This story is very loosely based on the movie "For Christmas"; in fact it has nothing in common with it at all apart from the characters which are a creation of the superbly talented Martha Williamson.

I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I loved writing it. Thanks for all your lovely comments and support. Thanks to Rhonda as well. ;)

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The First Christmas

The Christmas period was definitely stressful for the post office. The season of joy was rapidly turning into the season of snappy, curt responses and bad moods for everybody. The sorting floor perhaps suffered more than most, as Glynis Rucker was a relentless supervisor who acted like an angry army lieutenant.

The POstables tried to stay hidden away, tucked inside their island of peace. Thank goodness Oliver was the complete opposite of Glynis. Hazel often found refuge there as she was quickly becoming a regular joiner in Shane and Rita's regular weekend shopping activities. Hazel was funny, often saying the most absurd things that made them all laugh hysterically. They were all looking forward to the postal ball and a few days off afterwards to recover from the Christmas madness. "Have you got family in Denver, Hazel?" Shane asked. "Oh yes, I'm the 5th in a family of 7 children. They are all married now with the exception of the youngest who is engaged and of course, me." Hazel sighed looking down at a bowl of ice cream she brought back from lunch. "Honestly, I'm getting so tired of their jokes and the pity I feel from mom and dad at every family gathering. If I had another place to go, I'd most definitely go there instead. I'd just love to take a break from all of them. I'm sick of being humiliated." Shane and Rita looked at each other rather surprised. It was unlike her to have such an outburst, but most of all, they were struck by the obvious bitterness in her tone. Hazel always seemed so happy and the epitome of easy-going. Rita, with her kind heart didn't hesitate for a second before she blurted out. "Well, you have a place to go now. You're coming with me to Albuquerque to spend Christmas and a few days with me and my folks." Hazel blinked as if awakening from a nap. "What? Are you sure, Rita? I'd hate to inconvenience you." Rita dismissed her concerns. "No inconvenience at all. It will be my pleasure and I know you will add to the fun, of course."

Shane, who had been quietly listening to this exchange, suddenly interrupted excitedly, "Wait girls, why don't we all go to the beach resort I'm going to in Georgia? It's a family resort, very affordable and quite remote. We will not be surrounded by millions of holiday makers and the 3 of us will have such fun." Rita and Hazel looked at each other pondering this new idea. "Wow! Really?" Hazel was, all of a sudden, very excited. "What a crazy idea. I love it. I'm in. How about you, Rita?" Rita stayed silent for a few seconds, thinking... and then she spoke, "This is an awesome idea, but I'd like to go one step further." She focused on Shane, and then she said slowly looking at her. "Oliver will spend his second Christmas all alone. Last year I was beside myself seeing him so sad. This year I'm angry that his situation has not changed." She then looked at both her girlfriends who were listening without interrupting, so she continued. "I'd like to invite him and Norman to join us, even if it's only for a few days. What do you think?" Shane nodded thoughtfully, "This is perfect Rita, but do you think he would agree to join us? You know how strict he is about any appearance of impropriety." Rita nodded, "Yes, he is very strict but I think he would consider it. If we can say Norman and Hazel will join us, there'd be no question that it's no more than just a bunch of friends celebrating the Christmas holidays together." Shane thought for a moment, "Yes, you're right. Ok then, let's ask both of them, let's do it together, the 3 of us." She then put her hand out, palm down and the other two placed their hands on top of hers making a pact. They laughed excitedly, already planning the holiday trip in their heads.

