Original subtitles

♪ it's been the longest summer spring and fall ♪

♪ without you here ♪

♪ can't erase the hope that you'll just magically appear ♪

♪ don't you know what they say? ♪

♪ miracles still happen every day ♪

♪ so I'm a king of faith and I believe ♪

♪ we'll even find the way ♪

♪ back into my lovin' arms for the holiday ♪

♪ there's a chill inside my home ♪

♪ I need you here to hold my hand ♪

[hugo] I got everything ready.

I've been practicing all afternoon.

[maddy] you're going to be amazing, hugo. Okay?

Don't psyche yourself out, just think of this as,

like, another year-end review.

Well, easy for you to say, I've got a lot riding on this, maddy.

[maddy] I know. But you're gonna be great.

And we're gonna celebrate afterwards.

I'll meet you in the corner

with your hot chocolate order.

[hugo] thanks.

-I gotta go. Okay. Bye. -[maddy] bye.

We couldn't be happier with your work, hugo.

Excellent billables.

No one is more dedicated to this firm, sir.

I know. You worked last christmas eve.

That's beyond dedication.

I'm glad you're taking this year off.

Yes. I'm headed back to milwaukee. My mother's thrilled.

Ah. Wonderful.

So, is there anything else?

Y-yes, sir. Uh...

I wanted to speak with you about the partner position.

I've interviewed for it three times now and--

you're a details guy, hugo, I get it.

And that's what we love about you.

Look at the acacio foods case.

All of our corporate guys looked at it,

but I was the one who found

the loophole in the tax code.

Yes, you saved their company.

But we're not sure you're ready to be a partner just yet.

Mr. Vogel, with all due respect,

there's only one thing I want for christmas this year.

And if by January that opportunity

doesn't present itself,

I will be looking for a new firm.

-[sighs] -[vogel] okay. I see.

Hm.

Thank you, hugo.

Oh, my gosh.

[instrumental music]

it looks like the grinch stole christmas.

-What did he say? -Nothing.

No response. Thanks.

What if I backed myself into a corner?

What if I really need to look for a new job in January?

-I was bluffing! -You always think the worst.

You stood up for yourself. That's all that matters.

-I am so proud of you. -Thanks, sweetie.

Now let's go skating. Okay?

Because today was the last day before winter break.

School's closed and I'm ready to celebrate.

Oh, come on. It'll get your mind off work.

Besides, skating is the best way to meet someone

by accidentally falling into them.

Didn't you accidentally end up in urgent care last year?

-When you split your knee? -The price of love.

Remember the adorable resident, though? He sewed me up.

-And won my heart. -Yeah. For two months.

Why don't we work on getting you something a little more

long-term this year?

Well, like you,

I also made a very bold move today.

In a classroom full of third-graders?

[chuckles] imagine.

You know how my family always goes away to the bahamas

for a group vacation for christmas?

Well, I told them I'm staying in the city.

-No way. -Well, it's just...

Everyone's married with kids.

And I always just feel like the third wheel.

I just want an old-fashioned new york christmas.

Well, I have an idea, why don't you come home

for christmas with me?

Seriously? Ah... I mean, it's so last-minute.

Yeah, but my mom would love it.

A-and we would have such a blast.

-Come on. Let's call her. -Okay.

[line ringing]

[kate on phone] hugo. Oh, my god!

-Hey, mom. -Wait a sec, hon.

I'm just putting the roof on the gingerbread house.

Yeah, I'll wait. Buildin' a gingerbread house.

Who is that, sweetie? I'm back.

Uh, maddy and I had a crazy last-minute idea.

-Hi, kate! Merry christmas! -Hi, maddy.

How would you feel if we came home for christmas together?

[kate] ah...

You know the first thing she's gonna say when she sees me.

-Right? -Uh-huh.

Hugo, you look so skinny!

Thanks, mom. You look great.

Ah...

-Hi! -Hi. Thanks for having me.

Of course. You're like family.

Come on inside, I'm making my favorite pancakes.

-Ooh! -Here we go.

[hugo] these are cool. Where did you get them?

Oh, when your brother was stationed in austria,

he went to this christmas market.

Aren't they cute?

Maddy, why do we never make pancakes?

Oh, come on, don't tell me

they're eating carbs in new york city.

-Ah-ha. -Never.

Hey, when is aiden coming home?

Uh, not till the end of the week.

And I'll tell you, I cannot wait.

Oh, this house.

It's been so quiet since your father passed.

What's that, kate?

Oh, that's the schedule for the festival.

You know, this is my last year as the association president,

so I'm going out with a bang.

You are gonna love it, maddy.

On christmas eve, everybody goes down to the train station

and writes letters to santa.

Well, it's better than it sounds.

Hey, it was my favorite part of growing up here.

Oh, good. I'm glad, I'm glad.

Mom, why are our names listed under all of these activities?

Tree-trimming, santa breakfast.

-Train station clean-up. -Well, what did you think?

You were gonna come here and just lay around for two weeks?

-Forget about it. -Mom!

This is just like high school.

You had aiden and I so overscheduled,

we barely had time to sleep.

Big deal. You both turned out great.

We're gonna have the pancakes and then you can unpack.

-Fine. -It's gonna be fun.

[hugo] okay. Prepare yourself for the museum of my past self.

It's like I never left. I feel like a teenager again.

You are, for two weeks.

[groans]

oh. And who's this?

-Hey, don't touch him. -[squeals]

you were such a lost cause until we met in college.

Hey! That's...

-So cute. What's his name? -Todd.

Hey, kids, we got a very busy afternoon.

I got a lot of supply shopping to do.

Maybe you'll come with me, maddy?

And, hugo, do you mind staying here?

Because the christmas tree is being delivered.

[sighs]

[kate] also in the kitchen,

there's a big list of to-do stuff.

[muffled screaming]

[chuckles]

[instrumental music]

[car door shuts]

patrick ryan?

[doorbell rings]

oh, my gosh.

Whoa!

[groans]

-you okay? -I'm fine.

-Can I help you? -Is kate here?

Oh, well, she's out, but...

I'm her son.

Oh, I'm just, uh, delivering the tree.

-Can I give you a hand? -That'd be great.

Your mom picked out the biggest and heaviest tree on the lot.

Why does that not surprise me?

If you just wanna grab that end...

Yeah, sure, I'll just grab the bottom.

Okay, ready? One, two, three.

[grunts] all right.

-You good? -Yeah, I'm good.

-Watch the swing. -All right. Yup.

All right. Now, watch the stairs.

-You all right down there? -Yeah.

-Okay. -I'm fine.

-Hey. -All right. Watch the steps.

And here we go.

Uh, you might wanna open the door first.

The door, right.

Here we go.

-Yeah. We're stuck. -Yeah. Looks like that.

[groans] ha-ha!

No, no, no, you can't cut this tree up. She's a beauty.

It's just a little judicious pruning.

It pains me to watch you do this.

-[grunting] okay. -It's not gonna fit.

[chuckles] let's just turn to the right, and...

-[sighs] there we go. -All right.

-Slid right in. -Okay. Just right here.

-Yeah. Hey, you good? -[hugo] okay.

-Got it? Yeah. -All right.

I don't know if you remember, but I was a few years

ahead of you at jackson high.

-It's hugo, right? -Good memory.

Do you remember me?

I think so, y-you're, um...

-Patrick. -Patrick. Patrick. Of course.

Well, let's get this in the stand.

-All right. -Okay.

-Nice and easy. -Okay.

-Ah, let's... Nice and easy. -Goin' up.

Yup. Ah, little to the left, I think. Ah.

Actually, you know what? Can you just lift the whole thing up?

[grunts]

you don't live here anymore, do you?

No, I moved to new york right after college.

Gosh, it's hot I tell ya.

-Uh, straight? -Excuse me?

-The tree. -Oh.

Uh, I can't tell.

I think it's leaning a little to the right.

Uh, I'd say to the left.

Yeah. Better.

-Is there anything else? -No. I don't think so.

-Thanks again. -Of course.

-Have a good one. -Oh, wait, wait. Uh...

