Original subtitles

Good morning, Mrs. Kenworth.

Happy holidays, Ella.

Oh, one month to go.

I think we can start saying that to each other.

Lovely.

I think I cleaned you out of 2 1/2 inch device boxes.

Wow.

And you still don't have that 1/4 inch conduit for me.

Oh, I'm sorry, Jed, shipment's late.

'Tis the season.

Well, 'tis the season for four pre-Christmas rush jobs.

That's good though, right?

Is it here?

What are we talking about?

The circ saw I ordered four weeks ago.

Doris, I am so sorry. It's on back order.

Figures.

I got one you can borrow Doris.

Thanks, Jed.

Merry Christmas.

Ugh.

Oh, sorry.

So much.

I know I'm supposed to clear up my tab today,

but payday's Friday.

Is it okay if I just swing by then?

Don't even mention it.

Here you go.

- Thank you. - I'll see you on Friday.

See you then.

Okay.

Let's go you.

Thanks Jed.

"Spot Welding For Beginners,"

or "The World Of Spot Welding"?

What on earth are you up to now?

It's the upstairs bath.

It takes hours to fill, and it's colder than Grouse Creek

by the time I dip my toes in.

I am replacing some pipes.

You know, it could be your water pressure.

You could check the mains coming into the house.

I was really looking forward

to busting out my new plasma cutter.

Shoot.

Well, I find when you have a problem,

you start at the source.

Yeah.

Sorry.

You can't do it all my dear.

You know, there's nothing wrong

with asking for a little help,

and then trusting it when it shows up.

I know Mrs. Kenworth.

I guess I just figure if you want a job done right?

Excuse me.

Oh, hey, we're closed.

Oh, hey Ginny. What's going on?

A good day?

It was a crazy day.

Well, it's about to become the best day.

Why?

I just closed the best real estate deal of my career.

Congratulations. That's awesome.

The Lewis place.

Oh, okay.

It's yours.

What?

Town council just made the decision.

No one's come to claim it in 30 years.

We still have hoops we need to jump through.

And I'm finishing the paperwork, but I just couldn't wait.

Oh my gosh, Ginny,

this is something I've dreamed about.

For 10 years. I know.

The council was unanimous.

We all know it's a fixer-upper,

but if there's anyone in town

who can transform the old place, it's you.

I can't believe it.

You can hand your apartment to the Bernsteins.

They can go on their retirement,

and you can move into your new house.

My gosh, Ginny.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

My pleasure.

I can't believe it. Is this real?

It's very real.

I'm so excited!

Okay.

Oh, come on.

Oh.

Wow.

Marsh.

Hi, it's Ella Chandler.

I'm in my house.

Yes, the old Lewis house.

Can you send the sheriff over right away?

Someone's breaking in.

Oh.

Oh.

Oh!

Who are you and what are you doing in my house?

No, no, Ben. It's okay.

What on earth is going on here?

I think you made a mistake.

This is my house.

No keys. Just keys.

What?

This is my place.

What?

Yeah.

Hey. Hey.

Don't shoot.

Charlie, arrest this guy.

Arrest me? You assaulted me.

So you broke into my house.

Hold on.

Who are you exactly?

Russell. Russell Lewis.

Whoever that is.

Put your hands down buddy.

Is that a trout?

Turns out this Lewis fellow checks out.

Story goes he's a writer of sorts from out west.

The story also goes that his wife left him,

and his eight-year-old son for some guy out east.

Poor fella. Don't you think?

I mean, he found out that he was the heir

to the mansion by accident.

I guess he thought it would be a good place to start over.

Yeah, but it's my house.

I've already moved in.

And the Bernsteins, I can't ask them to move out now.

I'm sorry, Ella.

If you need a place to stay,

you could always share the couch

with Peaches, my old bloodhound.

Really?

Yeah, it's Peaches.

I don't know what to say, Ella.

I'm so sorry.

It's not your fault.

But if I would've thought for a second

that someone was gonna show up?

Maybe it's just not meant to be.

Council will look into this, I promise.

And in the meantime, you can stay here with me.

My couch is kind of comfy.

Thanks Ginny. You're too good to me.

You're probably right.

So these are my favorite gloves

because they're made of recycled water bottles.

So they're really helping save the planet at the same time.

And you're not... sorry.

Here you look at 'em. I've got a...

Can I help you?

Please don't wreck the place.

I just need a wrench.

What for?

For a fuse. I'm taking out a fuse.

You don't need a wrench. You need a new fuse box.

That old house runs on ceramic fuses.

The whole thing needs to be upgraded.

You know, I was planning to replace all the electrics along

with a whole bunch of other things when I bought the place.

- Well that place is mine. - You know, you don't deserve

that place.

You clearly know nothing about renovations and repairs.

You probably don't even care.

You're an uncaring, unknowing, undeserving, wrecker

of dreams, and that is not for sale.

Fred's Hardware, Ella speaking.

Ella, would you mind popping over

to the office quickly?

I think we have a solution.

I'll be right over.

