Original subtitles

This program is rated G and is suitable for general audiences.

Peyton, delivery.

Hey, Freddie.

Great.

Wow, it is so beautiful in here. Thank you.

Are these for the party?

No, no, that's just a little extra Christmas magic. No, the party's got a

totally different theme. Everyone in town is trying to guess what it is.

Really?

Ford Sherman's got a pool going down at the hardware store.

Well, everyone's going to have to wait until Christmas Eve.

It's a surprise.

I'll see you and your wife there. She's already got a dress.

By a dress.

Thank you for the reminder.

Say hi to your folks for me. Will do.

Great, we'll expect you on the 6th.

And you'll love the Pine View Suite.

Okay.

I ordered new Christmas stockings for the staff.

You think of everything.

I try.

Ooh, fire department.

It's having a toy drive.

All right.

Gotta buy them a toy.

Mom, I can feel you worrying from here.

I'm just concerned that maybe you're taking on too much.

I'm fine.

I can do the accounting stuff in my sleep.

And I know it's my first time planning the party, but I am loving it.

Oh, we just got a whole bunch more RSVPs.

This is going to be our biggest party ever.

I really appreciate you letting me plan it this year. And you're doing a

wonderful job.

This would look so great hanging from the fireplace mantle.

Not another project.

Mom!

Get your sister to help you. Love you guys.

Love you too.

She is fine.

She says she wants to try event planning. We've got to give her the

I know, but she's doing so much. Relax.

Peyton has got this totally under control.

Jake, are you leaving town?

There's a snowstorm on the east coast and they're shorthanded.

Oh, but you'll be back for Christmas, right?

He promised.

I'll call you from Boston.

Bye.

Love you.

Love you, too.

I'm sorry.

It's okay.

I've got to get used to a pilot schedule if I'm married to one now.

But I've got a million things that I can do to keep busy.

Well, do you want a million and one?

I've got to hang up all these Christmas cards.

Oh, I love the...

What? What is it?

It's Ben Tyler.

Did you know he was back in town?

Yeah, for like a year now.

Where have I been?

You've been married in oblivious.

Did you see him?

No. I want to see him.

It's been ten years.

Olivia, he left. I told him I had feelings for him, and he left for

the next day. Maybe he changed.

It doesn't matter. It was a silly little crush, and now it's over.

Mm -hmm.

What? What is that?

You and Ben were friends for a long time.

He was a huge part of your life.

You really don't miss him? At all?

No. Not at all. Okay.

Have a fun vacation, Dr. Tyler.

Oh, thankfully.

You have a wonderful Christmas with your family. Thank you.

Dad!

Ben! Hey. I was hoping you could stop by.

What time's your flight to Honduras?

Oh, not until seven. I've got plenty of time.

Yes, but it's always good to be early.

I know.

Dr. Cameron's going to love you. Yeah. Hey, Dad, listen.

I didn't say anything to the staff. I told them I was going on a diving trip.

Why? Well, I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, especially if I don't

the job. Well, fair enough, but I bet you Cameron hires you on the spot.

This is a great opportunity for you in Honduras.

Doctors Care International is a fantastic group.

Yeah, it really is.

I'm really proud of you.

Thank you.

When do you head to Vermont?

Christmas Day.

Can't wait to hit the slopes.

Catch up when I get back?

Yeah, I'd like that.

Merry Christmas.

Yeah, you too, son.

Hi, how are you?

Listen, I'm coming in to pick up some party supplies right now, but it's a

little bit slippery out here, so I'm taking it real slow.

Don't worry, we'll be here.

All right, great. Thank you. See you soon.

Peyton Canaday.

Hey, Ben.

Hi. How are you? You look well.

Um, are you okay?

Yeah, I'm fine.

This is going to sound crazy, but did you see a reindeer? I did.

Where did he go?

I don't know. It looked like he was running from something.

Like what?

Like a girl reindeer. I was trying to tell him she had feelings for him.

Sorry, what? What?

Nothing.

Great to see you.

Okay.

Need a ride? Um, yeah.

I think I do. Thank you. Sure, no problem. Come on.

Uh, you going to the gym?

Oh, airport.

Is that okay?

That's fine.

It's great.

Um, I should call the repair shop. See if they'll grab my car.

Sure. Oh, repair shop read your mind.

Dr. Tyler.

When?

Okay, no, thanks for letting me know. Yeah, I'll come right in.

What's the matter?

Ford Sherman.

There was an accident. He's in the hospital.

Oh, gosh.

Okay, come in.

Dr. Tyler, I thought you were on your way to Honduras.

Honduras?

Vacation.

Ford Sherman is here.

He's in exam room three.

What happened?

He fell off a ladder. They just x -rayed his knee, and his daughter's in the

lounge.

I'll go check on Lily. I'll find Ford.

Those are beautiful drawings, Lily.

Listen,

everything's going to be okay.

Dr. Ben just went to check on your dad, and he's basically the smartest guy I

know. Nothing to worry about, all right?

Okay. Okay. What are we doing here?

Oh, that looks like one of the gingerbread men your mom used to make.

The ones with buttons made out of gumdrops? Only the red ones. Right,

you don't like the green.

You fell off a ladder?

Really? I was hanging Christmas lights. My knee gave out. It was a stupid

accident. Yeah, because most of your accidents are so smart, like that time

biked right into the tree.

It's genius. I forgot how funny you aren't.

Hey, James. Thanks for taking care of my buddy here.

Give me some good news, Doc.