-Wait. -Oh, no.

Hugo, uh, we don't take tips.

All the money that the tree lot makes goes to charities.

No, really, patrick. I insist.

[sighs] thanks.

I like that tool belt.

♪ la-la-la ♪

thanks.

♪ la-la la-la la-la whoa ♪

oh, my gosh. I'm such a dork.

[kate] hugo, we're home.

Oh, hi, sweetie. Hi. Oh, you're not gonna believe.

We got the greatest stuff. Maddy is such a great shopper.

So much better than you and your brother whining.

Mom, hello, the tree.

-It's gorgeous! -It's amazing.

I love it. Who delivered it?

Uh, some guy named patrick.

Oh. Great. Oh, god!

He left his filthy gloves on my clean couch. Here.

All right. Who wants eggnog?

You will not believe what just happened.

♪ ding-dong sing along ding-dong ♪

ah. Oh! There he is.

Oh. He's just as handsome as ever. Maybe even more so.

And he was two years older than you?

Yup. Everybody loved patrick.

He was senior class president,

just this super-confident whiz kid.

He was voted most likely to rule the world.

-Well, that's a bit much. -[chuckles]

when I saw him, I made a total fool out of myself.

I almost died.

Oh, I'm sure it was just all in your head.

No, literally. I fell down the stairs.

Can't help you there.

[maddy] he looks like the kind of guy who has a secret.

[scoffs] not in high school. He was totally out.

Hm. So he was your secret crush?

-[chuckles] -did you guys ever date?

No. You know I wasn't out in high school.

Right. Right. Oh, right.

And then he went to college

and I just lost track of him.

I can't believe he's still in town.

Well...

♪ is wonderful time ♪

we'll just have to take these back to him.

We can't. Can we?

-His hands are cold! Help! Help! -Oh...

♪ is the very best time ♪

♪ to take my baby dancing ♪

oh, is that the train station?

Yup. That's where we're gonna be spending christmas eve.

[hugo] I haven't been here in ages.

Well, they're probably locked, but let's just take a peek.

-Whoa, this is so cool. -I know.

This guy, edgar carroll, was a local real-estate developer

who built the train station and pretty much the whole town.

He was also this big philanthropist who financed

the library and the grammar school I went to.

Hm, what's with all the tarp?

So, has it been closed for a while?

Yeah. They don't really use it much anymore.

Hm, so this is where everyone's gonna come

to write their wish lists for santa?

Yeah, at the end of the night they load all the letters

on to the christmas express, which is the last train

to the north pole before christmas.

Really, it's just a commuter train with a big red bow on it.

-But you get the idea. -Cute.

Hm. Carroll created this tradition in 1920.

I wonder what he wished for.

Were you a tour guide or something?

Only one summer.

Hm. Now I get it.

Wait a minute. Are they gonna demolish this?

-Yeah. Looks like it. -A train kiosk? Seriously?

This is the most magical place in milwaukee at the holidays.

How can they think about tearing it down?

Well, we still have some good news.

We have to accidentally bump into patrick.

Don't try and cheer me up. Can't I be mad for five minutes?

Well, it takes five minutes to get to the tree lot,

so be mad.

-Why, it's freezing. -It's gonna...

They're selling faster than we can get them off the truck.

That's great, dad. I'll put in another order.

[frank] hey, that guy, he went to school with you, didn't he?

That's hugo, kate spencer's son.

-I haven't see him in years. -I wonder why he's here.

[indistinct singing]

-[patrick] hey. -Hey.

Whoa. Was your mom not happy with the tree?

Oh, no, no, no. You just, um, you left these at our house.

I have been looking all over the place for these.

-When I get distracted-- -you were distracted?

I... You know, I... Just with the tree.

-[clears throat] -oh.

Sorry, sorry. Uh, patrick, madelyn.

Madelyn, this is patrick.

-Hi. Hey. -Hi, nice to meet you.

-Madelyn. -You in from new york?

Oh, you know, it's a miracle we're both even here.

Getting hugo to take time off work--

-maddy thinks I work too much. -[maddy] I do not.

It's just that we never get to take vacations anymore.

[hugo] that's true.

Seems like tree sales are, are going well.

Yeah. You know, my dad runs the lot for me. Yeah, so...

All the money we raise goes to my foundation.

Well, we're supporting your mom and the carroll avenue

neighborhood association this year.

-You have a foundation? -Yeah, yeah.

I started it when I moved back to milwaukee, you know,

to help the community-based businesses get up and running.

-What did you do before? -Oh, I created this app.

And then I sold my company last year and I was able to retire.

-Retire? -What's the app?

-Cassandra. -You invented cassandra?

-Yeah. -W-what's cassandra?

Uh, that's huge, patrick.

I'm a teacher, and the older kids are obsessed with it.

-Wow. -You'll have to excuse hugo.

He doesn't really know what

the cool kids are into these days.

Thanks, maddy.

She's like a 21st-century version of the magic 8 ball.

So you can ask her anything about your future

and she will give you an answer.

Uh, she uses statistical models

to predict the chances of anything happening.

But you can't really predict the future.

-Numbers never lie. -The kids love it.

And, you know, they mostly ask about falling in love.

Really?

-Love? -Love is chemistry.

Chemistry is numbers, and that's where cassandra excels.

[frank] hey, guys.

Don't wanna interrupt, but we're getting...

Yeah, yeah. I'll be right there.

We should let you get back to work.

-Yeah. -Thanks again for the gloves.

Um, you know, if I don't see you guys,

have a really nice christmas.

You, too.

Chemistry is love.

I can't believe I tipped him.

Oh.

Excuse me, sir, could you just move that toy soldier

a little more to the left, hon?

-[man] yeah. No problem. -Thank you.

-[man] you're welcome. -Yeah, that's better.

Oh, good morning, sleepyhead.

Mom, what is all this?

Well, we're hosting the santa's breakfast

and we're gonna have all kinds

of wreath classes and everything.

Help me with this.

Maddy and I went to the train station last night.

-What is going on down there? -Can you believe that?

The planning commission took out a demolition permit.

We've been fighting it since July. Patrick's helping us.

I thought it was landmarked.

Well, they overrode the historic commission.

They said it's more important

that we have a working train kiosk

than another leaky old building.

I was so upset. I planned a whole sit-in.

But, unfortunately, it only got us thrown in jail.

-Mom, you got arrested? -Oh, just a little bit.

Mom, there's no such thing as just-a-little-bit arrested.

Look, sometimes you just gotta get into good trouble.

You know that, hugo. And it's for a very good cause.

Plus, I met some lovely young people.

-That's nice, mom. -Yes.

-But I love that train station. -I know.

It's such a big part of my childhood.

I mean, where are these kids supposed

to write their letters to santa?

Right? Tell that...

To those bureaucrats downtown.

-Those schmucks. -[instrumental music]

I wanna put more garland over there. I saw in a magazine.

-Good morning. -Good morning, sleepy kitty.

[patrick] hello?

Oh, you're here early. Hi, patrick.

Frank, I haven't seen you in forever. You look great!

Not since those pta meetings.

Well, we were just back from the flower mart,

and we thought we'd drop off your shipment.

Oh, thank you. It's beautiful.

-So sweet. Right? -So nice. Yeah.

-Dad, uh, you remember hugo? -From the debate team.

-Yes. -You guys went to state, right?

-Mm-hmm. -The debate team.

Uh, this is his wife, madelyn.

-Hi. -Hi.

[laughs]

uh, husband? No, no.

Um, that is the best joke I've heard all year.

Okay, it's not that funny, guys.

[kate] well, they're so inseparable,

they might as well be married.

God, no! No.

Uh, we've been best friends since freshman year of college.

Oh, well, it's just the way that you guys talked and, you know,

argued, finishing each other's sentences--

-we don't do that. -We don't do that.

[chuckles] it's like you're an old married couple or something.

Maybe we are.

No, no. Gay. Straight. Single.

Uh, uh, who's gay? Who's, who's straight?

Gay. Straight. Single. Single?

