ALL GRAHAM JULIA LEAH MADDIE MRS_GOLDBERG MRS_HEMPSTED MRS_WESTWOOD MR_GOLDBERG MR_HEMPSTED MR_HEMSTED MR_WESTWOOD SALESGIRL SARAH STORE_OWNER TRICIA VIDEO_INSTRUCTOR WOMAN ZACH GRAHAM Hi, sweetie. LEAH Hey. GRAHAM Sorry I'm late. How late am I? LEAH You're not. I told you 2 instead of 2. Just in case. GRAHAM What would I do without you? LEAH Oh, look at this display. Oh, look at the train. GRAHAM Wow. LEAH It's so adorable. GRAHAM You're adorable. LEAH What? It's Christmas. I mean, look at all the little lights and the sparkling snow. And the air is so crisp. Take a deep breath. GRAHAM Yeah? LEAH Yeah. Do it. GRAHAM Bus exhaust. Okay, I get it, I do. It's the most wonderful time of the year. LEAH Yeah. GRAHAM Wait, since when are you so into Christmas? LEAH I mean, I guess I've always been fascinated by Christmas. Don't get me wrong, Hanukkah is the best. But, I guess, I'm just like the nosy neighbor peeking inside the next door garden. Christmas. It's just so magical. All the carols and the lights, and I mean the tree. GRAHAM It's all that and more. LEAH Yeah. GRAHAM Oh, you know what? We should get going. Maddie's always early. LEAH All right. Is it weird that I'm nervous to meet your sister, even though we've been texting for weeks? GRAHAM No, no. LEAH Yeah? GRAHAM Maddie's cool. LEAH Okay. GRAHAM You'll like her. She was really annoying as a kid, but. like, really annoying. But she's cool now. LEAH Okay. MADDIE Leah!!!! LEAH Hi!!! MADDIE Hi. GRAHAM Leah, this is Maddie. Maddie, this is Leah. MADDIE Obviously, this is Leah. I already have a table, so let's go. LEAH Okay. GRAHAM After you. MADDIE So I ordered fish heads. GRAHAM Fish heads? MADDIE How do we feel about that? LEAH You know, I've never had it before. I'm also not scared. MADDIE So I know an embarrassingly little amount about you because of Graham. But the internet tells me you made an app? LEAH Yeah, it's called Veg Fleet. So we're a food delivery network, and we partner with ecofriendly restaurants and transport options. MADDIE So cool. Okay. But enough about work. Tell me the entire story of how you two met. And spare no details. GRAHAM Well, we sort of met at work. LEAH Well, we kind of met more after work. We got drinks with coworkers. GRAHAM But I already knew who she was. I'd seen her in the third floor kitchen. MADDIE And what floor do you work on? GRAHAM Six. But the third floor kitchen has one of those really cool Italian latte machines. LEAH Yeah, because that's why he was going. He was really just going for the latte machines. MADDIE Lattes, right. LEAH Yeah, of course. LEAH No, but we really I mean, we started off kind of just hanging out as friends MADDIE And Graham was madly in love with you the entire time. MADDIE Obviously. GRAHAM LEAH Honestly though, I really didn't know because we were just like adventure buddies at first. And Graham would just come with me on all my fun expeditions. GRAHAM But the best one was New Year's Eve when we kissed. Finally. LEAH We did. And then. And then we shared locations. MADDIE This is serious. So, has she met the parental units yet? LEAH Not yet. MADDIE Graham, what are you waiting for? Hello? LEAH It's not. it's not Graham's fault. They keep making plans to come into the city to see friends or a show, but then they end up canceling. MADDIE Yeah, that sounds familiar. LEAH I mean, I don't blame them. It's a really big trek, and I'm sure they're very busy people. I mean, my parents, they have such crazy social lives, I could never keep a schedule like theirs. MADDIE Do you see them a lot? I mean, I try to. We're actually gonna see them tonight. GRAHAM First night of Hanukkah. Can't wait. I'm so excited for your first Hanukkah. LEAH Also, you can finally see my mom's belief that if you don't go home with leftovers, then there wasn't enough food. GRAHAM MADDIE Don't look. Guys, I said don't look! GRAHAM You know, the human brain can only respond to a phrase like that by looking, right? LEAH Who is she? MADDIE A girl I dated in junior year. Things didn't end well. LEAH She's leaving, she's leaving. She's gone. She left. MADDIE How did she look? LEAH So sad and lonely and overall uninspired. MADDIE Thank you. GRAHAM Leah. LEAH Graham. GRAHAM Would you like to come spend Christmas with our family? LEAH Are you serious? GRAHAM I am. LEAH Are you seriousserious? Because you can't play with me about Christmas, Graham. GRAHAM I'm absolutely serious. I want my parents to meet you. Because I really, really am in love with you. LEAH I love you. MADDIE Leah? What have you done to my brother? Because he has never expressed an outward emotion in his entire life, and now he's kissing in a restaurant. I'm speechless. LEAH Guys, sorry. Can I circle back to the Christmas thing, though? Like, are your parents gonna be fine with it? MADDIE Of course. It's just that they are. they are GRAHAM Very specific. LEAH Do you mean particular? GRAHAM Sure. LEAH Idiosyncratic. GRAHAM Also good. MADDIE Mmhmm. Well I mean LEAH I'm sure they're great, you guys. They made you. GRAHAM Yeah. MADDIE They are something. LEAH Hold on. Oh my mom's asking can we pick up Challah on the way. GRAHAM I thought Hanukkah was all about the latkes. LEAH Well every Jewish holiday is kind of everything except for Yom Kippur which is nothing and then everything. MRS GOLDBERG Oh, don't forget the napkin. LEAH Mom. Hi. We rang the bell like, three times. No one answered. MRS GOLDBERG What, you think we're gonna hear the doorbell? Hello, sweetheart. LEAH Hi. Happy Hanukkah. MRS GOLDBERG Happy Hanukkah. Happy Hanukkah. GRAHAM MRS Goldberg. Happy Hanukkah. MR GOLDBERG Cookie! You're here. LEAH Hi, Dad. MR GOLDBERG You're just in time to help me shred more potatoes. My arm is going to fall off. LEAH Dad, why do you always do this to yourself? Just use a food processor. MR GOLDBERG That's cheating. Right, Graham? GRAHAM Absolutely. MR GOLDBERG Graham knows the value of doing hard work by hand. GRAHAM Your dad knows I'm a software designer, right? Soft is literally in the name. LEAH I know, thank you for playing along. Um, Mom, is Sarah here yet? MRS GOLDBERG Oh, yes she is and she has some great news. SARAH Well, cuz. what do you think? LEAH Sarah, it's gorgeous. SARAH Isn't it? LEAH Yeah. SARAH Zach did a great job. I may have dropped a subtle hint. ZACH Not that subtle. SARAH I love you. ZACH I love you, too. LEAH Oh, my gosh. Look at my little mensch shredding potatoes by hand. He's so cute. SARAH You think you and Graham are next? It would be so fun to be engaged together. LEAH Sarah, shh. no. SARAH It's been a year. LEAH It's been almost a year. It was New Year's Eve. SARAH And you love him. He loves you. What's the hold up? LEAH We're kind of like a weird match, if you think about it. SARAH If by weird you mean perfect, then yes. Have you even talked about it? LEAH Like, obliquely. SARAH Okay, so. LEAH I haven't even met his parents yet. Although. He did ask me to come home with him for Christmas. SARAH I know. Like Christmas, Christmas? LEAH Like actual, real, snowcovered, mulled cider, stockings hung by the fireplace with care Christmas. SARAH What, Hanukkah isn't enough for you anymore? LEAH Sarah, stop. I'm not converting. I just, I don't know, I really want to see Christmas from the inside, you know, like how it is in the movies. SARAH Oh, I get that. White Christmas paints a real pretty picture. LEAH Or the airport scene from Love Actually. SARAH Yes. LEAH Can you believe Graham doesn't like that movie? SARAH Travesty. LEAH I know. SARAH Okay. Let's focus. LEAH Okay. SARAH What are you gonna wear? LEAH I don't know. What do people wear? Plaid, Christmas sweaters? SARAH Antlers and a red nose. LEAH But you know what? I'm not gonna be able to go to family dinner at Egg Foo Yum on Christmas Day. SARAH Egg Foo Yum isn't going anywhere. What's important is that you get to go have fun and experience Christmas. And when Graham's family meets you, they are gonna fall instantly in love with you. Just like Graham did. LEAH Mm. SARAH I mean, how could they not. You're so cute and smart, SARAH and you know what? LEAH Huh. SARAH