Original subtitles

? What would you do if I sang out of tune? ?

? Would you stand up and walk out on me? ?

? Lend me your ears, and I'll sing you a song ?

? I will try not to sing out of key, yeah ?

? Oh, baby, I get by ? ? By with a little help from my friends ?

? All I need is my buddies ?

? High with a little help from my friends ?

? I'm sayin' I'm gonna get higher ? ?Try with a little help from my friends ?

? Whoa-oa-oa-oa ?

? Oh, oh, oh, oh ?

? Somebody who knows quite sure ?

? Baby ?

? By with a little help from my friends ?

? Said I'm gonna make it with my friends ?

? Try with a little help from my friends ?

? Oh, I'm gonna keep on trying ?

? High with a little help from my friends ?

? I'm gonna keep on trying now, baby ?

? Ooh, ooh, ooh ?

[ Cork pops ]

[ "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" plays ]

Every year when I was a kid,

my parents threw a Christmas party.

[ Slide clicks ]

Everybody in the neighborhood came.

[ Slide clicks ]

Dad played the "big cheese"...

[ Slide clicks ]

Mom played "Donna Reed"...

[ Slide clicks ]

And a really stupid time was had by all.

[ Slide clicks ]

It was a time when hopes were high,

when the neighborhood was young.

It was fun before fun got so... Complicated.

[ Slide clicks ]

Before life got so...

Voil�!

Simple.

What's this?

Salisbury steak. See?

Oh.

By December of 1971,

my family was afloat in the conveniences of modern life...

Whether we liked it or not.

Hey, Mom?

What happened to, you know, like... Dinner?

Oh, well, with classes today,

I didn't get home in time to cook.

So I stopped by the market to pick these up.

Why? Is anything wrong?

[ Laughing ] No.

After all, Mom was going to college part-time now.

She deserved our support.

As for Dad...

So, how was work today, honey?

Lousy.

Well, Dad was Dad.

Jack, do you think you could help me

with the party invitations this weekend?

Me?

Yeah, I have a midterm on Monday. I've got to study.

Well... But, I got to go to the off...

and we got to get that coffee urn out of the garage.

But I'm not sure that it's still working,

so maybe you could check it for rust?

I'll take a look.

Mom? Dad?

Are you sure you want to have this Christmas party this year?

'Course, I was just an ignorant teenager,

but it seemed to me

this was a bad time to be throwing a neighborhood bash.

Don't be silly, honey! Of course were having the party!

Why?

Well... Because we always have a party.

Isn't that right, Jack?

[ Chuckles ]

And there you had it.

Come yuletide, high water, or Salisbury steak,

the annual Arnold Christmas shindig lived on.

Hurry up with those lights.

Not that I had anything against parties,

you understand.

What I hated was...

Watch it, Kevin, huh?!

Helping out.

Those bulbs cost me 32 cents apiece!

Right, Dad.

Every year, for two weeks before the big night,

Dad roped us into something akin to indentured servitude.

Kind of like... Elves.

Dad? Do I have to stand here?

No! You can go sweep off the driveway

and hose out those ice buckets for spiders.

I don't want you guys to run out of ice Saturday night.

- Got that? - [ Scoffs ]

- It was humiliating. - You know, uh, Dad,

I-I've been thinking maybe I...

Wouldn't come to the party this year.

Yeah, me too.

What do you mean, "not come to the party"?

Well, I don't want to hang out with your friends.

I've got my own life.

Me too!

You know, I'm not a little kid anymore.

I could be a father.

Me too!

But even iron-clad logic

couldn't alter one unescapable fact...

[ Horn honks ]

The neighbors.

[ Chuckles ] Hey, Jack!

Gettin' ready for the big shindig?

Sure am!

That was Ed Ermin, king of lawn care.

Biggest wheel on the block.

Yeah, the whole damn neighborhood's

lookin' forward to this party, you know!

Wouldn't be the holidays without a night at the Arnold's!

You bet!

Yeahha-ha. See ya later, okay?!

[ Tires squeal ]

Yeah. You bet.