-Single. -[maddy] okay.

There are times when being a straight guy

feels exceptionally boring.

-[all laughing] -not to me, frank.

-[frank] oh. -Mom...

Gonna get some more stuff out of the truck.

-[patrick] hugo, you wanna help? -Sure.

Come on, frank. Let me show you the tent.

There's not too much stuff, but, uh...

[sighs] all right.

You should come by the tree lot tonight.

There's this hot-chocolate truck that sets up

every night, it's incredible.

Oh, I hate to tell you this,

but, uh, dominique ansel in manhattan

makes the best hot chocolate, hands down.

I'm afraid you're wrong. I'm practically a connoisseur.

Oh, no, no. You have not lived until you've tried his.

He puts a marshmallow on top

with a bittersweet chocolate truffle hidden inside.

-Sounds kinda pretentious. -Oh, it is.

[chuckles] I'll make you a deal.

You come by the lot tonight around 7:00

and I will treat you to the best of the best.

Okay. I like a challenge.

All right. See you there.

-You comin'? -Okay.

-Oh. Hey, mr. Ryan. -Oh, hugo.

I'm supposed to meet patrick at, um, 7:00.

Well, he's out on a delivery. He should be back any minute.

Okay. Great.

-Bye. -Bye.

-Hi. -Hey.

Um, can I get one hot cocoa...

I get it. Co-co-co. Merry christmas.

Merry christmas.

-Here you go. -Thank you so much.

Bye.

Wow. That is good.

[bells jingling]

hugo-meister?

-Oh! -Oh!

Jimmy! You scared me.

-So good to see you. -Hey.

-Good to see you. -What are you doing here?

Oh, tonight was the lamplighter tour.

Oh, I love the lamplighter tour!

I can't believe they're gonna tear this place down.

You're our alderman. Can't you stop it?

We tried.

Your mom threatened to chain herself to the building.

Oh, yes, I've heard. Getting arrested is her new thing.

Look, don't stress out about it.

I know, but this place means a lot to me.

It means a lot to everybody.

Hey, I gotta run. See you at the santa breakfast?

-Definitely. Okay. -Ah.

-Bye. -Bye.

[sighs]

[sighs]

hugo! Hey, I am so sorry I'm late.

I was delivering a tree to a customer.

It didn't fit in their elevator.

And now my dad needs my help closing.

It's okay. Don't, don't worry about it.

'tis the season.

You know, we'll be done in an hour.

-Why don't you stick around? -No. I-I don't think so.

It's been a long day and, uh, I was just headed home.

-Are you sure? -Yeah.

It was good to see you again.

I hope to see you around.

Merry christmas.

[hugo] mom, are you sure you want all these extra lights?

I'm the chairperson of christmas on carroll avenue.

I have to set an example.

Yeah, but it already looks like christmas on steroids.

When maddy and I flew in, we could see it from 30,000 feet.

All right, whatever. Meanwhile, how was last night?

[sighs] well, the hot chocolate was good.

And patrick?

Listen, mom, he's a good guy, but I'm only home for two weeks.

-And he's very busy. -Hm.

It's probably for the best.

What is this?

Oh. [chuckles]

oh...

-You kept dad's bench. -Of course.

Remember how happy you were working with him?

Do you ever get a chance to do it anymore?

Are you kidding? You've seen my place in new york.

I can practically roll over in bed

and open the refrigerator.

[laughs] yeah.

-What's this? -Oh, that.

The leg broke on that chair

and I've been meaning to get it fixed.

Now we're gonna be one chair short for christmas dinner.

I can't believe you still use the dining set...

-That dad and I built. -Yeah.

It took us, like, a year to build this.

And it's gonna outlive us all. That's the family heirloom.

-[car engine revving] -oh, who's here?

-[car door shuts] -oh!

Hi, patrick.

-What? Why? -Patrick's here. Patrick's here.

-Hi. How are you? -How's it going?

Oh. Oh, it's going great. You want some coffee or a muffin?

-I made muffins. -No.

-I'm good. Thanks, kate. -[kate] okay.

I'm actually just here to talk to hugo.

-Oh, sure, sure. -I...

I wanted to apologize again for last night.

It's okay, I-I know it's a crazy time of year

with deliveries and all.

I was hoping I could make it up to you, you know?

We could still do that hot-chocolate challenge.

-You don't have to do that. -[patrick] I want to.

Uh, patrick, what do you think about these lights?

Too much? Not enough?

You can never have enough christmas lights.

-Right? That's what I say. -Yeah.

Would you mind helping hugo

string some up on the roof?

Because me and maddy are

never getting on that ladder.

-Mom, it's okay. -Yeah, I'd be happy to help.

Okay then. I'll just leave you two boys to it.

[chuckles] toodles.

So where do we start?

Um, could you grab those balls off the shelf?

Sure.

This is a great workshop.

Got some serious woodworking tools.

-What's this? -Oh.

That was a, a project that my dad and I started,

like, a thousand years ago and... Never finished.

[patrick] is this your house?

Yeah. It's-it's supposed to be carroll avenue.

It was a christmas gift for my mom.

That's sweet.

Let's get these lights up before kate docks our pay.

Hugo, spread out all the lights. They're leds.

-We can put up thousands! -You already have thousands.

-Well, millions, then! -Do not encourage her, madelyn.

Well, all right, I guess we should let them do their thing.

So holler if you need us.

Your mom really is something.

She certainly is.

I remember I used to go into the library as a kid

and kate was always so warm and welcoming to me.

She kinda has a way of making everybody

feel like her own children.

Hey, you're gonna do lights around the windows?

I hadn't thought about it.

Might look nice.

Okay.

[sighs]

you know, uh...

You know, I, I wish I'd known you better back in high school.

You were a little busy being mr. Class president.

What were you like back then?

Uh, just kind of a wallflower.

I didn't really blossom until I met my wife maddy in college.

Hey, you think cassandra could predict how many lights

we're gonna need to finish this?

Do I detect a note of sarcasm?

-No, absolutely not. -Good.

'cause cassandra does not like it when people make fun of her.

I would not! I mean, you built an entire empire with her.

Yeah, well, there's still a part of me

that wishes I hadn't let her go.

The sale was this, this crazy rollercoaster ride.

This rival firm tried to derail the sale

by claiming copyright infringement. It was a mess.

Then they hired a-a whole bunch of high-powered attorneys

to sabotage the deal. Lawyers, ugh.

[chuckles]

-what? -Nothing. Nothing.

Ah. I'm just a lawyer, that's all.

Of course you are.

-[chuckles] -my one cardinal rule.

Stay away from lawyers unless absolutely necessary.

Well, I'm sorry, but you've broken that rule now.

-Oh. -[clatters]

-seriously? -You did that on purpose.

-I did not! I did not! -You did that on purpose.

Now I am stuck up here with a lawyer!

-[hugo] oh, I'm so sorry. -Great, hugo.

-Mom! Maddy! Madelyn! -Wow. Kate! Kate!

Give us a hand. Mom! Hello!

[chuckling]

I think they're okay for now.

-They're not coming, are they? -Definitely not.

♪ oh oh ♪

what do we do now?

♪ christmas ♪

♪ don't make me wait too lo-o-ong ♪

♪ oh oh oh oh ♪

♪ it's christmas time ♪

♪ I've been thinking since the day we parted ♪

♪ trees glistening the party's started ♪

♪ all the faces on the television ♪

♪ and all that christmas cheer I'm missing ♪

♪ it's not the same when I put up a tree... ♪

hugo, hugo, we have this big problem.

Come inside. Patrick and maddy, you, too. Come on.

♪ christmas song... ♪

-okay, all right. -[indistinct chatter]

♪ christmas ♪

-[groaning] -oh, jimmy, are you okay?

[groans] my sciatica fired up this morning

when I was getting dressed.

Oh, no, what are we gonna do?

Santa is the main...

Mom, why are you looking at me like that?

Well, it's obvious cousin jimmy can't do it.

-We need a santa claus. Please. -No. No.

Please, sweetie. Please.

-Fine. -Oh, I love you!

