Original subtitles

♪ Have a holly, jolly Christmas ♪

♪ It's the best time of the year ♪

♪ I don't know if there'll be snow ♪

♪ But have a cup of cheer

♪ Have a holly, jolly Christmas ♪

♪ And when you walk Down the street ♪

♪ Say hello To friends you know ♪

♪ And everyone you meet

♪ Oh, ho, the mistletoe Hung where you can see ♪

♪ Somebody waits for you

♪ Kiss her once for me

♪ Have a holly, jolly Christmas ♪

♪ And in case you didn't hear

♪ Oh, by golly

♪ Have a holly, jolly Christmas ♪

♪ This year

♪ Have a holly, jolly Christmas ♪

♪ It's the best time of the year ♪

Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?

Liam, good morning!

We were getting a little Christmas cheer.

Oh!

I know it's only three weeks until Christmas,

but it just doesn't feel like the holidays

until we get some of Carly's reindeer Christmas cookies.

I was just going to get some myself.

Like father, like son.

Actually, they're not for me.

Strafford Candle is having their opening ceremony

for the Christmas Spirit Competition,

and I hear the owner has a notorious sweet tooth.

Ooh.

Are we still meeting tomorrow

to decorate the Mayor's Residence?

Mom, again...

West Riverton is not big enough to have a "residence."

It's just my house.

Isn't that what they say you're supposed to decorate

in the first round of the competition?

You can call it what you want, but yes,

the volunteers are supposed to show up

bright and early tomorrow.

Will there be more cookies?

Oh. Ignore him.

West Riverton is gonna win this year!

That's right.

I've been telling everyone

the Strafford Candle will be named after our time.

"West Riverton Pine."

No... "Candy Cane."

Ask for a candy cane candle.

Oh, I love going every year

to see the town that wins.

And that's gonna be us, this year.

In the bag.

I mean, if East Riverton

could make it into the final round last year--

Please, don't remind me.

Ah. Still stings, huh?

No. Their mayor reminds me every chance she gets.

Sarah's gotta be

the most competitive person I have ever known.

She's been that way since we were kids.

I'm guessing she'd probably say the same thing about you.

I'm not competitive. I'm...

enthusiastic.

Yeah?

I mean, I love this town,

I love the people, I love the competition,

because, well, that's how we celebrate every year.

That's the Christmas spirit.

And I am gonna love it

when we beat East Riverton this year.

- Yes! - Cookies!

Later, son.

All right.

Thanks, Sarah.

Tricia, thank you.

Your snowman-shaped cookies are perfect,

and so much cuter

than the reindeer ones that they have in West Riverton.

Well, good, because we have to go all out

to beat them and win this year.

We are starting first thing tomorrow,

decorating the "Mayor's Residence."

You mean our house?

Yes. But this is gonna make it spectacular.

Well, with you as Mayor, how could it be anything else?

Oh, thank you.

- Bye, Justin. - Bye!

- See ya. - Bye.

So, Mom, have you thought

of what you want for Christmas yet?

Honey, I'm gonna love anything that you get me.

That doesn't help.

Okay. Well, you could, um, make me something.

Like the finger painting of the snowmen

that you did that one year.

I was 5 then. I'm 14 now, Mom.

Okay, okay. Um...

Well, I could use a new car. How about a new car?

You'd have to seriously raise my allowance.

Dad, Mom wants me...

to buy her a car for Christmas.

Really? Well, she should put that in her letter to Santa.

Ah.

- Good morning. - Hey.

So we're going to Enzo's place tonight.

Do you want to come with us?

You know what? I-I can't tonight, bud.

Linda and I have a date night planned.

But you and me are gonna spend the whole afternoon together

tomorrow after school.

What are you guys gonna do?

We're gonna help decorate the Mayor's house

over in West Riverton.

Frank, you're helping Liam?

Okay, Sarah, come on.

You've really got to let this rivalry go.

Yeah, come on, I mean,

Christmas is about coming together.

You know, "goodwill toward men."

Yes, of course it is,

and we will absolutely do that, after we win.

Okay! Well, on that merry note,

come on, let's get you to school.

- Come on. Hugs. - Bye

That's my boy.

Oh...

you little stealer!

♪ ...Merry Christmas

♪ We wish you A Merry Christmas ♪

♪ And a Happy New Year

Hurray!

Thank you all so much for coming out.

That was amazing!

We need more lights.

On the tree?

No, for my house. For the competition.

When we turn those lights on,

the entire Eastern Seaboard should experience a brownout.

We only have enough left in the budget

to maybe blow a few fuses

in New Hampshire and parts of Maine.

But we can go to the big Christmas store

on Highway 40.

They have discounts when you buy in bulk.

No, Kendall,

you're the President of the Town Council.

You have to learn to delegate.

You picked that tree and set it up yourself.

Yes, well, I saw

what Sarah got for East Riverton's City Hall,

and ours is so much better.

I should get going

if I'm gonna make it to the opening ceremony on time.

You said you wanted to stop and pick up some fruitcake

at the coffee shop, too.

Right. Thank you.

Mm.

You know, I really think that, uh...

Sarah's probably getting a ton of lights to decorate her house.

I'll look at the budget.

Who needs snowplows, right?

Yale... I love this.

We can put them over the fireplace in your house

and have a concert for the judges

as they walk in.

It's perfect.

I think that takes care of what we're doing

for round one of the competition.

If we make it to round two...

"When" we make it to round two.

We have everything ordered

for the Christmas carnival in town hall--

which was a great idea, by the way.

Round two is all about showing off

the fun side of Christmas in East Riverton.

What's more fun than games and food?

We are gonna win this year.

I can feel it.

Do you think that the winner will get

the new distribution center that Strafford Candle is planning?

Well, it's not part of the prize,

but I think it's a possibility.

I mean, the owner of the company loves Christmas.

Whichever town wins could be a frontrunner.

And we've got all that land out by the old mill

that would be perfect for it.

Ohh. Fingers crossed.

Thanks.

Oh, uh...

Uh, didn't you say you wanted

to stop to get a coffee before you went to the ceremony?

Yes. Thank you.

- Sarah. - Liam.

You have everything you need

for the ceremony at Stafford Candles?

Oh, yes. All set. Thank you.

And you're all good?

Couldn't be better. We'll see you later.

After you.

Oh, no, no, after you. Please, I insist.

No, no. You go ahead.

Please--

Okay! Will one of you please go first?

You're letting all the heat out!

Do you think this will work?

Well, the more we get them together,

the more they have to be nice to each other.

Maybe it'll finally stick.

This would make my job so much easier.

Ohh, it would make my life a lot easier.

It is way too cold

for your "after you" routine today.

- I was only trying to-- - Oh, no, no, we were just--

Yeah, I know

what you were "just" and what you were "trying to."

I know all your little tricks with each other.

You don't know everything about us.

We're not that predictable.

Uh, may I please get a peppermint--?