Hello.

Hello Ella.

Won't you sit down?

Right.

Well, I know you two have already met.

And there seems to be some business to work out.

Okay, so while it seems that both parties

have a certain right to the property, there appears

to be a temporary solution to this dilemma.

A way both parties can stay in the house

until city council sorts everything out.

Ginny, I appreciate all your efforts, but.

Oh wait, it wasn't my idea.

It was Mr. Lewis's.

You're not gonna hit me again, are you?

I might.

Look Ella, do you mind if I call you Ella?

The house? Eh, the house is big enough.

You have got to be kidding me.

Look we wouldn't even see each other.

It's a big old house. You stay on your side.

I'll stay on mine.

And what do you get out of it?

I need someone to turn the lights on.

Of course you do.

You just want some free labor 'cause you're useless.

Well, in exchange for free rent. What do you say?

It would only be until council sorts everything out.

Yeah.

You said you had glorious plans to fix the place up.

This could be your chance.

Oh.

Oh, you gotta be kidding me.

What is she doing?

What?

What on earth are you doing?

I'm fixing the house as per our agreement.

Do you have any idea what time it is?

I'm just trying to hold up my end of the bargain.

I need peace and quiet because I am working on a book.

Do you always work in your underwear?

I am not working at this very moment.

Oh, I see.

So I'm interrupting your beauty sleep?

No, no, no. I work at night.

And I'm an early riser.

Look, if you don't want the electricity

to keep going out on your precious laptop,

I have to get this done.

Plus I have to open the store at 10:00. Please?

Thank you.

I only made enough coffee for one.

Well, I drink tea.

Oh, that's too bad.

You're gonna have to wait till I replace the fuse

on the stove.

Don't worry about me.

I'll start a bonfire, and boil some water in the backyard.

Oh, well then you wouldn't

even need the house anymore, would you?

Yeah, it might even be a little bit warmer

by the fire, you know, till you get the furnace fixed.

Oh, right. The furnace, yes.

Let me just write that down so I don't forget.

Right.

Ah, ah, that's mine.

I prefer my kettle anyway.

Oh, good.

You better start chopping some firewood

in the backyard then.

Oh, my gosh.

Oh, oh shoot.

Hello?

Ben? You okay cub?

Ben?

Oh!

- Get out! What are doing? - Oh!

Close the door.

I'm trying.

Close the door.

Yeah trying.

Get out!

Yep. Okay.

We're probably gonna want to get that fixed.

Just go.

Sorry.

That's not good. That's not good.

Oh, I gotta make dinner.

What are you doing?

Oh, laying some ground rules.

See, red is my side of the house, and green is yours.

Bathroom schedule. Are you kidding me?

Oh, yes. So from 7:00 to 7:45, the bathroom is mine.

You will know that I've gone into the bathroom

because you'll see a red sticky

that I've placed on the door.

I will then remove the red sticky from the door

to alert you that I have vacated the bathroom.

Stickies.

Yes.

You gotta be kidding me.

What if I have to use the bathroom?

I give you permission to interrupt my work

for emergency purposes.

Emergency purposes.

Providing that you could put a green sticky on the door.

Green?

Yeah.

Wonderful. I love it.

So about that furnace, what?

Here we have a schedule of the work

that needs to be done on the house for the next three weeks.

You'll see which rooms that I'm gonna be working in.

And I need you to stay out of those rooms

when I'm there so I can finish my work.

Okay. You know what?

Why don't we just paint a red line

through the middle of the house?

Better yet, why don't we just cut the entire place in half,

and create two adjoining condos?

Hmm. Yeah.

I mean, but when I'm at the shop working,

you do have free rein of the house,

provided you don't touch any of the stickies.

Understood? - Stickies. Stickies.

You know what, I need a white flag.

I'm not gonna play this game of world domination with you.

And I'm not gonna put my hand up

every time I gotta use the bathroom.

If I wanna walk around the place in my underwear,

that's my business.

Not when your boxers are like scraping

along the freshly painted walls.

Okay. Yeah, well, you know what?

You can take up my underwear with the United Nations.

See, I thought the deal was that I was gonna fix

up the house and you were gonna stay outta my way, hmm?

So you might wanna get that white flag after all.

What is happening?

Oh, come on.

You didn't gimme a sticky color. So I chose one myself.

I like purple.

I'll take that.

Thank you.

Stickies. Stickies.

What's the matter? All out of peppermint tea?

All out of ideas, if you must know.

Huh? Isn't that called writer's block?

This is more like the mountain the block was carved

out of.

My publisher just asked me

to change the entire concept of the book.

So you just start again.

Start again?

Yeah, that's, yeah, that's it. I'll just start again.

I'll just throw away two months of research,

and hard work and, start again.

Jeez, Ella, maybe you should write a book.

"Start Again" by Ella Chandler. It's got a great ring to it.

Sorry, I asked.

You know, it's not just like changing a light bulb,

or repainting a bathroom.

Wow.

Perhaps if you came out from behind your computer once

in a while, and joined the rest of us in the real world,

you'd be able to solve your own problems.