When you're around Graham, you have a glow. LEAH Hm. SARAH You can't see it, but I can. LEAH Mm. LEAH Okay, let me see this ring again, please. Oh, my gosh, it's really beautiful. MR GOLDBERG The key to Latkes is to fry them very fast. Otherwise the potatoes turn gray. GRAHAM Because of oxidation. MR GOLDBERG Yes, exactly. Food is science. MRS GOLDBERG Oh, Leah. There you are. I made you a plate. You haven't eaten all night. LEAH Wait, Mom, can I talk to you for a sec? MRS GOLDBERG Yeah. Of course. Is everything okay? LEAH Mmhmm. MRS GOLDBERG Are you sick? LEAH No. MRS GOLDBERG Did you lose your job? LEAH No. MRS GOLDBERG Is it bedbugs? It's bedbugs, isn't it? I knew it, I never liked that apartment building. It is so dingy. You can move back in with your father and I any time you need to. LEAH Mom. MRS GOLDBERG Wait. Do you have a fever? LEAH No, Mom, I don't have a fever. I don't have bedbugs. I just wanna tell you that, um. Graham invited me to have Christmas with his family. MRS GOLDBERG Oh, you're finally gonna meet the mysterious Westwood family. LEAH I guess so. MRS GOLDBERG Well, that is big news. LEAH Mmhmm. So you're not mad that I'm not gonna be with you guys for the holidays? MRS GOLDBERG Mad? I'm not mad. I don't get mad. Why would I be mad? LEAH You're mad. MRS GOLDBERG We don't even celebrate Christmas. LEAH We go to Egg Foo Yum every year. MRS GOLDBERG I am sure they're going to make you a standing rib roast with the little white paper booties. And the thing with the little ladyfingers that Martha Stewart makes. LEAH Trifle. MRS GOLDBERG Exactly. LEAH They live in Connecticut, not Downton Abbey. MRS GOLDBERG I know. Do you love him? LEAH Mmhmm. I do. I really, really do. I want what you and Dad have. MRS GOLDBERG Well, then that's all that matters. LEAH I just hope that they like me. MRS GOLDBERG Like you? They're gonna love you. And if they don't, they have me to contend with. Now, can you eat? LEAH I have food. WOMAN Oh, so loud! MRS GOLDBERG Broom. Latkes aren't really latkes unless you set off the smoke detector. LEAH Maimonides? MRS GOLDBERG Julia Child. GRAHAM GRAHAM Okay. Taste test. LEAH Ooh. Okay. GRAHAM Your dad made these. LEAH Okay. Mmm! Gail Simmons from Top Chef would say that those eat really well. Those are a good fry. GRAHAM Okay, okay. And I made these. LEAH Okay. GRAHAM Let's do it together. LEAH All right. Cheers. Mmm! Mmm!!! Those are perfection! You. you are Top Chef. Do you have, um any other hidden talents I don't know about. GRAHAM No. This is my only one. LEAH Flipping latkes. Mmhmm. GRAHAM Also applies to pancakes, French toast, grilled cheese. LEAH Mm. GRAHAM Question. LEAH What were you and my dad talking about over there? GRAHAM Nosy lady. LEAH What? You guys were having a very intense conversation. GRAHAM Well, he was answering some questions I had about, uh, blintzes. LEAH Hmm. Right. They're not dinner. They're not dessert. GRAHAM What are they? LEAH LEAH Um, did you see Sarah's ring? GRAHAM No, but your mom said they got engaged. LEAH Yeah. GRAHAM It's great news, right? LEAH Mmhmm. LEAH Yeah, they are so happy. GRAHAM And the ring? LEAH It's beautiful. Yeah. Are you sure about me going back for Christmas to meet your folks? MRS GOLDBERG Eleanor, you are not leaving without taking some food. Jonathan! LEAH I mean, they can't be any nuttier than my family. GRAHAM Well, let's just say my family's very different than. this. LEAH Well, I'm really excited to meet them. GRAHAM Hello. LEAH Hi. Come in, come in. Okay. I have something for you. I was gonna wait to give it to you later for Hanukkah but I just. I wanna give it to you now. Ta da! GRAHAM Wow. LEAH Isn't it amazing? GRAHAM It's something. LEAH I got myself a matching one, too. GRAHAM Really? LEAH Yeah. I mean, you said that your parents like to dress up for Christmas at their house, so. GRAHAM Yeah, I. I think I. I kinda meant it's fancy. LEAH Yeah. GRAHAM Did I go overboard? No, no, no. I love that you're bringing your Agame to Christmas, I really do. I just want to make sure that, you know, Christmas with my parents lives up to your expectations. LEAH No, I mean, I want to get Christmas right. GRAHAM You can't really get Christmas right. LEAH Yeah. No, I know. I'm just, I'm really excited for my first Christmas. And also to see where you grew up and, you know, get to know your family. GRAHAM Okay. Well, in that case, do you want to know one of my mom's favorite holiday traditions? LEAH Yeah. GRAHAM Writing letters. LEAH Mmhmm. GRAHAM to Santa. LEAH Oh, cute. GRAHAM This was serious business when we were kids. We still do it every year, actually. Want to try one? LEAH Yeah. Um. What does one write in a letter to Santa? GRAHAM Well, I'm sure there's something you can think of. No? Sleep on it. I'll get this to the big guy in red tomorrow. LEAH Okay. Did you ever think when we first met that we would be here now. in love and sharing our family's traditions? GRAHAM Only in my wildest dreams. LEAH It's gonna be great, right? GRAHAM Yeah. Yes. Yeah. But that's a tomorrow adventure. LEAH Okay. GRAHAM First, we celebrate the last night of Hanukkah. LEAH Oh, yeah. GRAHAM Should we light the menorah? LEAH Yes. Let's do it. GRAHAM What do you call this one again? LEAH The shamash. GRAHAM The shamash. LEAH Mmhmm. Okay. Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu bmitzvotav, vtzivanu l’hadlik ner shel Hanukkah. Amen. Happy Hanukkah. GRAHAM Happy Hanukkah. LEAH Okay, so, Mitch and Barbara. MADDIE Yes, but don't call her Barb. LEAH Noted. Any other topics that are offlimits? MADDIE Um, just the usual. Like politics, culture, change, technology. GRAHAM Sports. MADDIE Sports. Yeah, she hates sports. She kind of goes, like, dead behind the eyes. LEAH Copy that. MADDIE Oh, and maybe don't tell them that you're not going to business school, even though you definitely said that you were going to buckle down and get serious after your year of backpacking across Asia was finished. GRAHAM Is that true? You're not going to business school? MADDIE No, I am not. But I am starting an artisanal pickle company with some of my friends. GRAHAM That's pretty cool. MADDIE And I will wait until they're both in good moods to tell them. GRAHAM In good moods at the same time? Good luck with that. MADDIE Oh, Mom likes to talk about gardening. LEAH Oh, Graham mentioned that, actually. GRAHAM I actually said she likes commenting on other people's gardens. MADDIE I think the word you're looking for is criticizing. LEAH Okay, what about your dad? What does he like to talk about? MADDIE Apps. GRAHAM LEAH Like appetizers? MADDIE No, more like applications. LEAH Well, does he know that I design apps for a living? GRAHAM No, but I can't wait for you to tell him. LEAH Okay. GRAHAM Looks nice, huh? LEAH Nice? It's. it's beautiful. Oh, my gosh, is this even real? It looks like a postcard. GRAHAM It's real. I can assure you. It's very, very pretty on the outside. MRS WESTWOOD Yoohoo! Over here! MADDIE But very, very weird on the inside. MRS WESTWOOD Hello! The ornaments are not going to hang themselves, you know. Come on. LEAH Did she just say ornaments? MADDIE Yep. LEAH Am I dreaming? Oh my gosh, look at this. Look at this Graham. This little goat. Is it a goat or is it a lamb? Yeah, I think that's a lamb. Okay. GRAHAM Mom, this is Leah. MRS WESTWOOD Hello. LEAH Hi, Mrs Westwood. It is so nice to meet you! Oh, okay. MRS WESTWOOD Welcome to our home. We are thrilled to have you here. Grahamlin. GRAHAM Good to see you. MRS WESTWOOD Oh, honey, I have missed you. Now, I want you to go put your bags down, because we have to get this big tree decorated by . GRAHAM Okay. MRS WESTWOOD And Madeline. MADDIE Mom. MRS WESTWOOD Oh, that's new. Mitchell! MADDIE I'm gonna put my stuff away. GRAHAM Yeah. LEAH Grahamlin? GRAHAM Oh. Like gremlin. LEAH Yeah. No, I got it. Hey, what's happening at ? GRAHAM I don't know, but we're about to find out. MR WESTWOOD Oh. GRAHAM Dad! MR WESTWOOD Hello there. GRAHAM Hey, this is my girlfriend, Leah. Leah, this is my dad. LEAH Oh, hi. Sorry, I'm a hugger. MR WESTWOOD It's okay. Welcome, welcome. Hey. So