Peppermint macchiato.

Eggnog latte.

So...

are you ready for the Christmas Spirit Competition?

Oh. Ready to win?

Ha! Absolutely.

Well, East Riverton made it into the final round last year.

West Riverton is gonna make it much further than that.

In fact...

we're gonna get the distribution center, as well.

Isn't that right, Maureen?

Maureen is on our side.

Oh! Mm. No.

Maureenis on no one's side.

You see, I live outside of both city limits,

and this place is Switzerland.

It's the only way we can survive,

straddling the border between both towns.

Now, if you two don't stop,

neither of you are getting any of my Christmas fruitcake.

- Oh... - You can't do that.

It's tradition.

It's the best fruitcake in the world, Maureen.

Well, at least we agree on that.

Ah, I would never do that to you.

Besides, the spirit of Christmas is all about

sharing and helping your fellow man, right?

- Yes. - Of course it is.

Mm-hmm.

Don't you two have towns to run?

Thank you, Maureen.

- Bye, Maureen. - Bye.

After you.

Oh, please, I insist.

Bye, Maureen.

Our winners from last year

and several years before, Dover Lake.

Welcome to the Strafford Candle Christmas Spirit Competition.

A finalist from last year, East Riverton.

Welcome to the competition.

Our good friends from Weaverton.

Welcome to the competition.

All right.

There you go.

And our last entry,

let's have a warm welcome for West Riverton.

- Welcome to the competition. - Thank you. Thank you.

That makes 28 official entrants.

You know, over the last 50 years,

the New Hampshire Christmas Spirit Competition

has become a beloved institution.

And yes, we sell a lot of candles because of it,

but it's about so much more than that.

It's a tradition

that brings communities together.

So here's how the competition is going to work.

Round one,

decorate the Mayor's Residence.

And then our beloved judges

will whittle it down to 10 towns

that will move forward on to round two,

where they must do something

that shows how much fun Christmas can be.

Then the top three towns

go into the third, and final, round,

where they must put on a gathering that speaks

to what Christmas means for their community.

I will announce the winning town December 23rd

and they will get our 50th Anniversary Candle

named after the town.

Plus, a cash prize

for their Parks and Recreation Department,

and bragging rights

as the New Hampshire town with the most Christmas spirit.

What about the distribution center you want to build?

Will the winning town get that, too?

Not officially.

Although, I will say

that the qualities that the judges look for--

a strong sense of community,

neighbors working together toward the common good--

those are the qualities that I'll be looking for

when I make my decision on where we will expand.

Thank you all so much!

Have a very Merry Christmas.

John, hi.

Merry Christmas to you.

Liam, so good to see you again.

It's great to have you

in the competition again this year.

Thank you very much.

Yeah. Are those what I think they are?

Well, I remember how much you love

our reindeer Christmas cookies, so...

But not as much

as you're gonna love our snowmen cookies.

Well, I love them both.

It's just a little way of saying

congratulations on the 50th anniversary of the competition.

You know, when we started this, we only had five towns enter.

It's almost as much of a tradition

as your Christmas candles,

which, by the way, my family loves them,

Oh, so do mine.

Oh, so do mine. My father, actually,

he requested a candy cane-scented candle

when we win the competition this year.

Oh! Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Liam.

Well, if you'll excuse me,

I have some work to do.

Of course.

- Oh! Oh, yes. - Of course.

Thank you, John.

Mayor Clark.

The whole Clark family!

Merry Christmas.

I wasn't expecting you tonight.

Oh, Kendall said she made a reservation.

Enzo, I don't know how you do it.

Every year, you top yourself! I think you did it again.

What can I say?

I like Christmas... just a little bit.

"Just a little."

I hope you're hungry.

I recommend the "Merry Manicotti"

or we're doing

our Christmas tree pizza again this year.

How can we say no to that?

Come on.

I got one table left.

Mayor Reed!

- Welcome. - Oh, Enzo. Hi!

This looks...

amazing.

Liam.

Sarah.

Ben, Catherine, so good to see you.

Sarah.

Good to see you, Sarah.

Do you remember my son, Justin?

Of course. Look how handsome he is.

Oh! Thank you, Mrs. Clark.

Enzo, please tell me you're doing

the Christmas tree pizza this year.

Of course.

But I was just about to seat Mayor Clark,

and we only have one table left.

It might be a little while.

Oh, uh, Yale told us to come by tonight,

but that is okay, we can take it to go.

Oh, no, no. Don't be silly. Sit with us.

Oh, Dad, I don't think that's--

No, we don't want to intrude.

They don't want to intrude.

It's no intrusion.

The more the merrier, especially at this time of year.

Enzo, lead the way.

After you.

Thank you.

And since Liam couldn't do it,

your mother said she would sing those notes.

How old were they?

About your age, I think.

I could have done it.

Oh! Sweetheart!

It was "O Holy Night."

An opera singer has a hard time hitting those notes.

You should've heard him trying to practice up in his room.

First time he did it,

we thought he was being attacked by a wild animal.

Could we talk about maybe something else?

So, Mom, did you do it?

I-I mean, you sing and you hum all the time now,

you must've been great.

Justin, it was a long time ago.

The important thing is, she tried.

So I guess you guys knew each other

pretty well back then, huh?

Are you kidding?

They competed on everything.

Student council, debating club, college applications.

And now that they've both become Mayor,

it's always about which town is winning what.

We aren't that bad.

We're just, um,

passionate about our towns

and the people who live there.

Yes. Well put.

And when

we win the competition this year...

...Then that will be a surprise.

So, uh, Mayor Clark,

did my dad tell you

that I'm gonna be helping you decorate this year?

Uh, yes, he did,

and we are very lucky to have you.

Although, I have to admit I'm a little bit surprised

your mom didn't find that, I don't know,

a conflict of interest.

No. No, it's fine.

Just as long as you don't give away

anything that East Riverton is doing.

And what happens in West Riverton

stays in West Riverton.

You know, Liam, I was just thinking

about that issue we needed to discuss.

What issue?

Yeah. That issue.

Uh, do you want to talk about that right now?

You know, um, yeah, but it can wait until tomorrow morning.

- 9:00 a.m., town square? - Yeah, that sounds great.

Good.

Justin, did your mom ever tell you the story

of how she and Liam both tried to convince the Governor

to host their Christmas tree lightings?

- Good morning. - Good morning.

Why are we talking here?

Fewer witnesses?

Neutral territory.

Half in your town, half in mine.

Actually, my side of the square

is 10 feet wider than yours.

You're really trying to push my buttons, aren't you?

- Is it working? - No.

I wanted to talk about Justin,

since he's working with Frank on your house,

I wanted to make sure

that he didn't get dragged into the middle of this.

"This"?

Us. Our competitive spirit.

Sarah, come on.

I would never involve Justin in... this.

Thank you.

