(soft music)
♪
(female vocalist) ♪ Tell me where you want to go ♪
♪ Are we ever coming back ♪
♪ Take it fast or take it slow ♪
♪ You tell me, I won't get mad ♪
♪ 'Cause don't care much about the fancy cars
and high heel shoes ♪
♪ Don't care for money ♪
♪ I'm just lucky to be loved by you ♪
(vocalizing)
♪
♪ I'm just lucky to be loved by you ♪
(vocalizing)
♪
♪ I'm just lucky to be loved by you ♪
♪
♪ Is this where you want to go ♪
♪ Right here to New Orleans ♪
♪ Far away from Tinseltown ♪
♪ All right, it's fine by me ♪
♪ 'Cause don't care much about the fancy cars
and high heel shoes ♪
♪ Don't care for money ♪
♪ I'm just lucky to be loved by you ♪♪
Amalie!
(knocking)
(vocalizing)
Amalie, I still don't have your column
and our Christmas edition is only one week away!
(Amalie) Uh, you're gonna have it tomorrow,
(Karen) Why not now?
Because it hasn't happened yet,
Here, I'll show you what I've started,
(Karen) Bruce asked you to marry him,
No, not yet,
But I know it's gonna happen tonight,
I've been hinting for weeks
that Christmas is the most romantic time to propose,
And he's cooking something special tonight,
and he said there's something he wants to talk to me about,
‐And this picture? ‐Oh, that's my "engaged" face,
‐Hmm, ‐I've been practicing
and trying different looks,
I started with "Very Excited!"
(Karen) That's a bit much,
(Amalie) So then, I tried "Swooning with Passion,"
(Karen) That's,,,frightening,
Which led me to,,,
"Just Glow,"
(Karen) Much better,
Do you have a back up column? Just,,,in case?
(Amalie) Oh, I don't need a back up column,
I've never been more sure of anything in my life,
Okay,
♪
(soft romantic music)
(Bruce) Okay,,,
(Bruce clears throat)
All right, here I come!
No peeking,
♪
‐Can I open them yet? ‐No, no, Not yet,
♪
‐How about now? ‐No, no, Not ready, not yet,
Just about there,
Okay,
Now,
Oh, it's,,,beautiful,
It's,,,
‐It's eggplant, ‐Mm‐hm,
(Amalie) With extra garlic,
(Bruce) Just the way we both like it,
Right,
Umm,,,
Is there anything else?
(Bruce) Yes, yes, of course,
Of course, yeah,
♪
You know me all too well,
(music builds to crescendo)
Fresh out of the oven,
Please, please, don't wait for me to get started,
How was your day?
It was good,
I thought I knew what I was going to write about
for my Christmas column, but,,,
I guess not,
I'm sure you'll figure something out,
Seems I'm gonna have to,
How was your day?
(Bruce) Oh, my day was great,
Had an allergy shot, uh,
and, uh, got the car washed,
‐Mmm,,, ‐And, uh,,,
I think we should get married,
‐Huh? ‐Pardon,
I said, I think we should get married,
‐Did you just propose to me? ‐Sure,
Just,,,like that?
Oh, my gosh, No, uh,,,
Here,
Now, I have us confirmed
for the Weisman lecture tomorrow night,
It should be fascinating,
We're talking population pyramids
into population columns,
What do you think?
7:30, pick you up?
‐No, ‐7:45,
No, I‐‐I mean I don't think we should get married,
♪
I know I said that's what I wanted,
I do want that,
I just thought‐‐
This is just,,,wrong,
‐It's all wrong and I'm‐‐ ‐Amalie?
♪
I gotta go,
Woah, woah, Amalie, what's going on here?
You're being irrational,
I'm sorry,
So sorry, Bruce,
I just can't do this,
Goodbye,
(soft music)
♪
(male vocalist) ♪ It's too late ♪
♪ For tears ♪
♪ Honey, it's too late ♪
♪ Too late ♪♪
Amalie,,,you came back,
How'd it go?
You're not wearing a ring,
He didn't propose?
Well, technically, he did, yes,
(Karen) What happened?
‐Nothing! ‐Nothing?