Looks like you tore the ACL in your bad knee.

Not to get too technical, but it's a mess.

It'll need surgery.

But that can happen after Christmas, right?

Uh, no. We need to treat this now.

If we don't treat this immediately, you could permanently lose the use of your

knee. How soon can you do it?

We have to wait for the swelling to go down, so we'll get forward to your room

and we'll reassess tomorrow.

See you in the morning, Ford.

Thanks, James.

Thanks.

Well... All right, I'm out of here. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What

you doing? I can wait for the swelling to go down. I don't... Are you kidding

me? You've been ignoring this thing for a year. Yeah, well, I'm going to ignore

it a little longer.

He wasn't kidding around. Ford, this is serious. You're wreaking permanent

damage here.

Ugh.

You're probably right, but it's just... No, no, no, no, no, no, but... Be smart

about this.

I'm at your disposal. I don't fly out until 7. I can...

I can run errands. I can do paperwork. I can check in at the hardware store.

Whatever you need. What I need is someone to look after Lily.

What? I'm not worried about the store. That's fine. Frank can handle that. But

need someone with Lily.

What about your sister? You don't think she'd be a better choice?

She's out of state with her in -laws.

I know it's a big ask. You're leaving town.

No, hey, hey.

Come on.

Not another word.

I will look after Lily.

I can postpone the flight. Yeah.

Yeah? Yeah.

Ugh.

Thanks, man.

Yeah. One more thing.

We do a lot of these family traditions.

Lily loves them. And I've been trying to keep them going since Pathy passed.

So I need you to be the Christmas guy.

You do that for me?

You know I can.

Thanks, man.

Are those snowflake lights?

Uh -huh.

Special ones for the porch.

Daddy's cleaning them up tonight.

Hey, there's my girl.

Daddy!

Bored. How are you?

I'm going to be just fine.

But I have to stay here a couple days so the doctors can fix my knee.

However, Uncle Ben's going to take you home and hang with you while I'm gone.

Really? Really.

Come on.

It'll be fun.

You know who makes pancakes shaped like a stethoscope?

This guy.

So, Lily, your dad tells me you have some Christmas traditions. Do you have a

lit?

Drawings. Can I show you guys?

Absolutely.

Hey, you've got this, right?

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Okay, good.

Hey, Lily, come here. Give me a hug goodbye.

Can you stay a little longer, please?

Oh, I mean, at least.

Let me make you a cup of coffee.

You never come over anymore.

Um... Yeah, I could stay for a minute.

Just got my purse.

You thought you'd be on the beach in Honduras, and now you're taking care of

little girl. You gonna cancel your trip?

No, no, no. Just postpone it a few days.

Man, I love this whole play.

Hey.

I

miss

you, Pop.

Here are all the drawings I did at the hospital.

These are all your Christmas traditions?

No, there's more.

Ah.

Dad and I have already done some of these.

Oh. Um, so, presents?

Homemade presents.

Mom always said homemade presents are the best. Last year I gave Dad a

and sock.

But I didn't make the sock.

And what is this one?

Cookies for my teacher.

We need to buy some gumdrops. Oh, so you can get a package with lots of red

ones.

Good note.

And what's this one? Reindeer food.

I'm sorry, what?

You know, reindeer food.

Oats and hay?

And glitter.

Edible glitter, that's right. Santa gets cookies and milk. Reindeer get reindeer

food.

Exactly. And where do we get the glitter?

The candy store downtown. They'll have the gumdrop, too. And if you drop my

at the hobby shop, they'll give you a discount on art supplies.

Art supplies?

For the homemade gift.

Right.

You guys are going to have so much fun.

Can we hang with Snowflake tonight?

Sure. Mom always hang the snowflake lights the day before we put up the big

tree. And that's tomorrow.

Tomorrow.

Big tree.

Got it.

Oh, they need me at the end.

All right, Lily. I'm going to go. I'll see you soon. Bye.

Bye.

Hey, pig.

Can I talk to you for a second?

Yeah.

Thank you.

What's up?

What are you doing for the next few days?

My job.

And throwing the biggest Christmas party ever.

Why?

I could really use your help here.

Oh.

You know what? I wish I could, but I don't have time.

You remember when I said I got this?

I don't got this.

This is so much bigger than baking cookies and green gumdrops. Red

gumdrops. Right.

This is about what Patsy created.

I don't want to mess it up. I don't want to disappoint Lily.

Ben, you're a doctor.

I'm sure you're smart enough to figure this out. I order a tie online and send

it to my dad's hotel room. That's about as close to tradition as I get.

Please, Peyton, I need you.

Come on. He's our best friend's little girl.

Lily deserves every tradition on that list. If you honestly think that I can

handle this on my own, I'll go back inside right now.

I... I...

hung out for a couple of days and helped out?

Thank you. You're welcome.

I gotta just call my parents at the end and tell them what's going on.

Ta -da!

Here we have the Sherman Family Christmas Traditions with artwork by...

Willie Sherman!

It's a Christmas masterpiece.

So what do we do first?

Snowflake lights!

Someone's got the Christmas spirit.

Oh, and no coat on.

I'm on it.

I'll be right out.

Dr. Cameron, hi.

Dr. Ben Tyler.

Oh, hi. How are you? I'm good, thank you.

Listen, I have a little bad news. I have to delay our interview.

Is there a problem? Your father said you were very interested in the position.

Oh, no, I'm definitely still interested.

I have to look after my friend's daughter while he's in surgery.

It'll just take a couple of days, and I will let you know as soon as I know

more.

