The Christmas spirit of things

Sam was not in the best of moods. How come the holidays were so depressing? She didn't expect it. After all, she was a happy person, but looking at the prices of things and the cold and having her mother visit..well, she just wanted to go home and hide under the covers.

But here she was at the library counter waiting for her shift to be over.

"Here." Mae handed her an invitation. "I came to yours, you have to come to mine."

"What is this?" Sam winced.

"Its an Ugly Sweater party." Mae shrugged as if it were self explanatory.

Sam sighed, thinking she needed this like an extra credit card that had no benefit until you'd spent too much.

"What do you do at one of those?" She winced, remembering how her mother told her she needed to get out more and meet the right people. Her mother didn't think she was meeting the right people at the library.

No way, could she tell Sky that her mother thought he was just an overgrown boy. According to her mother, Sam needed to meet someone with substance. A guy with a career, who could offer her a bright future.

"There will be food." Mae gave her the eye. "But no alcohol. Oh, and an ornament exchange."

Sam nodded. She knew she'd come. It would be something for her and Sky to do. Of course, most of her Christmas shopping this year was from Dollar General.

Just as Mae had made her round for the invites, she turned to see Xander at the counter.

"Oh, do you like parties?" She smiled. After all he'd given her a free manicure.

"Well..." He stacked up his Young Adult fiction books, most were from the City of Bones series.

"Its just a few friends over. And you have to wear an Ugly sweater." She shrugged.

"Oh, I don't have one of those." He sighed with a smile.

"I know, it would be hard for you to make anything look ugly. But try Good Will." She batted her lashes and handed him the invite. "And bring someone."

He acted though, as if she was just teasing him.

"Seriously, um..remember..how..how I asked you out?" He wasn't quite as suave as she remembered on the day he did her nails at the salon. "I did make a dinner reservation, but..how about I baby sit and..and you take out your boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" She looked at him shocked as if she had no idea who he was talking about.

"Ben." Xander looked at her as if BEN was somebody she knew.

"Oh." She guessed he had seen her out with Ben at the grocery store. "You, really don't have too."

"But I want too...and ..and I'm not so bad with kids." He told her he used to baby sit a lot, when he was back home.

"You're sure?" She saw the reservation was for a night when She and Ben were both free.

"I am." He smiled back, and she checked out his books and gave him his receipt.

"OK." Mae smiled, but she wondered what she could do for him, in return.