I hear you two work together. LEAH Yeah, kind of. Well, he works in software design, and I'm app development. MR WESTWOOD App development? That's fantastic. Anything I would have heard of? LEAH Uh, Veg Fleet? MR WESTWOOD Veg what? LEAH Fleet. GRAHAM LEAH Yeah, it's efficient and sustainable food delivery. And we use biodiesel converted vehicles and partner with ecoforward establishments. MR WESTWOOD I didn't understand a single word you said, but it sounds amazing. She's smarter than you, I can tell. GRAHAM It's true, it's true. MR WESTWOOD You know, I've got a couple ideas myself that I would love to share with you. LEAH Oh yeah? MR WESTWOOD Yeah. LEAH I would love to hear them. MR WESTWOOD Fantastic. MRS WESTWOOD Mitchell! MR WESTWOOD Ooh. Duty calls. Okay. LEAH See you. Okay. Oh my gosh. Okay. GRAHAM Up the stairs we go. LEAH Okay. Let's go. Oh, my gosh, there's another Christmas tree. GRAHAM Just back here. LEAH Okay. Here it is. LEAH Oh, my gosh, it's so cute. MRS WESTWOOD Oh, apologies Leah, my gift wrapping has overtaken the guest room. LEAH No, no. It's okay. It's wonderful. Oh, it's wonderful. GRAHAM I'm so happy you're here. LEAH Me too. Hey, are you hungry? We didn't get lunch. GRAHAM Yeah, I could, uh. MRS WESTWOOD Where is everybody? GRAHAM I guess we got to go. You, uh. you take a minute and come down when you're ready, okay? LEAH Okay. MRS WESTWOOD Now here is everyone's Christmas schedule. MR WESTWOOD Oh. LEAH My gosh. This is amazing. Okay, what do we have? Decorate tree. Gingerbread house contest. This sounds so great. MRS WESTWOOD Well, I'm delighted that you think so. And just so you know, we do things a little differently here regarding presents. MADDIE We each just do one present on Christmas Eve and then the rest on Christmas Day. MRS WESTWOOD It's tradition. LEAH Great. MADDIE Uh, Mom, there is, like, no down time in here. MRS WESTWOOD Oh, no. That's where you're wrong. Last page. You will have a whole eight hours to sleep every night. MADDIE Oh. GRAHAM Great. MADDIE Okay. MRS WESTWOOD Oh, and speaking of sleeping, here are this year's Christmas pajamas. GRAHAM Oh, nice. LEAH Christmas pajamas. MRS WESTWOOD For you. LEAH Stop. Oh my gosh. GRAHAM Oh! LEAH Uh. MADDIE Mom doesn't like it when you rip the wrapping paper. LEAH Oh! GRAHAM That's my bad. I should have told you. LEAH Sorry. Beautiful paper. Oh, I love. them. They're beautiful. GRAHAM Mom, these are huge. LEAH No. GRAHAM I said medium. LEAH They're. they're perfect. Thank you so much. MRS WESTWOOD We wear them on Christmas Eve and also again together on Christmas morning. LEAH Got it. MRS WESTWOOD Well, all righty then. Shall we start decorating? LEAH Oh, my gosh, a sugarplum fairy. I have had visions of this dancing in my head all week. GRAHAM Looks like you. MRS WESTWOOD Oh, and I almost forgot. I also ordered us personalized Santa hats for snowman making with The Hempsteds. MADDIE Yay! LEAH Oh. Who are the Hempsteds? MRS WESTWOOD Oh, our dear, dear friends. Right, Graham? MADDIE Oh, boy. GRAHAM Yeah. They're, uh, good friends. Oh. The bunny, my favorite. You remember when Bunny gave me this bunny? MADDIE Every year about the bunny. It's just an ornament, Mother. MRS WESTWOOD It's special. LEAH Oh, I forgot, I have something for you. MRS WESTWOOD Oh, Leah. Why thank you. Is this mold? LEAH No. It's moss. It's a terrarium. GRAHAM It's a terrarium. MR WESTWOOD Oh, a terrarium. MADDIE Yeah. LEAH Graham mentioned that you're an avid gardener. MRS WESTWOOD I am. LEAH Yeah, it's actually also an ornament. So you can hang it on the tree. And it's a selfcontained ecosystem so it doesn't even need water. You can. you know what? You can put it wherever you want because you know, it's. it's, uh. it's your tree. MADDIE I think it's really cool, Mom. MRS WESTWOOD It's unique. Thank you, Leah. LEAH Mmhmm. You're welcome. MADDIE It's nice. LEAH Does she hate it? GRAHAM She loves it. MR WESTWOOD You know what would be a really cool idea? LEAH Huh? MR WESTWOOD Is an app that could help you map out how to hang ornaments on a tree. MRS WESTWOOD Mitchell. MR WESTWOOD Yeah. MRS WESTWOOD How can an app do that any better than I can? Leah. Come here. I am going to teach you our ornament hanging system. LEAH Okay. That's a good idea. MR WESTWOOD Thank you. GRAHAM Go get 'em. MRS WESTWOOD Voila. Now imagine the tree is divided into quadrants. LEAH Yeah. MRS WESTWOOD Yes. GRAHAM Here we go with the quadrant. MRS WESTWOOD And each quadrant should contain an equal number of types of ornaments, all hung in exactly fourinch intervals. LEAH Okay, I got it, I got it. Four inches. Okay. I have jingle balls. Here. Ha, ha, ha! This is so fun. Um, okay. What time is dinner? MRS WESTWOOD Are you hungry? LEAH No. MRS WESTWOOD Would you like some seaweed? LEAH Oh, yeah. Do you have sushi? MRS WESTWOOD Ah, even better. LEAH Oh. MRS WESTWOOD I live on this stuff. LEAH You do? MRS WESTWOOD Cheers. LEAH Mmm. It's delicious. Thank you. Where's the restroom? MR WESTWOOD Just up the stairs and to the left. SARAH Hey, how's it going? Is it everything you hoped for? Is it like a real live Christmas carol? LEAH Yes. It's beyond. SARAH Does it smell like freshly cut pine trees and mulled wine like you're inside a WilliamsSonoma? LEAH Yes. All of the above. I'm in the bathroom right now, and there is literally Santa Claus toilet paper. SARAH Leah, are you hiding in the powder room? LEAH No! Yes. No. Mrs Westwood didn't like my hostess gift. SARAH The terrarium! It was so cute. LEAH That's what I thought. Also, this is so weird. There's no food. SARAH What? Like, just snackies and chips and stuff. LEAH No, no. Like nothing. I mean, other than a really upsetting bite of seaweed. But we got here at , right? Dinner isn't until , and we have been decorating the tree the entire time. Not one person has offered a bowl of pretzels or nuts or anything. There's been no snacks, Sarah. No nosh. SARAH I'm sure there will eventually be some kind of meal, but for now, can you sneak out and grab something to eat? There's gotta be a gas station or something close by. I mean, you're still in America. And of course they like you. Just give them a chance to get to know you. After all, you might be a permanent fixture at their table. LEAH Sarah. SARAH What? I bet he's going to pop the question before the holiday is over. LEAH Okay, I'm calling you later. MRS WESTWOOD Oh! Oh. LEAH Hi. MRS WESTWOOD Hello. Hi. LEAH I was just, uh, seeing a man about a horse. MRS WESTWOOD Of course. Well, we thought we were done decorating, but Mitchell just found the box of porcelain snowflakes. Can you believe that? LEAH I cannot. No. MRS WESTWOOD Come down and join us when you're ready, hm. LEAH Okay. Yeah. MRS WESTWOOD Oh, we'll be having dinner soon, dear, if you want to change your clothes. LEAH Right. Of course. MRS WESTWOOD Okay. This is upper quadrant. LEAH Psst! Graham. MR WESTWOOD This is. this is good. MADDIE Yeah. LEAH Hey. Does your mom hate me? GRAHAM What? No, of course not. Did something happen? LEAH I mean, she told me to change my sweater for dinner. Is this is not a good Christmas sweater? GRAHAM This is a terrific Christmas sweater. It's very festive. LEAH Thank you. I mean, it's baby's first Christmas. GRAHAM I know, hey, you're doing great. Come here. You're doing great. LEAH Thank you. Hey, is dinner soon? GRAHAM Oh, I hope so. I'm starving. I think my mom said she's making roast beef, all the fixin's. LEAH Oh, yum. GRAHAM Cheer up, little elf. Santa's coming so soon. Let's go. LEAH Okay, you go first. MR WESTWOOD Ah! Ah. Right there my darling. MADDIE Thank you. LEAH I didn't know everybody was going to be so dressed up. GRAHAM I said it was going to be fancy. LEAH I thought you meant fancy like this. GRAHAM No, I just meant, like, the regular kind of fancy. LEAH Oh. Can I help you with the rest? MRS WESTWOOD Oh, no. That's everything. Oh, I forgot the rolls. I'll be right back. Leah. LEAH Mm. Yeah. GRAHAM I forgot to mention Mom's a terrible cook, but we make sure she doesn't know we think that. LEAH Okay. GRAHAM Thank you. Food looks delicious, Mom. LEAH