I'm sorry to hear about your friend, and... I do understand.

But we really need to find someone who could... be on site at the beginning of

the year.

We can't put off making a decision for too long.

I understand.

Thank you.

Oh, here we go.

I finish first, I win. Think again.

I'm finished, which means I win.

What an honor.

I can feel the power.

Electrify. Please, please, stop with the pun. Keep us in the dark.

All right, here we go.

Oh,

you might want to plug into the outlet.

Oh.

It's just a dim bulb.

Do you guys like each other?

Of course. Yeah, of course.

Do you guys want to get married?

No. No. Absolutely not. No, no, no, no, no. No, no, no. No, we're friends.

We've been friends since grade school.

Speaking of school, do you have school tomorrow?

No, it's winter break.

You gotta love winter break.

What do you think?

Should we take some lights?

Yes, please.

What should we do next?

Dinner.

Lily's great, but how do people with kids do it?

Babysitters.

Paper snowflakes.

Snowflake life.

I'm sensing a pattern here.

Yeah, but look at these.

These are so pretty.

Gosh, I haven't made paper snowflakes since I was a kid.

Yeah, it's a whole new skill set for me.

Lily's a great teacher, but I think we need a new plan.

How about this?

I'll do the cooking and cleaning.

You do the Christmas stuff.

No, you need to participate in the Christmas stuff. I've got the Inns party

plan, remember?

What?

What's wrong?

I just don't have a lot of experience with this stuff.

I was with my dad for Christmas, but we were always going on work trips. He's a

great guy, but he does not have the Triple H gene.

Triple H?

Ho, ho, ho. Oh, that gene, yeah.

Well, who knows?

Maybe this is the year you find your Christmas spirit.

You never know.

Really? Morning.

Oh, hi.

How'd you sleep?

Every time I heard a sound, I was worried it was Lily.

Me too. I checked on her three times.

I'm not used to worrying about someone.

Me neither.

It was kind of nice.

So, what's the plan for today?

Well, I need to go by the inn, try to get some work done, and then I'm going

swing by my apartment and get some clothes.

What about you?

I think I'm going to bring Lily by the hospital and check on Ford. Oh, she's

going to love that.

You should take some decoration for his room.

Give it a little Christmas.

More Christmas?

Work with me.

Fair enough.

You coming?

Coming where?

Lily wants us to meet Miranda.

Who's Miranda?

This is Miranda.

I got it for my birthday.

Hi, Miranda.

You're beautiful.

She likes you. There's some carrots over there if you want to feed her.

All right, mister.

You're up. Hold your hand out with your palm flat.

I'm not so good with horses.

She won't bite.

She likes you, too.

You're a natural.

Now it's time for her breakfast.

Oh, okay. Well, Ben can help you with your chores. I'm going to go to work.

No, no.

I need backup.

I'm only after carrots.

What? Come on. You can handle this.

What's that, Miranda?

You are so right. What an intelligent horse. Peyton should stay and help out.

Miranda, come on. He's got this under control, right?

Miranda says no.

Way to have a girl's back, Miranda.

You know what? Now you're in charge.

I'm going to go to work.

Bye. Bye.

Hi.

Sorry I'm late. I had to swing by my place to get a change of clothes. How's

Lily? She's great. Is Olivia here?

I needed her to make up some sample appetizers.

She's been cooking nonstop since Jake left history.

Oh, I better get in there.

Uh, Payton, do you need help with anything?

No, I got it all right here.

Okay, so you're helping Lily, which is lovely, but that also means you're

spending a lot of time with Dr. Ben Tyler, who you're not very fond of.

He's not so bad.

It's not a big deal. We are friends, and we're never going to be anything more.

We're doing this for Lily, remember?

Mm -hmm.

Gosh, what is this? It smells incredible.

That is a water chestnut soaked in maple wrapped in apple smoked bacon.

A little scalloped blue cheese.

You just said all my favorite things in one sentence.

Where do you get these ideas?

I was up late looking at recipes online.

It relaxes me. Did you know there are over 200 million bacon recipes? People

love bacon.

Are you okay?

Do you want to talk about it? No, but you're going to be late. You should come

back for lunch. I'm going to make a bacon tomato sandwich that's going to

your mind.

Oh, done.

I'll be here.

Perfect.

Whoa, Lily.

I think this one's your best one yet.

I think so, too.

So, surgery tomorrow?

Yeah, that's what they say.

How's it going at home?

Yeah. I'm learning. Yeah? I had no idea that food on a plate doesn't touch,

including orange chicken and rice. Very important.

Yeah. Peyton made a note.

Oh, yeah. She called me.

Said she was helping out.

Yeah.

How's that going?

Fine. Yeah?

What? It's fine.

They're friends.

Oh, yeah. Okay.

Since when?

Since grade school.

Oh, since grade school. Okay.

All right.

Just checking in with you and Peyton.

Which name was it again? Okay, all right, I'm done.

So that was maybe 15 years ago.

Oh, Peyton, this is Miles Kowski. He's a new reporter for the Birch Creek

Gazette. Oh, nice to meet you. Hi.

Yeah, he's doing a feature article on the inn and our party for the Gazette's

special Christmas Day edition.

Wow, that's exciting.

I'm excited to be on the story. This party is all anyone in town is talking

about. 25 years is a long time.

Well, this year, Peyton is handling all the event planning for it, so you're the

event planner for the end. Well, no, not normally. I'm the accountant, but I'm

moving on to the event.