What are you doing?

Just hanging out in the real world like you suggested.

Are you gonna make snow angels next?

Just drawing up some inspiration.

Really?

So what's this supposed to be? Santa's sleigh?

Canada, actually.

Oh.

Yeah, just finishing up the Hudson's Bay.

Is this for your new book?

Yeah.

So it's about the North Pole?

The war of 1812 actually. You should know all about it.

Yeah. There's aggression, misunderstanding, borders.

They say you write about what you know.

Yeah.

So does this mean you're gonna be building

that bonfire out here now?

Oh, no, no. Just staying outta your way.

Ah. Good idea.

Yeah.

Great.

Come on Ella. It's the most wonderful time of the year.

Oh, it's the most tedious time of the year.

Christmas shopping.

You promised you'd help me.

And you promised we'd be done by the time I have

to open the shop.

But you're so good at this.

Thoughtful gifts and all.

I don't even have anyone to buy for.

Stab me in the heart with a stick of holly why don't you?

You have me.

Yes, this is true.

And we do have a deal on holly sticks

in the shop right now .

So... how's everything going?

Well, I have about five hours of accounting

I have to fit in sometime today,

and I am still waiting on Doris's circular saw to arrive.

And I told her it'd be here last Tuesday.

You should really hire some help.

I just don't have the sales to justify that.

Which you'd have if you charged everyone full price.

Wow. Now, who needs some Christmas spirit?

Besides, I just, I don't have the time to train somebody.

They won't know where anything is.

And our customers are quite particular.

Most of your customers know where everything is.

Maybe. Anyway.

Good morning, Ella.

I need your help looking for a saw.

Reanimating.

Reciprocating? Right.

Okay. I'll be right over.

Okay.

How's everything else?

With the house?

Let me see.

We have some electricity from time to time.

The hot water heater's down.

The doorknobs come off whenever they feel like it.

But on the bright side,

I think the windows might last us another year.

I mean, with Russell.

Well, as long as he stays on his side

of the house, we'll get along just fine.

You know, he is quite good looking.

Who Russell?

He's so self-absorbed,

probably writing the next great American novel or something.

He's married to his work. I don't need that again.

Besides, I don't have time for romance.

Anyway, if you will excuse me.

I have a saw to sell.

Sorry.

What about my Christmas shopping?

All right. How does it look?

Well, at least you're a good writer.

What happened?

What are you two hiding?

Well.

Hey, hey, hey Ben. Come back here.

We had a little accident.

I was running a bath for Ben,

and I kind of forgot about the water.

What did you do?

Oh, well we fixed it.

We cleaned it all up.

Oh, okay.

I don't need you fixing things.

I don't need you creating more work for me

in this house that I...

Look, I'm sorry, we were...

Do you have any idea what I have riding on this?

I mean, this is not a vacation property,

or a bed and breakfast.

This is my life.

Hey, we're just trying to help. Okay?

I don't need you helping.

I don't need you hammering or sawing or fixing.

But I do need you writing, in your room.

- That's a good idea. - Yeah.

Great. - I'll do that.

Great. Good boy.

- Yep. - Okay.

Okay.

God.

Perfect. Okay.

Hi, so the bathroom's all set.

Door handle too.

And I patched the kitchen ceiling.

Thanks.

Well, see ya.

See ya.

Ella!

Ella, if you don't wait, I'm gonna drink both of these.

Hi. Thank you.

You're welcome.

Oh man, sorry.

I just got three minutes to open the shop.

Oh, any news?

Oh yeah.

Gone into Davro's this morning at 8:00 AM,

they have extended hours, and a crazy sale on everything.

World's best opera CD for my dad.

Noise canceling headphones for my mom.

That's great Ginny, but I was wondering

if you'd heard anything from town council.

Oh, right.

Well, they could make their decision any day now.

You don't happen to know which way they might be leaning?

It's a coin toss.

Okay.

Well you better keep that spot

on the couch warm for me then.

Oh, no, no, no, no. Oh man.

It's Doris.

I know what she wants, and I still don't have it.

I'm just gonna stay here and maybe she'll move on.

So I'm having my orphan's Christmas party again.

I'm hoping you'll join us this year.

Aw, I appreciate the invite.

But these things always turn into singles nights.

Not if you bring a date.

An author would have a lot to talk about.

It's complicated.

What is?

Romance for one.

Oh sure you start out with jingle bells,

and boxes with pretty little bows,

but as soon as the decorations come down,

and the tree gets recycled, all you're left

with are credit card bills and stuffing leftovers.

You're a mean one Mrs. Grinch.

No, no. I'm done trying to fix broken hearts.

I'm just gonna stick with fixing broken furnaces.

What about broken promises?

Looks like Doris is still holding out hope.

You're right. Okay, I'm gonna go face the music.

Dum dum dum dum da da da.

No, not that music.

Whoo.

"And that's when it dawns on our hero, Benji.

Crystal shard in his pocket,

the one the old wizard gave him on a planet of Doom.

