Original subtitles

♪ Come, they told me, pa rum pum pum pum ♪

♪ A newborn King to see, pa rum pum pum pum ♪

♪ Our finest gifts we'll bring, pa rum pum pum pum ♪

Where can I change?

In the orderly's lounge.

Right down the hall. Turn to the left.

And don't leave your wallet lying around.

♪ So, to honor him, pa rum pum pum pum ♪

One comes down the chimney.

It's only once a year.

I don't get it.

Figures.

Do your mother a favor by bringing it down here.

Don't push your luck.

Where's Santa Claus, Grandma?

I don't know, Max.

Daniel, he should have been here by now.

I imagine he has a rather hectic schedule with the big event two days away.

Dr. Auschland, I think Dunderhead's finally got the lights working.

Want to do the honors?

My dear.

Oh, thank you.

Um, could I get your attention for a moment, please?

I want to thank the St. Ursula's Children's Choir for being here today,

and the Women's Auxiliary for having arranged such beautiful decorations again this year.

Merry Christmas to each and every one of you.

Merry.

Christmas to each and every one of you.

Merry Christmas to each and every one of you.

Santa, your public is waiting.

Be right there.

Luther, could you hand me my bag?

How'd you know my name?

We met a long time ago.

You were still half asleep.

Oh, you were pacing here.

Oh, I get it, the old name tag trick.

So how's the paramedic training going?

You send a front man ahead of you to nose around.

Get the skinny on everybody.

Yeah, that's very clever there, Santa.

You okay?

Just a little tired, that's all.

Well, at this time of year, who blames you?

Well, we're the children.

You're Santa, you ought to know.

Merry Christmas!

You can take it from here.

Hey, I got to get back to work.

Oh, thank you.

Merry Christmas, everybody.

Sorry to be late, but with all the holiday travel, my sleigh got stacked up over Logan.

I'm aboard.

So, what's your name, young fella?

Max Auschlander.

Max, that's a fine name.

Yes, indeed.

Mrs. Claus has a cousin named Max.

Helps out with the reindeer now and then.

Oh, brother.

Say, why the long face?

Because he says there's no such thing as Santa Claus.

Really?

Well, that'll come as quite a surprise to Mrs. Claus and the rest of the gang at the North Pole.

So how much are they paying you for this scam, you old fairy?

Oh!

Oh!

Oh, Luther, my good man, a little stocking stuffer for you.

Here you go, Hawkins, Luther, don't thank me, buddy, just a small token for a small token.

Thanks.

You know what my present is to you?

What?

I'm not going to dropkick you in the groin.

Merry, merry.

Wayne, even though you and I are of different persuasions, I want you to have this.

Phil, a dollar?

A crisp new 1986 dollar.

Deeply personal.

Signed by Catherine Davalos Ortega, treasurer of the United States.

Between the two of us, we could have a big night at the laundromat.

Wayne, bubble up.

I wonder what Boomer gave me.

It's a label maker.

He gave me one, too.

Um, Boomer got you guys presents?

Yeah.

You probably knew I already had a label maker.

Phil, thanks for the bottle of wine.

And Wayne, the poinsettia really livened up my apartment.

Here you go.

I've always wanted a bocce ball.

No, no, no, they're paperweights.

I made them myself in pottery class.

They say St. Eligius on them and have your name engraved.

Elliot, Merry Christmas.

Victor, um, I don't know what to say.

I didn't get you anything.

Hey, no problem.

I'm not the paperweight type.

Never would have used it anyway.

Not interested in holding anything down.

You really did it this time, Elliot.

What?

By not giving him a present, you single-handedly spoiled Victor's Christmas.

It's not like I killed Santa Claus.

When did you first notice the pain?

Standing in line in Filene's this afternoon.

What a zoo.

Yeah, everybody waits till the last minute.

Any vomiting?

Once or twice.

I figured I'd back into some bad eggnog.

You're running a fever.

We may want to admit you.

Well, no argument from me.

With my luck, I'd get home, keel over, and be snowed in.

Wouldn't find the body for days.

CBCs and set her up for a pelvic exam.

Get back.

Remember, we've got a male, late 60s, collapsed in the lobby with chest pains.

