The anticipation that Oliver feels around the holidays isn't one of eager excitement but dread. Family is a complicated and fragile thing in the Cobb household and the pressure of being well behaved around Janie's in-laws leaves the younger sibling floundering. He's no good at small talk and while it's easy to be charming in front of the camera, a lens has nothing on the critical eyes of those who already know the truth of his past. His sister shares that history but it's Oliver who sticks out in the carefully constructed greeting card worthy life Janie's created for herself. And she deserves it, really, Oliver knows that, but as he stares down at the handcrafted place settings Janie definitely found on Pinterest he can't help but to resent how easy it's been for her to adopt the life they never had.

He suffers through it on Thanksgiving. The tightness in their forced polite smiles as he starts eating before her husband says grace. There's little comfort to be found in Janie's sympathetic eyeroll when her own hands remain pristinely folded over her plate until the final Amen. They count their blessings, of which there are many, and Oliver finds it easier to swallow back wine than to participate in the vapid conversations around him. He drinks until he outright laughs in her father-in-law's face (but really, as if Oliver can help debate the merits of Mr. Selwood's country club options) and when he stumbles out sometime after dessert the fuzziness of his vision does nothing to smooth the harsh lines of disappointment on Janie's face. It's better this way, to be what they expect of him, and as he crashes into the cool blankets of his hotel bed he swears he won't repeat this come Christmastime.

It surprises no one more than Oliver when his mind changes. It's December 23rd and he's on a plane back to LA when the regret finds its home in his gut and he finds himself purchasing a ticket back to New York. Loneliness is nothing new to Oliver, years of isolation have made it a comforting truth of his routine, but somehow this year the idea of a Christmas alone sits wrong in his stomach and he's forced to turn around. He's used to running away, to eliminating himself from situations to make things easier for everyone, but when his second plane lands and he hops into a cab, Oliver can't help but to feel like he made the right decision. That idea's only cemented when Janie smacks the back of his head and calls him an idiot when he shows up at her door.

It's not perfect, not by a longshot, and Oliver still makes a fool of himself in front of her in-laws Christmas morning. He fidgets in his tie and spends most of the morning hiding behind the company of his niece, but then Janie's there with a cup of spiked hot chocolate and whispered complaints of her sister-in-law, and Oliver's reminded that he doesn't have to be alone.