Original subtitles

♪ Christmas bells are ringing

♪ Caroling, caroling now we go

♪ Christmas bells are ringing

♪ Caroling, caroling through the snow ♪

♪ Christmas bells are ringing

♪ Ding, dong, ding, dong

♪ Christmas bells are ringing

- Are you sitting down?

Because I've got good news for you.

- Uh huh.

- The city council has approved your development.

- Wow.

- Yes, without any changes.

- That's great.

- The homeowner's association couldn't convince the judge

that your new mixed-use facility would cause

any negative impact at all.

That's amazing.

- So I need you to look at these contracts

and get right back to me.

- Will do.

- Now, I'll be staying in the city for the holidays.

- Uh huh.

- So I'll be available any time to consult on this

- Do you know that it's Christmas?

- Yes, I know it's Christmas, but this is a very big deal,

and I wanna make it happen for you.

- Got it.

- I will do whatever it takes.

- Thank you.

Merry Christmas to you.

- You're welcome.

Merry Christmas to you, too.

- Making people's dreams come true again?

- It's what I do.

Karen.

- Yeah.

- I need to reschedule my tomorrow with the seaport people

from 10:30 to 11:30 if possible.

- Okay.

- And I also need you see if you can change that lunch

with Ben Harrington and his attorney to drinks instead.

Let's say 5:30.

No, let's make it 5:15.

I'll show up at 5:30 so they can worry a bit.

- 10:30 to 11:30, lunch to drinks,

make 'em worry, got it.

The famous Lucy Toomey power play.

- I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about.

- Oh, wait.

The courier dropped this at the front desk for you.

- Yes!

- What is it?

- My tickets to the Nutcracker at Lincoln Center.

- Oh, nice.

Who's the lucky guy?

- Actually it's my sister.

Alice lives back where we grew up

in Nilson's Bay, in Wisconsin.

- Huh, let me guess.

She's older, right?

- How do you know that?

- Ha, you totally have little sister syndrome.

- What?

- Luce, you're a complete overachiever.

You knock yourself out on every single case you take.

Alice must have been a tough act to follow.

- Just because she got a full scholarship

to veterinary college, and was first chair violin

in school orchestra, and Homecoming Queen?

- Oh, see what I mean?

Hey, maybe we can hit up some clubs when she's in town.

You know, show her how New Yorkers like

to party at Christmas.

- Oh, that's really sweet of you, Karen.

Uh, the thing is, uh, Alice has some challenges.

- Okay.

- Uh, she was in a car accident when she was in college,

and she got a pretty bad head injury.

- Lucy, I'm so sorry.

I didn't know.

- She does pretty well, though.

And she loves the Nutcracker.

She comes here to see it with me every Christmas.

- Well, I can't wait to meet her.

Oh my goodness.

Okay, uh, the office party is in three hours,

and I haven't done my hair, so, see see ya tonight?

- Yeah.

Okbye.

Advertise your product or brand here contact www.OpenSubtitles.org today

- Hi, Alice, it's me.

- Hi, Lucy.

- I just booked your flight.

- That's great, thank you.

- I texted you all the details.

I also emailed them to your office at the animal shelter.

If you have any questions, you just call me, okay?

- Okay.

- I'm so glad you're coming to visit me.

- I'm excited to see you.

- I love you.

- I love you too.

Bye.

- More champagne, please.

That's good.

Hi!

Anne from accounting brought her brother again.

He was asking about you.

- No, no.

- If you wanna let a perfectly good man go to waste,

then I'll take him for you.

- Having fun, Lucy?

- Oh,

Hi, Mr. Feeney, yes I am.

It's a great party.

- You had an amazing year, thanks to these people.

And you.

- Thank you, Mr. Feeney.

- Could I speak with you for a moment, in private.

- Sure.

Junior partner?

- Why not?

You've certainly earned it.

- I, I don't know what to say, Mr. Feeney.

- Well, you can start by calling me Joe.

- Thank you, Joe.

- We'll talk later, but congratulations.

- Alice, you are not gonna believe what just happened!

Uncle Barney, what are you doing with Alice's phone?

What?

No, no.

- Don't worry about a thing here at the office, Lucy.

If there's anything I can do,

please don't hesitate to ask.

- Thank you, Joe.

- Take care, Lucy.

- I'll help you.

- Thanks, Alice.

- What are sisters for?

- Your sister's very good.

Do you play?

- Um, no, I don't.

- Lucy!

Where are you going?

- To Peter's.

I'm gonna help him decorate the tree.

- Well we haven't had a chance to talk

since I got home from school.

- We can catch up tomorrow.

Relax, we've got lots of time.

- There's something I need to tell you, and I'm,

- Alice, can't it wait until tomorrow?

Besides, your audience wants another song.

- You were great in there, Alice.

You played beautiful.

- Thank you, Peter.

- Ready to go?

- Yes.

- Lucy!

It's important.

- All right, fine.

Pick me up from Peter's at 10.

And can talk then, okay?

- Thank you.

- Lucy?

You here?

- I'm here, Uncle Barney.

- Hi, honey.

I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry.

It was sudden.

The doctor said there wasn't any pain.

It was one of her heart valves.

They didn't even know it was there.

Said it could have ruptured at any moment.

- I can't believe she's really gone.

I just talked to her last week.

She was fine.

- Hasn't quite hit me yet, either.

Seems like we were just putting up Christmas lights

the other day.

You know how she loved that.

It's good to see you, Lucy.

How long you planning to stay?

- I have to leave right after the funeral.

The day after tomorrow.

- That soon?

- You know, I wish I could stay longer.

- We haven't seen you up here,

well, since your folks died, 10 or 11 years ago.

- I'm a corporate lawyer, Uncle Barney.

You know my time isn't my own.

- I get it.

Time moves pretty fast these days.

- Uncle Barney, thank you for doing all this.

- Oh, baby.

I haven't done everything.

There's still Alice's estate you have to deal with.

- Me?

- Yeah, you're the next of kin.

She probably left this place to you.

I guess you've got some decisions to make.

- Merry Christmas, Alice.

- The kids were grown, and Harold was gone,

and I was just all alone in that house.