He's in V-type.

Get a 12-lead EKG.

Step.

We hit him with the paddles and he lit up like a Christmas tree.

Lucky thing this didn't happen at 15,000.

It was an affiliate with a sled full of Barbie dolls.

Did you start him on Lidocaine?

Yeah, but he's still having PVCs.

Let's get this stuff off.

I tried.

It's real.

Heaven, who are standing by?

If we don't hold off this MI, it's going to be his last Christmas.

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.

Jack Frost nipping at your nose.

Time to open the big door.

Mark, the radio says there's a blizzard watch.

Looks like we're going to have a white Christmas.

After all, December 24th, and here it is, ta-da, a nativity scene, wow, since when

do the archangels look like McNeil Lara, did you know you were tossing and turning

all last night, oh, I had a bad dream, I was in 19th century London, running

through the streets, it was snowing, all I had on were pajamas and a nightcap,

you fell asleep watching a Christmas Carol, we should invite more people.

We should invite more people to the wassail party, don't you think?

What do you mean there are 20 coming as it is?

Yeah, well, this year I want a house full of people.

I mean, packed to the rafters with people having a good time.

Besides, Barbara's first Noel has got to be the best.

I'll invite some of the young people from the hospital.

Season's greetings.

Whatever happened to Merry Christmas?

Maybe you don't celebrate the religious nature of the holiday.

How do I know?

Yesterday you delivered a balsam wreath from Maine.

Cedar garlands from Vermont the day before.

We are not decking the halls for Ramadan.

Don't you have some junk mail to deliver?

Customers are folks to give their mailman some kind of bonus this time of year.

Oh, yes, and the amount is reflected by the quality of the service rendered.

You get the Christmas goose egg.

Now get out of here.

Mark!

Merry Christmas, Mr. Leslie.

Merry Christmas, Nick.

Fruitcake.

Thank you, Mrs. Craig.

A merry one to you and the baby.

Here, bye-bye.

Mark, that was a terrible thing to say to him.

Listen, when you're a civil servant, Chris Kringle comes every day of the year.

That man has job security, benefits, minimal responsibility, and the intellect of a pruned Danish.

Cape card, candles, the baby tapers.

Finally arrived!

Yay!

In the Nick of time.

Bayberry candles, burnt to the socket, brings health to your family and wealth to your pocket.

Blayberries, Mark.

Do you remember how Stephen could hardly wait to light the blayberries?

Listen, call the caterer and have him double the order for tonight.

Then watch him triple the price.

I'll be home early.

Although it's been said many times...

Many ways...

Merry Christmas to you.

But the children all came back.

They're holding a vigil.

I know, dear.

Oh, Dr. Auschlander, we've got a lobby full of unhappy kids.

I've heard, Dr. Chandler.

Okay.

I feel terrible.

I hired the poor man.

You're not responsible, Catherine.

Is Santa going to be all right, Grandpa?

I'm sure he'll be fine.

Boys and girls, there's really no reason for you to wait here.

Santa's going into surgery, and he won't be able to have any visitors for quite a while.

Surgery in this dump?

God doesn't have a prayer.

What if he can't slide down our chimneys tonight?

Oh, Santa has a lot of elves to help him.

It's not the same.

I can't remember ever seeing so many unhappy children.

Oh, poor kids.

Having a Santa Claus fall over right in front of the mic.

I wish there was something we could do to cheer them up.

I've got an idea.

We'll have a sing-along, like with Mitch.

Boys and girls, I'm sure Santa's spirits will be perked if we all sing together.

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way.

Oh, what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh.

Think Santa's gonna die?

You better hope not, because if he does, it's all your fault.

Well, you're the one who said that there's no such thing as Santa Claus.

Yeah, but at least I was smart enough to humor the guy.

You blabbed it right to his face.

You can't kill people just by saying stuff.

You heard what the cocky-looking doctor said.

A heart attack, because you broke it.

Get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?

I'm trying not to take it personally, but hey, I've got feelings, too.

Not a single present this year.

Mr. Underhill, sigmoidoscopy.

I'm sorry it's not wrapped.

You've been doling out poinsettias all over the place.

Does the old roomie get one?

No.

Oh.