Well, that wasn't just a weapon, that was an energy source.

One that could power his ship,

and take him back to his planet."

Back to his family?

Yeah, back to his home.

"So with an army of wing cyborgs pounding

on the battered ship's hull,

Benji slams the crystal into the power source,

and the engines fire up.

Their glow is brilliant as the sun.

He pushes forward on the thrusters,

and the ship lifts off the planet of Doom,

incinerating the entire army of cyborgs in its wake.

Then Benji Barnes..."

And his dog. Don't forget Vern.

Yes, of course. And his best buddy Vern.

"They head back to Donovaro with enough treasure

to save the entire kingdom of Miragia."

That's a good one Dad. My favorite.

I like it too.

You should get that one published.

Oh man, I'm working on it.

But I gotta finish the books that pay the bills first.

You think she'll call?

She'll call, or I'll call her right?

Before Christmas?

Cross my heart. Now off to Dreamland.

You mean Miragia?

Yes, yes I do.

Come on buddy.

Eyes closed.

Wow. Who's your friend?

He doesn't have a name yet.

Doesn't have a name?

You know what else he doesn't have?

Let's see.

A nose.

Thank you.

Ah, it's perfect.

Do you like making snowmen?

This is my first.

What? Your first?

I'm impressed.

Dad tells me to keep my hands busy so that my mind's busy.

That way I can sort out thoughts in my head.

You have a lot of thoughts to sort out, huh?

Hmm. Mainly what I'm gonna get my dad for Christmas.

Hmm. Right.

Well, you know, there's a place that I like to go

when I'm sorting things out in my head.

You wanna see it?

Yeah.

Come. Let's go.

So what kinds of things does your dad like?

Tea.

Ah, yes. I've heard about the tea.

And books.

What kind of books?

History, other countries, war, boring stuff like that.

He used to like walks along the beach with me and mom.

Kites, hot dogs, campfires.

Mm. Sounds nice.

Yeah. Then we just stopped.

He'd really like this walk.

Well, the best part is still coming up.

Here, come.

I can't wait to show you.

You're gonna love it.

Check this out.

If I could pick any Christmas tree in the world,

it would come from this grove.

Oh yeah?

Yeah. This is my special thinking place.

I come here every Christmas to make a wish.

A wish like the house?

Hmm. That's more like a dream.

A dream that I've been wishing for for longer

than you've been alive.

A dream is not a thing you wish for,

it's a thing you work for.

Wow. Who told you that?

My dad.

You want some hot chocolate?

Yes, please.

Hmm.

Hmm.

Why is he here?

Why is he here?

Shoot.

Morning Ella.

Yes, hi. Shoot.

Out for a little Christmas shopping?

Hi, Mrs. Williams.

No, I was just hoping to open the store early.

Yeah. So does that hat come in adult sizes?

Oh .

I was just trying to fit in around here, I guess.

Hmm, don't you need those little flaps

that cover your ears?

Oh, no you're referring to the bomber hat?

Not to be confused with a Stormy Kromer hat,

popular since 1903.

This my friends, is the classic pompom.

Let me guess. You wrote a book on hats?

Actually, I did.

Real page turner.

You know, I should probably set up a booth here,

and sell it.

So how's the war going?

Oh, the book? Oh, yeah.

Well, Thomas Jefferson has just informed his people

that the acquisition of Canada

will be a mere matter of marching in.

Best laid plans.

Yeah, but I am a long way away from the Treaty of Ghent.

Try explaining that to eight year olds.

Oh, that reminds me.

Russell was just telling me that he's

at a complete loss at what to get his little boy, Ben is it?

Yeah.

Well, you're in luck.

Oh?

Ella is the best at gift advice.

Sure. If he wants a nail gun?

Does it come in kid size?

Well, what does he want?

Oh, I don't know.

Gifts were kind of his mom's domain, you know, I...

Well, I mean, Christmas is about more than just presents.

Yeah, no, I know.

I really gotta get this Christmas right.

So why don't you just ask him what he wants?

Isn't that kind of taking away from the magic?

Well, you're a writer. Yeah?

Yeah.

Why don't you do Ben a service,

and offer to write him his letter to Santa

so you can get the inside track.

Ah, right.

Well, I should go open up the shop now.

I will see you later. Mrs. Williams.

You see, I told you she knows her stuff.

Letter to Santa.

Hey there cub. Warming up okay?

Mm hm.

I was working away up there,

and it occurred to me you haven't written your letter yet.

My letter?

To Santa.

Yeah, right.

Oh, one of Santa's little helpers gave me a great idea.

What if I help you write your letter?

You know, I figured if we get it done now,

we can mail it off in time to get it to Old Saint Nick.

You know, you can email that sort of thing now?

Yeah, of course.

Why don't we just hit the old guy up on Facebook, huh?

Right. All right, email it is.

Okay.

So what do you like? Huh?

Baseball. You can ask for a Giants cap.

Ooh, maybe a remote control car or a truck huh?

A boat.

A boat?