And then one day there's a knock at my door,

and your sister is standing there with a kitten.

Alice was always so good with animals.

She was studying to be a veterinarian before her...

before.

- I am glad she ended up at the animal shelter,

because I never I never even thought

of having a cat, but it was like she knew

what I needed before I did.

I'll betcha half the people in this room would tell

you the same thing.

Your sister changed my life.

- Thank you.

I had no idea Alice knew so many people.

- Your sister was a very big part of this town.

When she started working for the animal shelter,

she turned that place around.

- And I don't remember them ever letting pets into church.

- That was Alice, too.

She thought it was unfair that people had to leave

their pets home alone on Sunday mornings,

so she put together a petition,

and she went door to door, and got enough signatures

to make City Hall change the bylaw.

- She did that?

- {Barney] Um hmm.

- All by herself?

- Well she had a little help from the FOA.

- The FOA?

- Lucy?

- Hello, um.

Oh, um.

- Your sister was such a bright light in all of our lives.

Thank you, um.

- Oh, I'm, I'm sorry.

I'm Daphne.

This is Celia and Rinda.

I imagine that Alice told you about us.

- Well, um.

- We're the friends of Alice.

- The FOA.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

- Um hmm.

- We just wanted to let you know that if need anything,

or if we can do anything, you can call us anytime.

Really, anytime.

- Thank you, all of you, um.

It means a lot.

- Your sister, she used to call us, day or night,

whenever she needed anything.

We were always there for her.

- Well, like I said, thank you.

I, I really appreciate...

If you would excuse me please, um,

I just need to get some fresh air.

- Hello.

Oh, hi, Mrs. Toomey.

It's for you, Lucy.

It's about your sister.

- I was afraid you'd left.

- Hi.

- Hi.

Lucy, I'm so sorry about Alice.

She was such a wonderful woman,

and I know she loved you very much.

- Thank you.

It's good to see you.

- You too.

It's a nice service.

- Yes, it was.

- If you get any time tomorrow,

maybe we could go grab some coffee or something.

- I can't, I'm leaving tomorrow.

- Oh, you're not gonna stick around

for the tree lighting ceremony next week?

You know it was one of Alice's favorite events.

- I can't, I'm sorry.

I booked my flight for right after the lawyer comes by

with the will.

- Um, well actually,

- It was good to see you, Peter.

Goodbye.

We are just waiting for the lawyer to show up.

Of course he's late.

I'll be on the 5:30 flight out of Milwaukee,

and I'll be in the office first thing

in the morning, so reschedule that lunch with Harrington.

Karen, I will call you back from the airport.

Bye.

- I'll see ya tonight.

- Finally!

- I guess you forgot the difference between real

time and Nilson Bay time.

- Yeah, well if this guy worked at my firm,

he'd be fired in a New York minute.

What are you doing here?

- I tried to tell you yesterday.

I'm handling your sister's estate.

I'm Alice's lawyer.

- This doesn't make sense.

Why would Alice leave this place to the animal shelter

instead of her own flesh and blood?

- Well, that's not exactly what she did.

She merely stipulated that Lucy has

to fulfill certain requirements in order

to inherit this property.

- Like?

- I have to stay here.

I have to live in this house.

For four weeks?

- Exactly.

Otherwise, ownership of the property will

then be transferred to the Nilson's Bay Animal Rescue.

- On the bright side, that takes you through New Year's.

So you can spend Christmas here.

- No I won't.

- Why not?

- Because I'm not staying here, that's why.

There has got to be some loophole in this thing.

- I'm afraid not.

I drew it up myself.

And Alice was very specific about what she wanted.

- But why would she do this?

She knew I lived in New York.

Why would she want me to stay here?

- Well you know Alice.

She must have had her reasons.

- And besides, it's only four weeks.

- Peter, I can't just uproot my life for an entire month.

I have a job.

I have responsibilities.

- Okay, well,

I can draw up the de-transfer for you,

and you can sign over the property before you go.

- Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Lucy, your grandparents built it.

It's been in the family for decades.

You sure you just wanna give it away?

- A month?

Oh, I didn't realize it would take that long.

- I know, this is completely out of left field,

but I can handle my cases from here.

And I can be available for videoconferencing anytime

day or night.

- And what happens after this four weeks is up?

- I take ownership of the house and put it on the market.

- You're going to sell it?

- Absolutely.

Trust me, Joe, I have no intention

of moving back to Nilson's Bay.

- Joy to da world.

- Okay, well scan the signature pages and send

them on to her, and CC me on everything.

Yes, I am not coming back until the new year.

- I remember you.

- Lucy, did I lose you?

Lucy?

- Uh, listen, I'll call you back later if I think

of anything, okay?

- Which one do you wanna try?

- That one.

- Hello, girls, what can I getcha today?

- Two gingerbread men, please.

- Oh, 'fraid there's only one left.

- We'll take it.

- Okay.

- Merry Christmas.

- Merry Christmas.

- Thank you.

- You can have it.

- Now we both can.

- May I help you?

- What?

Oh, I'm sorry.

Just daydreaming, I guess.

Hi, I met you the other day.

You're one of Alice's friends.

- Rinda.

- Rinda, right.

I'm Lucy.

- I know.

- I can't believe McHenry's still puts on

the Taste of Christmas party.

- Every year for the last 75.

- It was always Alice's favorite night.

- I'm surprised you remember that.

- I just need to pick up a few things.

- So you stickin' around for a while?

- Yeah, just until after Christmas, actually.

- And then back to New York?

- Yeah, back to New York.

Oh, it's Alice.

- Yeah, she put out a can every Christmas

to raise money for the animal shelter.

Guess she never mentioned that to you.

Or maybe you didn't ask.

- Oh, she loved her animals, that's for sure.

- I was very fond of your sister.

We all were

- Well Alice was a very special person.

- I hope you appreciated having her in your life

as much as we did.

Well I have to get my recipes together

for A Taste of Christmas.

Excuse me.

al music)

- Excuse me, are you Miss Toomey?

- Uh, yes.

How can I help you girls?

- Mom said to bring back Miss Alice's cat.

- Well, I'm not staying.

Merry Christmas.

- Great, and now I have a cat.

