Paper Thin (Jim Halpert/The Office Fanfiction)

Chapter Sixteen

"Okay everybody, listen up. It is time to get your presents, wrap them, and put them under the tree," says Dwight dramatically. He's wearing a green paper hat and elf ears, so it's hard to take him seriously.

Today is the day of the office Christmas party, and everyone is getting absolutely no work done. Phyllis, Angela, Kelly, Ryan, and Pam have been frantically decorating all day and Michael is even more distracting than usual wearing a santa hat and beard. I don't mind it though, since I'm also very excited for the party.

Michael comes up to mine and Jim's section of desks and sits on his casually. "Did you get something good this year?" he asks.

"Yeah I think I did a pretty good job," says Jim with a knowing smirk.

"Who'd you have?" asks Michael. Jim's eyes dart to me nervously.

"Well I can't tell you, cause it's a secret," he says. The look on Jim's face is priceless.

Soon, it's time to light the tree and start the party. Dwight starts handing out presents and Oscar is first to open his.

"Wow, I love this sweater! I don't have it in lavender," he says.

"I'm glad you like it, I say. He smiles at me and gives me many thank you's before Dwight is ready to move on. He gives Jim his gift from Creed, and it's literally just a flannel stuffed into a Walmart bag. Jim has a good sense of humor about it though, wearing it proudly as if it was a great present.

Next, it's my turn to open my present. I unwrap it and open the box, revealing a beautiful french press coffee maker. I smile at Jim.

"This is awesome! I love coffee," I say.

"I'm glad you like it, Rachel," he says in a professional voice. I blush when he winks at me when no one is looking. I really do like my present. Jim knows how much I love to drink coffee.

Next, Ryan opens up a new iPhone and all hell breaks loose. It's a great present, but it's way over the price range of $20. Michael tells us that it's from him because he got a holiday bonus and wanted to spend it on his Secret Santa. Is he like...in love with Ryan or something?

"Wow...an oven mitt," says Michael when he opens his present.

"I knitted it myself," says Phyllis. She's so sweet. Michael, on the other hand, is being a jackass.

"Hey, I have an idea. Why don't we turn this Secret Santa into...Yankee Swap!"

Yankee Swap, or White Elephant, is when you steal other people's gifts. This suggestion does not go over well with anyone, but with Michael being Michael, we ending up sitting in a circle, prepared to steal each other's gifts.

"Look Michael, we all bought gifts for specific people. Let's not do this," says Jim. I smile to myself, thinking of how he picked out this coffee maker specially for me.

"We're doing it! Okay Creed, you're next."

"I want the iPhone," says Creed, yanking it out of Ryan's hands.

"You sure you don't want this oven mitt?" asks Michael. His suggestion is met with silence. "Okay, now Kelly."

"I want the iPhone," says Kelly.

"It's already been stolen this round," says Michael, waving the oven mitt in the air. We all know that he is just unhappy with his gift.

"Okay, then I want....the coffee maker," says Kelly, taking Jim's gift from me. I shoot her a look, and she shrugs happily. I look at Jim, who looks visibly upset. I open up a new present, revealing a footbath. Kevin groans; apparently this was what he bought for himself.