Yeah, like the ones we used to go sailing

on in the summer.

Oh yeah. Yeah, that was a beauty.

What was its name again?

Daisy.

Daisy. Yeah, that's right.

Okay. So a boat.

Anything else?

Maybe some real blankets.

Sleeping bags are a little silly.

I think we can arrange that before Christmas.

Though it is kind of like camping, I guess.

That used to be fun too.

Christmas is gonna be a little bit different

this year, buddy.

I know we're in a new place far from what you're used to,

but I promise I'll be there for you, okay?

I know Dad, and I'll be there for you too.

Come here.

How's it going?

Oh, wonderful.

Just finding enough scraps to patch the hole in the roof.

Oh, I didn't know we had a hole in the roof.

Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news,

but the lights went off in the living room again.

Hey, if you show me what to do,

I'm sure I could figure it out and...

No, no, no, no, no.

It's a breaker. It's complicated.

Okay.

Yeah .

You're not gonna use these pieces of wood, are you?

I was about to.

But now this is oak. It's not gonna flex in the cold.

Like some of these other pieces.

You want to use up these cedar planks.

They're light and strong with the right amount of give.

Mm.

Yes. I wrote a book about wood too.

Even a stopped clock.

Don't even say it.

Huh? Look at that, hmm.

I remember these, I mean, we used to string up the house

with these when I was a kid.

This house?

No, no. Every other house.

Not this one.

Yeah, we moved around a lot when I was a kid,

you know, up and down the west coast.

No, this house, this house belonged to my aunt.

Yeah, unfortunately, we never really traveled

to that side of the country, so, yeah.

Well, what do you know about this house?

What was your aunt like?

Well, I didn't even know I had an aunt

until I was in college.

And with all my history degrees.

I know nothing about this place.

You probably know more about it than I do.

Well, I know it was the centerpiece to the town,

especially when the steel mill was still going.

It's the last of its kind really.

For most people it's an eyesore,

but for me it feels like home.

Yeah. I know what you mean.

Listen, Ella, about this... - Cool.

Look at all this old stuff.

Ha, yes. Old stuff.

Well, I'm gonna run down to the shop,

see if I can find something for that breaker.

It's gonna be the death of me.

Would you be a doll, and take some of that flexible cedar up

to the attic for me?

Got it.

See you later.

See you.

Are those Christmas lights?

Yep.

Check 'em out. Come on.

Look at these old things hey?

Hm.

I didn't know what side of the kitchen to stand on.

There's no stickies.

Yeah, they were falling off anyway.

I figured you could just remember what's yours, and mine.

Just don't touch my coffee pot.

There's no danger there.

I got your note.

My note?

I got your note.

Oh, I think a little Christmas elf might

be playing a trick on us.

It's not a trick. Dinner is served.

Oh.

After you.

Whoa.

Guess the lights do work.

Huh.

Madame.

Why, thank you .

Wow.

Okay.

We start with cream of mushroom soup followed

by turkey sandwiches with lime jello for dessert.

Dad says I can't use the stove.

Just the microwave.

Oh, Ben, this is just the best dinner

I've ever been to, thank you.

Thank me after you try the food.

Wow.

That's amazing.

I told him he is not allowed to use scissors.

How'd that work out?

More cream anyone?

Oh, I am filled up with whipped cream kind sir.

I think we'll just take the check

when you're ready garçon.

There is one more thing.

Oh.

Unbelievable. I mean, was he born like this?

Oh absolutely not.

I mean, see the odd Father's Day toast, and tea in bed,

but nothing like this.

Yeah, I guess it's that idle hands speech I keep giving him.

He seems to be adjusting. I dunno.

Kids are much more resilient than we give them credit for.

At least that's what the books say.

He really is a great kid.

Best thing to come out of a rocky marriage.

He's 8 going on 18.

He's a precocious little guy with more questions

than I have answers for.

I don't know. I feel so outta my depth.

It's kind of how I feel restoring this place.

No, think it's coming along nicely.

Work in progress, right?

And now the pièce de résistance. Eggnog steamers.

Wow. Thank you.

Thanks buddy.

Now what are we talking about?

Hey, can you hand me the pliers?

The pliers.

Thanks. Wait, really?

So I was thinking my next book might be

on home renovations.

And if you don't mind, I can do a little research.

Well be sure to have a chapter on putting on a tool belt.

If you're gonna write a kid's book,

you're gonna need a kid involved, right?

Well, hey I'm applying for the apprentice job here, buddy.

Well, Ben's got the height advantage.

He's closer to the tools on the floor.

Plus he's a lot cuter.

Also I know the difference between pliers,

and wire cutters.

Oh, you're hired.

We'll find you a different job, dad.

Okay, let's finish this.

There we go. Okay, try it now.

Looks good.

Yeah. High five, low five.

Victory dance.

What's wrong with him?

All right. Hold it there.

Let's see 51 and a half minus...

Just mark that. Let's do the other one.

Yeah.

51.

You okay?

Yep, just my toe.

Yes?

