@Phil: Initial story idea

•  A key can really be anything, as long as it unlocks something, and given context for where the key is and the theme of the story. So in design it could have sci-fi elements, or a Christmas theme element to it. 
• I thought of Christmas toys that have mechanisms to them, and settled on a snow globe, so maybe one with a special feature.
•  I turned it around, so now the Snow globe is the thing being unlocked, because it is a room in the Space Station. The station could be a present outpost and lookout for Santa while he's on delivery, if he forgets to pack certain presents or if he forgets to visit a country. 
• The plot could be centered around an Elf who is in charge of the remote station in space. He could be unpopular with the other Elves because he's more of a career Elf and more focused on efficiency then embracing the Christmas cheer. 
• So the story idea is Santa coming to visit the Space Station while on his rounds and gets stuck in the visiting drop-off area themed around a snow globe. The main conflict of the story could be around the Elf trying to unlock the door to the snow globe, which I see is designed deliberately and annoyingly to unlock to someone in the Christmas spirit. I sort of see him having access to a key card or something that would normally unlock the door, but it's been deliberately disabled by someone who is trying to force him to be cheerful, as there is another way to open the door, by singing 'Jingle Bells' or another irritatingly cheerful song, which would be the true 'Key'. I see the resolution of the story being the Elf having to swallow his pride to save Santa, and in doing so is rewarded by being taken seriously in his objections to everything designed by Elves to have a Christmas theme because it can cause bizarre safety risks.