Can you help him get ready? Here's the pins.

[sighs] do you think my mom just stays awake at night

thinking of ways to publicly humiliate me?

Probably. I should give her some tips.

-Ow. -Sorry.

These pins are ancient. Where did she get them?

I have no idea. She saves everything.

Yeah.

Uh, hugo, you're-you're swimming in this.

Patrick, could you just pin him back a little bit?

-[patrick] sure. -Over here.

-Right. -Just through here.

-[maddy] let me get you a pin. -Don't move.

-Yeah. -Breathe in.

[inhales]

-you almost done? -He's working as hard as he can.

There. Got it.

-And... -[maddy] ooh.

Time to get your santa groove on.

Santa groove?

You've been spending way too much time with my mother.

-Yeah. -[sighs]

[instrumental music]

-ho-ho-ho! -Look, it's santa!

Now that santa's here, let's get this party rocking.

-Ho-ho-ho! -Oh, santa!

One, one at a time, kids. Santa will be here all morning.

Oh, thank you.

[hugo] "it was the night before christmas

when all through the house not a creature was stirring,

not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung over the chimney with care

in hopes that saint nicholas soon would be the-there."

-[kid laughs] -[hugo] ahem. Hold on.

Uh, where was I?

"the children were nestled, all snug in their beds,

while visions of sugar plums danced in their heads.

And mama in her kerchief, and I in my cap,

had just settled down for a long winter's nap."

[patrick] here you go. [hugo] thank you.

[sighs]

you're great with kids.

You really embraced your inner santa out there.

You were willing to let go and have fun.

Not everyone can do that.

My friends in new york would not describe me

as a letting-go kind of guy.

How would they describe you?

Ah, kind of uptight, little neurotic,

works too hard, doesn't have enough fun.

That's not who I saw out there.

Sometimes it's good to see yourself

through someone else's eyes.

You know, I, I know you're only here

for, like, another week or so,

but, um, maybe you wanna hang out some more?

Oh, um... I-I--

I get off tomorrow around 10:00 if you wanna come by.

I mean, I get if you don't wanna put yourself out there again.

-So you can just say no-- -no.

No. Well...

Thank you for being so direct.

No, no. I mean... No, I mean, I don't...

No, I don't wanna say no.

No. I'm, I'm so confused.

-Yes. -Ye-yes as in yes?

Yes as in, uh, 10 p.M. I'm saying yes.

Yes, great.

-Where would you like these? -Oh, uh, just round back.

[patrick] okay.

[groans] I don't own cool clothes like patrick.

You're nervous 'cause you like him.

I know. And I'm so out of practice.

What even is this sweater?

I've never seen a more hideous sweater in my life.

Okay, here's my holiday hot take on romance and guys.

Hit me.

Life is like...

An all-you-can-eat christmas buffet.

Okay, some guys are like fancy side dishes,

all style, no substance.

Others are beautiful desserts like a buche de noel,

but full of empty calories.

I am yet to meet my main course.

-Oh. Sweetie, you will. -I'm fine being single.

You're the one who's found his perfect turkey dinner.

My what?

Never mind. Whatever.

Now change those pants.

They, they look like dad jeans.

Now you tell me? I've been wearing these all week.

Yeah, well, not anymore. These ones.

Hm.

[instrumental music]

patrick?

Hello?

[scoffs]

what the h... Hi.

Hope this isn't too over the top.

I mean, it is, but I kinda like it.

Okay, we have italian subs

with meat and without, potato salad.

We've got homemade chocolate and cherry christmas cookies

which I made myself.

Wait a minute, how did you know that subs are my favorite?

-Uh, I asked cassandra. -Yeah, right. You asked my mom.

No, I put all your algorithmic data into cassandra

and I asked her to rank your late-night snack preferences.

-By percentage. -And what data was that?

You know, new yorker, works long hours.

Lawyer. Probably doesn't cook much.

Worked at mario's italian deli in high school.

You remembered that?

Of course I do. I was one of your customers.

You used to come in and order the godfather sub

with extra pepperoncinis, I think.

Wow. Okay, you remember my order.

You were a nervous wreck behind that counter.

Well, I mean, there you were looking all handsome

in your varsity lacrosse jersey,

and there I was in my polyester mario's deli shirt,

two sizes too big.

I admired you for being out, patrick.

I was so not there yet.

You were mr. Popular.

You've really got to stop calling me that.

That was high school, a hundred years ago.

And mr. Popular was also mr. Lonely.

-Come on, I don't believe that. -Believe it.

[patrick] it's kinda fate that we crossed paths.

I was supposed to deliver your mom's tree on Monday,

but she insisted it be Tuesday.

Fate or kate?

-Wait, you think we were set up? -Oh, absolutely.

She's always plotting something,

like, how to get me and my brother to move home.

Do you like living in new york?

I couldn't wait to move there after I finished law school.

-You know my mom grew up there? -Really?

Wow, you'd never know with that

thick milwaukee accent of hers.

What about you? What happened after high school?

I dropped out of college and

I moved to san francisco with a boyfriend.

Didn't work out so well, so I, uh,

I don't know, I just scrambled and put my life back together.

-Sounds hard. -Yeah.

One good thing came out of it.

I, uh, I started working

at this tech company

in silicon valley and...

That's where I fell in love with writing code.

You know, after my success, I, uh,

I knew I wanted to give back somehow.

Not many people would do that, patrick.

In palo alto, there were a thousand people

doing what I was doing, but back here, hardly anyone.

[sighs] you know,

it's an amazing time to be here, hugo.

Look at carroll avenue, a queer youth center

opened up in our neighborhood last year.

And the local drag community, it's thriving.

Imagine that growing up.

-It is very cool. -You have no idea.

We're rebuilding this place for the next generation.

-What? -It's just good to be back.

Yeah.

[instrumental music]

[indistinct singing]

[laughing]

[music continues]

[sighs]

oh.

Mm.

-Morning, mom. -Oh, hugo, you fixed the chair.

Oh, boy, that means the world to me.

Oh, sweetie, your father would be so proud.

It felt good to get back out there.

Sure.

So tell me, how'd last night go?

Mom, I don't need you meddling in my social life. I'm not 16.

Tsk, okay, I just thought that, you know,

he's so handsome and smart and rich...

We don't even live in the same time zone.

Oh, okay, okay, forget about it.

You'll never hear me mention patrick ryan again.

Mm-hmm.

-[humming] -what is that?

That is the key to the train station.

Your cousin jimmy dropped it off last night.

-No way! -Way.

-When can we go? -This morning. Now!

Let's go, uh, wake up sleeping beauty.

Oh, wow! It's exactly how I remember it.

Hey, can you imagine what this

must have been like back in the day?

Right?

So what are you envisioning, mom?

Oh, well, I think that we should do

kind of a winter wonderland.

A couple of trees over there, big gorgeous fluffy ones.

Over here, I think a table for the kids

to write to santa would be great.

Maybe a stage here.

And then over there, an entrance focal point.

I don't know what it's gonna be yet,

but it's gotta be spectacular.

Hugo, stay where you are.

[kate chuckles]

[chuckles]

ah... You belong here.

[kate] isn't he gorgeous? [maddy] you did good.

Not because he's my son, but I, I swear.

-[maddy chuckles] -you guys are so embarrassing.

[indistinct chatter]

[aiden] mom? Hello?

Hello?

Mom? Hugo?

Aiden! Aiden!

-Mom! -Ah! Hi!

-Oh. -Oh, my son.

Oh, my god, you look so skinny.

Don't they feed you in the military?

Mom, you look absolutely beautiful.

Oh, thank you. Mwah, mwah, mwah.

Hey, hugo.

-It's been too long. -Yeah.

Ah.

H-hey, maddy. Man, it-it's been forever, huh?

I haven't seen you since before the air force.

You've changed.

Yeah, he looks gorgeous. Oh, let's go eat something.

I can't believe. My two sons are home for the holidays.

And maddy is just a cherry on the cake.

-[kate] what a christmas. -Aiden looks really good.