So good. MR WESTWOOD As usual. MRS WESTWOOD Thank you. LEAH Thank you. MADDIE Can I have some salt? MRS WESTWOOD That is. please pass the salt. MADDIE Please pass the salt. GRAHAM Remember your manners. MRS WESTWOOD LEAH Thanks. MR WESTWOOD Mmm. Amazing. Thank you. LEAH Anyone want to hear a joke? MADDIE Yes. MR WESTWOOD Yeah, sure. MRS WESTWOOD Yeah, sure. LEAH Yeah. GRAHAM Sure. LEAH So, um, there's this older couple, and they go to London for a trip, and they come home and they have their friends over for dinner, and they're telling them, you know how great the trip was and how much fun they had. And the friend asks the older guy, where did you guys stay in London? And the older guy stops and, you know, he thinks for a moment and he says, what's the name of that flower, the one that's really beautiful, smells amazing, has thorns. And the guy says, a rose. And the older guy says, right. Rose, what's the name of that hotel we stayed at in London? MADDIE GRAHAM MR WESTWOOD MRS WESTWOOD So how old was this older couple? LEAH Um, old. Just really old. Like, um, one hundred. and ten, years old. This marinade is so good. Thank you. GRAHAM Delicious. LEAH Mmhmm. GRAHAM Mmm. MRS WESTWOOD It's A sauce. LEAH Oh. MADDIE So, Leah, um. what does your family do for the holidays? LEAH Oh, um, well, the whole family, we all get together and we have this big Hanukkah celebration. We have latkes, which are just potato pancakes. GRAHAM They're amazing, by the way. LEAH Yeah. GRAHAM I made them. LEAH Graham ate so many of them. And then we have sufganiyot, which is just jelly donuts. And all the kids, they play dreidel and they get gelt, which are these little chocolate coins. Um, yeah. And then we usually just all get Chinese food on Christmas Day. MADDIE That sounds cool. MRS WESTWOOD You. you what? LEAH Uh, Chinese restaurants are usually open on Christmas day. So. GRAHAM Leah's actually been to China. LEAH Yeah, I went to the World Conference on applied engineering. Um, and, you know, I never thought that I would try a blowfish, but I did and it was delicious. MRS WESTWOOD Wow, that does sound exciting. MR WESTWOOD I thought blowfish was poisonous. GRAHAM Oh, only the ovaries, Dad. MR WESTWOOD Oh. Well, well. you learn something new every day, don't you? You know, that is the kind of global knowledge that we could use down at the bank, you know. Let me tell you. ALL Mmhmm. MR WESTWOOD I'm just saying that the option is always there for you to join the old family biz, as they say. GRAHAM Yep, that's what they say. MR WESTWOOD Oh, you know what would be a clever idea? Is an app that would tell you where all the mailboxes are in the entire world, and they don't have that, you know. Don't you just hate having to drive around looking for mailboxes? Crazy. GRAHAM Billion dollar idea, Dad. MR WESTWOOD Thank you, son. LEAH Meat, broccoli and rolls. SARAH That was the whole dinner? LEAH The whole thing. SARAH That is violent. Does Graham know you left the house? LEAH No. Everyone went to sleep at like , so I slipped out the back like a thief. Why is nothing open? SARAH Where are you? Oh, you know what? Hold on a second. I think I found something. I'll call you back. SARAH Good luck. TRICIA Hi. LEAH Hi. Oh. TRICIA Hi. LEAH Hi. Just these please. Thanks. TRICIA Oh. Hungry? LEAH Mmm. TRICIA Those are my favorite too. LEAH Right? Mmm. So good. Mmm. I'm spending Christmas with my boyfriend's family and there's no food. TRICIA Like no snackies or no food at all? LEAH Like very little. TRICIA In my family, snacking at Christmas is like an Olympic sport. LEAH Right. TRICIA What's wrong with these people? LEAH I do not know. TRICIA Maybe they're one of those families who only shops for and cooks one meal at a time. LEAH Sorry. What is that sweet, sweet aroma? TRICIA Gingerbread loaf. Freshly baked. Want a slice? LEAH Yes, I absolutely do. Mmm. This is the first time that I'm meeting Graham's family. My cousin thinks that he's gonna propose on Christmas, but I'm not really sure. I don't really think his mom likes me. And what if he's like, I can't marry someone that my mom doesn't like? And, I mean, I can't change who I am. TRICIA I don't think you have to. You just have to be you and trust that it's enough. LEAH Mmm. Thanks. I'm Leah, by the way. TRICIA Tricia. LEAH Nice to meet you, Tricia. This is the best thing I've ever eaten in my life. TRICIA I always say there isn't much in life that can't be solved with a little something to eat. LEAH You get it. All right. I should probably go before they realize that I'm gone. Merry Christmas. TRICIA Merry Christmas, Leah. LEAH Graham, what are you doing? GRAHAM I'm starving. LEAH Me too! GRAHAM Shh! Come with me. LEAH Okay. So what. what is it that you're making? GRAHAM My emergency mac and cheese. LEAH Oh. Okay. GRAHAM I always keep a stash for moments like these. Can you pass me the can opener? I think it's in that drawer. LEAH Yes. GRAHAM Thank you. LEAH Mmhmm. GRAHAM You okay? LEAH Your mom took my ornament off the tree. GRAHAM She's finicky about the tree. Don't read too much into it. LEAH Okay. But do admit that it's strange? GRAHAM Okay. It's strange. But has your mom never done anything strange? LEAH Well, yeah. Of course. GRAHAM See, moms are strange. Look, Christmas has a funny way of bringing out everyone's quirks. And my parents have a lot of them, especially my mom. She thrives on routine. Having you here has shaken things up. Not in a bad way, not in a bad way. But it takes some adjusting for her. LEAH I mean, I get it, I'm kind of like that too. GRAHAM Kinda? Okay, here's the thing. Can't forget the panko crust. Look at that. Don't be shy. She's gonna love you. LEAH She's gonna love me. GRAHAM And you're gonna love this. LEAH She's gonna love me. She's gonna love me. GRAHAM This will make everything better. LEAH Thank you. GRAHAM Of course. LEAH Much better. GRAHAM Shall we dig in? LEAH Absolutely. GRAHAM Cheers. Cheers. VIDEO INSTRUCTOR Welcome to my video on how to decorate gingerbread houses. Follow along and you'll look like an expert overnight. LEAH Morning. MRS WESTWOOD Oh! Leah. I'm sorry, but you missed breakfast. LEAH Oh. No problem. MRS WESTWOOD I already sent Graham and Madeline out to do some lastminute Christmas prep for our gingerbread house activity, and I have to do some things for the Christmas pageant and I cannot find my phone. LEAH Well, do you. do you want me to call it? MRS WESTWOOD Oh, honey, now, how is that going to help? I don't have it. LEAH Well, um. It would ring. MRS WESTWOOD Oh. Yes. Please. Hello? Oh. This is embarrassing. LEAH No. It's not. I'm. I'm always like, where are my sunglasses? And then they're on top of my head. MRS WESTWOOD Right. LEAH Hey, can I do anything else to help you? MRS WESTWOOD No. Thank you. You have solved my biggest problem of the day. And later tonight, we are going to make some gingerbread houses. LEAH Okay. Yay! MRS WESTWOOD Okay. Bye. Bye. Actually LEAH Yeah. MRS WESTWOOD If you don't mind, could you please drive me into town so I can type out a list on the way? LEAH Yes, for sure. MRS WESTWOOD Well hurry, please. I am so late. Come on. LEAH Yeah. MRS WESTWOOD Oh my goodness, LEAH what am I thinking? MRS WESTWOOD Thank you, Leah. This is so helpful. LEAH Yeah. MRS WESTWOOD I'll just be at the hall for about 2 minutes. LEAH Uhhuh. MRS WESTWOOD I guess you won't be going into any stores in your pajamas. LEAH Well, it's actually a lounge set, but. MRS WESTWOOD I shall meet you right back here. LEAH Oh. I'm not.? Well, okay. Oh. How fun. Hi. SALESGIRL Hi! Welcome into MRS Rabbit's Hutch. It's a pop up from our main store a few blocks down. LEAH It's all so beautiful. SALESGIRL I know. Can I offer you a warm cinnamon beverage? LEAH Yes, please. Thank you. Oh, my gosh, these are so cute. You know I actually think I'm gonna get this mug. SALESGIRL LEAH STORE OWNER Not sure I like the sound of that. LEAH I'm so sorry. Mrs Rabbit? I, of course, I will pay for everything. STORE OWNER If you insist. They're $. LEAH Total? STORE OWNER Each. LEAH Wow. SALESGIRL Plus the mug. LEAH Right. Sure. SALESGIRL