Well, she's being modest, but what you have to see is the ballroom.

Huh, well, lead the way. No, no, no, no.

Not ready.

Everyone's trying to guess the theme. Can you give me a hint?

I cannot.

No.

You're going to find out on Christmas Eve.

Well, you know, to be fair, she hasn't even told me or her mom. Ah.

But I'm sure it's going to be great.

I am positive as well.

You know what? I can show you. I do have some photos from... Oh, I think it is

about this.

Great.

And the big, magical holiday theme for this

year's party is...

Nothing.

And now that one goes over there on top of that one. Sure about that?

Yeah.

You'll see.

You put that one on top of that one. Can't be right.

We'll see.

Oh, boy.

Now turn around and let me finish it.

Are you almost done?

I can't wait to see what you're up to.

Finished! Ta -da!

Your snowman is doing a handstand.

Yeah, Mom taught me.

That is so cute!

I remember when I used to make those with your mom.

It is cold out here.

Who wants to decorate a Christmas tree?

Me! Yep! Sounds great!

Me too! Let's go!

It's my favorite.

You said that about the last five ornaments.

I love them all.

You know, I've never heard of decorating three different trees.

Is that another Sherman family tradition?

Yep. First we do the one in front of the bar, and then the porch, and now the

big tree.

Wow, it is so beautiful.

In fact, I think it might be time for the moment we've all been waiting for.

The lights.

Now we have a very big decision to make.

A very big decision. You see, there are those who prefer clear.

And there are those who prefer multicolored.

Let's see those options one more time. Clear.

And, wait for it, multicolored.

Wow. It's Christmas magic.

Clear. Multicolored.

Two perfectly good options.

I say we take a vote.

Clear.

Multicolored. We have ourselves a tie. Looks like the tiebreaker goes to Peyton

Canaday. That means you're the tiebreaker, Peyton Canaday. The entire

Christmas rests in your hands.

A hush falls over the crowd while she weighs her options.

Lily, drumroll, please.

And the winner is... Clear!

And multicolored!

Your crowd goes wild!

Maestro, a little music, please.

Lily, let's get it.

And control.

Woo! And back again. Woo!

Okay, big dip. Ready?

Oh, good.

Oh,

no, no, no, no.

No. He doesn't want to dance. No, it's fine.

Oh.

Wow.

Can I go put these on the back door?

Yes, of course.

Did you hear a ding? I did, yeah. I think it was, yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

It's a party.

The famous Canaday party.

It's all anyone at the hospital can talk about.

Ben,

can I tell you something that I haven't told anybody?

I need a theme for the ballroom, and I got nothing.

I mean, I am stuck.

You got time.

I'm sure you'll come up with something.

I've got five days.

And the thing is, this is really, really important to me. This is my chance to

show everybody that I'm more than just an accountant.

I want to be an event planner.

And this is my chance to prove to everybody that I can do it. But can I?

Yes. I'm sure you can.

I'm running out of time.

And the Gazette's going to run a big story on Christmas Day. And if I mess

my name's going to be in the paper.

You'll find your idea.

They always come when you least expect them.

Why don't you try not thinking about it for a while?

I don't think that's going to work.

But I guess it couldn't be worse than what I'm doing right now.

Right.

Why don't you just have a little fun and see what happens?

See what happens.

There she is.

Yeah, I bet you do.

Well, the fixer needs to be up tomorrow, and he'll be home before Christmas.

Yeah, he just needs a couple more days for his leg to get better.

You know, once, when I was probably about your age, I spent Christmas with

aunt, and she got me a little Christmas tree of my own, and she told me that

every light on it was for someone who loved me.

Ben, can you read me a story?

Yeah.

I'd love to.

Humphrey, the swimming reindeer.

Once upon a time, there was a reindeer named Humphrey.

But Humphrey didn't fly.

He swam.

And Humphrey swam the toys to the children on the island, and Christmas

saved.

The end. That is a good story.

Look what I found.

Now, Ben, what did your aunt say about the lights on the tree? She said that to

relight, it's for someone who loves me.

Good night, Mommy.

Good night, Daddy.

What are you doing up there?

Nothing.

What are you doing?

Uh, the dollhouse that Ford ordered for Lily.

We would put it together.

What do you think?

You in for it?

You bet.

Scample.

So your mom is saving the whales?

Yeah. She loves it. She's an amazing person.

She sure is.

My dad is, too.

He saves people, she saves animals. They're both pretty amazing.

They just weren't amazing together.

What are you working on over there?

Christmas decorations for the dollhouse.

You made that?

Yeah. How?

Ribbons. Pipe cleaners, old coffee stirrers. I raided Lily's craft park.

Why are you laughing?

We're not even finished building it yet.

You've already decorated it. I can't help it.

This is the part I love.

You always work good with design.

You're going to be an incredible event planner.

So far as an event planner, I make a really good accountant.

I mean, I've done it. I've done the budgets and the research and the

and the charts.

As long as everybody's okay having the party in an undecorated ballroom, it's

going to be awesome.

Sounds like you need a vacation.

I should have booked Christmas in Honduras, like, you know, warm, sandy

drinks with tiny little umbrellas in them.

Oof.

Speaking of Honduras, I, uh... I've been meaning to...

Yep. I'll be right there, Louie.

Hey. Hey.

I hit the tall house in the back of Ford's truck.

Oh, great. That's really smart.

She just leaves.

I'm going to go to bed. Yeah, me too.

Okay.

Good night.

Good night.