Having said that,

when West Riverton

wins the Christmas Spirit Competition,

I fully intend to not let you forget

that it was done so with your son's help.

And when you lose to East Riverton,

I fully intend to use it as a teachable moment

to show Justin that winning isn't everything.

Mm-hmm. So, what do you have planned for round two?

I don't know, what are you gonna do?

Not one little tidbit?

They want me to dress up as Santa Claus.

I would pay good money to see that.

Ah, you're welcome to come. I'll save you a seat.

Okay. And we will do the same for you at ours.

Mm. Seems only fair... if you dress up as Mrs. Claus.

Okay. I'll do it.

It'll be fun.

Do you have any interest in making this

a little more interesting?

How so?

If one of us wins,

the losing mayor

has to host a big party in the winner's honor.

How about, um... a nice dinner instead?

Oh? You want to have dinner with me?

Don't flatter yourself.

May the best mayor win.

May the best townwin.

Excuse me, Mayor Clark.

Um, may I ask a favor?

Of course, Justin. Yeah.

Well, I'm thinking about what to get my mom for Christmas,

and since you've known her for so long,

I was wondering if you might have any ideas

on what she might like.

Uh, have you asked your father?

I mean, your mom and your dad are good friends.

Oh, no, no, no. He didn't like my suggestions.

Well, I was thinking

maybe something that a mayor would like?

Besides, Dad told me

that you became mayor because of Mom anyway.

Well... sort of.

Your mom, your dad, and I

all ran for freshman Class President,

and I happened to win--

I only did it to impress your mom,

but she was not happy about losing.

No, she was not.

But, you know, it's funny,

the way she expressed it

was, really, by pushing me to do better.

Uh, she taught me what it meant to be in public service,

so much so that when your dad and I went to college,

I studied political science.

And then we got back

to find that Riverton had been split into two towns,

and they were looking for people to work at the new City Hall,

and the rest is history.

Yep.

I don't think I understand

why it became East and West Riverton.

Well, I mean, it wasn't any one thing--

uh, disagreements about taxation and zoning--

but, in the end,

it was really, uh...

people had different visions

for what they thought Riverton should be.

But the two towns are so alike, it's like they're twins.

I, uh... don't know about that.

So you still like being mayor?

Oh, I love it.

Yeah, Mom loves being mayor, too.

I'm sure she does.

She's good at it, too.

Although, if you tell her I told you that,

I will totally deny it.

Okay, I won't tell her.

- Okay. - But will you let me know

if you can think of anything

that she might want for Christmas?

Absolutely.

You know,

we probably should have just dropped all these at my house.

We have that budget meeting in 20 minutes, remember?

Oh, right.

You know, if we get Strafford Candle's

distribution center,

our town's gonna have a huge new source of tax revenue.

Things are going really well already.

The town's in good shape.

Yeah, well, you know, it's my job

to make sure we're in great shape.

Liam, you don't have to prove anything.

The people in this town already know

how much time and energy you put into being mayor.

There's no place I'd rather be

or anything else I'd rather be doing.

I mean, this place...

our town is what Christmas is all about.

Yes, it is.

But you still have to go to that budget meeting.

Ahem.

Hmph.

What are we forgetting?

The judges are gonna be here tomorrow.

We've checked every box.

We'll make it to second round.

I really wish I knew what Liam was doing at his house.

Justin hasn't sent any photos?

No! He's not our spy.

Then who is?

We should have one.

I wouldn't send someone over there

to peek into the windows to see what they're doing.

I mean... I would do it myself.

Come on.

Wait. What?

I mean, it's not spying, it's motherly concern.

I want to make sure that he's okay.

See? This is why you're the mayor.

Could you hear what they said?

Oh, not really.

I was too busy trying to come up with an excuse as to why

we're behind this fence with binoculars in our hands.

Bird-watching.

Oh! Yeah.

That's good.

I think she said

something about checking on Justin.

Oh...

Wait. Justin's at my house.

Can you see anything?

Not really. We need to get closer.

You know, most people just ring the bell.

Oh...

Hey. Fancy seeing you here.

Yeah, in front of my house?

Imagine that.

Mm.

You two were spying on us.

No!

I was...

Checking on Justin.

...Checking on Justin.

Justin is just fine.

We've only been gone, what, 20 minutes, yeah?

- Yeah. - You've been gone?

Mm-hmm.

Where'd you go, with binoculars?

Bird-watching.

We were bird-watching.

- Really? - Mm-hmm!

See any interesting birds in the trees at my house?

Look...

Um...

the judging is tomorrow.

I don't know about you, but we have a lot to do.

Can we just agree

to let the Christmas cookies crumble where they may?

No more spying on each other?

Run a clean race.

Yes. I can do that.

It was Kendall's idea anyway.

Yale totally put me up to it.

Did you see that bus we just got thrown under

coming at us?

Nope.

Uh-huh. All right.

Okay, I will be over there as soon as I can, Mrs. Murphy.

Okay. Bye.

Everything okay?

Not with Mrs. Murphy's fuse box.

I need to get over there

and see if I can figure out what's wrong.

Uh, Justin, have you got all your stuff?

I'll drop you off at your mom's office on the way.

Well, if you're in a hurry, I can drop him.

Oh, could we go look

for a present for my mom on the way?

Yeah, sure. Why not?

Great. Uh, thanks, Liam.

I will see you in the morning, okay, bud?

Ohh! Love ya.

- Thanks, man. - Of course.

All right, let's go shopping. Come on.

Do you think she'd like a watch?

No.

I mean, she wears the one her mom gave her.

She has since high school.

Wow.

You really do know her well.

No, not really.

I mean, I used to...

uh, but now I only see her at the occasional work event.

And when there's a really big snowstorm.

What do you mean?

Well, the square is divided between the two towns,

and there's a path that runs right up the middle of it,

which is also divided between us,

and, well, every time there's a big storm,

we have to decide who's gonna shovel the snow off the path.

Well, how do you do that?

You'd be surprised how much gets decided

with the flip of a coin around here.

Well, I really appreciate your help anyway.

I really want her present

to be something big this year, you know?

Well, Justin, Christmas presents

don't have to be big to be meaningful.

Sometimes, the flashiest ones

are the ones that get used the least.

I know it sounds strange, but...

sometimes, the little things are the ones that mean most.

Hey, Mom.

Oh, hey, honey. I am-- I'm almost done here.

Liam.

Hi.

Hi. Uh, Frank had an emergency work call.

I dropped Justin by for him.

Well, thank you. I appreciate that.

So what's for dinner?

Well, that will depend on

how much of a mess the kitchen is

from all of the decorations.

Okay, well, I can grab some takeout menus

from Yale's desk,

just in case.

Thanks, Mayor Clark.

Yeah, sure. Anytime.

You want me to...

- No, I-- - Here, let me, um...

Who are all these for?

Uh, people who helped out with the competition.

Just a little "thank you"- slash-Christmas gifts.