Shall I pack up the pieces for you? LEAH Um. I'm okay. But thank you. STORE OWNER We appreciate your business. LEAH Yeah, well, merry Christmas, I guess. LEAH So, wait, where is all this candy from? GRAHAM Oh, I wouldn't eat it. LEAH Oh. MADDIE Mom's been collecting it since, like, the late 's. MR WESTWOOD All right, all right. It's time we explain the parameters of gingerbread house building to Leah. LEAH Oh, well, I actually have a master's in fluid engineering, so. MRS WESTWOOD Well, MR Westwood was referring to the parameters of the contest. LEAH It's a what now? GRAHAM Contest. LEAH It's a contest? MR WESTWOOD That's what makes it fun. Hm. GRAHAM Hm. LEAH I mean, it is intrinsically fun to build houses out of cookies, but. GRAHAM You're gonna do great. MR WESTWOOD All right. Everyone will have one hour from the time that I start this clock. And I will be the roving assistant and also the judge. And in keeping with tradition, the winning design will be displayed at the Christmas pageant, Christmas Eve. And the time starts. now. MRS WESTWOOD Madeline. Piping. GRAHAM Hey. MADDIE LEAH I'm gonna need more glue. I'm gonna need more glue. Big ball! MR WESTWOOD So what are we going with here? Swiss chalet. Austrian gasthaus. LEAH So I was going for a Jingle Bells theme, but now I'm pivoting to Santa's workshop. How are we on timing? MR WESTWOOD Oh, 2 minutes and seconds to go. LEAH Twentyfour minutes and seconds, people! MRS WESTWOOD Don't crowd me. MR WESTWOOD That's time. MRS WESTWOOD Oh! MR WESTWOOD All right. Icing bags down. Hands up! ALL Ohhh!!!! MR WESTWOOD Good effort, son. Yeah. MADDIE Whoa! Leah, this is. incredible. LEAH Thank you. MADDIE Like, Dad. Look at this. Like the chimney is smoking, like individual shingles. GRAHAM The attention to detail is just. MADDIE There's like breeze and the shingles are. Oh my gosh, it's Santa and MRS Claus. MR WESTWOOD Did you travel with your own dry ice? LEAH I have my ways. MADDIE Pretzels, Marshmallows. MR WESTWOOD Pretzels for the walkway. That's ingenious. Nicely done. That's a .. LEAH You know what I think? I think it's better if we don't judge the gingerbread houses. MADDIE What? Why not? You did such a good job. LEAH No, no, no. I think it's. I think it's a fourway tie. MRS WESTWOOD No. We always judge the gingerbread houses, and the best one goes to the pageant. That is our tradition. MR WESTWOOD Well, if we're going on merit. MRS WESTWOOD Just judge them as if you did not know who made which one. MR WESTWOOD But, uh. I do know. MRS WESTWOOD Mitchell. MR WESTWOOD Okay. Scoring all across the categories. Design. Precision. Imaginative candy usage. Color story. Uh. yeah. Leah has scored. Um. pretty. pretty top mark. LEAH Okay. MR WESTWOOD In all. MRS WESTWOOD So. hers wins? MR WESTWOOD I. I. I think that's obvious. MRS WESTWOOD Mmm. Well then. that's that. LEAH No. We don't. we don't. we don't need to clap. GRAHAM Congratulations. LEAH Thank you. MRS WESTWOOD Where did you learn such sophisticated technique? LEAH Just watched some YouTube videos. MR WESTWOOD Oh. MRS WESTWOOD YouTube? Well you will have to show me those videos sometime. LEAH Okay. MRS WESTWOOD Well, I think I shall go to bed early. We have a big day tomorrow. Good night everyone. LEAH Good night. MADDIE Good night. GRAHAM 'Night, mom. MR WESTWOOD Good night. Oh! App idea. Glue tube. MRS WESTWOOD Mitchell! MR WESTWOOD Right. I'll be joining her. Excuse me. GRAHAM Goodnight Dad. MADDIE Good night. LEAH Good night. MADDIE Good night guys. GRAHAM 'Night Madd. LEAH Why didn't you tell me? GRAHAM Tell you what? LEAH To throw the contest. First of all, it's so weird it's a contest. Second of all, it was not fun to win. GRAHAM But your house turned out great. LEAH I know it did because I studied. I'm someone who likes to study and you know this about me. So again, I ask you, why didn't you tell me to let your mom win? GRAHAM Maybe I didn't want her to win. I don't know. LEAH Oh, I didn't realize you were an agent of chaos. GRAHAM I didn't know you were a gingerbread house savant. LEAH Okay, so tell me, what are we what are we doing tomorrow? GRAHAM Oh, right. Um, we are building snowmen with the Hempsteds. LEAH Oh, fun. Who are they again? GRAHAM They're family friends. LEAH Uhhuh. GRAHAM Yeah, we've known them forever. They have a daughter who, uh, was. LEAH Was she your girlfriend? GRAHAM Uh, we were kids, you know. We went out, but, uh, it's nothing. LEAH Okay, well, I mean, I'm sure they're great, and I look forward to meeting them. GRAHAM Yeah. LEAH Hey, you know what? Huh. GRAHAM This whole thing has been a lot. LEAH Mmhmm. GRAHAM You've been such a good sport about all this crazy family activity stuff. LEAH Mmhmm. GRAHAM I was thinking maybe you and me could go for a little walk tomorrow. LEAH Yeah. GRAHAM Just me and you. We can exchange those oversize pajamas. LEAH Mmhmm. GRAHAM Check out some Christmas stuff. LEAH Yeah, that sounds really fun. GRAHAM It's a date. LEAH It's a date. LEAH Yeah. I love this place. Ooh! GRAHAM Wow, that's stunning. LEAH Look how cute these are! Wow. Oh my God! GRAHAM These could be like earrings. LEAH All right. Any other rules I should know about? GRAHAM Uh, yes. You're never fully dressed without a smile. So don't leave home without one. LEAH Okay, Annie. I'm serious. GRAHAM No, no, it's smooth sailing from here. Just keep being your wonderful self. LEAH Okay. My sister and I, we used to be obsessed with this thing. We used to say it was the Polar Express and play train conductor and passengers. LEAH Oh, you guys must have been such cute little kids. GRAHAM I was . LEAH Oh, not as cute. GRAHAM Wow. Oh. LEAH Oh. GRAHAM LEAH Okay, so. what was. what was your favorite Christmas memory growing up? GRAHAM I don't know. I guess it was the anticipation. Like, it was almost better not knowing what the gifts were than opening the gifts themselves. LEAH Right. Like it could be anything. The possibilities were endless. GRAHAM Right. And then every so often, you'd get something that was just exactly perfect. The perfect thing. LEAH Mmhmm. GRAHAM And you wouldn't think about any of the other possibilities because it was just exactly right. LEAH Mmm. GRAHAM Hold on a sec. Last piece. Gum? LEAH No, thanks. GRAHAM You sure? LEAH Yeah. GRAHAM We should go. LEAH Yeah. GRAHAM I don't want to be late for snowman building. LEAH Hope you got coal in your stocking, MRS Rabbit. GRAHAM What was that? LEAH What? No, nothing. MR HEMPSTED Well, hello there, Graham. MRS HEMPSTED Who is it? LEAH Say it's carol singers. MR HEMPSTED Love Actually. Nice. LEAH Yeah. MR HEMSTED It's carol singers. MRS HEMPSTED What? MR HEMPSTED Never mind. LEAH See, I told you, it's a classic. MR HEMPSTED Come in, come in. LEAH Thank you. MR HEMPSTED Make yourselves at home. LEAH Thanks so much. Wow. MRS HEMPSTED Graham. GRAHAM MRS Hempsted, lovely to see you. MRS HEMPSTED Oh. You too. GRAHAM This is Leah. Leah, this is MRS Hempsted. MRS HEMPSTED So nice LEAH to meet you. Thank you for having us. MRS HEMPSTED No problem. Graham, there's someone here who's very anxious to see you. GRAHAM Oh. JULIA Graham? LEAH Oh, my. JULIA Graham cracker. Oh, I'm so happy to see you! GRAHAM Hi. LEAH Hi, I'm Leah. JULIA Julia Hempsted. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. Wait, I know you. LEAH Yeah. JULIA You broke my vases. LEAH Or your vases broke when they hit my arm. Hard to say. It was an accident. When I took your mom into town, I stopped at a popup store and there were a couple of vases. Is it vases or it's vases? MRS HEMPSTED Vases? LEAH There were a couple of vases that were, some might say, precariously placed on the edge of a table. And I. I broke them. GRAHAM Oh, I'm sorry about that. LEAH JULIA Well, we don't get many bulls running around our china shop. LEAH JULIA Well, let's let bygones be bygones, right? It's Christmas. GRAHAM 'Tis the season. JULIA Oh, I'm so happy to see you, Grammy. GRAHAM Yeah. JULIA Graham was my first love. LEAH Yeah. JULIA I'm sure he's told you about me. LEAH Yeah. GRAHAM It was a long time ago. JULIA Not that long ago. We dated for three years. LEAH Oh. GRAHAM Off and on. JULIA Mostly on. GRAHAM Yeah, very much off in between the ons. MRS WESTWOOD Oh. Oh, Bonnie. Oh. JULIA Oh, Mrs Westwood, merry Christmas. MRS WESTWOOD Oh, Bunny, Bunny. Oh. It's good to see you. Let's talk. JULIA Okay. LEAH Good ol' MRS Rabbit. GRAHAM I'll take your coat. LEAH Great. Okay. You didn't tell me you guys were together for three years. GRAHAM Off and on, I said. Hey, we're just friends now. I promise. You know what? They have a lot more food here than at my parents' house. LEAH Nice. GRAHAM You want to ransack the pantry? LEAH Yeah. MRS WESTWOOD .exactly. JULIA Graham, come and look at our old yearbook. It's a scream. MADDIE Do you remember that kid Angus, who, like, never went to class? He's a literal brain surgeon now. JULIA Come and see. Please. GRAHAM Oh, I don't know. LEAH No, no, no. It's fine. I'm gonna get some food and. a drink. GRAHAM Can I get you that drink? LEAH No, no, I'm good. MRS HEMPSTED .thrilling opportunity. MRS WESTWOOD Clever Julia. You must be so proud, Bitsy. MRS HEMPSTED She did it all herself. We were just talking about Julia opening her boutique on Main Street right here in town. LEAH Oh, MRS Rabbit. Yeah, it's adorable. MRS WESTWOOD It is so adorable. I get all my hostess gifts there. MRS HEMPSTED Oh. LEAH Retail, it's such an exciting business. Risky, though, because, you know, you can really lose it all, but exciting. Good luck to her. MRS HEMPSTED This is her third location. LEAH Is it now? MRS HEMPSTED She has two stores in Boston where she lives, for the moment. MRS WESTWOOD She's been enormously successful. MRS HEMPSTED Now all she needs is a husband. LEAH MR WESTWOOD Sorry. Are you okay? LEAH Yeah. Yeah. I'm okay. I just went down the wrong pipe. MR WESTWOOD Okay. LEAH Oh. MRS WESTWOOD Would you LEAH No. I'm okay. Guys, are we gonna do that snowman building thing? I'm so excited for it. MADDIE Yes, let's do it, shall we? JULIA I am just gonna go upstairs and change, and then we can get to it. GRAHAM Great. MRS WESTWOOD Yeah. Let's go. Now, as always, there is a theme to our snowman making extravaganza. MRS HEMPSTED Since Julia has opened her new store, we thought it would be fun if the snowmen were an homage to the classic elegance, that is MRS Rabbit. MRS WESTWOOD Classic elegance. Thank you, Mitchell. You may use any of the supplies provided here. MRS HEMPSTED As well as the snow. Of course. MRS WESTWOOD That's so funny, Bitsy. Now break into teams of two. You have exactly one hour, starting. now. Mitchell! Come here. Bring the boxes. JULIA Come on, Grammy, for old time's sake. GRAHAM Oh, I don't know. LEAH No, no, no. It's okay. Go on. Have fun. MRS WESTWOOD I want that one. MADDIE Don't worry, we will have much more fun without him. LEAH Yeah. MADDIE May I offer you some snow, madame? LEAH Sure. MADDIE Okay, let's get started. JULIA You got it? GRAHAM Yeah. JULIA Last one. Oh, perfect. Oh, you are so strong. GRAHAM Me? JULIA Yeah. GRAHAM Yeah. Thanks. JULIA MADDIE She is in fine form today. LEAH I didn't realize they dated for three years. MADDIE Hey, I know this is a lot, but I've really never seen Graham so happy as he is with you. LEAH Thanks. Can't make it too good, because then I don't wanna risk beating your mom again. MADDIE Well, no, it's a little bit different. MRS WESTWOOD Fifteen, fifteen minutes! Thank you. LEAH Okay. Fifteen minutes. I'm gonna go get the ears. MADDIE No. Okay. MRS HEMPSTED And snow down. Hands up! MRS WESTWOOD Oh! Oh, well done, everyone. Oh, girls, you, uh, didn't quite hit the mark. LEAH Nope. I guess we didn't. But yours, Mrs Westwood, yours looks. amazing. So beautiful. And I feel like we can all agree, clear winner over here. Right? MRS WESTWOOD It's not a contest, honey. It's an exhibition. They're all part of a display. A display of our families coming together through art. This one. LEAH Doesn't fit in. MADDIE I tried to tell you. GRAHAM You guys, you guys. Come on. You know what this snowman is just perfect for? A snowball fight. MRS WESTWOOD Oh, no. Stop it. Graham! No. Mitchell! MR WESTWOOD No. Game on. MRS WESTWOOD Oh! Stop it! No! Stop it! GRAHAM Okay. MR WESTWOOD Come on, Maddie. MADDIE You're getting in there. MR WESTWOOD Come on. MRS WESTWOOD Oh! MR WESTWOOD Oh! LEAH I am so sorry, Barb. MRS WESTWOOD .ara. LEAH .ara. MRS WESTWOOD Mitchell, I think this is a very good moment to go inside, don't you? MR WESTWOOD Yeah, sure. LEAH I have to go. GRAHAM Leah. Leah, wait! Leah! Leah, where are you going? LEAH I don't know, I don't know. GRAHAM Easy, slugger. Is something wrong? LEAH Is something wrong? I just assaulted your mom with a snowball. Your ex is in love with you. And I'm clearly just bad at Christmas. GRAHAM Leah, you're not bad at Christmas. It's not even a thing. My mother, she'll be fine. She's a lot tougher than she looks. And I told you, I don't have feelings for Julia. I never really did. It's just something my parents pushed on me. LEAH Yeah, because your mom loves her. She didn't take her ornament off the tree. Graham, I feel like an outsider around your family. I feel like everything I do is the wrong thing. GRAHAM Okay, okay, I hear you. I feel like an outsider almost anywhere I go, unless I'm with you. And for the record, I did just start a snowball fight in your honor. True, true sacrilege. LEAH I did appreciate that. Did you know that she charged me $ for those vases? Sorry, vases. GRAHAM It actually is vases. LEAH That's what I thought. MADDIE Hey, guys. Um, everyone's about to go home, and I think I'm going to tell them about business school tonight. GRAHAM Really? Now, after all that? MADDIE Yeah. LEAH Okay, well, I mean, we support you. Whatever you want. MADDIE Okay. MR WESTWOOD MRS WESTWOOD Christmas is coming. The goose is getting fat. Please to put a penny in the old man's hat. If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do. If you haven't got a ha'penny, then God bless you. LEAH Bravo. So is this. is this turkey? MR WESTWOOD Goose for Christmas Eve eve. and turkey for Christmas Day. MRS WESTWOOD Yeah, tradition. Mmhmm. MR WESTWOOD Oh, Mitchell. Yeah. MRS WESTWOOD Did you bring up the carving set from the basement? MR WESTWOOD Oh, well, was I supposed to? MRS WESTWOOD Oh. well, I distinctly remember asking. Maybe someone could invent an app that would remind someone to bring in the carving set. MADDIE Yeah, that'd be a good one. GRAHAM You know what? I'm gonna get the carving set. MR WESTWOOD Thank you. MRS WESTWOOD Oh, no. MR WESTWOOD No, no. Okay. You know, it's funny. Ebenezer Scrooge always makes goose sound like it would be so rich and delicious, but really, it's quite lean with its own distinct odor. MADDIE MRS WESTWOOD Is something wrong, Madeline? MR WESTWOOD She might be nervous starting the MBA program. You know how she gets. MRS WESTWOOD Oh, yes, I do. Well, someone better figure out a way to perk up a little bit, or she'll get coal in her stocking. MR WESTWOOD MADDIE I'm not going to business school. MR WESTWOOD Yet. MADDIE Ever. MRS WESTWOOD What are you saying? MADDIE I'm saying I don't need an MBA because I am starting my own artisanal pickle company in Brooklyn. MRS WESTWOOD None of those words make any sense to me. Mitchell, do something. MR WESTWOOD Madeline, I'm sure you will come to your senses, so I'm going to save the lecture. MADDIE No, I already have and that is what I'm trying to tell you. I want to do something that's real. I want to make something that I can feel and touch, and taste. I don't want to spend another two years just networking. GRAHAM I think that's awesome, Mads. MR WESTWOOD Hmm. GRAHAM What? I love pickles. MADDIE Oh, speaking of, I actually brought pickle samples for everyone. We've already developed five different varietals. It's been so fun to just like MRS WESTWOOD So fun! Yes, of course, everything has to be fun, right? Millennials. MADDIE I am Gen Z. GRAHAM Gen Z. MR WESTWOOD You're upsetting your mother at her favorite time of the year. MADDIE Okay. MRS WESTWOOD At least I can count on my Grahamlin to stick to the plan. LEAH What? What plan is that? MR WESTWOOD