Okay, okay, I hear you.

All right, okay, I know.

Um, yeah.

All right.

Okay.

Well, come on out, and let's get to know each other.

Well it was nice to meet you too.

Hello.

Cat.

Kitty.

Kitty.

Cat.

Come on.

- Hi.

- Hi.

- I, uh, got this for Alice.

It was kind of a tradition with us.

And I already have mine, so I thought maybe you'd like it.

- Um, actually I wasn't planning on putting up a tree.

- You do know that in Nilson's Bay it's a misdemeanor

not to have a tree?

I mean, you should see my office.

I'm just tryin' to keep you out of trouble.

Please don't make me take it all the way

back home again, please.

- Okay.

- Okay, good.

Okay, look out.

Careful, careful!

- All right, okay!

- Watch yourself. - Okay.

- Here we go.

- It's a beautiful tree.

- It has to be.

Alice was very specific about her Christmas trees.

- You guys really kept in touch all these years?

- Sure, Alice was a really great friend.

And in a way,

she kind of, you know,

kept me in touch with

- Hey!

- Oh, wait a second! - Okay.

- Ah, I got it.

- Okay.

- I was sayin' that, in a way, it kind of kept me

in touch with you too.

- Me?

- She talked about you a lot.

And she told me about your life, your work,

when you got your hair cut, what you had for lunch.

- Sorry.

- Hey, will you hold this for a sec?

You got it?

- Uh hmm.

- I'll just take this stuff off.

You know, she was my very first client.

- Really?

- Yeah, she paid me $100 and a goldfish.

All right.

I'm gonna pick this up, slide it in there.

- Okay.

- Just make sure it goes in there.

- Got it.

- Okay.

Good, funny how we both became lawyers, huh?

- Yeah, funny.

Why did you do it?

- Guess I always just wanted to fight for the little guy,

you know, make sure justice was served.

You?

- Yeah, not exactly the same.

I write contracts to help big property development

companies acquire real estate and get even bigger.

- You like it?

- I'm good at it.

- Objection.

That's not really what I asked.

- Sometimes I do.

- And the other times?

- I don't know anyone who's 100% happy at their job.

- I am.

And that looks pretty good.

- Do you know anything about cats?

- I see you met Mr. Freckles.

- Mr. Freckles.

- That's his name.

Daphne told me she was bringing him back to you.

- Well I wish she had told him.

He took off like a shot as soon as we came

through the door.

- I think I know where to find him.

Meow!

And voila.

- Oh, there you are.

- He always goes under here whenever there's a stranger

in the house.

- I'm not a stranger.

I'm his Aunt Lucy.

- Yeah, but he doesn't know that yet.

- Mr. Freckles, here!

I've got some delicious creamed liver surprise.

Oh.

Mow.

- No, it's meorw.

- Mow.

- Work on it.

- I can't believe I'm being rejected by a cat.

- Ah, it may him awhile, but he'll come around.

Remember, we're not the only ones who lost somebody.

Ah, hey.

Ah, they didn't finish it.

- They?

- Yeah, the friends of Alice.

They were also sort of a quilting bee with your sister.

- Um, do you know who Maeve is?

- Hmm?

- Here, "For Maeve."

Who is that?

- Ah, I can't say.

- It must have been someone special to her.

- Yeah, I'm sure they were,

so, do want some help decorating the tree?

- Right now?

- Why not?

Christmas is coming.

- Peter, I found these upstairs.

I can't believe she kept them all these years.

- Excellent.

And I found some music to put us

in the tree decorating mood. ♪ Chestnuts roasting

♪ On an open fire

- Oh, that was my parents' favorite album.

- Did you know it was Alice's, too?

- I know Peter.

♪ Yule-tide carols

I know that was her favorite.

- Oh, hey, I'm sorry.

I didn't mean anything.

It's just, you've been gone a while.

- Alice understood.

- I'm sure she did.

- I helped her out a lot, okay,

anything she needed.

And when our parents passed away,

I offered to bring her to the city,

but she didn't wanna leave.

- Why would she?

This was her home,

yours too, until she...

It was an accident, Lucy.

You know that, right?

- Of course I do.

- So what happened?

We were so close, but you barely spoke to me after that.

- I barely spoke to a lot of people after that.

- Yeah, but you avoided me the entire last year

of high school.

And that was some trick, considering there were

only 47 people in our graduating class.

♪ To you

- The record's over.

- Um, I just remembered, I gotta catch up

on some work at the office.

- Oh, okay.

- Yeah, I better go.

- Thanks for the tree.

- You gonna be okay with all those decorations?

- Well if I have any trouble,

I could just ask Mr. Freckles for help.

- Goodnight.

- Goodnight.

- This one's for you.

- It's so pretty.

Thank you, Alice.

- Your sister was a wonderful lady.

You know, she's the reason why I got my first dog.

- Really?

- I met her at McHenry's one year,

at the Taste of Christmas, and before I knew it,

she'd talked me into a dachshund.

Best thing that's ever happened to me.

I got three of em now.

- Oh.

- So you told me on the phone that you were looking

to sell Alice's house.

- Yes, yes, Mr. Glaser,

- Oh, please, Ed.

May I call you Lucy?

- Sure, Ed.

My Uncle Barney recommended you

as the best real estate agent in town.

- Well, I'd certainly like to think so.

And Nilson's Bay is a seller's market.

We have several developers that are very interested

in the area, and you have enough acreage there

to put at least three decent sized pre-fab homes,

maybe even a condo building.

- Wait, um.

You're saying they'd wanna tear down our house?

- Well, Miss Toomey, it's lakefront property.

One of the last parcels to be developed.

- I hadn't really thought about that.

- I understand, it's a cute house.

But the comps in that area are

in the half a million dollar range,

and I'm certain we could get you at least that,

maybe even a bit more.

- I don't know.

I'm not sure how I feel about having

my family home torn down.

- It's just a house, Miss Toomey.

You could always buy another one.

At these prices, you could probably buy two.

- Well, uh, I have to think about it.

Uh, thank you for your time, Ed.

- I'd advise you not to think too long.

It's like I always say, when opportunity comes callin,

you better answer on the first knock.