I've been so busy

that I haven't been able to wrap them until now.

Well, I can certainly relate.

How do you balance

everything that needs to get done?

Ha. Well, who says I do?

I don't know,

I think it's really just a matter of perspective.

Make sure that the things at the top of your to-do list

are things that matter most.

Thank you.

Anytime.

Um...

and good luck tomorrow.

You, too.

Bye.

What kind of tree, honey?

Oh, I'd love a Noble Fir.

Merry Christmas, folks.

Can I show you some trees over here?

Mom, Dad...

It's getting late.

I'm watching a Christmas movie.

Come watch it with me.

The competition starts tomorrow,

and I've just got so much work to do that I don't even know...

I will watch it with you, Mister.

Okay.

Ahem. Hand over that popcorn.

All right.

Mm, this is good.

How's the cocoa?

Mm. Mom, it's perfect.

Absolutely delicious, Catherine.

Yeah, the judges are gonna love this.

We are absolutely gonna win.

Mom, you say that every year, and we haven't won yet.

Well, then we are overdue.

- Yes, you're right. - Hear, hear.

There is no way any mayor's house

could be more merry than West Riverton's today.

Oh!

Oh, I really do love those.

Yeah.

They sure are unique.

Well, we still have a while before the judges get here.

East and West Riverton

are the last two stops of the first round.

Oh, I wish they were seeing us last.

They'll be so blown away by what we do

they won't even notice what West Riverton does.

After all these years,

I've learned never to count Liam out.

If we both make it into the next round,

it'll make it even harder to get into the final.

We are gonna have to pull out all the stops

on the Christmas carnival.

Okay. Only a couple more hours, right?

Mm-hmm.

I think I need a distraction.

Yeah.

Good idea.

Give me another one.

You've already had two.

Don't you think that's enough?

I need all the strength I can get.

Well, don't say I didn't warn you.

I'm not saying a word.

Smart man.

Nervous?

No. I'm just hungry.

You?

Not at all.

Maureen, can I get one of those slices of fruitcake, please?

If there's any left.

So, are you ready for the judges?

Oh, very ready. Are you kidding?

Yeah, us too. We're gonna knock it out of the park.

Oh, same here.

If you, uh, want,

you can join us when the...

...judges come to take a tour.

Why?

It's the neighborly thing to do.

Okay, I will-- I will be there.

And if you want to come over for our tour...

Yeah. Great.

Great. It will be.

It's gonna be really, really great.

Yeah, us too.

I have never been more ready for anything in my life.

If you look closely,

you can see that our snow people represent what a family--

Wow. That is nice.

...Especially at Christmas time.

We should have done that.

- We'll be fine. - If you'll all follow me,

we have some special surprises inside.

We should go get ready for the judges at your house.

- Oh. - Yeah?

Okay, let me just...

Thank you so much for coming.

Come on in.

Oh, wow.

Check this out, judges.

Oh! I love those.

Welcome. Thank you. Thank you.

Feel free to look around, enjoy...

and be sure to check out the kitchen,

where we have warm apple cider for everyone.

Oh, thank you!

Enjoy!

John, thank you for coming.

Oh, are you kidding?

Even though I'm not judging,

I love tagging along on these tours.

Really makes it feel like Christmas.

Have you met my son, Justin?

I think we met last year.

It's good to see you, Mr. Gibson.

You too, Justin. Look how tall you are now!

Yeah, I can see you're really proud

of everything you guys have accomplished here.

Well, actually, he worked over at West Riverton this year.

- Really? - Yeah, I know,

it's a little unorthodox.

No, no, no. I think it's wonderful.

Nothing shows the spirit of Christmas

more than being able to help your neighbor.

I agree.

You know, I don't suppose

you'd want to tell the judges that?

Good luck, Sarah.

- Good to see you. Justin. - Bye.

All right. The cider's this way?

- Yes. Right that way. - Thank you.

Thank you all so much for coming to West Riverton.

I know everyone in town is very excited to have you here,

and I would like to personally welcome you

to the Mayor's Residence.

Although...

it seems to be missing something.

What is it missing? Um...

Oh!

We should've had more lights.

Don't worry about it.

Before we go inside,

I have one more thing I'd like to share with you.

I'm pretty sure it's...

unlike anything you've ever seen before.

Ta-dah!

Thank you.

You were saying?

So, uh... ahem.

Why are you here?

I'm just... heh... nervous about the results.

Yeah, me too.

It's like the Christmas spelling bee

all over again.

Ha! I almost forgot about the spelling bee.

We were, what? Uh...

10?

11.

What was your word?

Oh...

Um...

"Frankincense."

- Mm. - Yours?

"Myrrh."

I never understood why... why didn't the Magi

just get him, like, a nice sweater or something?

Sarah!

They just called! We did it!

We made it to the second round!

Really?

Yes!

Congratulations.

Thank you.

Maybe it'll be good news for you, too.

Yeah.

Kendall?

We did it.

"We did it"?

We made it to round two?

Yes!

Oh, my goodness! You scared me.

We did it! We did it!

Congratulations.

Ahem! Thank you.

And to you, too.

Looks like you're gonna be

getting into that Santa suit after all.

Yes. Looks like it.

And, uh, you ready for round two, "Mrs. Claus"?

- Round two? - Mm-hmm.

Oh, Liam, I am already picking out restaurants

for you to take me to when we win the whole thing.

The steak you're gonna buy me is gonna be so good!

We'll see about that.

Yes, we will.

Hmm.

Good luck.

You'll need it!

Okay.

So we've got the games and the food

and the raffle prizes... is that enough for round two?

We're already using every room in the town hall,

including this one.

It's enough.

I feel like we need some more atmosphere.

What about that string quartet we had last year?

No, they were already booked.

Oh, that's too bad. Where are they playing?

Oh... I mean, does it matter?

We've got some great entertainment for our pageant.

Yeah, they're playing at West Riverton, aren't they?

Yeah.

Look... I think we should focus on our carnival

and let's not get distracted by--

But you see?

This is what he does.

He acts all innocent--

"Oh, I didn't steal your bells"--

and then he tries to get the upper hand.

Okay, okay. But there's nothing you can do about it.

Oh, yeah?

We'll see about that.

Oh, no.

How can we help with round two?

Well, I think, uh, I think we're in pretty good shape.

I, um... Look at this.

All the decorations I could possibly fit in the building.

Uh, we booked the musicians.

I'm gonna be reading

'Twas the Night Before Christmas,

and Frank and Justin are in charge of the lightshow.

You know...

I think we might actually

make it into the final round this year.

That hasn't happened since... ever.

Ah, thanks for reminding me, Dad.

I didn't mean anything by that.

You're doing a great job.

He's right.

You're so devoted to this town.

I try to be.

Liam, please.

We may be your parents, but we're not your only family.

All of West Riverton is your family,

and you always

put all of us first, no matter what.

Oh.

Do you really think that?