(Amalie) No flowers, no candles,
No getting down on one knee,
no "I love you,"
Just‐‐ "I think we should get married,"
‐And eggplant, ‐What's wrong with eggplant?
‐I hate eggplant! ‐Well, then why did you have it?
‐Because Bruce loves eggplant, ‐Well, that's not a reason‐‐
(Amalie) Karen, you're missing the point,
I was the perfect girlfriend,
I'm always the perfect girlfriend,
I laughed at all his jokes,
I went to all his boring conferences,
I did whatever he wanted to do!
And I get, "I think we should get married,"
Eggplant,
Nobody deserves a proposal like that!
(Karen) Absolutely!
So, how did you two leave things?
‐We broke up, ‐I'm so sorry,
Thank you,
I hate to bring this up now, but, you know,
‐editor and your column, ‐Oh, my column! Right,
(Karen) I think we should run something else in your space,
I have a whole pile of submissions‐‐
(Amalie) Oh, no, no, my readers expect a Love Notes column
and I'm going to give it to them,
I've never missed a publication and I don't intend to,
But you just broke up with your boyfriend at Christmas,
And, well, it's you,
You must be devastated,
I am devastated,
but I'm also a professional,
‐There's only three days, ‐No, I still have three days,
I'm going to write the most romantic Love Notes column
you've ever seen,
I've got a whole file of ideas right here,
‐What is it? ‐It's weird,,,
It's a letter from my hometown,
but my friends usually send my Christmas cards
‐to my apartment, ‐Oh, let me see that,
"Dear Amalie,
I always think of you this time of year,
But this year I can't stop wishing you were here,
wishing I could hold your hand again,
wishing I could see your beautiful face,
♪
You'd light up my world every time I saw you,
just by being you,
You made me realize I wanted to be a better man
in the hopes that maybe someday, some way,
I could be worthy of you,
Your inspiration has made me the person I am today,
I know things never worked out between us,
but this year I realized I had to let you know,
that Christmas we spent together,
that was the best Christmas of my life,"
♪
Wow!
That is some letter!
♪
You okay?
Yes,
Of course,
(Karen) So, who's it from?
It's unsigned,
And there's no return address,
That's strange and annoying,
(Amalie) No, that's romantic!
An unsigned Christmas love letter,
A mystery ex‐boyfriend,
This is what I've been waiting for,
‐For your column! ‐For my life!
This is why things never seemed quite right
with any of my other boyfriends,
It's because my true love, my real true love,
was out there waiting for me!
(Karen) Hey, I‐‐I still need a column,
‐Where are you going? ‐Home!
(Karen) I need that column in three days or you lose your space!
(female vocalist) ♪ It's a brand new day ♪
(vocalizing)
(whistling)
♪ It's a brand new day ♪
(vocalizing)
(whistling)
♪ La‐la‐la, la‐la‐la ♪
♪ It's a brand new day ♪
(vocalizing)
(whistling)
♪ It's a brand new day ♪♪
(vocalizing)
♪
(humming)
(Amalie) Can I use that real quick?
I wanna surprise Dad,
Christmas delivery!
(Ray) Amalie!
I thought we planned for me to come to Atlanta this year,
(Amalie) I hope you don't mind,
I decided to come home for Christmas,
(Ray) Absolutely not,
I'm thrilled you're here,
When is Bruce coming?
(Amalie) I'd rather not get into that,
I'm actually focusing on writing a new column,
Hi, Mrs, Crabtree,
So nice seeing you again,
(Ray) Mrs, Crabtree,
do you remember my daughter Amalie?
(Mrs, Crabtree) I liked your other girl better,
♪
‐Where's Holly? ‐Mrs, Crabtree,
Dad doesn't have any other children,
‐Holly was a dog, ‐Well, of course she was a dog,
I never said she wasn't, did I?
♪
‐I want some more coffee, ‐I can get you some more,
Get away, go‐‐ just get away from me!
(Ray) Okay, Mary, could you sit with Mrs, Crabtree for a while?
Thank you,
(laughing)
♪
I know Mrs, Crabtree has always been a bit,
‐well, crabby, but‐‐ ‐It's just her anxieties
gets the better of her these days,
But finding a new service dog
with the right temperament has been difficult,
And now Mrs, Crabtree has developed
some pretty severe allergies,
(Amalie) How are you doing, Dad?