-Ew, please don't start. -Oh, seriously.

Okay, most straight guys go to seed

when they hit their 30s, okay?

It's usually ugly christmas sweaters,

fanny packs, cargo shorts.

Excuse me, cargo shorts are cool.

Those pockets come in very handy.

Oh, wait. Sorry. I was describing you.

-Oh, that is it, you're... -What...

Oh.. Ah, no. Ah! Mom! Help!

Stop it, you children.

After we eat, we have plans, so don't get too comfortable.

Uh, mom, I sorta thought maybe we'd just light a fire

and open some wine, kinda chill for the night.

No, no, no. It's high school all over again.

Mom, I just flew 12 hours from munich.

Oh, you're stationed in germany.

Yeah, I've been teaching flight school there

for the past six months, but I'm back on the base

in indianapolis for the next year.

Yay!

All right. So what are we doing tonight?

Oh, we're going to do caroling on carroll avenue.

Isn't that clever? Also, I invited patrick.

-No, no, mom... -Yes, yes, yes.

Well, who's patrick?

[knocking on door]

[indistinct chatter]

patrick, I am so sorry about this. Had I known--

hey, it's gonna be great. I'm happy to be here.

[sighs]

can I come inside?

Yes, yes.

-Uh... -Hey.

This is my older brother, aiden.

-Patrick, nice to meet you. -[kate] okay.

I got the hats, everybody get in a line.

Patrick, so nice to see you.

-Thanks for having me. -Mom, we're caroling.

Not trick or treating.

All right, well, back in the day

everybody wore hats when they were caroling, scrooge.

Okay, one question before we start this insanity.

Why do you own a box of crazy hats?

-Fair question. -Hello, I'm a librarian.

We use it for the reading hour for pre-schoolers.

Okay, but, mom, you do realize

we're not in pre-school, all right?

Can everybody please get into the spirit here?

I'm just trying to make it a good christmas.

-Okay, here, this is for you. -Oh.

[kate] all right. And this is for you.

Actually, not so bad.

-And this is for you. -Ooh, fancy.

-And I saved the best for last. -Mom.

I-I'm gonna look ridiculous. I can't pull this off.

Oh, come on, just try it.

[kate] adorable!

Everybody, tune up their voices

and let's go!

♪ la-la la-la la-la-la-la ♪

[indistinct chatter]

I think you look adorable.

[instrumental music]

-thank you. -Here, hugo.

Oh, I didn't print up enough, oh.

Maddy, would you mind sharing yours with aiden?

-Absolutely. -Sure.

[hugo] mom, do I really have to do this?

Sweetie, nobody is expecting perfection.

Hugo's famous for just mouthing along.

Look, I don't enjoy singing and I'm not good at it, okay?

Sweetie, you're excellent at it, okay?

Come on. It's gonna be fun.

Okay, kids, come on, make mama proud.

Okay.

So kate went to a lot of effort to put this together.

Oh, yeah, she always puts her heart in everything she does.

Yeah. Well, a milwaukee christmas is just what I needed.

Yeah. You know, me, too.

-Your brother seems nice. -Yeah, he's a good guy.

We don't get to see each other much anymore.

Sometimes I don't really know how to talk to him.

Why? You guys don't have a lot in common or...

I don't know.

So what's happening with patrick and hugo?

Oh, you know, just a lot of flirting so far.

Okay, this is the first house.

Everyone give me a c.

[all vocalizing]

that'll do.

[doorbell rings]

♪ deck the halls with boughs of holly ♪

♪ fa-la la-la-la la-la la-la ♪

♪ 'tis the season to be jolly fa-la la-la-la... ♪

no one expects buble. Come on.

♪ don we now our gay apparel ♪

♪ fa-la-la la-la-la la-la-la ♪

♪ troll the ancient yuletide carol ♪

♪ fa-la la-la-la la-la la-la ♪

[cell phone vibrating]

oh. Sorry, I got to take this.

♪ the harp and join the chorus ♪

♪ fa-la la-la-la la-la la-la ♪

-hello, mr. Vogel. -Hi, hugo.

Sorry to call you so late.

Uh, I-I hope that you're not still at the office

at this late hour. Something wrong?

[vogel] quite the contrary.

I wanted to let you know that I heard you the other day.

You really advocated for yourself.

That's what we want in a leader.

We'd like to make you a partner,

but you have to be willing to go anywhere we send you.

O-okay.

We'd like you to open our new london office.

London? I-I-I love london.

I-I did a-a year abroad at cambridge in college.

You earned this, young man.

We'll go over the details after the holidays.

-Thank you. -[vogel] merry christmas.

Thank you, sir.

♪ and a partridge ♪

♪ in a pear tree ♪

♪ on the third day of christmas my true love gave to me ♪

[patrick] hugo! Come back. We need you!

♪ and a partridge in a pear tree ♪

♪ on the fourth day of christmas ♪

♪ my true love gave to me four calling birds ♪

♪ three french hens two turtle doves ♪

♪ and a partridge in a pear tree ♪

hey, maddy, I-I'm all done here now

if you want me to help you out with that.

Aww! That's so sweet. I'm good. Thanks, actually.

I mean, act... Do you mind?

It'd be helpful. Uh, I-I'll be back.

-[aiden] okay, sure. -Yeah.

Hey!

So... What was with the mystery call last night?

Um, mom, maddy and I are just gonna take a little break.

She keeps complaining about her feet.

My stomach, it's...

Okay.

-[maddy] london? -[shushing]

I know, I know. I was totally blindsided.

Please don't say anything to anybody, especially my mom.

I'm thrilled for you. Really.

Look, it's not a done deal.

We haven't worked out the details yet

and I haven't made a final decision.

What? Come on, just say it, maddy.

I can see it written all over your face.

It's, it's just we've lived in the same city

since freshman year.

Everything stays the same.

[kate] you know, I never worry about hugo when he's with maddy.

Oh, that's good. Everyone should have a friend like that.

-You know it, sweetie. -Hey, is she single?

You know, I've never been able to get a straight answer

out of her. You should ask her yourself.

No, no, no, I-I wasn't saying that I...

Aiden, just ask her. Life is short.

You see something you want, go after it, honey.

[maddy] that means you're moving to london!

All right, if I do, you have a place to stay.

And, look, new york to london is only seven hours.

It takes us that long to drive to provincetown.

Five hours if I'm driving.

Seven if you're behind the wheel, grandma.

[laughing]

hey! I, uh, I've got your mom's order.

Where do you guys want these?

Now, that's what I call a christmas tree.

Oh, patrick, you outdid yourself!

I had four people try to buy it this morning.

My dad had to protect it with his life.

Uh, could you guys set it up over there

and maybe, patrick, you can help hugo set it up?

You know, I really think that christmas

was made for our people.

The glitter, the ornaments, the dressing up.

I mean, look at this tree. It's a drag.

[patrick chuckles]

you know, your mom's amazing.

She's so welcoming to me.

Well, I know she's always thought of you like family.

It's been forever since I've seen you.

Yeah, it's really good having you.

Yeah. Thanks.

[kate] hey, aiden, can you help me with this, please?

-And duty calls. -[chuckles]

yeah. Thanks for your help.

Do you go this all out when you're back in new york?

No way. I don't have the time or the space.

You ever think about moving back to milwaukee?

I've been in new york for ten years.

Lately I have been thinking I could use a change.

It's just that your mom is here and...

It's a big decision.

I've been wrestling with it.

Wrestling with what?

Um, looks like we're gonna need more ornaments.

-Would you mind? -Uh, yeah, yeah, sure.

I'll grab them. I'll be right back.

Thanks.

-[sighs] -hey, come sit.

[sighs]

you okay?

What am I doing, maddy?

I mean, I'm going home right after christmas.

And who knows the next time I'm gonna see him?

This is crazy.

[sighs]

[patrick] yeah, she does.

-What's upstairs? -Oh, it's mr. Carroll's office.

I haven't been up there since I was a kid.

But I used to love looking through the window

and seeing all the cool stuff on his desk.

You wanna show me?

Sure.