Well, remember when you took care of my sense of media?

That was a long time ago.

Well, I don't want to inflict that kind of torture on an innocent houseplant.

Okay, fine.

I don't have a green thumb.

But I've been giving everyone I know presents.

Do you think somebody returned the favor?

That's why you've been passing out George Washingtons to get something in return?

Karma, pal, you know?

What goes around comes around.

You reap what you sow, tit for tat, and vice versa.

Victor, you are the most ulterior, insensitive glad-hander I have ever met.

But somewhere deep down in that caraway seat of a heart, there's a milli-micron of generosity.

Maybe.

Yeah, well, I want my dollar back.

You know, you don't get any presents because you don't have any friends,

and you don't have any friends because you're not out there for anyone but yourself.

I love it when you talk rough to me.

I'm removing the sap in his vein.

Dr. Wade, I need you up here to assist.

Sternal retractor.

If anyone's cooking a goose tomorrow, these come in handy to get out the stuffing.

Those voices are beautiful.

The sisters of the Abbey of... St. Vitus.

Mrs. Craig and I visited there on a trip to the Holy Land.

They sell the cassettes right next to the grotto.

I'm looking forward to your wassail party tonight, Dr. Craig.

Well, just make sure you have snow tires.

I don't want anybody getting stranded at my house.

Party?

What party?

Oh.

Well, I didn't invite you, Kochar, because I'm sure you don't celebrate Yuletide.

I mean, it's nothing personal.

I understand.

They never let poor Rudolph join in.

The reindeer games.

Oh, stop.

Vijay, do they have anything like Christmas in India?

Well, as a child, I waited for the festival of Holi with great excitement.

My grandfather and I would rise before dawn and splash bright paint all over our elephant.

Then we'd ride into the village and throw color powder on everyone that we met.

Worst thing that ever happened to India was the end of British colonialism.

Check the oxygen.

He's still having PVCs.

And as long as you don't bring a date, you can come tonight.

Well, it's a deal.

Dr. Wade, would you review the indications for surgery?

Mrs. Haber, I'm Dr. Ehrlich.

Um, what are you doing?

Packing.

No, no, no, you came in last night with, uh, vomiting, fever, right lower quadrant pain.

I feel better.

Your white count's 11,800.

I'm gonna have to keep you here for observation.

Over my dead body.

Um, Mrs. Haber, can I, can I call you Elodie?

You might have a ruptured follicle cyst or something more serious, like appendicitis.

We won't know until we perform some tests.

I have a plan.

I have a plan to catch.

Uh, no, you're in no condition to fly to friendly skies.

Uh, look, my whole family is in Washington, D.C.

I am not spending the holiday cooped up in some slum hospital all by myself.

If you have family, you know what I'm talking about.

Actually, I don't.

What I have is an alcoholic aunt living in Napa Valley, a brother and sister I

haven't laid eyes on since my parents died tragically when I was a boy.

So, you see, we're both compadres.

We're both kindred spirits.

We're both completely hopeless.

We're both continuously, pathetically alone.

So you don't have to spend Christmas by yourself, because I'm going to be there right by your side.

This is a private room.

I'm going to prove to those naysayers, and I don't mean Mr. Ed, that Victor Ehrlich is a very, very human being.

Ah, this is extremely generous of you, but I... No, it's not.

That's my problem.

You see, please, please, please allow me to perform this one selfless act, and I promise I'll never bother you again.

But, Dr. Ehrlich, I don't... Call me Victor.

What kind of jello do you like, hmm?

Daniel, you sure there's... This is the right thing to do.

Father Christmas suggested this himself.

He didn't want the children to worry.

Are you all right?

Oh, no, no, very quiet.

This is where people come to get better after heart surgery.

My grandmother croaked around here someplace.

Is he dead?

He's just resting.

See that monitor over his bed?

That shows his heartbeat.

Now, all together, children.

Merry Christmas, Santa!

Hi, thought you were in surgery.

Routine.

Triple bypass, in and out.

Now, you're coming to my wassail party tonight, right?

Then afterwards, maybe you and the kids can join us at St. Barnabas' midnight service.

The church is ablaze with candles.

Very moving.

I don't think we'll make either, Mark.