So, Dad?

What?

About the party. What do you say?

Make sure there's ice.

Well, think of it this way...

at least I could take solace in the firm knowledge

no one else I knew had any great plans for the holidays.

[ School bell rings ]

Skiing? You're going skiing?!

Yeah. My parents are taking me.

It's gonna be great!

I don't believe this!

What about you? You want to do somethin' over the holidays?

I can't. I'm going to Montana.

Getting my sister out of a commune!

Made you wonder whatever happened to the days

when all people did on Christmas

was watch football and over-eat.

Well... See ya on the slopes.

Yeah.

My friends were deserting me.

It was clear if I was gonna survive this vacation,

I needed...

Winnie!

Kevin! Hi!

Will I see you at my parents' party Saturday night?

Oh...

Yeah, good old Winnie.

Gee, Kevin, I'm afraid my parents already made plans.

They did?

Okay, a temporary setback.

Still, with the right sales pitch...

You could come by yourself!

I mean, there's gonna be food and twister.

I-it's gonna be a blast.

I don't know.

Oh, Winnie, come on.

What could possibly be more fun than that?

We're marching in a vigil to end the war in Vietnam.

Oh. [ Airplane crash-lands ]

Maybe after Christmas.

Right.

I don't believe it.

4 bucks.

Meanwhile, my father was on a vigil of his own.

4 bucks for a lousy bottle of wine.

Need any help?

My wife wants me to buy a bottle of white wine.

Ah, well, we've got Sauvignon Blanc,

Chardonnay, Chablis, Pinot Chardonnay,

Riesling, Fum� Blanc.

I'll take the one with the handle.

Thanks.

Doesn't anyone drink scotch anymore?

Still, while Dad was pondering economics,

we were plotting our escape.

Who's gonna talk to him?

- You. - Me?!

You talk to him, butt head.

Okay, I will!

I'll handle this.

Wait a minute...

Wayne?

Wayne, no, I'll talk to him!

After all, we were hittin' Dad where he lived.

This was gonna require tact, timing, diplomacy.

Dad?

Um, we were talking about the party,

and we decided that...

we want to get paid.

Paid?

Yeah. For the work we're gonna do at the party.

Paid.

[ Cash register dings ]

Fine. You want to get paid?!

There. Split it up.

Would you like to hear a Christmas song?

Yeah.

As the party got nearer, two things became obvious...

Should've kept the manual.

One... the old coffee maker wasn't working.

And two, the elves were getting restless.

Hand me the manger, idiot!

No thanks.

Wayne?!

I'm on break.

Your brain's on break.

Shut up, dork.

Honey? I just spoke to Ida.

The pfeiffers won't be able to make it.

Alvin has to visit his mother in Florida.

And I ran into Joyce medrakis.

They won't be able to make it, either.

Jack...

Maybe having this party wasn't such a good idea after all.

And that's when the first faint glimmer of hope appeared.

I mean, we're so busy.

Karen won't be able to make it, anyway.

Maybe you're right.

And just for a second,

it seemed we might actually get out of this wing-ding.

[ Chuckles lightly ]

Remember when we first got this?

With the green stamps?

[ Both laugh ]

Just for a second, though.

Oh, no.

You remember the kids in the kitchen,

pasting those things into the book?

Wayne always got 'em stuck on his elbow.

They were so cute.

Seems like yesterday.

"Seemed like yesterday."

Those dreaded three words could only mean one thing...

Norma, I think I can get this to work.

- ...Wayne and I... - [ Scoffs ]

Were doomed. [ Electricity crackles ]

[ "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas" skips ]

Party night.

And my parents, through some miracle of modern science,

managed to pull it off.

Jack? Hurry up!

Norma, where's my shot glass?!

Oh, it's in the hutch!

It's not in the hutch!

Oh, there it is on the stove.

Even if they did seem a little ragged 'round the edges.

We, on the other hand, were just... Happy to be there.

So, Dad...

How dry do you want your Martinis tonight, eh?

Just crack the ice!