- Look at the tree, girls!

- I like when it sparkles.

- Yeah, me too.

- Daphne, right?

- Oh, hi!

Yes, and these are my girls.

This is Ophelia, and Portia.

- The cat delivery service,

right? - Yes.

- Hi.

- Hi, Miss Toomey.

- Hi, Miss Toomey.

- How are things goin with Mr. Freckles?

- Actually, I don't think he likes me.

- Oh, well he will.

It just takes time.

- Daphne, did you ever hear her mention the name Maeve?

- Maeve, uh, no, not that I can remember, why?

- I found a name tag on some quilt pieces

she was working on.

- Well I can tell you who those belong to.

They're ours.

- Yours?

- Yeah, Alice, Celia, Rinda, and mine.

We were making our annual Christmas friendship quilt,

and we'd get together once a week to work on it.

- You're welcome to come by and get it if you want.

- The thing about a friendship quilt is

you have to finish it in the same home

that you started it in.

It's kind of a tradition.

- Oh.

- Well, you don't mind if we finish

it in your house, do you?

- Oh.

- It won't take long, maybe a couple hours,

and we won't make a mess, I promise.

- I actually have a lot of work to do.

- So Thursday in the afternoon, say, five-ish?

I'll bring the cookies.

- This Thursday?

- Okay, great.

Well, we'll see you then.

- Bye. - Bye.

- Bye. - Oh, bye!

- Uh, huh.

Yeah, right.

Well, that would be unfortunate.

I will tell him.

Bye, bye.

Lucy, hi, you're still in town.

- Still here.

I'm looking for Peter Swinson.

- I take it you don't know Mr. Swinson real well.

- Why do you say that?

It's 12:30 on a Wednesday.

There's really only one place you're gonna find him.

- Hi.

- What are you doin' here?

- I, I need some advice.

- Personal or professional?

- A bit of both, I guess.

- Okay, but it'll have to be on the ice.

- What?

- I'm in the middle of class.

- Come on, Mr. Swinson!

- Give me a second!

Well?

Whatta you say?

- It's been a long time since I was on skates.

- They say you never forget how to do it.

It's like riding a bike.

- It's been a long time since I rode a bike, too.

- I won't let you fall.

- Sounds like Ed can get you a lot of money

of the property, but...

- But?

- Well I mean, the Toomeys have had that house

since before I was born.

You sure you're ready to say goodbye to it?

- I guess I'll have to be.

You can't hold on to the past.

- Whoa, comin through, Mr. Swinson.

- How long have you been doing this?

- Oh, couple years.

Alice was a volunteer at the community center,

and she drafted me to teach the kids how to skate.

- I'm starting to think there wasn't anything

in this town she wasn't involved in.

- Yeah, she definitely made a difference

in Nilson's Bay.

- Do you think that's why she wanted me to be here

for the month?

- What do you mean?

- Maybe she wanted me to see how important she was?

- Or maybe she wanted you to slow down for a minute.

Stop running from things.

- I'm not running from anything.

- Sure you are.

You ran away from this town, away from these people,

away from us.

- Woo, Mr. Swinson.

- All right, that's it.

Guys, that's it for today.

Everybody off the ice.

Hot cocoa's on me.

- Yes!

- I'm not running from anything, Peter.

I just don't wanna live in the past.

- You may not be living in the past, Lucy,

but I think the past is still kinda living in you.

- I've arranged for an extension

on the Harrington case.

- Joe, you didn't have to do that.

I've been keeping up with things from this end, and,

- I understand, but the client needs a face-to-face meeting

before he'll proceed, so you're due back here,

on, what is it now, three weeks?

- Uh, huh.

- You know, we could challenge your sister's

will in court.

I still don't understand why she needed you to stay

in the house this long.

- Uh, I'm not sure either.

Wow.

Uh, I'm going to have to call you back.

I'll call you later.

- Goodbye.

- There you are.

So now you wanna play?

I guess not.

What are these, Alice?

Self portraits?

- Hi, I brought the cookies, whoo.

- I didn't think we were gonna make it up that hill.

- I mean, Rinda, if you would just put the chains

on those tires.

- My tires are perfectly fine.

- Oooh.

- It's the ice on the roads.

They don't use enough salt.

- They can't use that much salt.

It's bad for the deer.

- Oh, so because of the deer,

you have to drive off the road.

- That's why you need the chains.

- I like deer.

- Wow, it's Thursday already?

- How are we gonna do this?

- We just pick up where we left off, don't we?

- She means how are we gonna do this without Alice.

- It just doesn't feel right,

making a quilt without her.

- Okay, I hope you all like Earl Grey.

It's the only thing I could find in the cupboard.

And, Daphne, I couldn't help myself.

I snuck one of those Christmas cookies,

and they are umm.

- Lucy, have you ever quilted before?

- Me?

Oh, I, I can't sew a button on a shirt.

- Oh, we've always had four people

in our quilting group, Lucy.

With Alice gone, it just, it feels...

- It feels like someone's missing.

- Oh, no, no, no, no, no.

- It would mean a lot if you would help us.

- I am sorry.

I would really love to help, but I don't know anything

about making a quilt.

- Oh, Rinda taught me in like an hour.

- I mean, yeah.

- It's no problem, Lucy.

Don't worry about it.

We'll be okay on our own.

I mean, no one is gonna judge you, just because

you don't wanna help us finish this very special quilt

that Alice helped make.

- Hand me a needle.

- You're probably gonna be really good at this.

♪ It's the most wonderful time of the year ♪

♪ Ding, dong, ding, dong

♪ With those holiday greetings

♪ And gay happy meetings

♪ When friends come to call

♪ It's the hap happiest season of all ♪

♪ Ding, dong, ding, dong

♪ There'll be parties for hosting ♪

♪ Marshmallows for toasting

♪ And caroling out in the snow

♪ There'll be scary ghost stories ♪

♪ And tales of the glories

♪ Of Christmases long, long ago ♪

♪ It's the most wonderful time of the year ♪

- I was having a hard time financially,

so I went to McHenry's to see if they had a job opening.

And there wasn't.

But Alice was there, and she overheard my story.

She moved me into the guest room here

that same night.