Some traditions never change.

Every year I invite you, and every year you're a no-show.

Should I be taking this personally?

The holidays are something I endure, not enjoy.

For a level-headed guy, Donald, you're totally off kilter.

Does this look like pneumothorax to you?

No.

No, you've got lung markings all the way out the peripheries.

I didn't think so.

Your problem is you get bogged down in the Madison Avenue side of the season.

I mean, what is Christmas?

Christ's birthday, damn it.

My son doesn't even know who Jesus is.

What the hell's fault is that?

Look, Mark, when I was a child growing up in Southie, my dad used to take me from

the squalor of our tenement to the squalor of my aunt's tenement.

Thirty people crammed into the same smoky little room.

Collars too starchy, new shoes pinching, everyone straining to be polite.

Jeez, attention was unbearable.

People waiting for my cousin Alice to drop a glass or my Uncle Patrick to get loaded and throw a punch at somebody.

People too poor to buy gifts and too proud to admit it.

Boy, Donald, you really have a knack.

You turn the biggest clam bake in Christendom into a dirge.

Christmas is a fantasy, Mark.

It's a recollection of happier, simpler times that were never there in the first place.

Something you can't recreate, no matter how much Holly you hang, or crepe.

Do me a favor.

Don't come to my party.

Another miserable Christmas at St. Eligius, huh, Boomer?

You got it.

I'll let nothing you dismay, for I bring you tidings of comfort and joy.

Having a little soiree tonight for one of the shut-ins.

Room 3311.

You guys should come.

Sounds like a blast.

Dr. Craig, Feliz Navidad.

Hello, Victor.

Hi, Pops.

How's Aunt Cherise?

Ehrlich, party tonight, my house.

Be there.

I'm sorry, sir, but I'm on call.

Oh, that's too bad.

Rest comfortably.

My best to Barbara.

Mrs. Craig was looking forward to seeing you.

She was?

Well, you add a certain texture to a party, liven things up.

Yeah, the time I got drunk and ralphed in your garden.

You should have seen the gladiator.

He was as tall as that year, the size of cauliflower.

Maybe you should come over this spring and take a crack at the Rose bushes.

Just being polite.

Don't forget, everyone got the drizzles at my wedding.

I crashed your anniversary.

Brad, you were trying to patch things up between me and my brother.

A lame attempt, but at least your heart was in the right spot.

Do you really want me to come?

What do you want me to do, engrave it on your forehead?

Do you have any idea what this means to me?

A free meal.

A personal invitation to a party of yours, to bask in the warmth of your hearth at this festive time.

I'm thrilled, I'm honored, I'm... In my way.

Max.

Hi.

Sorry, our conversation got cut short yesterday.

That's okay.

How are you feeling?

Like Cupid and Comet and Blitzen have all been dancing on my chest.

You know that stuff that I was saying about how there's no such thing as Santa Claus?

Well, I didn't mean it.

Listen to me, Max.

It's important to ask questions, not to accept everything at face value.

Understand?

No.

What's this present you wanted to talk to me about?

It's not for me.

It's for my grandma.

One weekend I was staying with her, tossing a ball around the house.

I broke a glass snowball that was a gift from her grandmother.

Mother, from England somewhere, she hugged me and she said accidents happen, but I could tell her she was sad.

And you would like me to replace the snowball?

Consider it done.

Now, how about something for you?

I just want you to get better, but a night later, 5,000 would be nice.

Santa, wake up, Santa.

Somebody help!

We got a full arrest.

To Lizzie, love, Dad.

I'll get the dishes, Dr. Westphall.

Great.

Where'd you get me?

That's supposed to be a surprise, isn't it?

I bet it's a sweater.

Lizzie, why don't you let the dog in?

Oh, it's okay outside.

Oh, it's too cold.

Dad, what about your allergies?

Well, they won't bother me as much as that.

Okay.

Hello, Duke.

Oh, dear.

Oh, dear.

It started snowing.

I'll put him in the basement.

Yeah, good.

So, what do you want to do tonight, Rick?

Go to the movies?

What, on Christmas Eve?

Wouldn't have to wait in line.

Let's do something more Christmassy.