[ Scoffs ] Nice try.

Still, for all their hard work and preparation,

the host and hostess

weren't exactly brimming with cheer.

Oh, no!

This ambrosia's all runny,

and there aren't any raisins in it.

That's not how I would've made it.

I would've made it with raisins in it.

It was almost as if they'd lost sight

of why they were throwing this bash in the first place.

[ Doorbell rings ]

[ "Sleigh ride" plays ]

- Merry Christmas! - Merry Christmas!

- Hi! - Oh!

Oh, Norma, the place looks lovely!

Oh!

Jack, you really knocked yourself out on those lights.

[ Laughs ]

[ Sighs ]

And then, they remembered.

[ Doorbell rings ] Merry Christmas!

[ Doorbell rings ]

The three Weismans are here!

- Happy holidays! -Happy holidays! - Happy holidays!

[ Doorbell rings ]

- Merry, merry! - Merry, merry!

[ Laughter ]

Yoohoo!

Make sure you hang that up, young man!

And don't throw it on the bed with everything else!

Yep, all the same old faces were here.

Ew!

Not to mention the same old furs.

Bag!

Still, you could feel the holiday spirit

all through the house.

[ Chuckles ]

It was positively infectious.

Hey, there, you little porcupine.

Hi, Mr. Wanamaker.

Al Wanamaker.

The guy sold us our first set of used model trains in 1958.

Remember when you used to do your Jimmy Cagney? Huh? Huh?

Come on, come on... a little Jimmy Cagney, huh?

Come on, come on, come on!

Ah, what the hey. For old times' sake.

[ As James Cagney ] You dirty rat. You killed my brother!

[ Laughs heartily ]

[ Coughing ]

Lou, you old duffer!

And, for a while, anyway,

things went on like they always had.

Jack!

How's the short game coming?

Just great!

I sank a putt last weekend would have made you weep!

Oh.

Uh, you need a drink to go with that?

L-let me mix you one.

Uh, actually, Jack, I, uh, I don't drink anymore.

I've been dry for five months!

- No kiddin'. - Nope.

I feel like a million bucks. Look at this, huh?

I lost four inches.

Say, uh, you got any carrot juice?

I'll look.

Hmm...

Ever since my youngest went to high school,

I just didn't know what to do with my time.

I know what you mean.

That's why I went back to coll...

I can't tell you how much therapy has changed my life!

Mm...

You had the feeling this party was losing steam.

What it needed was a lift, a shot in the arm.

[ Horn honks ]

Something like...

Look! The fosters are here!

[ Doorbell rings ] Jack? Bill's here!

Just what the doctor ordered...

- Hey. - Hey!

Bill!-...Dad's old war buddy, bill foster.

Bill, you old...

No party was complete without bill and Marsha.

Or, in this case, bill and a woman half his age.

Oh, uh, Jack, Norma, this is Carol.

Obviously, this was a ticklish situation.

Where the hell is Marsha?

W has it been that long?

Y-you know Marsha and I split.

- In April. - Of course!

Here. This is for you.

Uh-huh. And a partridge in a pear tree.-Ohh!

Whoa!

Some party in there, huh?

Can I get you anything, Mr. Ermin?

Oh, no, no, no.

Oh! Say, has your father finished off that basement yet?

Huh?

Uh, I'm gonna go take a look at this, okay?

The strange thing was Dad had finished off that basement

14 years ago.

We need more chips.

Oh, in the cabinet, honey.

But it seemed there was more going on here

than just chips and dip.

Carol seems very, uh... Nice.

Idon't want to talk about it!

I mean, she's very... Sophisticated...

For her age.

"For her age"?!

Uh-oh.

Uh, Dad?

Norma, for God's sake,

the guy's old enough to be her father!

[ Clears throat ]

Um...

I'm afraid something may be wrong with your urn.

This coffee's a little chilly.

And I suppose there was really only one thing to say.

I have an idea.

Let's play twister.

Okay, okay! Left hand, red!

And so, like some kind of prehistoric beast,

the party trudged on.