Oliver was feeling tired and completely disinterested in the Christmas rush. All he wanted to do was skip the entire holiday season and wake up once it was over. Christmas was without a doubt when he felt the loneliest. He wondered what Holly was doing and how she would be spending her Christmas. "What difference does it make to you how she spends her Christmas?" he muttered under his breath, feeling the anger that continued to rise inside him every time he thought of her. It had been 3 months since he sent the letter to her on that miserable wet night, but so far no word back from her. He was starting to resent her most deeply. He arrived at the DLO that Monday morning and for a change, all 3 of his staff members were already at work. He looked at his pocket watch, 7:55. He was not late, in fact he was 5 minutes early and so were they. "Good morning, everyone. Good to see you all here bright and early, working hard already." "Good morning, Oliver." All 3 responded in unison. Even before he had a chance to take off his coat, Hazel walked in and said happily "Hi you guys, are we read?" They all looked at her and then Shane, Rita and Norman walked towards her and turned back to face Oliver. Shane cleared her throat and started. "Oliver, we have an invitation for you from all 4 of us." He looked intrigued. "Oh, what is it, Ms. McInerney?" "We made reservations at a Georgia family beach resort for all 5 of us between the 24th and 28th of December. Two cabins. One for you and Norman, and one for us, girls." Oliver looked at them completely confused. "What? What are you talking about Ms. McInerney?" He looked at her as if she was speaking Greek. "Exactly what you heard. We are all going to have a few days off to holiday together and you are coming with us. Reservations are already made, including the flights and we're not taking no for an answer." Oliver sat down and looked blankly at them. Norman then walked towards him and played the ace card, "Oliver, if you don't come with us, I can't go with them. And I really want to go. Please come." Oliver slowly looked up at each one of them considering his options. What did he have to consider? He thought. Either he'd spend the holidays alone reading a book by the fire with no one to share even a meal with or he'd be with people who loved him in a beach resort enjoying good laughs and good company. He cleared his throat and said, "Well, Norman we can't have that. We either all go or none of us goes." He then looked at Shane and said, "You're very persuasive Ms. McInerney. Ok, I'm in." All 4 of them burst into cheers and started to high five each other as Glynis walked in. She looked directly at Oliver and asked, "What's going on here?" Hazel literally ran out as fast as she could, and Oliver just said "Good morning, Glynis. How can we help you this morning?"

The week passed in a blur of commotion! Before they knew it, the postal ball was upon them, happening on the evening of the 22nd. They had a fantastic time. Shane and Rita were the belles of the ball. They danced the night away. Oliver and Shane could not have had more fun if they tried. They were just stunning together, dancing the dance they had rehearsed many months earlier. They couldn't take their eyes off each other. The night seemed to be over too quickly. Oliver gave Shane a ride home at the end of the night. As he parked by the curb, he looked into her eyes and said "Thank you, Ms. McInerney for the pleasant evening. I had a very enjoyable time." Shane smiled, pleased "Thank you Oliver, I had loads of fun." On the spur of the moment, he grabbed her hand and kissed it. She was stunned and just looked at him. The electricity of their touch was almost paralyzing to their poor hearts. Eventually he let her hand go and said "Well, I'll see you tomorrow." He then got out of the car, opened her door for her and offering her his arm, he walked her up the steps to her front door. "Good night, Oliver and thank you." At that moment, the desire to kiss her was almost overwhelming. Oliver swallowed hard and just nodded. He stepped backwards, said one last good night and turned to go home. Ms. McInerney was taking over every waking moment inside his head.

The next day was their last day before they left for Georgia. They were all very excited! The day crawled along but it finally ended. They'd agreed to meet at the airport the next day at 6:30am. They were all there ready to go well ahead of time as their excitement was palpable. They were like children waiting for Christmas. They had time for a quick cup of coffee before boarding the plane. Even Oliver loosened up and was more talkative than usual. Once on board, Oliver automatically gravitated towards Shane and took a seat next to her before anyone else had a chance to grab it. The other 3 were left to organise themselves as Oliver was definitely on holiday and couldn't care less what they did. 3 and half hours later, they landed in Savannah, Georgia. They caught a courtesy van to the Jekyll Island resort which was another 90 minutes away. The whole drive followed along the oceanfront! As people who lived in a landlocked state, they loved every minute of it. The moment they arrived at the resort, they looked at each other as if they had won the lottery. The cabins, although not luxurious, were most comfortable, very tidy and very clean. And the best part? They were just a few feet from the sand dunes and the beach.