No, you guys do whatever you usually do on Christmas.

Movie's fine.

Is Rambo playing in the neighborhood?

Why don't we stay home and open presents?

Okay.

I'll get Tommy.

You open your presents the night before the big day, huh?

Is that a German custom or something?

I don't know.

We open presents whenever we get around to it.

You're bummed out that we're so low-key about the holidays, huh?

Oh, no, I'm having a good time, really.

You're used to a more traditional Christmas?

Yeah.

My family does the full Charles Dickens thing, you know?

Plum pudding, eggnog, lasagne.

Only this year in Sarasota.

Weird, huh?

Okay, let's get started.

Who's first?

No, Tommy, that's not yours.

Good wassail requires... a delicate balance of ingredients.

That ought to do it.

Here, Mark.

Uh-huh.

Oh, boy.

This Henkel is duller than your cousin Harold.

Mr. Kepler was supposed to sharpen them all yesterday, but he's out of town for the holidays.

Just like a tinker.

Write when you need one of them the most.

He doesn't give a damn.

Mark, it's freezing in here.

Yeah, well, the evergreens have to stay on the cool side.

52 degrees?

Are you crazy?

Honey, the tree has to... It has to last until twelfth night.

I don't want it to start dropping its needles.

It'll give Barbara pneumonia.

Pam, Swedish meatballs, minced meat tarts, the lights, the trees, everything is perfect work.

Oh, this needs a little something.

How about me?

Do I look okay?

Not bad.

Uh, tone down the rusion.

Lipstick, though.

Starting to look like Raggedy Ann.

Sorry I asked.

Come on.

Elliot, this isn't working.

Let's call it.

Are you kidding?

And be remembered as the guy who killed Santa Claus?

Clear.

I can see it in the history books now.

John Wilkes Booth, Sirhan Sirhan, Elliot Axelrod.

Not this Jew.

Clear.

Elliot, he's gone, and you should be too.

Your shift is over.

Why is it always me?

You let Santa Claus die.

Max, where are you going in such a hurry?

What was all that about?

Santa Claus is Morton.

My name is Mud.

It's not like he was really Santa Claus.

He was stable when we brought him up from surgery, but he developed EKG changes,

which indicated a massive MI.

Excuse me, I have to find my grandson.

Aha!

I'll be right here after the ultrasound.

Can't wait.

Go on, Luther.

This is my favorite Christmas show.

It's a wonderful life.

It's called The Yule Log.

A lot of firewood.

No, it's a film, Luke.

Maybe I'll try it.

The trio.

Mrs. Haber is on a clear liquid, so have the dietician prepare some mulled

cider and a festive arrangement of red and green jello.

I'm not working dinner tonight.

Dr. Craig's party.

Luther, Luther, Luther, you disappoint me.

Here I'm offering you the opportunity to bring a ray of sunshine into the gloomy

Christmas of an infirmed fellow human being.

But you, you'd rather go off to some high-class party with great food,

bon mots, and, if you pick your spot right, a chance to move up the St.

Eligius ladder.

Sounds good to me.

Me too.

Bring me back.

A present for you, who I love like no other.

The merriest Christmas to the best of all brothers.

Tommy Bird.

Merry Christmas.

Your turn, Rick.

Lizzie told me about this little tradition you have of reading poems, so here goes.

I'm sort of a novice at this.

It's okay, Rick.

I got this at Lizzie's behest.

I got this at Lizzie's behest whilst we were traveling out west.

As I noticed before, you like strange decor, so here's a doodad for next to your door.

I hope you like it, Dad.

It's to go with your spoon.

Don't know how I ever got along without one.

Thank you, kids.

Very thoughtful of you.

What time are we going to church?

Church?

Yeah, you know.

Here's the steeple, open the doors, see all the people.

We don't usually go to church, Rick.

Never.

Not even on Christmas?

What, do you guys give out candy on Halloween?

Well, Lizzie, if Rick wants to go to church, why don't you take him over to St.

Barnabas?

Mark Craig was saying they have a beautiful midnight service over there.

Okay, if you don't mind a piscopal.

Piscopal's fine.

All the pageantry, none of the guilt.

You'll come with us.

No, I'll stay here, take care of Tommy, clean up a little.