- Wait, you lived here?

- Yeah, for three months.

- I think everybody in town's got a story like that.

You know when my husband, Earl, was driving trucks,

I'd be alone for weeks at a time.

And Alice noticed me sitting by myself at Sunday service.

And she just started sittin' with me.

She didn't really give me much choice in the matter.

- That sounds like Alice.

- Oh, well there you are.

- How do you do that?

He runs away every time I try to pet him.

- Don't worry.

He'll warm up to you.

It's just like I said the other day.

It's gonna take time.

I think he still misses Alice.

- What was she like, Lucy?

We all knew her after the accident.

It's just, she never, she never talked about that day.

- Um, she was funny.

And kind, I mean she'd just about do anything for you.

- I guess in a lot of ways that really matter

she was the same.

- Maybe, but before the accident, everything was

so effortless for Alice.

I think that was the hardest part,

watching her struggle with things

like buttoning a shirt,

or playing her violin.

I, I, I think I'm done for tonight.

- Yeah, yeah we can, we'll pick this up another day.

- Oh, it's okay, I'm not tired.

- Oh.

- Oh, wow, yeah, look at the time.

- You should go. - You should go.

- Will you call us if you need anything?

- Thanks for having us.

Pretty soon we're gonna have to make a quilt

for the baby, yeah.

Thank you.

- Oh, don't forget to hide those squares

from Mr. Freckles.

I saw him eyeing them all night long.

- I will, promise.

- Good night.

- Good night.

Thank you for tonight.

I guess I really needed this.

- We had a lotta nights like this with Alice.

A lotta fun.

She always said she wished you could have been here.

Bye, Lucy.

- Goodnight.

- I knew Alice took art classes as part of her therapy,

but I didn't know she was this artistic.

Who do you think this is?

- Well, they're all self portraits, aren't they?

- I don't think so.

The hair's different, and there's something in the eyes.

- Uncle Barney,

- Yeah.

- Do you know somebody named Maeve?

- Maeve, Maeve, no.

Can't say that I do.

Why?

- I found some beautiful Christmas quilts

in a trunk upstairs.

And they all have a tag with the name Maeve

embroidered on them.

I thought maybe Alice had made them for somebody

in the family?

- Name doesn't ring a bell.

But like I told you, a lot of people knew Alice.

What are your plans for Christmas?

- Actually, I wasn't gonna make any.

I thought I'd just stay in and get some work done.

- Well that's ridiculous.

Whatta you say, I'll put together a little dinner

for the both of us?

Which would you like?

Ham or Turkey?

- No, really.

- I'll put in an order for both.

That's a nice tree.

Where'd it come from?

- Peter Swinson bought it for Alice?

- Well, now, I haven't heard you say that name

in a long time.

Whatta you say we invite him over for Christmas dinner?

It's be nice to see you two getting back together again.

- We're not getting back together again, Uncle Barney.

He just helped with the tree.

- Okay, whatever you say.

You know he was Alice's lawyer.

Did you ask him about this Maeve person?

- He said he didn't know anything about it.

- It's a small town.

Maybe he can help you find her.

- Mr. Swinson is not in the office right now,

may I take a message?

- Hi, Carla, it's Lucy Toomey.

I tried him on his cell, but I couldn't reach him.

- Hi, Lucy, yeah, yeah, that's because he's on the ice.

- Oh, he's at the rink?

- Oh, no, not that ice.

The blue ice.

He's fishin'.

Now you cannot miss Mr. Swinson's hut.

Look for all the Christmas.

- Peter!

- Lucy, what are you doin' here?

- You know I was in the neighborhood,

so I thought I'd stop by.

- What?

- It's cold.

- Hey, hey.

- Oh, I love what you've done with the place.

- Thanks.

Be careful there.

- Oh.

- Sorry for the mess.

I don't get any guests.

I think yoghbe the first.

Have a seat.

- Thanks

How's the fishing?

- Don't ask.

I've changed the lures twice.

But I think they're on to me.

May I offer you a specialty of the house, hot apple cider?

- Yes, I would like that.

Thank you.

- So what brings you all the way out here?

- You remember that quilt with the name Maeve on it?

- Uh, huh.

- I found a trunk-full in Alice's room,

all with the same name on the tags.

Are you sure Alice didn't mention her?

- Not that I can tell you.

- Well I've been looking for her on the internet,

but I haven't found anything.

I thought maybe you could help me.

Ask around?

Check out the town records?

- Yeah, without a last name, I'm not sure

how far we'd get.

Sounds like it's really important to you, isn't it?

- In a way, yes.

I feel like I wanna do something for Alice.

- You came here for Christmas, maybe that's enough.

Oh, yes! - You got something!

- Ha!

Gimme the net! - Okay, okay.

- It's right there up on the wall.

- Where, where?

- On the wall!

Hurry up, bring it over here!

- Don't yell at me! - I'm not yelling!

- Wait!

Here!

So much for dinner.

- Well, that's all right.

I got a better idea.

♪ Deck the halls with boughs of holly ♪

♪ Fa, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la ♪

♪ 'Tis the season to be jolly

- Thank you.

- Ooh, thank you.

That looks good.

- Are you sure kringles qualify as dinner?

- Only in Wisconsin, and only in Christmas time.

- Mmmm.

- So, do you like living in New York?

- Like might not quite be the word.

It's crazy.

It's fast-paced, exciting, scary.

- Sounds fun.

- Seeing anyone?

- No, not really.

Work keeps me pretty busy.

- Oh.

- Seems like there's never enough time.

How 'bout you?

- Me? Ah, well, you know the Nilson's Bay social scene.

It's been non-stop.

I went out with Tanya Beaumont a couple years ago.

- Tanya from trig?

- Um hmm.

- The one with the hair?

How did that go?

- She's married now with two kids.

- Oh.

I'm sorry.

- That's okay.

It was never gonna work anyway.

I guess I've always just had this picture in my head

of my perfect match, you know.

No one's ever been able to live up to that.

- What does this picture look like?

- Like you.

- Peter.

- I thought I'd forgotten how this felt,

and then you showed up.

And it all came back.

- Good evening, everybody!