Mom, do you have the key to mr. Carroll's office?

[kate] get it from cousin jimmy!

[patrick] it's like he left for lunch and never came back.

Yeah, edgar carroll wanted it left as is.

It's like a living museum.

Look, you can even see his glasses are still on his desk.

I wish I knew more about the guy.

You know, he did so much for this town.

And he traveled all over the world.

Look at all the stuff he brought back.

All these books and ledgers.

The story of someone's life.

It's a shame to keep it locked up.

I always wondered why he started the tradition of christmas eve

at the train station.

-[maddy] oh, hey, mr. Ryan. Hi. -Hi.

Kate sent me over to check on the wreaths

for the train station. Is the order in yet?

Aiden's boxin' them up right now.

-Thank you. -[chuckles]

-hey. -Hey.

This was supposed to be my job.

Really? My mom sent me here.

Hm. Me, too.

She must have gotten her wires crossed.

M-my mother doesn't get her wires crossed.

-[chuckles] -I know.

-Uh-huh. -Um... Hey.

Maybe she has us meeting up again later.

Well, we, you know, we could outsmart her

and meet on purpose, spoil her machiavellian plan.

I don't think that's possible with kate.

[both chuckling]

[patrick] so where'd you get the key?

[hugo] jimmy got it from the historical society.

He told me to guard it with my life.

Those preservationists are tough old ladies.

Oh, this is like a time capsule.

Hugo, don't touch his glasses!

-And you're putting them on. -Okay.

-What do you think? -Uh... Uh, here.

-Oh, another crazy hat, really? -Yeah, that suits you.

-[hugo exhales] -no, don't sit at his desk.

Oh, a good lawyer is always a good detective.

Wow, these photos are incredible.

[hugo] that's interesting.

When he died, there was no family,

and he left a lot of his estate to someone named d. Ashby.

-D. Ashby? -Yeah.

Look at this.

The two of them traveled the world.

[chuckles] they spent christmas eve together, too.

And he left him most of his estate?

-Do you think... -Well, that'd be romantic.

I guess we'll never know.

What we do know is carroll built this neighborhood

and he created a christmas tradition

we're still celebrating a 100 years later.

We can't let the city tear this place down.

It's not right. It means too much.

-We all tried, hugo. -Well...

I'm not gonna let it happen.

Not after seeing that.

Uh, you can't take that stuff.

No one will know. And, besides, I'll return it all.

[chuckles]

[cell phone ringing]

-what was that? -Cassandra.

She calls you?

If I set an alert. Come on. I'll explain later.

[sighs]

[hugo] uh, are you gonna tell me what we're doing out here?

[patrick] yeah, yeah.

We just, you know, we need to get as far away

from the city lights as possible.

And, uh, I think we're good here.

-[hugo] it's chilly out here. -Yeah.

-What, what are we doing? -Got some blankets here for us.

Okay. Here, have a seat.

We are waiting for the northern lights.

I hate to burst your bubble, but they never come this far south.

Well, lucky for you, I programmed cassandra

to, uh, alert me to the best night to see it.

-Seriously? -Yeah, yeah.

She's predicting a 42% chance

that we're gonna get a sighting.

Okay, I would not wanna go to trial

with a 42% chance of winning.

What causes the northern lights anyway?

Oh, it's the collision of highly charged particles from the sun

crashing into the earth's electromagnetic shield.

Oxygen and nitrogen atoms, they get excited by--

wow. And I thought I was the biggest nerd on this date.

[chuckles] it's not nerdy, it's cool, okay?

So, um, pale green and pink,

those are the most common colors,

but red, blue, and violet not so much.

-Thank you, encyclopedia brown. -Who?

They were my favorite books when I was growing up.

In fact, encyclopedia brown was my first real boyfriend.

And you're back to being the biggest nerd.

[both chuckling]

since you're a trivia guy, you should, uh, join us

for family game night on Tuesday.

It's like trivial pursuit, but all the questions

are about christmas. We've been playing it since I was a kid.

Yeah, that sounds fun.

Okay, patrick, this is fun and all,

but I can't feel my toes.

Can we please head back to civilization?

Come on, come on. Cassandra, she's gonna pull through.

She does not let me down, all right?

[sighs]

do you think cassandra can really predict love?

-What kind of love? -Oh, you know...

Head-over-heels, love-at-first-sight,

soul mates reconnecting kind of love.

Well, it's not a simple answer.

You know, I programmed her algorithms to default to...

Oh, my god.

[instrumental music]

is this it? This is incredible!

Hugo, look.

[hugo] I've never seen anything like it.

So are you a believer now?

♪ I see ♪

♪ the snowflakes fallin' ♪

♪ young children... ♪

wondered where you snuck off to.

-Here I am. -Beer?

Yeah, thanks.

-Hey, is that our house? -Hm.

Be careful, I just painted that.

Oh, sorry.

Man, you are really good, huh?

It's a christmas gift for mom that I started with dad.

I figured I should finish.

Yeah, man, she's gonna love it.

[hugo] thanks.

So that patrick guy, he seems pretty nice, huh?

Yeah. Why?

Did mom put you up to this?

Are you two dating or...

We just met.

Or re-met.

Anyway, he's way out of my league.

Hey, man, do not sell yourself short.

He's only a little bit out of your league.

Ha-ha!

No, man, seriously, he would be lucky

to have someone like you.

Aiden, why are you being so nice to me?

What? I'm always nice.

[laughs] right.

Be careful, that is razor-sharp.

Gosh, didn't dad ever warn you about this?

Actually, no. I, I was never in here with him.

It was, this was your thing together.

But I-I thought that you--

I-I always felt like,

like the workshop was reserved for you two.

Hey, listen, I'm gonna go sneak another piece of that cake

that mom made. You in?

Sure. And let her see you sneaking, it'll make her year.

[chuckles]

but, uh, you sure you don't mind the company?

Are you sure you're not bored to tears?

You're literally watching paint dry.

No. I want to hear more about patrick.

[laptop keys clacking]

how's it coming along, sweetie?

Well, I've been going through carroll's financial records

an-and the proper deed for the train station was never filed

after his death.

Does that matter?

I'm not sure. I got to do more legwork.

Hey, mom, do you have the planning commission

demo permit by chance?

No, but I'm sure I could get it.

Something's not right. Carroll left us a mystery.

Wow. Did I ever tell you that I met him?

-No, you didn't. -He was a sweet old man.

-That's nice. -Yeah.

You know, we found a photo in his office

of him with a, um, traveling companion.

And we think he might've been gay.

I wouldn't be at all surprised.

He was one of those dudes that just danced

to the beat of his own drum.

He didn't care what other people thought.

-He just wanted to be happy. -Hm.

Do you know why he started the christmas eve tradition?

Well, I don't know, but I'd like to think

that he just wanted to make the world a better place.

And what better time to manifest your wishes than on christmas?

-[hugo chuckles] -anyway, that's what I think.

-I like that. -[kate chuckles]

okay, I'm gonna be the mc.

If you get the answer right, you get one point.

If you get it wrong, you get no point.

[all laughing]

thirty seconds, you have thirty seconds.

If you get it wrong, you're gonna hear this.

[all laughing]

if you get it right, then you're gonna hear

christmas hallelujah!

Okay, what do we get if we win?

-Lap dance! -[hugo] no. No, mom.

The spencer family franken trophy.

-Built by aiden and I. -[indistinct chatter]

-don't you wanna win now? -[laughter]

-come on! -Do we get a, a lifeline or...

No. No way. In fact, I'm glad you asked.

Everybody put your cell phones in here.

Okay, here's our first question.

"who, who created the first string of christmas lights?"

oh, uh, uh, alexander graham bell!

-No! -Macys!

-No! -Thomas edison.

-Yes! -Whoa! Yeah!

-Score one for maddy! -Yeah.

-Here, you get this! -Nicely done.

-Whoo! -Let's see.

Okay, question number two.

Ooh, "the peanuts gang sing a christmas carol

at the end of a charlie brown christmas.

-What is it? -I know this.

It's, uh, uh, uh, white christmas?