Tommy, go Lizzie.

Come on, Dad, for once.

No, I'd rather not, honey.

Okay, be stubborn.

Thanks for the neat sweater.

You're welcome.

Come on, Tommy.

Kochar, get yourself a drink.

Oh, yes, of course.

Excuse me.

Thank you, sir.

I'll set a met a mine with codeine number three, POQ six hours, PRN pink.

That should hold until my hangover wears off.

Those better be local calls.

Sorry I'm late, but it's really coming down out there.

Axelrod, Axelrod, Axelrod.

Good to see you.

It is?

Yes.

Merry Christmas.

Of course, you know my wife.

I don't think we've had the pleasure.

Ellen, this is Axelrod.

Elliot Axelrod.

I'm so happy to know you.

Help the big guy out of his tarp.

Okay.

I've got a toast to make.

Quite a spread.

Looks like everybody's here.

Everybody's not here, but I'm going to start anyway.

Excuse me.

Excuse me.

So, this is the wassail I've heard so much about, huh?

Luther, quit hovering.

Make yourself useful.

Ladies and gentlemen.

Pay attention, please.

Every year at this time, we take a few moments to renew the bonds of fellowship

and goodwill, which might otherwise fall into disrepair.

Therefore, if you will please raise your glasses with me in a traditional wassail toast.

Mark, I think our guest should be warned that the toast is in Middle English.

It will be obvious to anyone who's had a freshman course.

And not so obvious to those that haven't.

All right.

New is your common with a gentle share of math and Gorman.

He hath no peer in every land where he comes nearer is Martha and Gorman.

New is common, a messenger of your Lord, Sir New Year, bid us to us all mock.

And mock and merry here, and mock and merry as we may.

Therefore, every man that is here, sing a cattle in his manier.

What the hell did you do that for?

I thought it was part of the custom.

Clean this up, will you?

Give me another glass.

I've got to start over.

New is y'all common.

With gentle chair.

Never thought I'd live to see the day.

Mark Craig Bond.

There's.

Never gonna be another Christmas ever again.

Oh, no.

That isn't so.

How can there be without Santa?

Oh, Max.

Santa isn't gone.

I watched him die.

I heard the buzzer go off when his heart stopped beating.

Max, Santa's more than just one man.

He's the generosity in each of us.

Look, you could have been at home playing, but instead, you came here because of your concern for a sick friend.

It's that giving and sharing.

In you, it's the spirit of Christmas.

You mean I'm Santa?

Sort of.

He's in our hearts and our thoughts.

Yes.

And as long as we believe in him, he'll always be with us.

Still, that man shouldn't have died.

He died on Christmas Eve.

Max, people die even on Christmas Eve.

But life goes on.

So let's find your grandmother, go home, wait for your parents,

and hang up our stockings with great care.

Yellow.

Oh, hi, Constance.

Thank you, same to you.

Yep, they're right here.

Yeah, I'll talk to you later.

Aunt Constance.

Hi, Aunt Constance.

Got any snow in Santa Fe yet?

Yeah, it's snowing up here right now.

You okay?

Oh, yeah, Dr. Westphall, sure.

Fine.

Rick, I'm sorry you're not having a very good time.

Oh, it's not your fault, Dr. Westphall.

It's just that Christmas, you know, used to be my favorite holiday.

It used to be the presents, but now I like sitting around the fire, everybody

together, nothing to do, just listening to my dad tell the same stupid jokes every year.

I never thought I'd miss him so much.

Yeah.

Yeah, well, we're young.

We tend to take our family for granted.

We figure they'll always be there, right?

And we get a little older and we realize how fragile families really are.

You know, my folks, my sisters, we're spread all over the country.

The only time we're together is Christmas.

For a couple of days, anyway, we're a family again.

That's what Christmas celebrates, right?

Yeah.

So why do my folks go to Florida this year?

Well, maybe they didn't realize how much being home means to you.

Yeah, failure to communicate.

Hey, Rick, time for church.

Coming.

Here, try some of that.

Hey, we always used to have eggnog during Christmas.

Whoa, but not like this.

Hey, Dr. Westphall, do Lizzie and Tommy a favor, okay?

