The Devil on the Christmas Tree and Other Stories

The Night Before Christmas, a witch and a devil. We've heard this somewhere before.
Or not?
Christmas Eve. St. Petersburg is drowning in snow and pre-holiday hustle. But titular councilor Akaki Agapovich, a modest devil from the Synod, has no time to admire the illumination. He has an urgent, and downright devilishly unpleasant task: the oldest witch in the capital, Melanya Stuk, has died without turning in her eight serving demons to the treasury. And her wandering soul has escaped, threatening to become a Christmas nightmare for the entire city.