-No! -It's, uh...

Hark the herald angels sing!

-Yeah! -Yay!

-I watch it every year. -So do I!

-Yes! Very impressive. -[indistinct chatter]

♪ and a picture frame ♪

♪ carry on the wings of a turtle dove ♪

♪ the magic of christmas is spreading its love... ♪

[kate] okay, now for the tie-breaker,

to see which brother wins this round.

Then we can go eat.

Ooh, "in 1843, charles dickens wrote a christmas carol

in only six weeks.

And in what city?"

uh, okay, I know he was born in portsmouth...

Don't over-think it, counselor.

Aiden, you, you know this one.

-Uh, uh, london! -Uh, portsmouth!

-[bell ringing] -london it is!

[all cheering]

new champion! New champion in the house!

-No, that seems... -[indistinct chatter]

no. London seems too obvious. I think that's a mistake.

-Well, aiden's the expert. -Don't be a sore loser.

Mom, give me my phone. I got to do my due diligence.

-Where is it? Ah, it's here. -Oh, sweetie.

-[aiden] sore loser. -London.

Yeah, where you're moving to!

[aiden] huh? [kate] what?

I'm sorry.

You're moving?

I made partner at the firm.

I just found out.

They want me to open up their new london office,

but I haven't given them an answer yet.

Wow! London.

Mom?

Say something, please.

Wow!

Look, promise me three things, okay?

Next christmas you invite me

and then we'll go shopping at harrods

and we'll have tea at the savoy, okay?

It's a deal.

Oh, sweetie, I'm so proud of you.

It's everything you worked so hard for.

-Thanks, mom. -I love you.

I love you, too.

You sure you don't wanna stick around?

My mom wants to go another round.

Thanks, but I promised my dad I'd help him close tonight.

Look, I'm sorry that I didn't, um...

Mention london, but...

It's great news. Yeah.

Moving to london, it's gonna change your life.

I'm really excited for you.

Thanks, patrick.

I gotta run. Goodnight.

[hugo] goodnight.

-[car door shuts] -[engine starts]

why can't I meet a guy like that in new york?

Aww! Hugo, hugo, hugo.

I'm so sorry I said anything.

Oh, it's okay, it was gonna come out anyways.

Look, I've got to be totally honest with you.

I'm not sure london's what's really in your heart,

otherwise I think you would have told everyone right away.

Look, I'm cold and tired.

Will you just tell everyone I crashed?

-Yeah. -[hugo exhales]

[instrumental music]

-hey. -Hey.

-Want a glass? -Yeah, I'd love one.

-Here. -Thanks.

So, uh, how's hugo doing?

He went to bed.

Oh.

Uh, I-I wish he'd told me sooner.

[sighs] yeah, I really messed up.

He's just, he's wrestling with a lot of things

and he just wasn't ready to talk about it yet.

You two are always looking out for each other, huh?

It's really nice.

I-I have a lot of close friends in my life, but no one like you.

It's, uh, really special what you two have.

-Well, I'll drink to that. -Yeah.

[kate] morning, sleepyhead.

Look, mom...

I'm sorry I ruined game night,

and that I didn't tell you about london before.

I just... I'm kinda scared.

Oh, sweetie, of course you're scared.

I'd be scared too, but sometimes y-you have to follow your heart

no matter where it takes you.

You know what? I have something I have to do.

-Oh, no breakfast? -Uh, not right now.

-[hugo] hi. -First customer of the day.

Look, about last night--

hugo, you don't owe me any explanation.

No, no, no, but I, I want to.

I, I just wasn't prepared to talk about the job yet,

and, honestly, I'm a little overwhelmed.

London? I love london. Now I'll have someone to visit.

Yeah. I'm still not sure about it yet.

Well, you'll figure it out, you know?

Sometimes it's okay to not know what's around the corner.

You know, I really wish I could be one of those people,

I'm just not.

Let's just enjoy the time we have for now.

Great. Great.

You know, some of my friends are having this holiday party thing

at a lounge. You should join me tonight.

It'll help take your mind off everything.

I'll text you the address.

Oh, and, uh, bring madelyn and aiden, too. It'll be fun.

See you tonight.

♪ I'm waiting by the chimney ♪

♪ hoping you get a little christmas gift ♪

♪ that's gonna make me smile ♪

oh, it's you. I was worried it was mom.

-How's it coming? -[exhales]

-wow, it's looking incredible. -Thanks.

I'm just racing to get it done by christmas eve.

-Can I grab a seat? -Sure.

But if you're gonna sit, I'm gonna put you to work.

Would you mind sanding this roof for me?

Uh, I, I want to do the glitter snow.

Glitter snow? Oh, you've made your gay brother very proud.

-There you go. -[aiden] okay.

Um...

Hey! What are the crafty boys up to?

-It's a little glitter snow. -[maddy chuckles]

-take a seat. -Thanks.

A real officer and a gentleman.

[sighs] is this your street?

Yeah. But don't tell mom, okay? It's a surprise.

What's with the papers?

Oh, um, kate said you need them.

Something about a demolition permit.

Yes!

[chuckles] look at this place! It's incredible!

Well, it's our swan song, I didn't wanna disappoint.

-Maybe not, mom. -What's that supposed to mean?

Edgar carroll's papers did not match up

with the public records.

See, after he died, he didn't have a traditional family.

He left most of his estate to mr. Ashby.

But the train station, well, according to this,

he left the train station

to the carroll avenue neighborhood association.

-What? Is that possible? -Mm-hmm.

The deed was never properly filed

and the city cannot issue a demo permit

on a building it doesn't technically own.

-So what do we do now? -This is just the beginning.

I suggest you hire a very good lawyer to sort all this out.

I'm lookin' at one right here.

Mom, I'm not licensed in wisconsin.

Oh, yes, you are, 'cause wisconsin

has reciprocity with new york.

-And how do you know that? -Well...

A couple of years ago I wanted to convince you

to move back home, so I called the bar association.

-Of course you did. -[kate chuckles]

well done, hugo. What would we do without you?

-My son. -[cell phone chimes]

-mom. -[kate chuckles]

-mom, privacy! -Oh! Sorry.

[both laughing]

♪ I love snowmen and turtle doves in twos ♪

♪ holly ivy mistletoe can take away my blues ♪

♪ kris kringle and his reindeer friends they endlessly amuse ♪

♪ but the best part of the holiday is sugar and booze ♪

♪ I love mittens and skating... ♪

hey, you guys made it.

This is wild! I love it!

Yeah, they do these pop-ups all over the city.

Welcome to rudolph's hideaway lounge.

Wow, wish we'd dressed up more.

You know, there's an open mic, maybe you can be persuaded

to do a little christmas number?

No, no, I think I've done all my singing

for the season, thank you.

Um, we're gonna grab a table.

-I'm really glad you came. -Me, too.

♪ headlines and the news ♪

♪ pop a cork put on your dancin' shoes ♪

mm...

-Hey, you guys want a drink? -Yeah.

Um, I'm gonna get, hm, prancer's punch.

Okay, I think I'm gonna get the gin and comet.

Oh, that's a good choice, I

highly recommend the rum rum rudolph.

-Oh, I'll have that. -All right, I'll go get them.

-Maddy, you want to come? -Yeah, of course.

You know what, first round's on me.

♪ and booze ♪

[music continues]

so I think I may have found out some good news

about the train station today.

-Really? -Yeah.

I knew you would pull through.

I hate that you're moving so far away.

I like having you around.

Look, I really like you, patrick.

And that kind of scares me.

What's there to be scared about?

I've done the long-distance thing before.

Being together requires a lot of sacrifice.

Yeah, but compromise makes a relationship stronger.

I just don't know if I'm ready to take that leap of faith.

You know, there, there's so much work that you could do here.

You don't have to go halfway around the world.

I don't want this to end.

♪ booze ♪

♪ oh yeah ♪

[all cheering]

-[woman] once more! -[indistinct chatter]

-and for you. -[gladys] thank you, thank you.

A toast, uh, to family and friends.

Cheers.

