Because it was the holiday season, the post office was busier than normal. There were big piles of items, rivers of mail, and long lines of people waiting for their gifts to arrive on time. Harold, the postmaster, was a lovely guy, but he was tired and doing everything he could to keep things running. He needed help immediately now. Someone told Harold that Gerber was seeking for a job, and he thought about it for a long. Some people had said that “Gerber isn’t the smartest,” and he had heard those stories. People thought he was slow, easily confused, and fared best at things that weren’t too hard. Harold considered that everyone should have a fair shot, especially during Christmas time.
Gerber arrived there early, looked terrific, and was ready to start his first day. Harold showed him how to sort mail, such as where to put letters from the same area, how to handle packages, and which slots to use for mail that is going out. He believed he would have to check in all the time and fix things, but in the first hour he noticed something that surprised him.
Gerber’s hands moved quite swiftly. People didn’t even think about it when they put envelopes in the correct boxes. He sorted things into piles by zip code at an incredible speed. By noon, he had done more than most clerks do in a single day. The crew was very surprised. Was this the same Gerber that so many people were worried about?
At the end of the day, Harold came up to him with a smile on his face. He told Gerber, “I just want you to know how proud I am of you.” You work faster than anyone else we’ve ever had.
“Thanks, sir,” Gerber responded with a smile. I will do much better tomorrow.
Harold blinked. “Better? What can you do to improve this?
Gerber shrugged and said, “I’ll really look at the addresses tomorrow.”
A mom of three was having a great time on vacation not too far away. Her kids had been bothering her for days to decorate the house. They said, “People have lights.” “Christmas wouldn’t be the same without them!” In the end, she gave up and went to the hardware store to get new lights. She didn’t want anything fancy; she just wanted something that functioned.
She strolled up to a young worker who was thrilled to be there. “Excuse me,” she said again, “could you please show me your best Christmas lights?”
The worker grinned and took her to a tall, colorful exhibit. He pointed to a box with photographs of the holidays on it and said, “These are the things we’ve sold the most of this year.” People like them.
“They look nice,” the woman said, “but I need to know that they work before I buy them.” Can you connect them so I can see how they work?
“Of course,” the young man answered. He carefully untangled the lights and plugged them into the wall adjacent to the box. All of the lights turned on right instantly in dazzling reds, greens, and blues. She clapped. “Awesome! They are quite beautiful!
The worker smiled and was satisfied with the way she answered. After that, she put the lights back in the box. The man at the register then scanned the box.
The woman, on the other hand, frowned. “What are you doing?” she yelled.
He said in a low voice, “I’ll just call them for you.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t want that box.” I want one that hasn’t been opened yet.
The young man only looked for a minute. “But you said to plug it in and open it…”
“Yes,” she said, “to see if it works.” But it has been used now.
Dan and Bob sat outside a café on the other side of town, warming their hands around paper cups of coffee while they watched people walk by with shopping bags.
“So, what did you get for Christmas?” Dan asked while he drank from his cup.
Bob smiled at him with a mischievous look on his face. “Do you see that red Ferrari parked on the other side of the street?”
Dan’s eyes got bigger. “Wow! Do you understand?
Bob laughed. “Not at all.” But I did get a tie that was the same color.
Dan laughed and rolled his eyes. “You almost had me there for a second.”
Later that week, a husband and wife sat on the couch in the living room and spoke about the past while looking at old pictures. In a loving voice, the husband bent down and said, “We’ll have been married for ten years soon.” I’ve been thinking about getting you a great new car for our anniversary.
The wife’s eyes were bright. “Sweetheart,” she said softly as she took his hand. “I would be very happy with that.”
It was their wedding anniversary. She was excited as she waited, checking the time, the driveway, and even putting on her best clothes in case he surprised her with a dinner date. But the day came and went, and the car didn’t show up. But there was no gift at all.
Her husband thought the concept of a gift was just as good as the gift itself.
These amusing, sarcastic, and Christmas-themed stories remind us that things don’t always go as planned on Christmas. People might surprise you in funny or good ways. Even if things don’t go exactly as planned, the holidays always generate memories. A guy sorting mail without reading it, a customer who won’t test a package, a tie that looks like a Ferrari, or a gift that appears out of nowhere are all things to think about.