It's what makes you a great mayor.

Thank you.

You did it again.

"Hello" to you, too. Did what again?

Hmm. You stole one of our ideas.

Kendall found those bells online.

No, not the bells.

Did you book

the string quartet that we had at our pageant last year?

Oh. Yeah, I did that.

You are un--

You are unbelievable!

I didn't take them.

They weren't booked, so I figured

you were doing something else.

I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

Okay! That's enough. You two, come with me.

Come on.

Fine.

What is this?

You two need to hash this out once and for all.

I thought you were Switzerland.

Oh, ho!

Honey, even the Swiss wouldn't put up with you.

All this "smiling on the outside" stuff

is just a facade for how you really feel.

It's gone on way too long.

Work it out.

But--

This is ridiculous.

You and I are fine.

We do not need to hash anything out.

I mean, sure, we're never gonna agree on anything.

I completely agree.

It's locked.

It's not locked.

Okay, it's locked.

That's what I s--

You know what?

Maureen? Come on.

Hello?

I'll just call her.

There's no reception.

Me either.

Maureen! Come on!

How long are we gonna keep them in there?

Well, Justin is with Frank tonight,

so they can stay a while.

Well, whatever it takes to get them to call a truce.

- Thanks, Maureen. - Mm-hmm.

Fingers crossed.

Yeah.

I'll let you know how it goes.

We totally deserved this.

Well, you did.

Sorry.

I just can't help it sometimes.

You know, Justin thinks we're friends.

What do you think?

Is that something that could ever happen?

Stranger things have happened.

I can't think of any off the top of my head right now, but...

Okay.

Well, then let's just pretend for a minute,

we are friends.

Okay...

friend.

We have the time.

What would you like to talk about?

You know, I was thinking...

do you ever feel like

your work gets in the way of your life?

Every day.

I'm not talking about the little things,

like we always eat take-out

because we don't have time to cook a proper meal.

I mean the... I mean the big things,

the really important things.

Where is this coming from?

Ah, it's just...

something my mom said.

She said I always put the town first...

which, by default, means that I'm always second.

Or third.

Yeah.

I don't feel like I've missed anything,

but, lately, I've been thinking...

Just wondering if I've missed out on something.

Doesn't make any sense,

does it?

Yeah, it does.

It's like, sometimes,

you feel like you've left

some of that happiness on the table.

Yeah.

You're still here?

Totally forgot...

this door sticks.

Oh, yeah, that'll happen when it's locked from the outside.

So, have we achieved peace?

No. We achieved sore backs, stiff neck.

Well...

I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

A couple hours isn't gonna make up for decades

of you two disliking each other.

We don't...

dislike each other.

We are just two very different people, Maureen.

Y-You are joking, right?

You two are so alike

that sometimes I have a hard time telling you apart.

Can you imagine what you could've accomplished

over the past few decades

if you'd worked together

instead of against each other?

We said we wouldn't spy on each other.

Yes, we did.

However...

I'm listening.

We never said anything about not spying on the other towns.

No.

We shouldn't be here.

Why? Dover Lake's our biggest competition.

They've won four times now.

I mean, we can't see anything from here.

I knew we should've brought binoculars.

Nobody would believe the bird-watching story.

It's December.

Well, they don't all fly south.

It'd be too conspicuous.

Says the woman who brought five-month-old newspapers.

You saw the Fourth of July article on the front, right?

It was all I could find.

Oh, no.

I think they made us.

Okay, just act cool.

It's fine.

Having the carolers hand out homemade Christmas cookies

at the carnival

is such a fun idea.

Do we have enough volunteers to bake as many as we need?

We only have a few days to get it all done.

I think we're gonna have so many cookies,

we're gonna be eating them until next Christmas.

I don't want to run out.

Nothing can go wrong.

I mean, I'm sure Dover Lake is not playing around,

and neither is West Riverton.

I thought you said

you and Liam called a ceasefire.

It's shaky.

Hostilities could break out at any moment.

But, for now, you're getting along?

For now. I mean, I never thought he was a "bad" guy,

I just-- I guess I didn't see

enough of his good guy tendencies until recently.

We actually have a lot more in common than I thought.

More in common, like, with work,

or something more than that?

Mm. Do not even go there.

I'm definitely not interested in him that way.

You're sure?

I'm 100% sure.

I am 99% sure.

What's that 1% about?

It's about...

it's less than two weeks until Christmas.

The holiday spirit is in the air,

the romance of the season.

And it's not all the things you have in common?

It's not that much.

I mean, sure, we grew up in the same town

and we went out for a lot of the same things as kids,

like student council and debate club, and...

we studied the same thing in college,

and we're both mayors,

and we both sometimes wonder if there's more...

but that doesn't mean we're alike.

Clearly.

We are not alike!

I am 98% positive.

Okay, so... So, hang on.

Maureen locked you in a storage room?

I think she thought she was helping.

And was she?

Well, maybe a little.

Sarah and I, we just have so much history.

Yes, I know you do.

I was there for most of it.

But, you know, I think the two of you

enjoy your rivalry way too much to ever give it up.

Well, she certainly keeps me from getting complacent.

You know, Sarah and I started out

with the whole "opposites attract" thing,

but we didn't work

because we realized how different we actually were.

So, it stands to reason

that the two of you should get along

because of how similar you are.

Yeah, but you two were in love.

Most days, we can barely tolerate each other

with politician smiles.

And my relationship with Sarah is totally different.

Well, you know what?

Maybe it shouldn't be.

Look, you know I'm with Linda now,

and we just-- we make sense.

In fact, I'm picking out an engagement ring

later tonight.

Really?

Congratulations!

- Thanks. - Wow.

I don't know, she was like the missing piece of puzzle

that I was looking for.

Maybe Sarah is yours.

♪ Silent night

♪ Holy ni--

I swear, it's ginger snap.

I think it just smells spicy in here.

It's ginger snap, my friend.

Ah-hah! I knew you were making Christmas cookies!

Can I help?

Spanish homework first, bake cookies later.

Fine. But...

if East Riverton doesn't make it into the final round

because you needed more help,

I'm gonna say "I told you so."

Okay. As long as you do it in Spanish.

Adios, Mayor Clark.

I'll see you, Justin.

He's a really good kid.

Yeah. I think I'm gonna keep him.

Need some help?

We're supposed to be working

on this new friendship thing, remember?

Right.

Um, how are you with a cookie cutter?

Um...

Yeah.

Sure.

Thanks for bringing Justin home.

Frank called and explained.

Apparently, he's picking up an engagement ring for Linda.

Yeah.

Uh, he told me.

That's, uh... that's big.

How do you feel about that?

Fine.

Mostly fine.

I mean, Frank and I started as friends

and we ended as friends

and we just want each other to be happy.

And Linda's amazing. Justin loves her.

But?

But sometimes I forget

that everything's not a competition.

Are you in a relationship?