[clears throat]

it's the magic hour, ladies and gents,

and everybody in-between and outside.

I'm the fabulous gladys claus,

and it's time to get you into the christmas groove.

But I need a little help. Do I have any volunteers?

[man] uh-oh! [gladys] anybody?

Come on. You should do it. You were great the other night.

What? No, no, no, no.

-You'll be great. -Come on, party poopers.

I've got a stack of christmas music,

and I can play anything you want.

-Hugo! -No, no, no.

-Come on up here, sir. -[man] come on!

-[gladys] hugo! -[all cheering]

what key, hugo?

Oh, uh, let's just see what comes out.

Ooh. And what will you be singing today?

Uh, do you know have yourself a merry little christmas?

Every queen knows that song, you silly boy.

-[laughter] -[hugo] uh...

[instrumental music]

♪ have yourself ♪

♪ a merry little christmas ♪

♪ let your heart be light ♪

♪ from now on our troubles ♪

♪ will be out of sight ♪

[crowd cheering]

♪ have yourself a merry little christmas ♪

♪ make the yuletide gay ♪

[cheering]

♪ from now on our troubles ♪

♪ will be miles away ♪

♪ here we are as in olden days ♪

♪ happy golden days of yore ♪

♪ faithful friends who are dear to us ♪

♪ gather near to us once more ♪

♪ through the years we all will be together ♪

♪ if the fates allow ♪

♪ hang a shining star upon the highest ♪

what is happening?

♪ bough ♪

♪ and have yourself ♪

♪ a merry little christmas ♪

♪ now ♪

[woman] yeah!

[all cheering]

thank you.

Oh.

Where's patrick?

I don't know, he just got up and left.

What?

Patrick!

Patrick!

Are you okay?

-Was the singing that bad? -No, you were great.

You know, I just, um, I thought I could do this,

but I-I don't think I can.

Do what?

It's just, you know, our time is running out, so--

but I-I thought you said we should enjoy the time

that we have left.

Yeah, well, I'm sorry, I just,

I don't think we should see each other anymore.

Look, I'm a numbers guy, and I just don't think

we can beat the odds on this one, so...

Patrick, come on.

Good luck in london.

Merry christmas, hugo.

Patrick, wait! Patrick!

I don't know. I doubt it.

I mean, I'd like to at least say goodbye

before we leave next week, but...

Uh, so about that...

[chuckles]

um, I'm staying on through the new year.

There's a new year's eve party that some friends are hosting

and I really wanted maddy to come with me.

Yeah, that sounds like so much fun.

[maddy] you know, is that okay?

Yeah! It's great!

That's great.

Just as long as you're back in time to help me pack.

Of course I'll be there, and you know it.

You're not having second thoughts, are you?

Is it that obvious?

Hugo, if you need anything from me,

you know I'm always around, right?

-Yeah. Me, too. -Thanks, guys.

[exhales]

[instrumental music]

[exhales]

well, don't you look handsome?

Thanks, mom.

-Are you okay? -I'm fine. I'm... I'm fine.

Come over here, I wanna give you something.

Mom?

I thought we said we were gonna wait till midnight for presents.

-I know, but this couldn't wait. -[sighs] all right, all right.

Okay.

[chuckles]

-dad's woodworking tools. -Yes.

I want you to carry on the tradition, sweetie,

from wherever you live.

-I miss him so much. -[sighs] oh, god. Me, too.

Every day.

I want you to keep doing this

because it's in your soul.

It made you smile when you were a kid,

and I think it's gonna make you smile

for a very long time to come.

I just want you to be happy, you know?

-[chuckles] -merry christmas, sweetie.

-I love you. -Merry christmas, mom.

I love you.

[laughs] I love my boy.

Mom...

[instrumental music]

[indistinct chatter]

[kate] oh, boy!

[gasps] oh, my goodness!

Oh, how beautiful!

You finished it.

Aiden and I wanted to do something special for you

for christmas.

Both my boys? You did it together?

Well, it was mainly all hugo,

but he taught me a couple of things.

-His first woodworking lesson. -Oh...

Look at this, there's our house and the train station.

A fairy-tale version of our street.

Oh, my boys, thank you.

-Oh, you're my boys. -You're welcome.

[instrumental music]

hey. That's my best friend you're staring at.

[aiden laughs]

[aiden] she-she's amazing.

I'm, you know, I'm really looking forward to getting

to see more of her, now that I'm back in the states.

Yeah, but you're gonna be in indiana.

Doesn't the whole long-distance dating thing bother you?

No, not at all.

I mean, how often do you get to meet somebody who, you know,

makes you feel like that?

-Yeah. -[door opens]

everybody, can I please have your attention?

I'm kate spencer, the president

of the carroll avenue neighborhood association.

[cheering]

thank you, thank you all for being here.

As many of you may realize, tonight may be

our last christmas eve

at our beloved train station.

But all may not be lost. You know what?

Hugo, why don't you come up and talk to everybody?

Come on, give him a warm welcome.

No. No, mom.

-It's not happening. -Yes, yes.

[cheering]

[kate] my boy!

-Thank you, mom, thank you. -Mwah! Yay!

-Hi, everyone. -Hi.

Um, you know, when I came back to milwaukee

to, uh, spend christmas with my family,

the last thing I expected was to get involved

in saving this incredible old building.

Like many of you, I-I've been coming here

since before I can remember.

I think edgar carroll would have been really proud

to see such a diverse group of people here tonight.

He wished for a better world and, and we're living it.

And on a personal note, looking at tonight,

not only do I feel proud to have grown up in this neighborhood,

but for the first time in a long time

I feel genuinely excited about the future.

Being back for the holidays, I've realized that

like mr. Carroll, this is where my heart is.

I'm home.

Merry christmas, everyone.

-Merry christmas. -[applause]

hey, thank you.

Home, huh?

Did you mean it?

I did.

Come on, I wanna show you something.

[patrick] oh. Wow.

All these years.

I wonder if anyone knew.

Can you imagine what they had to face back then?

I feel like love would be the only thing

that would get you through something like that.

What are you saying?

I'm staying that anything worth having is worth fighting for.

There are always gonna be obstacles,

but I really wanna try and make this work.

Me, too.

Okay, kids, you know, there's only ten minutes left

until the christmas express leaves the station.

So everybody should fill out their santa wish list.

Pass them around.

And you two little boys

get your santa list.

Thank you, mom.

Well, I mean, since we're here, we might as well, right?

What? Nothing?

I don't have to ask santa for anything this year.

I already got it.

[chuckles]

[instrumental music]

[gasps]

it's snowing.

It's the perfect white christmas.

It is now.

Mom, how many years have we been doing this?

Oh, forever and a day.

Somehow all my wishes come true.

-Aww... -How do you do that?

Hey, that's between me and santa.

[both laughing]

-I love you, hugo. -Love you, too.

[train horn blaring]

oh, it's time for the train, everyone! Come on!

[indistinct chatter]

-it's snowing. -Yeah.

[instrumental music]

merry christmas, hugo.

Merry christmas, patrick.

♪ you make my dreams come true ♪

wait, I want a picture.

♪ and every time of year ♪

♪ I just want a chance to hold you near ♪

♪ when the snow is falling down ♪

♪ christmas carols all around ♪

♪ people smiling having fun ♪

♪ spending time with precious ones ♪

♪ mistletoe hangs by the door you're the one... ♪

♪ you make my dreams come true ♪

♪ with all the little things you do ♪

♪ and every time of year ♪

♪ I just want a chance to hold you near ♪

♪ I hope you feel the same ♪

♪ please say you'll stay with me for christmas ♪

♪ houses decked with twinkling lights ♪

♪ shining brightly through the night ♪

♪ jolly snowman standing tall ♪

♪ as the snowflakes gently fall ♪

♪ gifts beneath the christmas tree ♪

♪ waiting there for you to see ♪

♪ bells are ringing children singing ♪

♪ you're the one I should be kissing ♪

♪ you make my dreams come true ♪

♪ with all the little things you do ♪

♪ and every time of year I just wanna... ♪