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 ^{(it's beta!)}

It was a conveyor belt of hands moving the gift-wrapped boxes of all sizes, from obvious DVDs to Nerf guns possibilities. Amongst the motion, pens dipped down and out, inking the variety of brightly colored wrappings with names and addresses: Little Jonny on 7th Street, shy Sheila on Avid Court, Billy Joe at the orphanage. Clipboards littered the tables, holding chart sheets graffiti-ed with checkmarks and numbers, the logistics of the charity. This was the last stop for the donations before their final destinations.

“I just have to say, Jackson,” Taye begun, “I really appreciate that you decided to join our little operation.”

“Well, after being bad-humbug all season, it’s the least I could,” Jackson stretched his arms out and yawned, “I guess you guys have finally convinced me that Christmas is more then a plastic commercial holiday.”

“Glad to know we converted one more for the cause,” Taye smiled, his big white teeth beaming.

“And a fervent believer now too,” Jackson responded, “So what kind of gifts are we sending to these kids?”

“All sorts of stuff. We used to send really shittty toys, GI Joes, Barbie’s, Etch and Sketches, all that. But upgraded when we realized the kids weren’t playing with those. I’m not exactly sure what we send now, but the guys in the wrapping room down the hall tell me things have… matured a bit. Stuff today’s kids will like.”

“Good, I’d hate see me grow a Christmas cheer all for nothing,” Jackson grinned, and sent one more package down the table. He turned to grab another and found the far end of the table empty except for cluttered papers, scattered pens, and idle hands.

“I guess we are all done here, guys. Time to pack up,” Taye sat up, and fellow workers followed, grabbing the debris from the operation and folding chairs.

Jackson was sorting paperwork when Brody walked in carrying a massive box.

“False alarm, guys, we have some late donations,” He announced, setting it one the table, “The gift wrap guys are gone, so we will have to do this ourselves. I’ll go grab some wrap and tape.”

Taye hopped over to the cardboard box, its edges rippling with creases. He ripped open the loose top flaps and his beaming smile was scuttled. Gingerly, he lifted out DVDs: the cult hit Fight Club, the violent 300, the realistic Black Hawk Down, the nightmarish Saw, the sexy Gossip Girl, the scandalous The Hills. Out came video games: the mature masterpiece Grand Theft Auto 4, the bloodbath Dead Rising, the explosive Halo 3. And then came assorted items: the infamously funny Demotivational posters, the raunchy Dave Chappelle stand-up CDs, the glossy Seventeen magazines, and on and on it went.

“Well, at least we have some real kid stuff in here,” Taye sighed, holding up a copy of Hannah Montana’s newest DVD.

Somehow, seeing Miley Cyrus come out of the box too did not comfort Jackson.