Welcome to the Nilson's Bay annual tree lighting ceremony.

Without any further ado, let's start the count down.

- Five!

Four!

Three!

Two!

One!

♪ Jingle bells, jingle bells

♪ Jingle all the way

h fun it is to ride ♪ Jingle bells, jingle bells

♪ In a one-horse open sleigh, hey ♪

♪ Jingle bells, jingle bells

♪ Jingle all the way

♪ Oh what fun, it is to ride

♪ In a one-horse open sleigh

♪ Dashing through the snow

♪ In a one-horse open sleigh

♪ O'er the fields we go

♪ Laughing all the way

♪ Bells on bob-tails ring

♪ Making spirits bright

♪ What fun it is to

- I'm starving.

- What, that kringle didn't fill you up?

- Ah, thanks, Rinda.

- Hey, all set for the Taste of Christmas?

- I guess I better be, since it's the last

one we're every gonna have.

- Whatta you mean?

- Ed Glaser convinced McHenry to sell this place

to a developer.

- What?

- They're closin after New Year's.

Word is they're gonna tear the place down

and turn it into a bunch of condos

and a frozen yogurt shop.

No more McHenry's, and I'm out of a job.

Nice merry Christmas.

- Been hearing rumblings

that Mr. McHenry's been trying to sell for a while.

- But McHenry's is a part of the fabric of this town, Peter.

We can't just let them tear it down.

- You're pretty fired up about this.

- Well, it means a lot to people here.

When we were kids,

it meant a lot to Alice and me.

- Wait, aren't you the one who told me

that we can't live in the past?

- That's why we have to save McHenry's.

We can't let it become part of the past, Peter.

We have to do something.

- Okay, then.

- Nah, I haven't even started my Christmas shopping yet.

I'm thinking gift cards.

Harry, let me give you a call back.

Lucy, hello!

Let me guess, you've made your decision?

- Yes, I've made my decision.

You're not getting our house.

- What?

- In fact, nobody is, because I'm not selling.

And as for McHenry's, I'm gonna do whatever

I can to stop them from selling, too.

- Well you're a bit late with that.

We closed escrow this morning,

and the development company's already taking

bids on demolition.

- Well, you better tell them they're in for a fight.

- Rinda, these are amazing.

- So good.

- I figure, if this is the end of McHenry's,

might as well out in style.

- It doesn't have to be the end.

I wanna help.

McHenry's is more than a store.

This is a Christmas tradition,

one that means something to a lot of people

in this town.

I think we owe it to then, to ourselves,

to keep that tradition alive.

- Do you think we can stop them from tearin

this place down?

- I know we should try.

- Yes.

- Yes.

Yes, we should.

- Step one, we're going to start a petition.

We need to get as many signatures as we can,

show them the town is behind our cause.

- That shouldn't be hard.

I mean, everyone loves McHenry's.

- Daphne, you write a letter to the local paper.

I'll start a page on the town website.

And, Celia, you're in charge of research.

We need some statistics on our side.

- Got it.

Wha, what kind of statistics?

- The developer'll say that it'll increase the tax base.

We need some evidence to show that

it will have negative impact on the community

as a whole.

Look for comparable situations in other small towns

across the state.

- Got it.

- Oh, look who it is.

- Well it's about time.

- So how do you know all this stuff?

- Well actually it's what I do for a living.

Just on the other side.

At my law firm, we help clients buy up properties

in small towns and redevelop them.

But sometimes the communities fight back.

- That's what we're gonna do, fight back!

- But we need to build awareness in town about this.

It has to be a community effort.

- Why?

- Because it only works if it's their cause.

Whadda ya think?

- I think it's time to get to work.

♪ Can you feel the air changin

♪ You feel it in your soul

♪ Light the fire, stuff the ki♪

♪ Hang the mistletoe

♪ Lights are draped around the mantel ♪

♪ Twinkle little star

♪ Reconnect with friends and family ♪

♪ No matter near or far

♪ It only comes one time a year ♪

♪ Don't let it pass you by

♪ Whoa-o ah, it's Christmas

♪ Just sing along your favorite song ♪

♪ Don't let it pass you by

♪ Oh, oh, oh, it's Christmastime ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh, it's Christmastime ♪

♪ Oh, oh, oh, it's Christmastime ♪

- We've had over a dozen signatures here

in the office alone, how 'bout you?

- Well, we've already gone through three pens.

It feels like the whole town is with us.

- Well how 'bout celebrating with me?

My mom's annual Cookiemas party is at the house tonight.

I'm sure she'd love to see you.

- Your mom still does that?

- Thanks.

Well you know my family and tradition.

Why don't you bring your Uncle Barney with you.

- Okay, we'll be there.

- Great, come around six.

Oh and, Lucy, you know what you have to wear.

- Oh, no.

Please.

Look, I didn't bring one of those.

- Just check the closet.

Alice has a whole collection.

See ya tonight.

- Thank you.

- Okay, Mr. Swinson.

I am going going to lunch.

Mr. Swinson, is everything okay?

- I don't know, Carla.

- You sure everybody's wearing these?

- They'd better be.

- Oh, my Christmas!

Look who's here!

- Mrs. Swinson.

- Hey, Sweetie, I'm so glad you could make it.

We've missed you around here.

Hello, Barney.

- Mrs. Swinson.

- Welcome to Cookiemas.

- What's a Cookiemas?

- You'll see.

- I see.

- One bow, and that's all, that's it.

- Incoming!

This is hot.

Ready for another batch.

- We got another batch right here, Dad.

- All right.

Let's keep these cookies coming.

- Yes, sir.

- Uncle Barney, I think you know everybody here.

Everybody, Uncle Barney,

- Hey, hey. - And his niece Lucy.

Lucy's from Nilson's Bay,

but right now she's a big-time lawyer

in New York City.

- Uh, not that big.

- That's not what Peter says.

He said you're making waves in Nilson's Bay, too.

What is this about a petition going around?

- Lucy's trying to save McHenry's

from the wrecking ball.

- Oh, really?

Is there anything I could do to help?

- Actually, yes there is.

- Oh, girl, look at you makin a difference.

Your sister would be so proud of you.