Oh, I'm sorry. Is that...

That's too personal.

I...

No, it's okay.

No, I'm not in a relationship.

I mean, full-time job, full-time parent...

Not enough time to be dating.

What about you?

Weren't you seeing that nurse, Jill?

Oh, uh...

No, she...

she wanted to...

...be closer to her family in Pennsylvania.

She asked me to come with her, but, uh...

West Riverton needs you.

Just like East Riverton needs you.

Um...

I think we could use another set of hands,

so, yes, I'm gonna--

I'm gonna go release Justin from homework duty.

Okay.

Great.

Ta-dah!

Now that, ladies and gentlemen,

that... is a Christmas cookie.

It's not bad.

Not bad? Are you ki-- Let me see yours.

- Come on! - These...

...are a Christmas work of art.

Oh, please.

Mine is so much better.

Right?

Justin, what do you think?

Me?

I think my cookie is the best.

Oh, my goodness, he really is your son, isn't he?

Yeah.

♪ We wish you A Merry Christmas ♪

♪ We wish you

♪ A Merry Christmas

♪ We wish you A Merry Christmas ♪

♪ And a Happy New Year

♪ We wish you

♪ A Merry Christmas

♪ We wish you A Merry Christmas ♪

♪ We wish you

♪ A Merry Christmas

♪ And a Happy New Year

You came.

Oh, I am very good

at the "ring around the reindeer" game, so...

That sounds like a challenge.

That sounds like acceptance of a challenge.

You go ahead.

I will be there in a...

a minute.

Okay.

I'll be... waiting.

So...

have we dropped below "90% sure" yet?

Aren't you supposed to be talking to John

about why he's supposed to put his distribution center here?

Merry Christmas!

Ho, ho, ho.

Merry Christmas.

Not a word.

I was told there'd be seats saved for us?

Indeed!

Right this way, Madam Mayor.

Ho, ho, ho!

- Thank you, Santa. - Young man.

Ho, ho, ho, ho!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas. Look at you lovely people.

So nice to have you.

Do you fancy a story?

Fantastic! All right.

"'Twas the night before Christmas,

when all through the house,

not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care

in the hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

while visions of sugar plums

danced in their heads..."

Good morning, everyone!

Welcome to Strafford Candle Company.

I'm John Gibson,

and I'm here to announce the finalists

in our 50th annual New Hampshire Christmas Spirit Competition.

The three towns that advance to the final

will face their biggest challenge yet--

creating a gathering that shows the heart

of what Christmas truly means in their town.

Now, I'll be announcing the winner December 23rd.

All right? Without further ado, let's get on with it.

All right! The finalists are...

Dover Lake.

East Riverton...

And last, but not least,

West Riverton!

We did it! We did it!

That's perfect!

I love that. That's great, that's great.

Congratulations.

Thank you. You too.

You totally deserve it.

Well, so do you.

Still gonna win, though.

Did I happen to mention

how big the steak you're gonna buy me

is gonna be?

Hmph.

We really should've planned ahead

for the final round.

We only have five days to come up with

"...a gathering that shows the heart

of what Christmas means to the community."

Well, we've never made it this far before.

We have to decide

what the competition is doing before we decide what to do.

Dover Lake has won several times,

and they always go big.

Lots of spectacle.

Well, what did East Riverton do last year

when they made it to the final round?

Oh! The parade down Main Street.

It was so much fun.

Should we do that?

Oh, no, no.

No. No, we have to come up with our own idea.

Besides, if Sarah found out we took one of their ideas...

- No. - Right.

Whatever we do, it needs to say, "West Riverton."

Something...

that really shows who we are as a community.

We have to involve everyone in town, too.

I wish we knew what East Riverton Lake was doing.

Yeah.

Maybe you should talk to Sarah.

You have no idea

what you're doing for the final round?

No. Do you?

Not really.

We were gonna do this bi--

I probably shouldn't be telling you,

but, whatever, we're not doing it anyway.

We were gonna do this really big tree lighting.

Oh!

Well, that's, uh... that's nice.

Exactly.

"Nice." Not winning.

So, now we're trying to figure out

what to do, in five days.

Should we even be talking about this?

We are still competing.

I know, but I like talking to you about things like this.

Do not let it go to your head.

I am not gonna,

but I like talking to you, too.

I mean, Kendall is great, I love working with her,

but she, um...

doesn't understand me like, you know, you do.

I know what you mean.

Yale is the best Chief of Staff in the world,

but even he knows when I need more.

I mean, he had just suggested that I reach out to you

when you texted me.

Uh, Kendall told me to text you...

too.

You don't... think...

they're trying to get us together?

Nah. No.

No.

No.

No...

So...

what are we gonna do about the final round?

Uh, well...

I think we need to get Kendall and Yale to find out

what the competition is doing first.

Okay.

Here you go. Dig in.

Thanks, Enzo.

You may want to keep 'em coming.

You found out what Dover Lake is doing?

Yep. A fireworks presentation.

Well, that doesn't sound so great.

Except it's not just fireworks.

Even superhero movies

don't have that many special effects.

Oh.... how are we gonna compete with that?

We can't.

I mean, they're gonna win the candles, the cash prizes--

And probably the distribution center, too.

I'll make another pizza.

You know...

maybe we shouldn't have canceled the big Christmas tree.

I really need to let go of the big tree, don't I?

Unless you can figure out a way

to make it shoot fireworks out of the top, then yeah.

But we don't need that.

Why's that?

Well, because it's like you said, Mayor Clark.

Hmm?

Christmas isn't about the biggest or the fanciest.

Sometimes,

it's the little things that say a lot.

The little things...

That's what matters.

If Dover Lake goes big...

...Then we should go small.

More personal.

Something with heart that everybody can be a part of,

instead of, you know, just sitting there,

looking up in the sky.

Sharing a meal with friends and neighbors.

Christmas dinner.

Potluck.

Everybody brings something.

Guys...

The entire community

coming together to share favorite holiday dishes

and sing Christmas carols...

Liam, Sarah--

That is Christmas spirit.

It's brilliant.

- That's what we have to do. - Guys!

You do realize you're competing against each other, right?

You can't both do Christmas dinners.

Why can't we?

Now, each town will do their own Christmas feasts

in their town halls.

The judges will go to one...

...And then we will have a candlelight procession

that goes over to the other town hall.

And then we will end the night with both towns together.

As it should be.

Each town will do their own decorations

and their own entertainment.

And each town will do their own food.

We're gonna have a huge feast

where everyone can bring their favorite dish to share.

So, are we able to go to each other's events?

Well, I hope so, 'cause I got a big appetite!

Of course you can.

We encourage everybody to go back and forth

between East and West Riverton.

I know I'm coming over for some of Catherine's hot chocolate.

I will have an extra Thermos just for you.

Fantastic. Thank you, Catherine.

See, this way we're still competing against each other,

but we're also showing that we can work together.