The laughter flowed, the drinks were poured.

But something was... Different.

The thing is, no one else seemed to notice.

They just went on doing what they always had

because... They always had.

Left foot, red.

Holy cow.

I got to get out of here.

Right hand, blue! Blue!

It had all gotten too weird.

The only escape was... Underground.

What's that smell?

Oh.

And right about then is when it happened.

[ Chuckling ] Hi, there, boys!

Hi, Mr. Ermin.

Now, there was there something wrong about this scene.

Maybe it was...

Wayne? Kevin? What the hell's goin' on down here?

Smells like a mattress is burnin'.

[ Laughs ]

I-I... hey, hey, Jack!

The boys and I, we were...

we were just chatting about, uh...

About, uh... Uh...

[ Pop ] Ow! Ouch! Mm!

Jack? Honey?

What's that...

And then came the dawn.

After years of sowing it, growing it, and mowing it,

Mr. Ermin, king of lawn care, had decided to smoke it...

In our basement.

Oh.

Wayne, Kevin, go to the garage and get some sodas.

Why?

Because I said so.

And the rest is history.

Do you think Mr. Ermin buys it or does he grow it himself?

Shut up.

What's the matter with you?

Nothing, okay?

But there was something wrong.

I knew it. Wayne knew it.

[ Door opens ]

All I'm saying is you could have handled it a little better.

Better? How was I supposed to handle it better? Tell me.

You simply could have...

Maybe Mom and Dad knew it, too.

You've known him for 20 years, Jack.

Then he shouldn't have done somethin' so stupid!

No, you should not have pushed him all the way up the stairs.

He could have gotten hurt!

- The guy's a jerk! - No, the man is a friend!

Look, Norma, it was not my idea

to have this damn party in the first place!

- Get off! - What, now it's my fault?!

- No! - [ Grunts ]

[ Clatter ]

- Hi, Dad! - Hi, Mom!

[ Metal rattles ]

Get out of here.

What?

Go to the store and get some soda.

We've got sodas in the garage!

Then go get more.

We took our time.

There was no need to hurry.

Didn't seem there was that much to go back to.

Still, that night

driving home through the neighborhood I grew up in,

I realized something...

there was a time I knew every family on the block.

Their kids, names of their dogs.

But most of those families were gone now, scattered.

The ones who stayed were not the same.

The world had moved on.

My world, their world.

And only the lights remained the same.

[ Engine shuts off ]

Where'd everyone go?

Man, what a bust.

It's pretty quiet in there.

Yeah. Come on.

I wasn't sure what to expect...

chaos, mayhem...

Or maybe two lovebirds on a couch.

[ Clears throat ]

? Chestnuts roasting on an open fire ?

We got some soda.

Thanks, honey.

? Jack Frost nippin' at your nose ?

I'll just put 'em in the fridge.

In a way, it was crazy.

There they sat

amidst the wreckage of a party gone wrong,

and they didn't seem to care.

Mom? Dad?

? And folks dressed up... ?

Sorry about what happened.

Oh, it's okay, honey.

Maybe it'll be better next year.

Maybe.

? A Turkey and some mistletoe... ?

Well, I guess I better clean up.

Oh, let it wait till tomorrow.

And I guess that's when I understood.

For Mom and Dad, the party hadn't been a disaster.

For as much as things were changing all around them,

what Jack and Norma had,

what drew people to their house every Christmas for 16 years,

was still the same...

the thing they started out with...

the one they'd never lose.

? He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh ?

My parents never did throw another Christmas bash.

And that was okay, I guess.

But I still think about those parties,

what they stood for...

a time before TV dinners and two-car families,

when grass was green and we were young...

? So, I'm offering... ? [ Laughter ]

And those nights when I'd lie awake in my bed,

watching the light dance under my door

and listening... For my father's laugh.

? Though it's been said... ?

Bill! Marsha!

? ...many times, many ways ?

- ? Merry Christmas... ? - Son of a gun.

? To you ?

? Love and joy come to you ?

? And to you, your Carol too ?

? And God bless you and... ?

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