And having you here tonight is like having a piece

of her with us also.

- Thank you, Mrs. Swinson.

That's just about the nicest thing anyone's

ever said to me.

- Now just what do you do with all these cookies?

- We take them down to the retirement home,

just something to brighten up their holiday.

- And all the grandkids, they visit on cookie day.

But this year, we need a new Santa Claus.

Would you be up for it?

- I think after a few of these snickerdoodles,

I just might be.

- Good, good.

- Hey!

- Hey. - I see you found one.

- Kind of hard to miss.

I opened up the closet door and it yelled at me.

Yeah. - Hey, um,

I gotta talk to you for a minute.

- Okay.

- Okay.

Excuse us.

- You know, I forgot how much fun this all was.

Nobody does Cookiemas like your mom.

What's wrong?

- This came to me in the mail today.

I wasn't sure whether I should show

it to you or not, but...

- It's from Maeve.

You found out who she is.

- I've known all along.

She's Alice's daughter.

Lucy, Maeve is your niece.

Lucy, Lucy, wait!

- Why didn't you tell me?

- Alice wasn't just my friend,

she was also my client.

She didn't want anybody to know,

and I had to respect her privacy.

- But, why?

Why would she keep it a secret?

- She had her reasons.

She had the baby just before coming home from college.

She wasn't sure how to break it to your family.

There were so many expectations,

about her future, and she just didn't want

to disappoint your parents.

- This is what she wanted to tell me.

The night of the accident.

But I wouldn't listen.

- Don't run away from me, Lucy, please.

Not again!

- Do you know how hard it was for to to leave, Peter?

To leave this place?

To leave you?

- So why'd you do it?

- Because it was my fault!

Alice's accident happened because I wanted

to be with you.

If she hadn't come to get me that night...

Every time I saw you, it reminded me of what happened.

Everything in this town reminds me

that I ruined my sister's life.

- Lucy, Alice had a good life.

Maybe not the one that she expected to have,

or the one that your parents planned for her,

but she was happy.

She had friends who loved her.

She had a meaningful job that fulfilled her.

And she made a difference in the lives

of so many people.

And maybe it wasn't like yours.

Maybe it wasn't like other people's.

But it was her very own.

And for her, it was perfect.

- Alice was my big sister.

You know, she took care of me,

and I, I wasn't there for her.

I haven't been for long time.

- Don't blame yourself.

Alice never did.

She was so proud of you, of everything you've done,

of everything you are.

- Now she's gone.

You know I can never make it up to her.

- Well, there's one way.

Alice loved Christmas.

And Christmas is the time for forgiving.

So why don't you give her one last gift, hey?

Forgive yourself.

- I don't know how!

- Maybe this'll help.

I talked to Maeve.

I told her about you, and she wants to meet you.

- Peter.

- She's your niece.

She's your family.

- I'm sorry.

No, I'm sorry,

but I can't.

- Lucy. - Look, no, I can't do that!

- Lucy!

- Hi!

Here we are!

Lucy!

- Hi, honey, you been crying?

What's wrong?

- I thought they were self-portraits.

But she was drawing Maeve, imagining the girl

she grew up to be.

- Alice had a daughter, and none of us knew?

- I was a horrible sister.

- That's ridiculous, Lucy.

- Alice loved you.

She was always talking about you,

about everything that you did for her.

- For her, not with her.

I should've been here more.

- No, you couldn't.

You had your own life to live, too.

- You know, I thought I had everything organized,

and everything in its place.

And now I just feel like,

my whole world is falling into pieces.

- Well then there's only one thing to do.

You've gotta put it back together again.

Lucy, life is like this quilt.

It's pieces of everything,

some joy, some sadness, some laughter, some tears.

All of us are just stitchin' it together, you know.

- I might not make a whole lotta sense now,

but it will when you're done.

- And sometimes not even then.

- But if you do it with love,

it will turn out to be a beautiful thing.

- Alice was so lucky to have the three of you as friends.

- We were so lucky to have her.

- And we're lucky to have you too.

Yeah.

- Now, whatta you say we finish that quilt?

- Yes.

Oh, and some tea?

Would you drink tea? - Yeah.

- Come on.

- I can't believe it's finally done.

- Not quite.

Finishing touch.

- Oh!

- You see, I told you.

It's just a matter of time.

- Freckles, hello.

- Hello. - It's good to say hi.

- Hi.

- Do you like the quilts?

- Good boy.

Yeah.

- I was just going over the documents, and I,

Merry Christmas, have a great Christmas.

And we need to revisit the contract

because it's not by right.

- Joe, something just came up.

Uh, I'll call you back later.

- Lucy, this is a very important client.

We need to make sure he's compliant

with the... - I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

I know, but I gotta go.

Merry Christmas, Joe.

Mr. Freckles!

Enjoy your lunch.

I have an errand to run.

It's not by right.

- By right?

- Use by right.

Only certain businesses are permitted to operate

in certain parts of the town.

This is the building permit application

the developer filed with the town clerk.

See the office buildings they wanna put here?

They're not by right.

- So what does that mean for us?

- They'll need to get a variance from the town council.

The developer has to go in front of the planning board.

- Which means an open hearing in front of the whole town.

- Where it can be denied.

- And with all the signatures we got,

and the flyers we posted, everybody in Nilson's Bay

will be on our side.

- In the meantime, I'll files a cease

and desist order, and oh,

except I can't.

- Why not?

You're a lawyer.

- From out of state.

I'm not licensed for Wisconsin.

But I know somebody who is.

- Hi.

- Hi, can we talk?

- You were right.

You got em.

- So you think we have a case?

- I know we do.

I'll file it in the morning.

Nice work, counselor.

- Thank you, counselor.

And I'm sorry.

- No need to be.

You had every right to be upset yesterday.

I should have told you before.

- No.

You did the right thing.

Now it's up to me.

I wanna meet my niece.

No, no.

Does this tree look a little crooked to you?

- The tree is perfect.

Everything is perfect.

- I just want everything to be really nice

for her, you know?

- Lucy, honey, she's gonna love you.

- Oh!

Oh, my.

- Lucy Toomey, meet Maeve Guy.

Maeve, this is your aunt.

- Hello.