Because that, really,

is what the spirit of Christmas is all about.

So, that's it. Any questions?

Which town will I be helping?

Both.

Ah. Cool.

All right, everyone.

Should we get to work?

- Yes! - Yes!

- Let's have some fun! - Whoo-hoo!

Wait, wait, wait.

You've already started setting up your tables?

We've barely started decorating.

You've started decorating?

Well...

Hey, guys. Over here.

So, Yale and I were thinking,

that instead of just sharing the food,

we share the recipes, too.

See, like, this one,

for my mom's gingerbread that she makes every year.

And mine will be for the maple glaze

on the Christmas ham I'm baking.

We can all do recipe cards,

and if someone likes something,

they can just take a card

and make it for their own family.

I think it's brilliant.

Me too. I mean, I love it.

It's so nice to see you two finally working together.

I agree.

Okay...

so one of my ovens just broke down.

Oh...

Okay. Um...

We just need a plan.

Um, Frank can fix your oven.

Done. And Liam,

I can send some of my people to help your tables.

Great. So, and when we're finished setting up,

I can send you some of my people

to help decorate.

Fantastic.

See?

This is what we can accomplish

when we all stop with this rivalry business.

Exactly.

- Yeah. Let's get to work. - Hmph.

I'm sorry this is taking so long.

I know you're busy.

Justin, don't worry about it.

I told you I was gonna help you find your mother a present,

and that's what we're gonna do.

But Christmas is almost here.

You know what?

Maybe we're just going about this in the wrong way.

What makes you think about your mom?

What do you mean?

Well...

sometimes, I'm at work or I'm out in town,

and something will happen

and I'll think about my mom.

It could be a sound or a smell.

Hot chocolate does it for me.

But what makes you think about your mom?

Hmm?

Christmas carols.

Hmm.

She's always humming or singing Christmas carols,

even when it's not Christmastime.

No, I get it.

I have an idea. Come on.

Where are we going?

Right there.

Hi, honey.

What are you smiling about?

Oh, nothing.

So, uh, Dad told me to come by

and let you know that I'm gonna stay at his place tonight

since you're working late.

Okay. How are things going over at West Riverton?

Oh, fine, I think.

Mayor Clark said he felt really good

about how far we've gotten.

Although, when he said it,

there was a vein sticking out of his forehead,

just like you do when I don't clean my room.

Okay.

Well, I will go check on him in a bit.

I just need to finish my Christmas shopping first.

But Christmas is in, like, four days.

I know.

I just got a little sidetracked

with work and the competition and...

everything.

But don't worry, I got your presents weeks ago.

I'm still stuck on some friends and some people I work with.

Oh, well, I can help with that.

So...

what makes you think of them?

What makes me think of them?

Yeah, like, well, who are you shopping for?

Well, I was looking for something for Liam.

Okay. So, what makes you think of Mayor Clark?

Once you figure that out,

then you'll find the perfect present for him.

How did you get so smart?

Huh?

Mm!

♪ Christmas is near

♪ Christmas is just Around the corner ♪

♪ It ain't no mistake...

♪ Santa, he won't be much longer... ♪

♪ So bring on the cheer

♪ 'Cause Christmas is just Around the corner ♪

You look, uh...

beautiful.

Um...

ahem, very festive.

Thank you.

You look handsome.

And... festive also.

Thank you.

I just, um, I just wanted to check on you.

Everything okay?

Yeah, uh, people have started arriving

and the judges should be here soon...

I think.

You?

Yeah, it's all looking good.

Are you okay?

- Yeah. No, I'm good. - It's just, um...

Do you remember, um,

when we talked about letting the job get in the way?

Yeah, I do.

These, uh, last few weeks have been really great.

I've really enjoyed the past few days,

just getting to work with...

...East Riverton.

Yeah, I, uh, I agree.

I mean, I feel the same...

about West Riverton.

But tomorrow, the competition's gonna be over.

What are we gonna do?

Go back to our jobs and our lives

and never be together again?

Sarah, John's here.

I have to go.

"Mayor" thing.

Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Sarah.

Win or lose...

...we should be, uh,

really proud of what we've accomplished.

Yes, we should.

Hi, Sarah.

Hi, John.

Thank you for coming.

Oh, my pleasure.

Judges...

John...

thank you for joining us tonight.

We're so happy

that you wanted to be part of our community

for Christmas.

And speaking of community,

we could not have done this dinner

without Mayor Liam Clark

and our friends at West Riverton.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor Reed.

Now, our two towns have finally come together

to show that Christmas really is about sharing.

I can't think of a better way to celebrate the holidays

than with all of you.

There's plenty of food inside.

Please. I hope you're hungry. Come on in.

And Merry, Merry Christmas to you all.

Merry Christmas!

Please, come on.

♪ Jolly Old Saint Nicholas Lend your ear this way ♪

♪ Don't you tell a single soul What I'm going to say ♪

♪ Christmas Eve Is coming soon ♪

♪ Now, you dear old man

♪ Whisper what you'll bring to me ♪

♪ Tell me if you can

You are sitting on the East Riverton side.

Just seeing what the view is like from over here.

Mm.

Where's Maureen?

Oh, uh...

she baked fruitcakes for three days.

I told her to go on home and I'd close up for her.

Now, that's what I call a mayor.

Back at ya.

We did good tonight.

Yeah, everybody did.

Yep.

Do you think it was good enough?

Mm, Dover Lake had fireworks.

Yeah, but it doesn't seem very Christmassy.

Except they were in the shapes of flying reindeer

across the sky.

Mm.

I really want to win.

- Yeah, so do I. - Mm.

You know, if we don't win,

I do hope that...

...you do.

Oh.

Well, if we don't win...

What am I saying?

We're gonna win.

I'm sure.

I hope it's you, if it's not us.

What if Dover Lake wins?

Well...

um...

maybe, then, it's time for somebody else to take the wheel.

What?

What?

You love being mayor. Come on!

Yeah. So do you.

But, um...

I'm not sure how much longer, uh...

we can keep leaving all that happiness on the table.

You know, the view's not too bad from this side.

I was just gonna say the same thing.

I'll see you tomorrow?

Yes.

Yes, you will.

Okay.

John didn't say anything?

Uh, just that he wanted to meet.

Do you know what he wanted?

I don't know,

but they usually announce a winner by now.

Maybe he's coming to tell one of us that we won.

Or that we lost.

Oh, I don't think so.

Oh...

John, hi!

- Good morning. - Hi, John.

Hi. Sorry for the last-minute meeting.

We have a bit of a situation on our hands.

Oh! What kind of a situation?

In the 50 years of the Christmas Spirit Competition,

this has never happened.

Uh, what happened?

We have three judges.

One voted for Dover Lake,

one voted for West Riverton,

and one voted for East Riverton.

It's a tie?

So, what happens now?

Well...

In the event of a tie,

one person must cast their vote for one of the finalists.

Who?