Lily, breakfast is ready.

I'll be down in a minute.

Hey, so, board surgery is at noon today, and I just want to keep her occupied

until we know what will. Oh, good idea.

Morning. Morning. Ooh, this looks good. You made Christmas bells.

Uh, they're stethoscoped.

If you squint your eyes, they kind of look like stethoscopes. Thank you, Lily.

Hey, Lily.

What do you say we do that today?

Main Street.

Main Street.

Looking at all the pretty lights.

Oh, yeah. I haven't done that since I was a kid.

Well, you know what? I've got a lot of work to do at the inn today, but I could

meet up with you guys afterwards.

Maybe around 1?

Today.

I mean, you know, for all of us.

These are the best death scope pancakes I've ever had.

Jake?

How are you?

Oh.

But you'll be here for Christmas, right?

Yeah, fine.

I love you, too.

What's wrong?

Jake just getting sent to Albany.

But he is sure he will be home in a few days.

Of course you will.

How are you?

Oh, I'm great.

Great, great.

That is a lot of great.

Can I show you something?

Sure.

I know.

I'm having a lot of trouble coming up with a theme.

But, Peyton, the party is in four days.

Yeah, I know. But I want it to be special.

Okay.

Well, if not, we will just tell people it's a minimalist party.

Why is it so hard?

Gosh, maybe I should be an accountant. This shouldn't be so difficult.

Well, of course it's difficult.

You're putting yourself out there, and it's scary.

But I know you can do it.

You do?

Yeah. You got this.

And if not, we will just put up last year's decorations in a whole new way

no one will know better.

But I will.

It'll be great.

Right?

Hi.

Look at that.

Oh, what do you think?

Santa feeding him reindeer food, Lily?

No, no glitter.

Kind of reminds me of our reindeer.

You have reindeer?

No, I was kidding.

Hey, I have a question. If you could decorate the window display however you

wanted, what would you do?

Oh, a big snow globe.

with snow falling down. I love that.

And something special.

A family, a pet, Miranda.

Oh, I love it. I'm going to go check it out at the craft store.

Oh, the hospital.

Mark, hi.

Thank you for letting us know.

Ford sailed through the surgery.

Oh, that's great.

Should we bring Lily by?

Yeah, in a little bit. I think you need time to recuperate.

Oh, that's great.

This is where we make our homemade presents.

Homemade presents are the best.

Can we do this?

Sure.

Your dad's going to love that, Lily.

I think so, too.

Who's that for?

This is for my sister.

It's a cookie platter.

Oh.

And what do you got? Is that a reindeer mug?

Matter of fact, it is.

Who's that for?

Me, I guess.

You should give it to your dad.

Yeah.

Lily, I love this bracelet.

Mom gave it to me. She said, snowflakes are like kisses from heaven.

Oh, it's snowing!

What

a

lovely family.

Oh, that is gorgeous.

You should get it for the party.

Well, I still do have Get Dressed on my to -do list.

What party?

Oh, did your dad ever tell you about the big snowstorm they had when he was a

kid? Okay, 25 years ago, Christmas Eve, all the electricity goes out in Birch

Creek, but the inn had a generator.

So my mom and dad got an idea. Before I knew it, the entire town was in our

ballroom, and my folks know how to party.

So they just thought, why not invite everyone every year?

So we do.

Are you going to the party?

I'm not. I'm going to be in Honduras.

He's going on vacation.

Oh.

Actually, Peyton, I should tell you something. What is that?

It's not a vacation.

It's a job interview.

Oh, what a good job.

You've heard of Doctors Care International?

Yeah. So it's a three -year contract in their Honduras clinic.

My dad spent most of his career doing this sort of thing.

It's my turn.

Why did you want me to think you were going on vacation?

I'm sorry.

I didn't want to say anything until I knew I had the job.

Oh.

Well, thanks for telling me.

Sounds like a great opportunity. I bet you'll get it, Ben.

Yeah.

Say? What was I supposed to say? I mean, it's a noble job, and he's a noble man

for doing it.

But he's bad boyfriend material, geographically speaking.

I don't want a boyfriend.

Then it's not a problem that Ben's leaving.

Exactly. This is a good thing.

Ben and I figured out how to be friends, and we're never going to be anything

else. And it doesn't mean that we can't have a good time with Lily.

Yeah, that makes sense.

Yeah.

All I know is I want to throw the best holiday party this inn has ever seen.

I also know that speaking of boyfriend material, this guy right here might be

perfect match.

Look at that.

Crusty on the outside, super sweet on the inside.

Hello, sir.

You're not going anywhere.

And you and I have no history whatsoever.

I think I'm in love.

What's your name?

Pecan Pie.

Oh, hello, Pecan Pie. My name's Peyton. I'm going to call you Steve as a

nickname. Yeah, I think you and Steve are moving a little too fast.

Fine. Take Steve.

Oh, you know what? I've got to call the chair rental people and confirm.

Nope, they were delivered last night. I put them in the storage room.

And you can crash shrimp off your list because I confirmed with the supplier

this morning.

Is there anything else you need?

I mean, I could use some cookie supplies.

Why? I'm just baking cookies with Lily this afternoon for her teachers.

Aw, what else do you need?

Everything.

Hey, Peyton. We're here taking some pictures for the Christmas article.

Oh, great.

And guess what?

What? You've got the whole front page. It's going to be all about your party.

Think of the headline.

Anniversary celebration at the Canaday Inn. Most beautiful party in 25 years.

It's a great hook, right?