Immediately they got into holiday mode. It was just past 1:30pm and the first activity was to grab lunch. They quickly changed out of their Denver winter clothes and into their holiday attire. They all met in the cafe, ordered lunch and started to bounce around ideas on how to best spend their time. Shane wanted to lie on the beach the whole time and get a tan. Rita wanted to explore the nearby walking trails. Hazel wanted to lay by the swimming pool which had a bar island in the middle. Oliver wanted to lie on a beach chair under an umbrella on the beach with a book and sip pina coladas and Norman could be convinced, one way or another. Unsurprisingly he decided to join Rita. For the rest of the day, they did exactly what they wanted. Shane and Oliver were sitting next to each other on the beach, but Oliver was under the umbrella. When Oliver saw Shane in a blue polka dot bikini, he was speechless for a few minutes. He was trying to focus on his book, but it was harder than he had anticipated. Before long Shane knew she needed to apply sunscreen and she asked Oliver to help her with it. He looked uncertain, almost like a deer caught in the headlights. She noticed his hesitation and how nervous he was. She laughed and said amused, "Oliver, I promise not to bite you." He was still looking at the bottle of sunscreen in her hand with an expression of panic on his face. "Would you rather see me burned to a crisp?" She said innocently batting her eyelashes. That seemed to help him decide. "Ok." he said, still looking as if this was the biggest ordeal he'd ever faced in his life. He grabbed the bottle and put a good dollop of cream in the palm of his hand. She sat on the edge of his chair and turned her back to him. He moved as far away as he could, trying not to touch her with his leg. She looked like a mermaid with her long blonde tresses streaming down her back, a temptress, he thought. She gathered her hair out of the way, exposing her shoulder and he started to rub the cream on her back. The moment he touched her, they both sucked in a breath as if they had been submerged in freezing water. The opposite in fact was true. The heat between them was more than just the result of the hot sun high in the sky. He managed to finish his task… although only God knows how he did it without completely messing it up.

The afternoon wore on lazily and they all relaxed with their different activities. They met for drinks and dinner later on and they all looked as if this had been the perfect day. They all compared activities and decided the next morning they would go for a long walk on the beach since it was Christmas Day. But before the night was over, they all ended up on the dance floor. There were lots of families and their kids enjoying themselves dancing the Macarena. Even Oliver joined in. By the end of the night, he confessed he'd had a marvellous time. They all laughed.

Christmas Day looked as if it was going to be bright and beautiful. It was hard to believe the top half of the country was buried in snow. Shane could hear the noise of the waves hitting the beach from her bed. She got up, put on a loose-fitting dress and quickly went over the sand dunes to watch the first rays of sunlight on this beautiful morning. She sat down enjoying the wild beauty of it and her solitude. "Good morning." She heard from behind her. She turned. There stood Oliver, gorgeous, with wet hair, in a pair of Bermuda shorts and a t-shirt with a bible in his hand. "Good morning, Oliver. How are you?" "I'm very well Ms. McInerney. Did you sleep well?" "Never better." She said. He took another step towards her and said, pointing down to the spot beside her, "Is this seat taken?" She smiled and said, "It's been reserved… for you." He looked at her and smiled, but he wanted to ask what she meant by that. He thought better of it for the moment, as it was safer not to know. She looked out to sea and said "Isn't this just wonderful?" He was still looking at her when he said "Yes, it's the most beautiful thing." She was so engrossed in the beauty around her she had no idea Oliver still hadn't taken his eyes off her. She asked him if he wanted to be left alone to read his bible to which he said, "I already have. I saw you coming down when I was finishing my quiet time." She smiled at him and said "Merry Christmas, Oliver." Then she leaned towards him and gave him a gentle kiss on his cheek. He looked surprised at first, then he smiled back and said, "Merry Christmas, Ms. McInerney."

Later, all 5 of them went for their long walk on the beach. By the time they returned to the resort, it was time for lunch. The day passed lazily with all of them talking and laughing, sitting on lounge chairs, enjoying pina coladas and sharing endless Christmas stories from their childhood. Hazel was by far the most entertaining with her endless stories of her and her 6 siblings. They had a glorious evening; the sunset was just stunning. It was just too beautiful to stay put so they decided to go off on another walk. They took marshmallows and lit a fire with driftwood to roast them. They were all like children and bonded together even more than they already had. By the time they returned, it was time to go to bed. It had been one of the most relaxing and enjoyable Christmas Days they ever had. They were all so grateful, first to God, then to each other.

