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Story Notes:
Just a little fluffy ensemble piece which is obviously a poor substitute for a real Christmas episode. Oh, Office, how I miss you!


Michael walks into the office, forty-five minutes late but in what can only be described as an overly cheerful mood. It is the Friday before Christmas, and there is a big snowstorm predicted for later in the day. He starts to ramble about how excited he is for this afternoon's Christmas party, when Pam interrupts him.

"Michael, they're predicting like more than a foot of snow this afternoon. I think maybe you should think about letting everyone leave before it hits."

He immediately shakes his head. "Noooo... Nah... it's going to turn out to be nothing. These weather guys are wrong all the time." He pauses, sucks in a breath. "Are you going to let Al Roker tell you what to do? Or Chet Montgomery? Ugh. He's the worst. Don't listen to him, Pam." He heads toward his office.

"No, Michael, seriously, it is going to - "

"Nope. Nooope. Don't want to hear it. It will be fine. Come on, Pam, it's our Christmas party! You can't cancel Christmas. That would be very Grinch-like of you."

Now Jim steps in. "Michael, have you actually watched the weather reports? This could be the biggest storm we've had in years..."

"It's only December!" Michael snaps. "Big storms don't happen in December. So don't... get your panties in a wad. We'll be fine."

~~
Michael: I don't know why these people put so much faith in these "weather men." [he uses air quotes] I mean, I could be a weather man. All you have to do is stand there and say, "It's going to snow" with authority, and people believe it. And then when it doesn't snow, no one holds it against you. Well, they should, because you are a liar.
~~

Jim stands at the reception desk, smiling down at Pam.

"So what should we do?" he asks, taking a mini-candy cane from the new holiday candy dish.

"He's not going to let us go," Pam replies, shaking her head.

"Maybe he'll change his mind - "

He is interrupted by Kevin, who had suddenly appeared next to him. "Hey, is Michael going to let us leave early if it snows?"

Jim opens his mouth to answer, but Angela starts yelling before he can get a word out.

"We are NOT canceling this party!" she proclaims. "I have worked hard for the past two weeks making sure this party goes off without a hitch after last year's fiasco with that Karen girl, and I am not going to have that all thrown out the window because of a little snow!"

Everyone stares as she flounces away to the kitchen.

~~
Angela: I am head of the Party Planning Committee, and the Christmas party is the event of the year. I will not stand for anyone trying to sabotage it, especially since this Christmas is my first without... Sprinkles.
~~

Andy is in the kitchen, putting something in the fridge. Angela comes in carrying a pan of her famous brownies.

"Hey there, princess, did you see the weather -"

She turns and glares at him, slamming the brownie pan onto the counter.

"What do you want, Andy? I suppose you're going to say it's going to snow ten feet and we should go home now at nine forty-five in the morning because we may just get a dusting of snow on the ground and God forbid anyone has to drive home in the snow."

"Um, I was just seeing if you wanted any help, with the party?" He looks at her expectantly. She frowns, rolls her eyes, and walks away, into the ladies room.

Andy shuffles back to his desk, unsure of what exactly he had done wrong, but he soon forgets about it as he sees Michael gesturing for him to come in the office.

"Did you get the stuff?" Michael asks him.

"Yes indeedy!" Andy replies. "Vodka, rum, Southern Comfort, and five gallons of egg nog. They'll never know what hit them."

"Excellent!" Michael says, in his best Mr. Burns voice.

~~
Michael: Okay, so technically we're not allowed to serve alcohol. But we've done it under the radar the last two years, and the fun level just goes way up when there's booze flowing. So anyway, I had Andy go to the liquor store for me because I didn't want Jan to drink everything before we left the house.
~~

In Michael's office, he is talking to Jan on the speakerphone.

"What do you mean you're not coming?"

"Michael, we're going to get two feet of snow. I'm not going out in that. In fact, since I have the car I'll have to come get you soon - "

"No, no, no," he argues. "The snow is not going to amount to anything. The show must go on. We're not canceling Christmas."

"Michael, you're being unreasonable. And you're not canceling Christmas, you're canceling the Christmas party that no one likes anyway."

"How can you say that? I mean, last year Stanley did karaoke, Jan. Stanley."

She sighs. "Do you want me to come get you now, yes or no? Because once it starts snowing, you're on your own."

"It's not going to snow," he insists.

"Fine, I'll talk to you later," she replies. He hangs up and shakes his head with disgust.

Meanwhile, Jim and Pam are in the breakroom, enjoying their first mid-morning snack.

"So have you given any thought to what we talked about?" Jim asks, looking down at his carrot sticks.

Pam sighs. "It's not that I don't want to live with you," she says. "It's just that this has been the only time of my life that I've lived alone, and..."

"You don't want to give that up," he finished for her.

"Jim - "

"No, I get it. I understand." He makes a show of looking at his watch, and stands up. "We should get back to work."

She calls his name again as he walks out of the breakroom, but he keeps going.

~~
Pam: Jim thinks we should move in together. Which would be great, don't get me wrong, but... Okay, I lived with Roy for years and I always thought we would be married eventually, and... I don't know, I just can't explain.
~~
Jim: Yeah, I asked Pam to move in with me. We spend every night together anyway. I mean, well... And there are practical reasons why it's a good idea, like saving on rent. But I guess living with Roy all that time kind of took away her zeal for cohabitating. [he chuckles bitterly]
~~

Jim sits down back at his desk and watches Dwight type furiously on his computer. Dwight seems unusually quiet.

"So you got any big plans for the holiday? You and Mose going to do some beet sculpting - "

"I am not in the mood to be mocked, Jim. As a matter of fact, I will be spending the Christmas holiday here in the office, working as usual."

"How can you possibly sell paper if there are no customers working that day to sell it to?" Jim prods.

"Duh. Synagogues." He rolls his eyes and goes back to typing.

~~
Dwight: I call Rabbi Hellerman every year on Christmas Day. Except for the years where Christmas accidentally coincides with Hanukkah, in which case I wait until New Year's Day.

~~

Chapter End Notes:
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

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