Yeah, I guess so. My editor loved it.

Hey, do you have some time?

Um, for what?

I'd like to interview you. I bet I can even guess your party theme.

Wow, that would be a trick.

I wish I could. I'm...

It's all busy.

I've got lists up to here.

But maybe another time? Yeah, sure thing.

Great. Thanks. Bye. Bye.

So, Christmas socks, huh?

Yeah. I get them every year from my dad.

I saw your picture on the fridge. I thought it was a Christmas stocking.

Nope. Socks.

Shall we go in?

Absolutely.

Do you like these?

Mm -hmm.

Or these.

Okay.

Or these.

Ooh.

I kind of like all of them.

Which ones do you think your dad would like the best?

These, because he loves cars and trees. I think we have a winner.

Oh, I love that.

Are those gingerbread doctors?

Yes, they are.

Smorgasbord certified.

Right, yeah. He's a vet who fixes broken animal crackers.

This is so fun.

I can't remember the last time I made Christmas cookies.

Yeah, me either, because I have never made Christmas cookies.

That's sad.

Well, I'm making up for it now, aren't I? All right, well, put your gingerbread

medicine men on this plate, and then we'll get ready to go.

This is where Mr. Pascal lives.

Hola, Mr. Pascal.

We made you some cookies.

Wow, gracias.

Lili, do you remember the word for cookies?

Galletas.

Excelente. And these are galletas de jengibre.

Gingerbread cookies. My favorite.

Feliz Navidad. Thank you. Feliz Navidad. Adios.

Adios.

Every time I smell gingerbread, it's like I'm a kid again.

You know what reminds me of being a kid again? What?

Oh,

you don't hold this, Lily.

What? No, no, no. Oh, yeah. Oh, no, that's not how it works. Oh, yeah. No,

no, no, no. Come on, no, don't, don't.

Oh.

That's it.

Merry Christmas, Mrs.

Conway. Thank you, Lily.

Peyton Kennedy.

Ben Tyler.

You two are still getting into trouble, I see.

Yes, ma 'am.

These are beautiful.

We all decorated one of those.

Lily, I bet this bright one is yours.

And Peyton, I remember you from art class.

This one is yours.

You were always a good artist.

I loved your class.

This one's yours, Ben.

Yes. You've gotten much better than when you were in my class.

Thank you, Mrs. Conway.

Extra marshmallows for Lily and Dr.

Ben. Thank you. And a dash of cinnamon for Peyton.

I thought you were on vacation.

I'm flying out on the 25th now.

Oh, well, have a good time.

Christmas is not a fun day to travel.

I've done it before.

You know, it's funny. For the first time in my life, I'm actually enjoying the

Christmas holidays.

When you know it, I have to leave.

You know, if you're in town for Christmas Eve... I can come to the

25 years.

That's a lot of parties.

Which one was your favorite?

Hmm, hard to say.

You know what? Probably the first one.

There was so much snow. It was like a winter wonderland. It was about your

I wish you could have seen it.

Oh, me too.

Wait a second.

That's it.

What? Oh, I can see it so clearly.

For the first time.

What is it?

The theme for the party.

I gotta go. Where are you going?

You'll see.

I think I got it.

Hey, Ben.

I'm here, too.

How's it going?

Really, really well. How are you?

Couldn't be better.

We were just starting to think about dinner and wondering if you were going

be home soon.

Oh, I wish I could, but I can't. I've got to work late.

And you know what? I'm just going to sleep at my place tonight so I don't

you up when I come home.

I'll see you guys tomorrow.

I love you.

Okay, chores are done.

I was looking at your drawings on the fridge this morning.

You want to do some Christmas crafts?

Can we go see Peyton?

Oh, she's awfully busy.

What's that, Miranda?

Benny and I should go see Peyton. Uh -huh.

You're a quick learner, kiddo.

We brought supplies.

Oh, you guys are the best.

Thank you.

Here.

Thanks. Here.

Looks like you're making some progress.

Yeah, well, I hope so. In a day and a half, the whole town's going to be here.

Is there anything we can do to help?

Yeah, can we help?

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock.

Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring.

Snowing and blowing up bushes and barns. Now the jingle hop has begun.

Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock.

Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time.

Dancing and prancing in jingle bell square.

In the frosty air.

What a bright time.

It's the right time to rock the night away.

Jingle bell time.

Looking good.

Yep, we're getting there.

Are you going to put presents under all the trees?

No, those are decorations.

You've got to have presents.

Hey, can I talk to you guys?

Sure, honey. What's up?

Lily just gave me a great idea, but it's going to require a lot of extra work.

I think it's finally time I ask for your help.

So I want to make the fire department's toy drive a part of our holiday party.

I already talked to the fire chief.

You did? If we work together, I think we can make this a new holiday tradition.

Oh, I love that idea.

We're on it. We'll contact everyone who's coming to the party.

Fire department needs presents? We'll get them presents.

You guys are amazing.

I have one more request.

I want to go and get Lily a Christmas present. I think Ben does, too.

Is there any way you would babysit?

We can have a tea party.

I think that's going to be just fine, Peyton. Thank you.

Wait, hold on. Let's meet back right here in half an hour. We're not shopping

together? No, you need to pick out something that's just from you.

You think Lily would like a necktie?

No.

Half an hour.

Okay.

You know what? There's this thing I want to...

Hi.

Hi. I ordered for us.

Oh, thank you.

A dash of cinnamon, just the way you like it. What'd you get?

Necktie.

Oh, art supplies.