- Hello, it's so good to meet you.

This is Uncle Barney.

- Hello, Maeve.

Welcome to the family, darling.

- Thank you.

It's so good to be here.

- You look like your mom.

- Hey, Pete, can you help me out for a second?

- Sure.

- Come in, come in.

Would you like some tea?

Or how bout some hot cocoa?

Yeah, let's get some hot cocoa.

Come on.

So your parents kept your name.

- They thought it was pretty.

- It is.

- I think so, too.

I'm sorry, I'm kinda nervous.

- Me too.

- This is a beautiful house.

- Thank you.

Alice, your Mom, she kept it up nicely.

- Hi, who are you?

- That's Mr. Freckles.

Don't worry about him.

He doesn't like anybody.

- I love animals.

- So did your mom.

- Is that her?

- Uh, huh, that's Alice.

- What was she like?

- I have an idea.

- That's you and Mom?

- She loved Christmas,

ever since she was little.

That was her

first performance.

at the church at Christmas.

She was so nervous.

- She's so good.

- First chair.

- Always wondered who she was,

ever since my parents told me I was adopted.

I had a million questions.

What was her favorite song?

What did her laugh sound like?

And did she ever think of me?

- You stay right there.

I know it's not quite Christmas, yet,

but I think she'd understand.

- What is this?

- It's a gift from your mom.

She made this for you.

- She made this?

- With a little help from some friends.

- For Maeve.

- She made one for you.

For every Christmas she missed.

- I'm sorry.

This is a lot.

- Um, are you up for a drive?

- To where?

- It's a surprise.

Do you like gingerbread?

- Wow.

- Your mom and I used to come here every Christmas

when we were kids.

Oh, come on, there's some people I want you to meet.

- You made it.

- Hi.

This is Alice's daughter.

And my niece.

This is Maeve.

This is Daphne, Celia, and Rinda.

They were your mom's best friends.

- It's very nice to meet you.

- The pleasure is all ours, Maeve.

- You have her eyes.

- I think I'm gonna cry.

- Maeve has been asking questions about Alice's life

here in Nilson's Bay.

I thought maybe you could share some stories with her.

- Yes, that we can do. - Of course.

- Come sit.

- Hey.

Hey, psst.

How's it goin?

- Peter, she's wonderful.

She's so much like Alice.

But she's her own person too.

- Yep, she's her mother's daughter, that's for sure.

Hey, I filed that cease and desist.

- And?

- The developer's legal department called me

about 15 minutes later, in a panic.

- Hmm, and did they say?

- I don't know.

I let it go to voice mail.

It's Christmas.

- I like how you work, Mr. Swinson.

- Why thank you, Miss Toomey.

You know, I'm lookin for a partner in my firm,

preferably somebody with big-city experience

but who understands small town life.

You know anybody like that?

- Are you suggesting that I leave my corporate job

and start fighting for the little guy?

- Why not?

I think we'd make a good team.

- Go on.

- What is it, Maeve?

- I was just wondering, if it's okay,

could my family and I come for Christmas?

- Oh, I think that...

- That would be wonderful.

Tell me, do your folks like turkey or ham?

Because we're gonna have both.

I just wanna know so I know just how much to order.

- Both.

- Good, that was simple.

- Peter, you were gonna go check

out the gingerbread houses

- Oh, yeah, I checked them out.

- Rinda's gingerbread houses.

You should have a bite.

- The ginger,

I'm checking out the gingerbread houses.

- Right.

Well I was wondering if it's time for us to change our name.

From FOA to FOL.

- Friends of Lucy.

- I like that.

- Me too.

- Yes, me too!

- Yes! - Yes!

- The best Christmas.

- FOL!

- Come in, come in!

- Aunt Lucy, these are my parents.

- Hi, I'm Grant Guy.

Nice to meet you.

- Hello.

- Hi, Jane, how do you do?

- It is so wonderful to meet you both.

- Thank you for having us. - Thank you.

- Please, give me your coats.

- Yeah.

- But the really good news is Peter managed

to get the developers to agree that

any new construction would have

to include the original McHenry's, untouched.

- So you're gonna get to keep your job?

- It is a merry Christmas after all.

- Oh!

- Hey, you guys are just in time!

Excuse me for one second,

I'm gonna grab some ice.

- Okay, let me introduce you to everybody.

Come on in.

- Well here you are.

Maeve, why don't you help me pick

out the next Christmas record.

What do you think, Nat King Cole?

- Who?

- Who?

Maeve, I think you and I are gonna have

to have a long talk about music.

- Hi, how have you been?

- This way.

- It's so nice to meet you.

- Beautiful tie.

- Thank you.

- Rented dress.

- Christmas dinner is ready.

- Hope you're all hungry.

We have enough food for the whole town.

Come on!

- Oh, wow.

♪ Chestnuts roasting - Ooh, it smells good.

♪ On an open fire - Look at this.

♪ Jack frost nipping at your nose ♪

♪ Yuletide carols being sung by a choir ♪

♪ And folks - You okay?

♪ Dressed up like Eskimos

- Uh huh.

♪ Everybody knows

- Remember when you said Christmas

was as time for forgiveness?

- Yeah.

- Then can you forgive me?

- What for?

- Everything.

That night.

The last 20 years.

It was unfair to you.

To us.

I wasted so much time avoiding the people I love,

have always loved.

- We have the rest of our lives ahead of us.

We can catch it up.

- I'd like that very much, Peter.

- Good.

- How do you feel about traditions?

- Well, isn't that kind of like living in the past?

- I was thinking more about the future.

- Ah.

♪ And so I'm offering

♪ The simple phrase

- Work on it.

♪ Kids from one to 92

♪ Although it's been said many times, many ways ♪

♪ Merry Christmas to you

- Thank you for joining us

for Christmas Everlasting.

It's so good to meet you.

Welcome to the family darling.

Thank you,

DVDs of Hallmark Hall of Fame presentations are available

at Gold Crown Stores and at hallmarkhalloffame.com.

We have enough food for the whole town.

Hallmark Hall of Fame is brought to you by Hallmark.

Be nice seeing you two together again.

Hallmark, when you care enough to send the very best.

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