Oh nothing, I'm just wondering,

where do we keep the broom?

Tea break. Union rules.

Ha, well, I may have gotten the plumbing going,

but I'm having trouble with these sockets still.

I think I'm gonna have to bring some electrical boxes,

and wires from the shop.

So where'd you learn to do all this?

Did you go to school or something?

Learned from my dad.

Aha, so I can tell Ben that dads are actually good

for something.

Yeah.

What about the shop? Did you inherit that from him?

Ah, my dad died when I was still in high school.

I'm sorry.

And he was a carpenter, but he never owned a shop.

He would take me to the hardware store

with him every Saturday morning though.

I mean, I'd barely be wiping the sleep out of my eyes.

And I loved every second of hunting

for nails in the bulk bends.

And hearing him shoot the breeze with the other handymen.

Had a big impact on me, obviously.

Then about 10 years ago, I opened the store,

named it "Fred's" after my dad.

Oh, speaking of which, I gotta go open the shop.

Tea?

Sorry, I have to run.

Ben and I can keep going on some stuff.

Yeah, sure.

Just try not to chop off any fingers.

Kind of need 'em for typing.

Good morning.

Good, oh hi.

Hey.

Ah, perfect timing.

Guess I better dust off the resume.

I'm not that desperate.

Ow. Okay.

Well in that case, maybe you can point me

to the dimmer switches.

Oh, hold on there handyman.

I don't think you're ready to graduate to electrical.

Okay. Wow.

That ceiling incident

was not a mistake.

It was an opportunity to learn. And I have learned.

Where'd you come up with that?

I'm glad you're both here.

Hey, Ginny. What's up?

Someone ratted us out.

What do you mean?

Someone filed to have the place condemned.

What?

I know real Christmas spirit right?

Turns out it was filed a month ago.

A full inspection is scheduled for the morning of the 24th.

Guess they want to have things wrapped up

before the holidays.

Was it someone

from the council?

My guess is it's one of our locals,

probably some contractor trying to squeeze you

for some work.

I can't believe it.

If the place isn't in perfect working order

by the 24th, it's the wrecking ball.

Well, if anyone could get the job done by then.

No, that's a week away.

There's still so much to do.

You got a couple of handymen to help you do it.

Dimmer switches, huh?

Yeah, yeah. And some primer.

Hmm. Okay.

Back aisle, left. Eye level and middle, right bottom.

Thank you.

Um.

Merry Christmas. Mr. Evans,

please say hi to Margaret for me, thank you.

What can I do for you, Mrs. Wilks?

You sold me the wrong saw.

Oh, the wrong saw?

Yes.

I wanted something Bernie could trim the trees with.

Yeah, that's a bow saw.

Wait, he can't reach the branches with this.

Okay. Oh, okay.

Let me just get you set up with a refund,

and we'll get it taken care of, don't worry.

I'm sorry, I'll be right with you guys.

Here you go, if you could just fill that out.

Mrs. Kenworth, what can I do for you?

It is what I can do for you.

Oh, Mrs. Kenworth. I don't...

I have been waiting for that sign

to go up in that window for years now,

and I'm not about to lose a career opportunity

to some high school student chomping gum,

and updating their Instagram up here.

I don't...

Do you have any cork foam underlay?

Hey, I was here first.

What are you yelling about May?

Wait, sorry.

She sold me the wrong saw.

I'm sorry.

Look, if you're looking to prune

that old apple tree of yours,

that thing's as big as a house,

and Bernie's what, 4' 9"?

That's a bow saw. It'll do the trick.

But what you want

is a long-handled pruning saw

with an adjustable arm.

Tyler, are you laying wood or laminate?

Laminate. In a dining room.

Well, cork is a special order.

Use felt cushion underlay.

It's cheaper, and it's more durable,

and it's at the back of the store, last aisle.

- Thanks. - Good.

So you could call me your Christmas angel.

You're hired.

Oh, thank you.

Can you please start now?

Yes. Great.

Come, come.

I'm coming. I'm coming.

Well, you're home before the sun went down.

Everything okay?

Yeah, everything's great.

Even hired someone to mind the shop for me.

Really? Well, that's a big step for you, isn't it?

I mean, I don't think so.

Needed to be done.

So how we doing?

How are we doing?

With the house?

Yeah, right.

Well, for two and a half people,

I'd say we're doing pretty darn good.

Think we'll make it?

The deadline that is.

Yeah, I mean, leaky roof, shoddy electrics, cranky pipes.

Sure. I don't see why not.

Okay.

Oh!

Uh oh.

I'm going to finish this minute.

What?

Are you celebrating?

I finished the book.

Well done, Russell.

Well, it turns out I had a lot

of the research in my notes already.

Oh.

And I must say, house restoration is rather therapeutic.

I mean, the funniest things come to you

when you're augering a toilet.

I can imagine.

Now, who knew American expansionism could be so much fun.

You working on your letter to Santa?

As a matter of fact, I am.

Well, that sounds like thirsty work.

Congratulations on a job well done.