He's going to love this then.

What did you get?

Ribbon.

And a ball.

A little Christmas magic. Some assembly required.

What is it? It's a surprise for Lily.

You've heard of surprises, right?

Two surprises.

And to a wonderful party.

You believed in me when no one else did.

I know you, Peyton.

I knew you could do it.

Thank you, Ben.

There you go. Just like you like it. Nothing touching. Thank you.

Thank you both so much for your help with the ballroom this week. It was fun.

Mm -hmm.

You know, I wasn't entirely sure a couple of days ago, but now I feel like

going to be a really wonderful party. So, would you say that everything on

list is done?

Yeah. I mean, I've got a couple of odds and ends left, but... Mm -hmm.

What? What? What? This?

It's the prize.

You've heard of surprises, right?

What? Now, now, now.

Okay.

We thought of you when we saw this.

What is this?

It's the dress from the store.

Is it for the party? Oh, I love it.

You guys, thank you so much.

I don't know what I would do without you two.

It was our pleasure.

Truly.

She was asleep before Humphrey even delivered the gift.

Thank you.

What did you find?

I found us.

Glitter.

Oh.

seen any of these.

Yeah, look at it.

You know, I've thought a lot about that night over the years.

Didn't really know how to bring it up.

Well, what's there to talk about?

I told you I had feelings for you and you didn't feel the same.

That's not exactly true.

My life was complicated.

I had just graduated from med school. I was leaving my surgical residency in

California. But you didn't call, you didn't write.

I found out from Freddie that you were back in town.

I guess I didn't want to be unfair to you.

I figured I must have hurt you.

I didn't want to hurt you anymore.

And then, you know, when I saw you the other day, I thought you'd forgotten

about it.

I'm sorry.

I really, genuinely am.

Thank you for saying that.

It's okay.

It's in the past.

But do me a favor. When you go to Honduras, keep in touch.

I mean, let me know how you're doing, okay?

Promise.

Well, what do you think, Brianna?

You're an intelligent horse.

She's here, and I'm moving halfway around the world.

Is there anything we can do?

Yeah. I can't think of anything either.

Yeah, me too, sweetie.

Hey, welcome home.

Thank you.

Hey, buddy. Hey, man.

I need to decorate those. You do need to decorate these. This is a great idea.

You got everything you need? Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're going to be good.

The neighbors already offered to bring us over Christmas dinner, so that'll be

fun.

You two have been a godsend.

Never going to forget what you did for us.

Appreciate it.

Lily, give me a hug.

I had the best time with you.

Thank you for giving me such a magical Christmas.

I'm with you, kiddo.

I'll be right back.

Where's she going?

I made this for you.

I love it.

I'm going to put this in a frame.

Thank you.

I'll drop off your present on Christmas Day.

And this is for you.

Jimmy.

It's my favorite.

Humphrey's swimming range. Thank you.

All right, let's get you inside.

All right. All right, let's go.

Doctor's orders. All right, go. See you guys. All right. Bye.

All

right,

back where we started.

She was giving me a ride.

Seems like such a long time ago.

It's only been a couple of days.

A couple of days in ten years.

Why are we acting like this is goodbye?

I'll see you tomorrow at the party.

Yeah. Yeah.

Thank you for the ride.

Hey, Peyton. Hi.

Just dropping off a toy for the toy drive.

Wow. Thank you.

We'll see you at the party. All right. See you soon.

Wow. People have been coming by all morning.

I'll make sure I call the fire department.

It's already done.

They're going to send a crew over after the party to pick up the toys, and they

will deliver them to the kids on Christmas morning. Thanks. You too.

You're awful quiet.

I just checked the forecast in Albany.

I'm worried about Jake getting home in time for Christmas.

Oh, is their airport still open?

So far.

Fingers crossed.

We'll change the subject. What is going on with you and Dr. Jan?

Forecast isn't so good there either.

No, it's fine.

It's just we're back to being friends.

And that's enough.

Sure.

It is.

We could have met in the hospital cafeteria.

Yeah. This is nicer.

What time's your Honduras flight?

Christmas Day, 6 p .m. My flight to Vermont is at 7. We should carpool.

Yeah. Yeah, that'd be great.

Let me ask you something.

You traveled around for work a lot, and it was important work, but did you ever

miss being at home?

Of course I did. But think of the difference I made in people's lives.

It's all worth it. You'll see.

What's this about, son?

It's nothing.

Time you want to pick me up?

About four.

Okay.

Come in.

Hey.

Hi. Wow.

What's all that?

With big party tomorrow, I know how you get distracted and I want to make sure

that you eat.

You want to make sure a lot of people eat.

Smells like bacon. Have you been stress cooking?

I'm trying to cook through all 200 million bacon recipes, and so far I'm up

34. You talked to Jake.

Yeah, he got snowed in. He won't be home for Christmas. Oh, no.

Oh, I'm so sorry.

I just wanted to wake up on Christmas morning with my new husband there.

Okay, I know it's not the same, but how about that?

On Christmas morning, I'm going to come over, and we're going to go out into the

yard, and we're going to make snow angels just like we did when we were

I'd like that.

Me too.

Wow.

Everything looks great, honey.

Yeah. Can we stay a little bit longer?

Well, we have to get home and make reindeer soup, remember?

Oh, yeah. We're going.

It's a tradition.

The fire chief says that this year's toy drive is the most successful

ever. And it's a brand new family tradition for us.

I love it. I love it, too.

I'm going to go get ready for my speech. Okay. Bye.