Oh, to come back to Connecticut and work for me at the bank. LEAH Oh, right. Yeah. That plan. GRAHAM You know, it's okay, Mom, if Maddie wants to take a couple more years to figure out what she wants to do with her life, power to her. Let's just enjoy Christmas, okay? MR WESTWOOD Mmhmm. MRS WESTWOOD Yep. LEAH This is, um. this is delicious, Mrs Westwood. MRS WESTWOOD Well, thank you. I'm so glad that someone appreciates all the hard work that went into this. LEAH Yeah, and you know what would be great with this? Artisanal pickles. MR WESTWOOD Mmm! LEAH Right? MRS WESTWOOD Gen Z. Did you know? GRAHAM Mom, I think Grandma would be really happy. MRS WESTWOOD Oh, Leah. Oh, you don't need to clear the table. LEAH It's fine. MRS WESTWOOD No, please. You're our guest. I'll get it. LEAH Okay. What was that about? GRAHAM What? Am I not allowed to talk to my mom? LEAH No, no. Of course. I. Never mind. You know, you never told me that your plan was to move back here and work with your dad and lead this, like, perfect life. GRAHAM Well, they're not perfect. They're my family and I LEAH But they are perfect, okay? And everything has to be perfect. It's why she took down my ornament because it didn't fit. Okay. I don't fit. I'm like Alice in Wonderland. Too big, too small. Except at least she had cake. All I had were little shreds of goose. GRAHAM Okay, I understand. I do. MRS WESTWOOD Graham. Um, will you come help me, please? GRAHAM Yes, Mother. I'll be right there. Just so you know, this. this whole thing with my dad, the whole thing he does, trying to get me to come back and work for him at his bank. He does it every single time I see him. It's. it's nothing. MRS WESTWOOD Oh, we're hanging the stockings. MR WESTWOOD With care. MADDIE MRS WESTWOOD I got one for you, too, Leah. LEAH Oh. MRS WESTWOOD With your name on it. LEAH Oh, that's so. cute. MRS WESTWOOD All they had left at the store were novelty stockings. Well, you know, they say the best gifts come in small packages, so. MR WESTWOOD Like diamonds. LEAH Oh, no, I didn't. I didn't mean it like that. I just meant, um. I don't. I don't know what I meant. MADDIE I am tired. Are you tired? LEAH Yeah, I think I could go to sleep, too. Thank you so much for today, Mrs Westwood. MADDIE 'Night. MRS WESTWOOD Don't forget about your Christmas Eve gift. And the PJs! GRAHAM Really? MR WESTWOOD Sorry. MADDIE Thank you for standing up for me. I really appreciate it. LEAH Of course. And they'll come around. MADDIE Well, that's what I asked Santa for this year, so we'll see. And they're gonna come around to you, too. LEAH Thank you. MADDIE Oh, I know it. GRAHAM Hey, guys. MADDIE Well, good night. LEAH Good night. GRAHAM Hey. LEAH Hey. GRAHAM Sorry about downstairs. Look, I play along with my dad because it's easier than telling him I'm not coming back here to work at his bank. Let's just say it's not always them canceling plans to see me. LEAH Got it. Well, I'm sorry, because I didn't. I didn't realize that GRAHAM That I was protecting you from my family? LEAH No, that you were protecting yourself from your family. GRAHAM It's not just you that feels like you can't measure up. LEAH Well, I see you measuring up, and maybe it's time for you to give them the chance to see it, too. GRAHAM Yeah. You're right. Good night. LEAH Good night. GRAHAM MRS WESTWOOD All right, everybody, remember, just one special gift. And no peeking for tomorrow. Let's get started. Madeline. MADDIE Pencils. MR WESTWOOD Big ice cubes. MRS WESTWOOD I love them. GRAHAM Those are gonna look so good on you, Mom. And I got something from me to Leah. LEAH What? MR WESTWOOD Here, have a seat. I got you something small for tomorrow, too. LEAH What did you do? Oh, wow. Yum. Thank you. It's, um, a gift basket. GRAHAM It's from a catalog. LEAH Yeah. GRAHAM Yeah. LEAH Thank you. GRAHAM Open it. There's something special in there. Here, let me help. Ta da! LEAH Some candied violets. GRAHAM Yeah, remember you always said you loved them when you were little. LEAH Yeah, yeah. Yes, yes, I did say that. Um, when I was little. Thank you. MRS WESTWOOD Oh, Graham, sweetheart, you haven't opened a gift yet. GRAHAM I guess not. MADDIE What about this one from Leah. LEAH Oh, no. You know what, you don't have to because I didn't. I didn't know about the tradition, and it's the only one that I brought. GRAHAM That's okay. I can open it tomorrow, if you want. LEAH No. You know, it's fine. Yeah, you can open it. GRAHAM Sure? LEAH Yeah. GRAHAM Okay. LEAH You can rip it. GRAHAM Oh, right. Wow. Leah, this is. this is beautiful. LEAH It's, um, it's every date we've ever been on. Um, chronologically. GRAHAM I mean, it's. I don't really. It's. LEAH You know, it's. it's silly. Um, I'm gonna go change into, um. not this. SARAH Merry Christmas Eve, sugarplum. LEAH Sar. SARAH What? LEAH He got me a food basket. SARAH Like a Harry and David fruit with the cute little jackets on? LEAH No, the kind of food basket with summer sausage and aged cheddar. The kind of food basket that you send to the person who does your taxes. SARAH Well, at least it's food. LEAH Mmm. That's true. But I got him a photo album of every date we have ever been on. And he looked at it like, like. I don't know, like he was scared. And Sarah, you know how people are always like, the signs were there, I just didn't notice them. What if this is the sign that I should have noticed? What. what if he's trying to tell me something without actually having to tell me? SARAH Summer sausage is a weird way to say it. Do you need me to come get you? LEAH Oh, no. No, you know what, I'll be okay. SARAH Oh, Leah. LEAH I just. I didn't know Christmas would be this hard. SARAH I know. LEAH It's so weird, it's like suddenly Graham and I don't know each other at all. Ugh! Ooh! Taffy. SARAH Are you eating in the bathroom? LEAH Yeah. We have to go to this Christmas pageant, too. The theme is dress as your favorite Christmas movie character. SARAH Well, maybe he's just really bad at buying gifts. LEAH Ehh. Could be. SARAH Look, if you and Graham aren't in it for the long haul, it's better to know now, right? MR WESTWOOD Oh ho ho ho! It's Mitchell. GRAHAM Pretty good, right? LEAH Yeah, let's go see. MADDIE This was constructed by Graham's girlfriend, Leah. She's kind of a genius. LEAH Okay, you're embarrassing me. You know what, don't even. don't even listen to her. MADDIE I'm just saying, she's really good. LEAH Stop. MADDIE Well, if you weren't so don't look! LEAH What? MADDIE ExGirlfriend. th grade. LEAH Cute. She looks like she's straight out of a Christmas Carol. MADDIE I'd love to be the ghost of her Christmas future. LEAH Well, can I ask why we're avoiding her? MADDIE I don't have a reason. LEAH Well, that's your reason. MADDIE Okay. LEAH Go, go. MADDIE Okay. MRS WESTWOOD I just don't understand those people in grimy tank tops. MR WESTWOOD Well, at least they're not in bare feet. GRAHAM Mom, I can't argue with you about this anymore. Die Hard is a Christmas movie. MRS WESTWOOD This is all just not what I had in mind. MR WESTWOOD I know, I know. GRAHAM Maybe it's not. And maybe that's a good thing. Change can be a good thing, Mom. MRS WESTWOOD What are you saying? GRAHAM Leah. Leah's good for me. I just. I want you to try to be a little more. flexible with her, okay? MRS WESTWOOD Of course. Hm. hm. MR WESTWOOD We can be more flexible, son. GRAHAM It's great to hear Dad, because I've been meaning to tell you MR WESTWOOD Mmhmm. GRAHAM I can't come back and work at the bank. MR WESTWOOD I know. I've always known. But you can't fault a guy for trying, right? GRAHAM I appreciate you saying that. MR WESTWOOD I know you love me, son. Listen, I got to say hi to some people, but, uh, I want to run some ideas by you later. GRAHAM Can't wait. Oh. Well, then I was thinking I could GRAHAM Oh. Not now. MR WESTWOOD All right. LEAH Hey. MR WESTWOOD Hey. LEAH Hey. LEAH Hey. GRAHAM Hey. JULIA Hey. GRAHAM Whoa! What are you? JULIA An angel. Can't you just see me on top of a tree? Who's Carol Singer? LEAH No, it's, um. it's from Love Actually. JULIA Oh, I don't watch reality TV. LEAH