Jim offers a surrender to Dwight, who has one condition: "You hit Pam in the face with a snowball while I watch." Jim calls him a psychopath, which Dwight takes as a no. Jeez, what did Pam do?

Back in the annex, just as Michael is trying to convince Kelly that he bought her the Hello Kitty laptop sleeve he's re-gifting her, they both shut up when they overhear A.J. asking Holly, as they enter without seeing them, "Is everyone here kind of mean?" Holly blames it on the trial while Michael and Kelly eavesdrop. A.J. sees Woody's condition, and Holly takes the blame for it, which makes Michael smile a secret smile. What's more romantic that listening to your ex lie to her current boyfriend, just to protect you? Well, listening to A.J. propose right now would probably spoil Michael's optimistic mood.

Darryl and his daughter deliver a snack to Michael, and Michael suddenly "remembers" where Santa is. Cut to him in the Santa suit, with Jada in his lap running down her list. Holly watches from across the bullpen, and smiles a secret smile of her own.

Tag: Late at night, Pam's ready to go, but Jim's scared to leave the building. She coaxes him out, and there's a whole forest of snowmen out in the parking lot. They nervously make their way through, and suddenly Jim sends her running ahead while he goes all Buffy on them with his umbrella and her purse. Dwight is, of course, watching impassively from up on the roof. He sends us off with the moral of the story: "The ultimate snowball isn't a snowball at all, but fear. Merry Christmas."

M. Giant is a Minneapolis-based writer with a wife, a son, and a number of cats that seems to have settled at around two. Learn waaaay too much about him at Velcrometer, follow him on Twitter , or just e-mail him at m.giant[at]gmail.com.