It was Friday afternoon, two weeks before Christmas. He could hear Kelly's voice in the kitchen even while sitting at his desk. He already had been having difficulty concentrating on work because Dwight was barking orders to those putting up the Christmas ornaments, so Jim got up and headed for the kitchen. He knew Pam was in there as well, and being in a charitable mood, thought maybe she needed some saving from Kelly.

"So you aren't even going to put up a tree this year?" Kelly asked, clearly astounded at this news.

"Well, I might get a small artificial tree," Pam was explaining. "But I just don't have
anyone to help me get a huge tree into my apartment."

"But I thought you were telling me last month about how much you love having a real live pine tree in your house for Christmas," Kelly interupted.

Pam nodded. "Yes, I do, but it's just not possible this year."

"I know," Kelly said excitedly, "Ryan can help! I'm sure he'd be glad to go out and get a tree for you. I could come too and we could make it a party!"

Jim had said nothing up to this point, but Pam had noticed him come in and was now looking at him as if to say Please make this stop. "I can help you get a tree," Jim said, breaking into Kelly's holiday fantasy.

Pam jumped at his offer. "That would be great, Jim. Thanks." She stood up and threw her empty yogurt pot in the trash. "See, Kelly? Problem solved." She quickly walked out of the kitchen before Kelly could suggest anything else.

Jim bought a grape soda and went back to his desk. He found an email from Pam waiting: Thanks for preventing the worst Christmas disaster since Tickle Me Elmo. Don't worry, I don't plan on holding you to your offer. Thanks again, Pam

Jim frowned slightly. He hadn't quite expected Pam to so easily dismiss his help. True, his offer had been prompted by her silent plea. And he wouldn't wish an afternoon of Kelly and Ryan Christmas decorating on anyone. But he wouldn't have made the offer if he found the prospect completely distasteful.

His relationship with Pam seemed to be ever-so-slowly warming back up since their accidental meeting Thanksgiving weekend. They'd started to sit next to each other during office meetings again, and if they found each other taking lunch at the same time lately, well it didn't feel nearly as awkward as it use to for him.

He'd spent enough Christmases around Pam to know that a live Christmas tree really was a big deal to her. He knew how her family always had one when she was growing up, and how she used to argue with Roy to get one every year when she was living with him. This was going to be the first Christmas on her own, and he knew how extra important it would be for her to have a real tree there. The part of him that excelled at playing the wounded cynic thought it was really none of his business, but lately he'd been quite good about shutting that part of his psyche down. It was Christmas, after all, and while he didn't know anything about her holiday plans yet, the way she'd spent Thanksgiving still haunted him. Helping her get the tree she wanted was such a little inconvenience in comparison to how happy he knew it would make her.

He waited until he was getting ready to leave to approach her desk. "I know what you said in your email," he began, "but I stand by what I said. I want you to get a live tree."

She shook her head as if to refuse him again, but he cut her off. "Why can't I do this for you?" he asked, baring his feelings more than perhaps he had intended.

She stared at him for a moment and then stood up. "I'm sorry if I seem ungrateful," she said sincerely. "I just didn't want you to feel obligated. If you really want to help I would love to get a tree."

Jim's smile came freely. "When did you want to get one?"

"Is anytime this weekend good for you?"

"How about tonight?"

"Tonight?" Pam looked surprised. "Yeah, tonight's okay."

"Good. I know just the place to go."

Leaving work, Jim followed Pam to her apartment, where he helped her make room for the tree. She'd already put up some twinkle lights around her front windows and had garland hanging from the walls. It was the first time he'd ever been in her apartment and instead of feeling out of place, he felt immediately comfortable there. He felt a little sorry it had taken so long to finally see it, but he kept that thought to himself.

She let him drive her new car to a Christmas tree farm about 20 miles outside of Scranton. It was already dark by the time they'd arrived, and so they settled on picking out a tree from those in the barn that had been freshly cut. They engaged in friendly bickering on which tree would be a better fit, but in the end Pam agreed on Jim's choice: a tall blue spruce that Pam feared would be too tall but not full enough.

"If you are having such a problem with it, why are we getting it?" He teased.

"Because it reminds me of you," she retorted. He really didn't understand what in the world she meant by that, but for some reason her reply made him happy.

Once Jim wrestled the tree onto the roof of her car and they drove it back, he wrestled the tree off of the roof of her car and into her apartment. He struggled with the tree as they got it into the base, making sure it was standing straight. He added the water and reminded her to replenish it daily. By the time it was done and standing majestically in her small apartment, Jim was covered in a multitude of pine needle scratches. Pam ordered pizza as a small token of her thanks and even applied ointment to a few scratches on his forearms. They sat on the floor of her living room, eating pizza and admiring her new tree.

"Thank you so much," she said. "It's just beautiful."

He nodded. "Couldn't let you go a Christmas without a real tree, Beesly, now could I?"

She just smiled, a look in her eyes that Jim hesitated to examine too closely. A look that made his heart beat a little faster in spite of himself. Even now he couldn't bear take anything for granted.

As he was getting ready to leave her apartment, Pam touched his arm, and surprised him by wrapping her arms around him in a big hug. He allowed himself to hug her back. She smelled so good, felt so warm and soft, that he wished time could stop in just that instance forever. He walked to his car feeling a bit lightheaded at the words she had said as he left.

"I'm sorry for a lot of things," she had whispered in his ear, "but I'm not sorry you had to come back to Scranton."