Catherine pushed open the door, carrying the large dusty box in front of her as she walked down the hall. Nodding to her co-workers, she continued her journey, not letting anyone distract her from her destination. “Hello,” she called as she stepped into the dark office.

“Catherine, what are you…” Gil paused, looking at the calendar before glancing back at the box in Catherine’s hand. “Don’t tell me.”

“It’s the first of December. You know what that means.”

“Can’t we do this later?” Gil motioned to the papers on his desk, hope evident on his face.

“You ask that every year. Haven’t you learned that you can’t deter me?” She moved across the room and set the box down on top of the papers on his desk.

“What are you doing?”

Catherine shot an annoyed glance in Gil’s direction before opening the box. “I’m doing what I do every year, so get up and help me.”

Tossing his pen on his desk, he stood up, looking at the familiar items as Catherine took them out of the box. Pushing his chair back, he rounded the desk, joining her on the other side. “Same place as always?”

Catherine nodded, glancing towards Gil.

Gil glanced back, removing the chair near the door before leaving the room. Minutes later he returned, the box in his hands rivaling the one Catherine had entered with earlier. He set the box on the floor, kneeling over it and opening the box.

“Don’t start without me.” Catherine stopped working at the desk and moved across the room, sitting on the floor next to Gil.

The two worked together in comfortable silence, both handing items to the other as needed, humming to the familiar songs that filled the office. Once the box had been separated, they shifted slightly, moving closer to each other. Gil snapped the base together as Catherine gathered the largest branches, handing them one at a time to Gil as needed. They continued working in tandem, rising to their knees as they progressed before needing to stand. Catherine continued handing Gil the branches, watching as their work slowly transformed into their familiar Christmas tree.

Unwinding the string of lights, Gil first checked to make sure they all worked, then proceeded, with Catherine’s help, to wind them around the tree. After the lights were in place, Catherine moved to the outlet to insert the plug into the electrical socket.

Standing back, Catherine let the smile come to her face, the memories of past Christmas’s filling her mind. She shifted her focus to Gil, watching as he tried to hide his smile. She watched as he turned away from the tree, moving over to the box and reaching inside for a smaller container. Raising the lid, he pushed aside the tissue paper and revealed the delicate ornaments lying within. She walked over to him, reaching for the angel that always graced the tree as the first ornament. Testing the string and ensuring it was still firmly attached to the ornament, she pulled gently, freeing the ornament from its confines and moving to the tree. Keeping with tradition, she hung the angel prominently on the tree and waited to Gil to move beside her. He didn’t disappoint.

*~*~*~*~*

Gil stood back, his head resting on the top of Catherine’s as the two watched the tree twinkling before them. “Did you get the new one?” Gil felt Catherine’s head nod in positive response to his question, and reluctantly let her free to retrieve the item. Within minutes, he was reaching for the box Catherine held before him, gently pulling off the lid to reveal their newest treasure. He smiled as he pulled out the jewel encrusted butterfly ornament.

“Where did you find this?”

“I‘ve got my sources.”

He shot Catherine a look before handing the ornament over to her. “I thought we set a limit on…”

Catherine pointed to the ornament Gil had purchased the year before and raised her eyebrow in question. “Are you trying to tell me that you didn‘t go over our limit last year?”

He raised his hands in surrender before answering Catherine. “OK… point taken.”

A smile slowly appeared on her face as she moved closer to the tree, carefully placing the ornament on a branch.

Gil handed the angel to Catherine, moving behind the desk and rolling his chair across the room. Placing his foot on one of the legs to hold the chair in place, he held his hand out to her.

“Thanks,” Catherine said as she stepped onto the chair, leaning over and placing the angel on the top of the tree. “It’s beautiful.”

“It really is,” Gil agreed, carefully turning the chair and putting his hands on Catherine’s waist to steady her as she jumped down from the chair.

“Thanks.”

He stepped forward, his hands slipping around to her back as he moved into her personal space.

“Gil?” She watched as he moved closer still, the twinkling Christmas lights casting small shadows on his face.

His face inched nearer and taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and closed the distance, his lips gently caressing hers before pulling apart moments later.

She looked up, not needing to voice the question written across her face.

“Thanks for continually making me see the world outside of work. For making me lift my head from the microscope.” He paused, watching the emotions flicker across her face. “Merry Christmas, Catherine.”

“Merry Christmas, Gil.”

~finis~