The next morning, they all took their time enjoying breakfast and discussing what they were going to do that day. They decided to have a lazy day by the beach, playing games and just chilling. There had been a group of children throwing a football around while the POstables sat on beach chairs enjoying doing absolutely nothing. After a while the kids moved on to make sandcastles and left the ball behind. Norman and Rita got up and started throwing the ball to each other when Rita suggested they should play a proper game, boys against girls. Norman complained it was not fair, as there were more girls than boys. Oliver disputed that saying it was fair because they'd be better than the girls. Shane took offence with that and said, "Game on, Mr. O'Toole." So, they set the rules: no tackling, no cheating, no grabbing clothing or hair, no biting. They all laughed heartily but agreed and started playing. Oliver was right; the girls were hopeless, and the boys were just humiliating them, teasing them mercilessly while the girls ran around like headless chickens. At one point when Oliver was teasing Shane, waving the ball in front of her while lifting it just out of her reach, she said, "Ok, enough of this." She lowered her shoulder and rammed him pushing him backwards until he fell on his backside, bringing her down with him. They were laughing so hard, but still scrambling for the ball. She managed to grab it and started to get up and move away. Oliver composed himself enough to shout, "Hey you, come back here." She gave a little squeak when she realised he was coming after her. Still holding the ball, she took off towards the sand dunes, he was right behind her. She threw the ball aimlessly towards the others and picked up speed, but he wasn't going after the ball anymore. As she reached the sand dunes, he was right at her heels. He grabbed her by the waist and swung her around. They both went down and rolled to the other side of the dunes holding onto each other. When they stopped rolling, he pinned her down, fencing her in with one knee on each side and holding both her hands down on the ground above her head, he said breathlessly with laughter: "That's not how this game is played, Ms. McInerney!" He held her in place leaning over her, while she squealed trying to get free. He lowered himself a little more and said a little quieter, "You broke the rules, you need to pay." Suddenly they stopped laughing, he looked from her eyes to her lips, and it looked as if he was going to kiss her! He was on his way, their mouths just inches apart when Norman appeared at the top of the sand dunes and said, "Hey guys, the game is over here." The spell was broken. They looked completely surprised at each other as if asking "How on earth did we get here?" He let her go immediately and got up. She didn't move. She was still on her back looking up at him longingly; she didn't try to hide it. He looked at her intensely, hungrily... then he reached down and offered his hand to help her up. She took his hand and once on her feet, she said "I'm happy to pay for my rule breaking… Mr. O'Toole." He lowered his head towards her and said quietly, almost whispering, "Oh yes, I hope one day you will." Then he walked back to the beach. They carried on with the game until lunch time. After lunch, Hazel went for a nap, Norman and Rita decided they'd had enough sun and opted for a game of scrabble and Oliver and Shane went back for a swim. Once alone the flirting started up again and went up a notch. Shane kept throwing herself at him when the waves hit. They kept losing balance and going underwater. They would then grab each other under the water, but once they resurfaced, they would let go and do it all over again, laughing. They played in the water the entire afternoon. They almost kissed a hundred times, as they were in each other's arms with their faces close together, almost the whole time, but they never crossed that line; even though sorely tempted.

The following day was their last day. They all spent it near the resort, reading, playing board games and drinking lemonade and pina coladas. In the evening they danced again. Shane was again dancing with Oliver when he lowered his head and whispered in her ear "Thank you so much for insisting I come with you guys. I've loved every minute of it." "So did I. I'm so glad you came." Shane said softly. He smiled and carried on "Are you aware Ms. McInerney, that we spent every possible second of this holiday together? We only separated in the evenings to go to sleep. Aren't you tired of me yet?" She looked deeply into his eyes and boldly said "I wish we didn't have to separate at all." They stopped dancing; he looked at her not quite believing what she had just said. She hid her face on his shoulder and said, "I'm sorry, Oliver. I shouldn't have said that." "No, you shouldn't, but you did, and now I can't pretend I didn't hear it." They restarted dancing. They had no sense of time passing; they saw nothing but each other. They would be leaving first thing in the morning, so once again they separated for the night, said goodnight and went to their different cabins.

It had been a most magical holiday, but tomorrow all would go back to normal, or would it? Time only would tell.