Hmm, well the publisher still needs to sign off.

And then there's the illustrations.

In my last book, they made Martha,

and George Washington look like The Simpsons.

Well the book is done. It is outta my hands.

Made it down to Davro's department store today.

Really? You have been a busy bee today.

I even found a boat for Ben.

Yeah, put the name on the side, "Daisy."

Wow. You might just make Santa's nice list after all.

Yeah.

Think I'm finally figuring out this dad thing.

Yeah.

Oh, you're kidding.

I didn't touch anything. I swear.

Oh.

Oh. - That can't be good.

I was afraid of this.

It looks like the whole thing is fried.

Can we fix it?

I'll just, I'll worry about it in the morning.

Dad, it's dark.

Okay, buddy. I'll be right there.

Just, gosh, there's nothing we can do tonight.

Okay. Good night then, huh?

Yeah. Good night.

Okay?

What am I doing?

Ella?

Oh.

So I guess the coffee machine won't be up,

and running anytime soon, huh?

Oh, this is worse than I thought.

I mean, the wiring was totally overwhelmed,

and I don't know how far back it goes.

It's a miracle this whole house didn't burn down.

Okay, well we can start again.

I'll pull this out, and you run down the shop,

pick up some wire and.

It would take us at least a week to fix this.

Well we could probably...

Can't you see Russell? We're beat.

The inspector's gonna be here in four days.

It's over. There's nothing we can do.

I was really hoping that

we could get this done

in time, but, oh gosh help me.

Ginny. Hi, what's going on?

Come on in.

Morning Ginny.

Ginny? What's wrong?

What is this?

The letter of inspection.

It just doesn't matter anymore.

All the electrics blew last night,

and I can never get this place done in time.

I mean, whoever ordered it, they won.

Well, I thought you might wanna talk

to the applicant yourself.

Their name's right here.

Is this right?

Did you order this place condemned?

Ella please. I can explain.

You better start talking.

Did you order the inspection?

Yes.

You. Oh my gosh.

Ella, please listen.

No.

When I first learned about this house months ago,

I thought it should have been knocked down.

It was unsafe and I didn't think anyone would want it,

or live in it.

And then with the separation.

I had to go.

Ben and I needed a place to live temporarily,

and I thought we could use the house

till we found somewhere else to go.

You could have said something.

But then you came.

You were so passionate

about getting this place back together.

You just thought you'd get some free labor

to get the lights back on.

Then you'd finish your book and leave.

No, it wasn't like that.

You can't withdraw an injunction order for demolition.

Not once everything is set in motion.

And I tried to stop it several times.

I'm sure you tried real hard.

I wanted to tell you,

but I couldn't find the right moment.

How is this moment right now working out for you?

Merry Christmas Russell.

Please tell Ben I said the same.

I'm so sorry, Ella. It's my fault.

I should never have trusted council to handle everything.

I should have done my own due diligence.

No, it doesn't even matter now.

I'll find you a nice place.

There's some beautiful homes going up in Crystal Ridge.

It's not even the house.

I think I was actually falling for the guy.

Are you expecting someone?

No.

What do you think you're doing?

Please wait. I need to talk to Ella, please.

You had weeks to talk to Ella.

You can't just show up here like this.

No, no. Wait, it's Ben.

What do you mean it's Ben?

He's gone.

The sheriff is out looking for him.

Do you know what he's talking about?

Yeah, I think I do.

Let's go find your boy.

Ben!

Ben!

Come on, it's this way.

Ben!

Ben!

Over there.

Dad, Dad! Ella! Over here.

Ben!

Can you hear me?

He's over here.

Oh Ben, oh God.

Ben, come here. I got you Ben.

I got you buddy.

If we keep the fire going, we should be pretty comfortable.

Candles should last a while too.

Maybe there's still a way,

You we got three days.

Stop. Russell please.

I'll sleep here tonight,

but I'm gonna pack up my stuff in the morning.

Right now, I just need some time to figure things out.

Hear you've been having some problems with your lights.

I bought my saw.

Came highly recommended by the local hardware shop.

You've been helping us folks stay in business

when times are tough.

We just figured it was time to return the favor.

How did you hear about the house?

This gigantic Christmas elf told us.

All right, dad.

Think I finally figured this out.

You ready to give it a shot?

Thank you.

I think we're in business folks.

Let's roll.

Follow me.

Oh yikes.

Oh, all right, I'm gonna need a circuit tester.

Multimeter!

Now!

Double time!

Who me?

Yeah, you.

You're not doing anything.

Fine. Fine.

Multimeter.

Excuse me. Can you help me with something?

Yeah.

Does it fit?

Yeah. Perfect.

Dad won't let me sleep with it tonight, but.

Well, thanks for all your help today.

I couldn't have done it without you.

Don't tell me he's sleeping with the belt.

He's just tucking it in now.

Hey cub. Phone call for you.

Mom? Hi mom.

I am glad I didn't have to call her.

Dad got me a hat to keep my head warm.

He'll be fine.