Me.

Yale, will you

get me John Gibson on the phone, please?

Ahem.

Hi. John?

Mayor Liam Clark here.

Do you have a minute?

Please.

Thank you for coming.

Of course.

Um...

I wanted to, um, tell you that I called John

and, uh, I asked you to here to say

that I need you to trust me.

Well, we don't have a great track record

when it comes to trust.

Yeah.

I talked to John, too.

Oh, you did?

Yeah, I promised him

our conversation would be private.

You're gonna have to trust me...

that I did what I thought was best

for everyone.

Did-- Did you lobby him about the competition?

About getting

the distribution center, too?

Yes.

Sarah...

- Did you do the same? - Yes, but I was....

I was just trying to...

"Trying to..." what?

I...

Wh-- What are we gonna do...

...if we can't even trust each other to do what's right?

I don't know.

Good luck tomorrow.

Yeah.

Good luck to you, Sarah.

Justin?

Why are you shoveling my front walk?

Well, you told me the story the other day,

about the town square

and how, when it snows, you flip a coin

to decide who shovels it.

Yeah?

So, when I got up this morning and saw all this,

I thought of you.

This is your Christmas present.

My...

that is really kind of you, Justin,

but you didn't have to do that, really.

Well, if I had to do it,

it wouldn't have been much of a present.

No. No, I suppose not.

You know, it's like you said the other night

at the Christmas feast--

the holidays is a time for sharing,

and I am sharing our new snow shovel with you.

That's so thoughtful of you.

Thank you very much, Justin.

Merry Christmas, Mayor Clark, Mr. Clark.

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas, Justin.

Good kid.

Kind of reminds me of you.

Oh, really?

Taking time out from his Christmas Eve

to come over here and shovel snow?

He's gonna make a good mayor one day.

Yeah, well...

maybe he can win the Christmas Spirit Competition, huh?

Liam.

Mm?

Winning isn't always about coming in first place.

Uh, Dad, I think that's exactly what that means.

You know, you and mom have always

encouraged my competitive side.

Only in the things we thought mattered to you.

Is there something that means more than this competition?

Yeah.

But I just don't know if I mean that to her.

Only one way to find out.

Hey. You seem kind of quiet today.

Are you worried about the competition?

No.

If West Riverton wins, I'll be happy for them.

Okay, what is happening?

What have you done with Sarah?

I guess I'm just finally understanding

that this whole rivalry thing with them

has been a big waste of time.

Think of everything we could've been doing.

Well...

it's not too late.

I think it might be.

And what? You're just gonna go back to being rivals again?

No.

I just think it's maybe time

to see if someone else can do the job better than I have.

What? Are...

Are you talking about not running for re-election?

There's just so much more out there,

and this job just keeps getting in the way.

It got in the way of us.

Hey, there was a lot more to it than that.

Us not working out was not your fault.

Well, thank you for saying that.

And don't get me wrong,

I'm glad that we're good and that you have Linda,

but I told a friend that, um, I sometimes feel

like I'm just not grabbing all the happiness that I can,

like I'm leaving some of it on the table,

and I don't... I don't want to do that anymore.

Then don't.

I wish it was that easy.

I'm not saying it's easy.

I'm just saying take it one thing at a time.

I mean, looking back over the last few weeks,

what's-- what's one thing

that you feel like you left on the table?

The one Christmas wish you didn't ask for?

You should probably check that.

John Gibson has made his decision.

All right. Showtime.

Ahem.

Hi.

Hi. John's not here yet?

Not yet.

I'll just-- I'll wait out here.

Of course not.

Come in.

- I have-- - I have something I really--

- I'm sorry. Go ahead. - No, you go.

- No, you. Go ahead. - No, you go.

No. You, please.

Do we have to flip a coin?

Okay, uh, I'll go.

Um...

Last night, when we were talking about trusting each other,

Sarah, I just need you to know that I do trust you.

I trust you to keep me honest.

You've been doing it for as long as I can remember.

You make me,

um, a better person.

I don't always like it...

But I need it.

And I need you.

I need you.

Um...

You did it again.

I did what?

You took my idea.

Knock, knock.

May I come in?

Of course.

Hi, John.

Hi.

Liam. Sarah.

Merry Christmas Eve to you both.

Yes, Merry Christmas to you too, John.

Well, I guess you both know why I'm here.

You've made your decision?

I have.

I took what you both said to me into consideration,

and in the end, it was an easy choice.

Sarah.

Liam, Mr. Gibson...

you're not gonna believe what's going on.

Can it wait? John was just about to--

No! You have to see this.

Now! Come outside! Come on, come on!

Okay! Uh, gentlemen?

Shall we?

Come on!

Okay!

Oh, my goodness.

Wow.

I don't understand.

What is all this?

A celebration.

But we don't know who won yet.

They don't care.

We started getting calls this afternoon

and everyone wanted to come out and spend Christmas together

as a community-- one community.

Here, at our shared town square.

Liam, Sarah,

I think it's time to make my announcement.

Excuse me.

- After you. - Okay.

Well, hey, everybody!

How are you doing?

Excuse me. Hi.

How're you guys doing? Excuse me.

It's good to see you again.

Everyone, this is, uh, just...

We're overwhelmed!

Yes. Yes.

Uh, John Gibson form Strafford Candle Company

is gonna announce the winner

of the Christmas Spirit Competition.

Thank you! Thank you, thank you.

Ladies and gentlemen, Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

I thought long and hard about who to cast my vote for

and I heard some very persuasive arguments

from your mayors...

Liam told me

that he thought that East Riverton deserved

to win and...

Sarah told me

that she thought that West Riverton deserved to win.

- Is that what you said? - Yeah.

In the end...

my choice was simple.

I cast my vote

for Riverton.

Sorry, can you say that again?

Wait, I don't...

I voted for East Riverton andWest Riverton.

So it's...

still a tie?

I took the liberty of...

uh, maybe you could help me with this.

Oh, oh, yeah.

- There we go. - Yeah.

Oh, my goodness.

"Riverton Fruitcake."

No "East," no "West,"

just Riverton?

Yes!

Any community that can come together

and work together as well as this one does

deserves to be the location

for our wonderful, new distribution center.

Congratulations, Riverton!

Thank you so much!

Thank you, thank you.

Thank you, John.

Can we do this?

Yes! Yes!

Wow!

One town again?

Can we do that?

We did all this.

I mean, we had a lot of help.

But we did it... together.

You are going to make a great mayor of Riverton.

Me?

Oh, no, no, it definitely should be you.

No, no, I should step down and you should be in charge.

But you deserve it. I'm not gonna do it.

Maybe we should let the people decide.

You know, I think that would probably be best.

What do you think?

They're gonna get behind reuniting the towns?

I think we can talk 'em into it.

Sure we can.

We can do anything.

Together.

Yeah.

Merry Christmas, Liam.

Merry Christmas, Sarah.

Oh!