Hey, how's it going?

Going like clockwork. Great. You'll let me know if you need me? Yeah, enjoy your

party. Thank you.

Hey, Lily.

How are you? Good. You look beautiful.

Wow, look at you.

Man on crutches. Watch your feet.

Hi. Thank you for coming.

Welcome to the annual Canada Day Inn Christmas party.

For

25

years, my parents have shared Christmas magic with all of us.

And I think over the years, I may have lost touch with that magic a little bit.

But... This Christmas, my friend, Lily Sherman, helped me find it again.

So at that first party, there was a magical Christmas wonderland outside.

And so tonight, we have tried to bring that back to all of you.

Lily, can you please help me with the doors?

Look, it's beautiful.

Hey, look at the snowflakes.

Snowflakes are like kisses from heaven.

Yeah.

That's what your mom always said.

Mom and Dad?

What do you think?

Sweetie, it is magical. I love it. I absolutely love it. We knew you could do

it. Thanks, guys.

What's up, sis?

So,

what did I miss?

Mom and Dad love to party. Of course they do. And I'm wondering if they have

more of those tiny little bacon appetizers they love.

Uh, sure, yeah. Why? I just thought that your husband might want to try one.

What?

Your husband.

Peyton, hi.

Hi. I'm about to file my story for the Christmas edition.

I must admit, the party's not what I expected.

It's not? No.

Okay. It's better.

It's really spectacular.

You have a gift for this.

Thank you so much.

You're welcome.

You look incredible.

Thank you. You do, too. You look very handsome.

Thanks.

Shall we?

I really did have a fun time this week.

I did, too.

You know, I didn't think I was a Christmas guy.

Well, Lily put a stop to that.

You both did.

Merry Christmas, Dayton.

Merry Christmas, Ben.

I think this party might be my favorite tradition of all.

Well, for it to be a tradition, you've got to do it every year.

Can we talk?

Yeah, sure.

Look, first of all, it's an interview. I might not even get the job. You're

going to get the job, Ben.

They'd be crazy not to hire you.

So come with me.

Peyton, I didn't tell you how I felt about you last time I left town, and

was a mistake.

And then spending this week with you, it made me see how full my life could be,

and I don't want to walk away from that.

Come with me to Honduras.

But I don't know what I would do there.

Plus, my family, my whole life is here.

And I just figured out what I want to do with my career.

You know, you don't have to go on this interview.

You could stay here.

I want to make a difference in people's lives.

What about your life?

What about that?

Baby, you're just the woman I'm looking for.

Oh. Oh, I'm interrupting.

No, no, no. It's okay.

We were just... Are we finished?

Yeah. I gotta pack.

Yeah.

Take care of yourself.

You take care.

Hey. I wanted to tell you what a wonderful job you're doing with the

Thank you. Thank you very much.

It's my solo anniversary in June.

And I'm in love with what you've done here.

Could I hire you to plan my party?

I would be honored, yes.

Let's talk after the holidays.

You bet.

Exciting. Exciting.

Hi. Hey.

Hey, you can put that back.

Oh, well, actually, I had a Christmas present for you.

Oh, is it a tie?

Not this year.

I made something for you.

It's silly. It was just a, you know.

Man, I love it.

Yeah? Yeah.

That's great. Thank you. Yeah.

Oh, yeah. It is pretty silly.

Jake,

I'm glad you made it home for Christmas.

Me too.

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

Peyton, your father and I have something for you. Oh, it's not present time yet.

Well, just this one.

We're so proud of you, Peyton. You did great, kid.

We're ordering the new business cards next week. Business cards?

Peyton Canady.

Event planner.

Thank you.

A Christmas toast.

Yes.

Thank you.

To this wonderful family.

To family.

A lot of snow on the road.

Yep. Which is why it's always good to be early.

You're exactly like me.

Looking forward to your trip.

To be honest, I'm not sure.

I don't know if the choices I'm making will give me the life that I want, or

life that I'm supposed to want.

Well, you're the only one that can work that out, Ben.

I hope you know you can make different choices than I did.

You'll always have my love and support.

You see that deer?

That wasn't a deer.

Well, it was a reindeer.

Wow,

smells amazing.

Turkey will be ready in two hours.

I feel so bad you have to work on Christmas Day.

Cooking for my family is not work.

Are you okay, Spitty?

Yeah, I'm okay.

Dr. Ben does not know what he's missing.

We should go make snow angels.

No, since dinner's not till six, I'm going to run Lily's gift over to her.

Okay, but don't eat too many cookies, please. There is so much food coming at

you. This is you not stress cooking. Go!

Okay.

And this one is for me.

Oh, that's very soft, Lucky Peyton. My pleasure.

What is it?

It's Miranda.

You said you like homemade gifts.

Thank you. You're welcome. Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

Whoa, how'd you get a horse in there?

Magic. That is so cool.

Good night. everybody. Merry Christmas.

Ben?

What are you doing here?

Dad was driving me to the airport.

And I saw the reindeer.

You saw our reindeer?

I don't think he wants me to go to Honduras.

realizing that I don't think I want me to go to Honduras.

My dad lived his whole life abroad, and he was doing important work, but I don't

want to live his life.

I want a home and a family.

And there are plenty of groups that need doctors to donate their time, whether

overseas or here.

I can do that from Birch Creek.

I should have said this ten years ago, babe.

I love you.

And I'm really hoping you feel the same way.

I want to spend every Christmas with you for the rest of my life.

Should we make it a tradition?