- Yeah. - Perfect Christmas.

I'm gonna turn in.

Got a big day at the store tomorrow.

I've been having tons of...

- Good night. - Good night.

Yeah, of course. I've been going to bed on time.

Dad's very responsible.

We've been fixing up the whole house.

Good morning, Ella.

Hey.

I didn't expect you till a bit later.

Well, December 23rd's the biggest shopping day

of the year.

Not that we're gonna set any records.

And the house. How is it going?

So far so good.

Russell has taken on the role of foreman,

now I feel like I'm in his way.

Morning ladies.

Morning Rob.

Morning.

This is your third visit in three days.

Yeah, got a big job at the Lewis place,

and a deadline we intend to keep.

Looks like I'll be clearing you out

of all your armored electrical cable,

and all your half inch conduit.

Okay. I'll get that.

Oh no, no, don't bother. I got it.

Okay. Thanks.

Wow.

Good morning.

Morning.

Hi. Good morning.

It looks like you might set those records after all.

Good morning.

Wow. Who knew?

I'll take it.

That one.

Yeah. Right.

Come on, let's go.

Hello?

It's so dark. - No, no, no.

Wait, wait.

What? Don't tell me the electricity went out again.

Not exactly.

What's going on?

Now.

Oh my gosh.

It's your tree Ella, from the Grove.

Just like you wished for.

My tree.

You got me my Christmas tree.

Merry Christmas, Ella.

Oh Ben, thank you.

Merry Christmas Ben.

You.

Me? No, no, no, no.

I'm the nerdy writer. Remember?

He's the handy lumberjack.

Come on Ella, I'll make you a fire.

Okay. Thank you.

Can't believe you guys did this.

I love it.

Good job buddy.

More hot chocolate for us.

Yeah.

We made it.

To a job well done.

You're not counting your chickens, are you?

I went through the checklist myself.

Plumbing, electrical, disco ball in the kitchen, I mean.

Foundation to roof, you are sitting

in a topnotch Christmas show home.

So cute.

Yeah.

Thank you.

There little buddy. Ssh.

Ssh, there.

Dad?

Yeah I'm right here cub.

What's gonna happen?

With what?

With the house. The councilors?

Are we gonna move, again?

I don't know.

If we do can Ella come?

Get some sleep. Okay.

Come on.

Dang it, Ella. I can't explain it.

Everything looks perfect.

Well, speaking of perfect, inspector's here.

You the homeowner?

Can you put me in the direction of the homeowner?

Excuse me, young man.

My name is Mr. Higgins.

I'm an inspector of the town of North Haven.

We got a call about this house being in disrepair.

Your mom and dad home?

My dad is indisposed momentarily.

We've been expecting you.

I'm Ben. Come on in.

I'll show you around.

I'll go check outside.

And look. This table is really sturdy.

Yeah, sturdy table, check.

Lights. Oh.

Come here.

What?

I don't get it.

We've gone over everything.

Ah, come on.

We should go talk to the inspector.

Look, these move perfectly on their hinges.

And these drawers move in and out along their tracks.

Don't their drawers usually stay on their tracks?

It's chilly outside huh?

You want a hot chocolate?

Okay. No thank you, come here.

I can appreciate you trying to cover for your father.

Heck, I can appreciate some of your stalling techniques,

but it's Christmas Eve okay?

And as much as you are well, charming, company,

I have my own charming company waiting for me at home.

So can you do me a favor,

and find out when your father might no longer be indisposed?

I'm Russell Lewis.

Right. The alleged owner of this house.

Yeah, I guess so.

This is Ella Chandler, she has done a lot

of work on the house.

And well, you have met my son, Ben.

Yes, and he has demonstrated convincingly

that you have both hot and cold water,

opening cupboards, sturdy table.

Now what I need to see is your electricity.

Can we do that?

Ella?

- No. - Ella?

What?

We need to just...

Ella? Russell?

Yeah.

Is he here yet?

Is who here?

Dan Briggs from the city.

I need to see your electrical system.

I called him last night.

I told him he needed to be here first thing this morning.

You see, I was helping him with a last minute purchase

for his missus, and. - Excuse me.

Would you please hold your horses fella?

And Dan was telling me about the electrical grid,

and how you are not really on it.

What?

Something about a a meter box and a patch.

What now?

Oh, great. Here we go again.

I love my job, man. Here we go

What's going on? Wait, wait.

What's going on?

Who are you? Wait.

Who are you? What?

Who's that?

Okay. Mr. Lewis?

Yeah. Far be for me to come off like Ebeneezer Scrooge here.

But I can't sign off on this report

without a fully functioning electrical system.

Let's have a look at this thing and see what's going on.

But I...just didn't get a chance.

You know what this means.

One of these...

We're out of time.

We've worked so hard.

We're out of time.

Moment of truth here we go.

Oh! Oh my God!

Whoo!

The tree's so beautiful.

It's beautiful.

I guess you did it. Here you go buddy.

See, when you have a problem, you start at the source.

Thanks, Dan.

Thanks guys.