Don't ever go to Florida for Christmas.

Okay, I promise.

Okay.

Good night.

It's Christmas time in the city.

Hear them ring, ding-a-ling.

Don, we now are gay apparel, Mrs. Haber.

Mrs. Haber?

Left for D.C., thanks anyway.

Merry Christmas.

I have no one but myself to blame.

I deserved it, stood up.

You've learned a very valuable lesson here today, Victor.

Yeah, on holidays, trick another resident into taking call.

Well, at least you can spend Christmas Eve with people you're close to.

That's true.

You're right about that.

Hey, fellas.

To friendship.

I care for you guys a lot, you know that?

Whoa, whoa.

Craig's party.

Help yourself to the jello.

Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling, it's Christmas time in the city.

Sound pretty good, doesn't it?

Well, if I bake the Christmas pies tonight, there'll be time for one, no, two batches of cookies in the morning.

Then I'll need the oven for the Turkey.

Without your grandmother's logistical mind, I don't know how we'd make it through the holidays.

Can I help decorate the cookies?

Well, of course.

Mrs. Auschlander, I found this present under the tree.

It has your name on it.

For me?

Daniel, you shouldn't have.

I didn't.

For Catherine.

Well, it's not your handwriting.

Love, Santa.

Well, aren't you going to open it?

Well, let's wait until tomorrow.

It might be perishable.

Well.

See?

Oh.

Oh, my snowball.

Just like the one that Grandmother gave me.

Daniel, where'd you find it?

Well, I, I... It's from Santa.

He promised me.

Well, look how it sparkles.

From the top of the porch, from the top of the wall, now dash away, dash away, dash away all.

Dr. Auschlander, the lovely man.

Mrs. Auschlander, little Auschlander.

You wouldn't be on your way to Dr. Craig, Shindig.

I'm afraid not.

Oh.

Is it inconvenient for you to drop me there?

Actually, yes.

Daniel!

Well, uh, he up.

He up.

Here's a tent spot.

Take a cab.

Thanks!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you, Doctor.

Take the bus.

Wonderful.

Excuse me.

Here she is.

This is for you, Barbara.

Didn't want you to sleep through it all.

Aww.

Listen, uh, listen, before we go to church, I'd like to thank all of you for

sharing our granddaughter's first Christmas.

And speaking of the first Christmas, let's not forget that we are...

celebrating the birth of Christ, God's only son.

You know, this tree is an archive of my family's history.

This ornament, forged in Philadelphia by Samuel Craig at the time of the Continental Congress.

And this, I made that in second grade.

And every Christmas Eve for the last 120 years, this star has been put on top of a Craig tree.

Handed down from one generation to the next.

Now we'll skip a generation.

Excuse me.

Jackie.

To bet about the rain.

All the snow will be gone in the morning.

The wassail's too strong this year, huh, Mark?

You know, the first year after Dad's death, we had Christmas dinner here instead of his house.

Didn't seem right.

I should sit at the head of the table.

So you didn't.

But the next holiday, you did.

I tried to keep busy with parties, decorations, toasts, Christmas by the book.

So I wouldn't have time to think.

About Steven.

I miss him so much.

Oh, honey.

Oh, dear.

I want to say a special prayer tonight at the midnight service.

No, no, I'm not going.

I can't sit there celebrating the birth of a God who is so arbitrary and so

mean-spirited who asks you to serve him without question.

I would take away my boy.

Mark, don't do this to yourself.

I'm not going.

Come on, let's get back to our guests.

No, no.

What the hell with them?

Hey.

Okay.

Okay.

Come here.

Come here.

You sit.

You sit.

My boy.

Dr. Craig?

Mrs. Craig?

Mrs. Craig?

Barbara?

Hello?

Oh, well.

I wish me a merry Christmas.

I wish me a merry Christmas.

For to you is boldness day in the city.

David, a savior who is Christ the Lord.

And this will be a sign for you.

You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising.

God and saying glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased.

Sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace,

Shepherds of sight, glories stream from heaven on high, heavenly hosts sing.

Alleluia, Christ the Savior is born, Christ the Savior is born.

Alleluia, Christ the Savior is born, Christ the Savior is born.