No. It's not. You know what? I've had a very long day and the summer sausage was very distressing. So I'm just going to go check out some decorations. GRAHAM Leah, wait. JULIA Actually, Graham, um, some friends from high school wanted to say hi. LEAH Yeah. Go, go say hi. It'll be fun. Go. WOMAN Julia! JULIA Hi. MRS WESTWOOD LEAH Mrs Westwood. MRS WESTWOOD Oh. Hello, Leah. LEAH Hi. Are you. are you okay? Do you need anything? MRS WESTWOOD No, thanks. I'm fine. LEAH You're hiding in a coat check. You don't really seem fine. MRS WESTWOOD Yeah, well, that's just it, isn't it? Sometimes everything looks fine and underneath all the trappings, is just not fine at all, is it? LEAH Oh, I'm so sorry, I. MRS WESTWOOD Oh, honey, it's not your fault. LEAH It's not? MRS WESTWOOD No. LEAH I thought that I ruined your Christmas. MRS WESTWOOD Ruined? How? LEAH Well, you have this whole perfect system of the way you like to do things. And then I came in like a fly in the ointment and just made everything messy. MRS WESTWOOD Oh, Leah. I like you. But more than that, I admire you. You are accomplished and you are independent. And Graham is absolutely gaga for you. You may have noticed that I am just not the best with change. I thrive on consistency and predictability and rules. I cling to tradition. You know, I even make the same meals my mother used to make. Although, to be honest, I don't even like cooking. I just do it because my kids rave about my food. LEAH Yeah, I mean, of course. MRS WESTWOOD Mmhmm. But maybe I've been clinging a little too hard. I should have been more welcoming to you. I'm sorry. I just put so much pressure on these small windows of time with my kids. You're bringing something new and fresh to our family. I'm just afraid of losing my son. LEAH No, no, I. I really understand, but you don't have to worry about that. I mean, he's. he's always going to be your son. I'm just trying to figure out how I can fit into all of this, and. look, I know that change is really hard, but I'd really like to get to know you better. MRS WESTWOOD Oh. Well, I would really like to get to know you better, too. Oh. LEAH Can I ask one thing? MRS WESTWOOD Mmhmm. LEAH How come you took my ornament off the tree? MRS WESTWOOD Hmm? LEAH Sorry. The terrarium. MRS WESTWOOD Oh, it was so beautiful, I just. Can I be honest with you? LEAH Please. MRS WESTWOOD Okay. I appreciate it, but, honey, it's just not my style. LEAH MRS WESTWOOD But I do love that you thought of me, though. LEAH Yeah. It's not very Christmassy, is it? MRS WESTWOOD Well. Ehh. LEAH Call it even for the PJs. MRS WESTWOOD Even. Leah, you make my son very happy. And that is the best Christmas gift I could ever get. Oh, sweetheart. LEAH I'm gonna, um. I'm gonna go find Graham. MRS WESTWOOD Okay. Okay. LEAH LEAH Whoa! JULIA Thanks. LEAH No problem. JULIA Leah. I overstepped. I've made a fool of myself, and it's just really hitting me now. As I have a halo circling my head. LEAH Look, you know, you and Graham, you have a history, and I. I get it. JULIA It's in the past, way in the past. LEAH Okay, well, for the record, I think that the halo is very cute. JULIA Merry Christmas, Leah. LEAH Merry Christmas, Julia. Hey, you haven't seen Graham, have you? JULIA Uh, yeah, I think he went outside. LEAH Okay. Thank you. TRICIA Oh, look, it's Carol Singers. LEAH Finally. Thank you. Hey Tricia, have you seen my boyfriend? He's about like, yay high dressed like Scrooge. MRS GOLDBERG This is the only general store in town. MR GOLDBERG How can you be so sure? LEAH Mom? Dad? MR GOLDBERG Cookie, what are you doing here? LEAH What am I doing here? What are you doing here? MRS GOLDBERG We came to ask for directions. LEAH To where? Sorry. Tricia, these are my parents. Guys, this is Tricia. MRS GOLDBERG Hi. GRAHAM Hey. Hi. Leah, what are you doing here? LEAH Well, I was coming I was looking for you. GRAHAM But how did you know I LEAH Well, I have your location. GRAHAM Oh. LEAH Why weren't you more surprised to see them? GRAHAM Oh. What? What are you guys doing here? MRS GOLDBERG Um, Sarah called us, and she said that Leah was very hungry. MR GOLDBERG Naturally, we panicked. MRS GOLDBERG So we just jumped in the car right away to head over to the Westwoods. And then we got lost because your father doesn't like that lady's tone. MR GOLDBERG She is so condescending, that GPS person. Honestly, who does she think she is? So we just stopped to ask for directions and look who we ran into. You. LEAH It's a twohour drive. MR GOLDBERG Oh, there's no traffic on Christmas Eve. MRS GOLDBERG We made very good time. GRAHAM Hour and a half without traffic, they always say. LEAH They say that? GRAHAM You know what? Now that you guys are here, why don't we go back to the house? MRS GOLDBERG That is a great idea! MR GOLDBERG Super idea. Oh my goodness. LEAH What is going on? This is weird. You're being weird. GRAHAM No, everything's totally cool. Everything's totally normal. LEAH What is going on, you guys? GRAHAM Okay, well, um, first off, let me just say I loved the photo album. I feel like I didn't express the appropriate level of enthusiasm because, well. I was thinking about how I was going to pull this off. Secondly, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not standing up for you in the right moments. But I promise you, from here on out, I will be your rock. 'Cause you never gave up. Not on them, not on us, or on the magic of Christmas. You're my adventure buddy, my teammate. my love. MADDIE That is the most words he has said his entire life. MRS WESTWOOD Shh! GRAHAM And thirdly, I didn't get you a food basket for Christmas. I mean, technically, I guess I did, But that wasn't the main present. Th Hang on. Oops. My bad. LEAH Okay. GRAHAM I'm sorry. Leah Bernadette Goldberg. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Rain or shine. Christmas and Hanukkah. I'm in it for the long haul, if you are. LEAH It's so beautiful. GRAHAM It was my grandmother's. My mom gave it to me to give to you. LEAH She did? MRS WESTWOOD Well, he did ask very nicely. LEAH GRAHAM Oh, no the letter. MRS WESTWOOD Dear Mom and Santa. You always said I could have grandma's ring to give to the person I fell in love with and wanted to marry. Well. I love Leah Goldberg very much, and I want to ask her to marry me. Can I please have grandma's ring to give to her? Love, Grahamlin. GRAHAM The ring, right. Fits perfect. Leah. let's make Christmas even more special by making it our engagement anniversary. Will you marry me? LEAH Yes, yes, yes, of course, a thousand times yes. ALL LEAH I love you so much. GRAHAM I love you so much. MRS WESTWOOD Oh, look. MR WESTWOOD MRS WESTWOOD Oh, honey. MR GOLDBERG It is a very emotional time. MRS WESTWOOD You did good, honey. MRS GOLDBERG Oh, we're gonna be mishpocha. MR WESTWOOD What? MRS GOLDBERG Family. MR WESTWOOD Oh. MRS WESTWOOD Let me see the ring. LEAH Yeah. MR GOLDBERG I can't wait for my first Christmas turkey tomorrow. MRS WESTWOOD Oh. I forgot the turkey. I. I forgot the turkey. I am so sorry. MRS GOLDBERG Don't worry. We have a very good idea. MR GOLDBERG It's a bit of a drive, but it's worth it. MR WESTWOOD Well. LEAH This is a perfect mistake. MRS WESTWOOD Perfect. MR WESTWOOD Thank you. MRS WESTWOOD Welcome to the family, sweetheart. LEAH Thank you. Merry Christmas. MADDIE Shh! GRAHAM Merry Christmas. MADDIE LEAH Why are we whispering? GRAHAM We're supposed to be in our rooms until they're ready. LEAH Hey, what would happen if we just went downstairs? Like, would. would Christmas be canceled? Or is Santa really down there? MADDIE We don't know. GRAHAM MRS WESTWOOD It's over here. Kids. We're ready. MADDIE Okay. LEAH Oh, my gosh, where did you guys get those cute Hanukkah PJs? MRS GOLDBERG Barbara got them for us. MRS WESTWOOD Overnight delivery. Well, kids, come on. It is Christmas! MR GOLDBERG Let's go! MADDIE Okay. Come on. GRAHAM Whoo! GRAHAM So. your evaluation of Christmas. Is it everything you wanted it to be? LEAH You know, I was trying so hard to get it right. But I realized that Christmas will always be perfect. As long as I'm with you.