christmas tree, they share champagne, hot chocolates, petits fours and cookies in the shape of Bonhomme Carnaval, laughing about the evening’s adventures.
Then one last unexpected event occurs. A holographic screen is suddenly activated in the center of the room. Nicolas’s face briefly appears. “TechSolstice, thanks to your team spirit and dedication, you’ve saved Christmas for your customers and proved that the magic of this holiday lies not only in gifts, but in support and collaboration. Now, enjoy this special night of celebration and rest.”
The legacy of the midnight bug
To mark the moment, TechSolstice CEO Éliane Lambert takes the stage to quiet the hubbub and share an idea close to her heart. “Every year, on Christmas Eve, we’ll pledge to help a local organization or SME in the region meet a technological challenge. It’s our way of giving back to this community that inspires us so much.”
To inaugurate this new tradition, the team, at Tonio’s suggestion, chose to collaborate with a Quebec City artisan workshop specializing in the creation of wooden ornaments. Together, they will set up a simple and efficient digital system to manage their orders, whether local or international. This initiative will quickly become the talk of the region, reinforcing TechSolstice’s reputation as a key player, both innovative and supportive, for local businesses.
And sometimes, a red bonnet…
Since last night, every member of the TechSolstice team keeps a special little icon on their desk: a pixelated red bonnet. Some say it mysteriously appears after critical updates.
And in brightly lit Old Quebec, the shop windows on Rue Saint-Jean cheerfully reflect the holiday spirit, while on Place d’Youville, not far from their offices, families glide merrily on the outdoor skating rink. It’s a magical Christmas, a reminder that, even in the world of IT, a gesture of caring can illuminate far more than a screen.
Merry magical holiday season to all from the TechSolstice and ExoB2B team!
