It's Not Yule, It's Me

Shannon hates Christmas. Mostly because Christmas hates him. It sure seems like it, anyway: every crummy thing that's happened to him since high school has befallen him at the Most Wonderful Time of the Year. Every humiliating break-up, every high-rise hotel fire -- heck, a few years back, one guy he had the hots for up and died. Which goes a long way toward explaining why he's a whimpering mess when he meets Ben the barista one Christmas morning at his neighborhood coffee house. It doesn't completely excuse his using Ben's T-shirt as a handkerchief -- while Ben's still in it -- but Ben's nothing if not a good sport.  Ben's such a bright spot that after a while Shannon wonders if maybe his Christmas Curse hasn't been lifted. And what better place to test this theory than at Ben's family festivities? It's not like Christmas is actually cursed. Is it?