You seem tired,
(Ray) I'm all right,
♪
So,,,what about the column?
It's about love and second chances,
I found this unsigned love letter in a Christmas card
and I'm trying to figure out who sent it,
(Ray) What about Bruce?
(Amalie) It's just a column, Dad,,,
But I'm going to go look through
some old stuff at the house,
‐I'll see you later? ‐Yes,
I just have to finish a few things
and I'll see you there,
‐Okay, ‐Okay,
♪
I am so happy to have you here for Christmas,
(Amalie) Me too,
♪
Hey!
♪
Will Rivers,
♪
Joseph Harrington,
♪
Sander Monk,
♪
Oh!
♪
Hm,,,
This must be the secret home of the glitter squirrels,
They spend all their time eating rainbow acorns
and starlight nuts,,,
♪
And when they move their tails, glitter goes everywhere!
♪
(gasps)
Why, you're not a glitter squirrel,
You don't even have a tail,
No, silly!
‐I'm Marty, ‐I'm Amalie,
Amalie Hess?
Yes, how did you know that?
(Marty) Well, my dad reads your column every week,
He never misses it!
(Amalie) Huh, I thought my only dad reader was my own,
but I'm happy to hear I'm wrong,
What brings you to my thinking spot?
(Marty) It's your thinking spot, too?
(Amalie) Ever since I was about your age,
But I don't really live here anymore, so,
I'm happy that someone else gets to use it,
So, what brings you out here today?
(Marty) I was making tree ornaments
for Christmas presents,
but the glitter won't stick,
(Amalie) Can I see it?
Oh, I think it needs more glue,
I can help you if it's okay with your mom and dad,
(Marty) Well, my mom is with my grandma and grandpa,
You can ask my dad, He's amazing,
‐He's‐‐ ‐Marty?
(Marty) Here!
♪
Dad, you can't believe who I saw in my thinking spot!
‐What, honey? ‐Ian McCallister!
(Marty) Amelie Hess,
(Ian) Amelie,
♪
Wow, What?
♪
‐So good to see you, ‐Yeah, you too,
I was just thinking about you,
(Amalie) What are you doing back in Helen?
I thought your parents moved to Tucson,
Yeah, they did, but we decided to move back earlier this year,
(Amalie) Well, this is where social media would be helpful
because then I would know this,
(Ian) Yeah, I never really got into that,
So, what are you back for?
Are you here for the holidays?
(Amalie) Yes, and I am working on a new column,
‐Ah, ‐I heard you're one
of my biggest dad fans,
I do like to keep up, yeah,
So, what's‐‐what's the new one you're working on about?
It's sort of a secret project,
(Marty) We have a secret project, too,
‐We do, ‐Can we tell her?
Oh, I don't want to ruin the secret,
(Ian) Well, it's not that big of a secret,
I'm sure we could maybe come by and show it to you?
It's easier to show than to tell,
‐Yeah, sounds great! ‐All right,
Well, I'll run some errands and we'll swing by,
‐Perfect, ‐Amelie,
me and my dad have loved meeting you today
and my dad loves to read your column every‐‐
(Ian) Okay, that's our cue,
‐See you, ‐Bye,
♪
(Ray) Yes, yes, that's correct,
Yes, I'm not asking for an increase
in city funds, Mayor, just a temporary loan
until we can make up the cash flow difference in donations,
I see,
Yes,
Okay, well, uh, thank you anyway,
♪
(Amalie) Hi, Mom,
I'm home,
♪
Find what you were looking for?
‐I think so, ‐Good,
(cell phone rings)
(Amalie) Sorry,
It's Bruce,
I'm gonna take that upstairs,
‐Hello, Bruce, ‐Amalie, hi!
Just confirming for the Weisman lecture
on population pyramids tonight,
Wait, What?
No, Bruce,
We broke up,
What? When?
Last night,
You proposed‐‐well, sort of,
I said no,
And then I said goodbye,
Well, yeah, I just thought that was goodbye,
Not, you know, goodbye forever,
Well, I'm sorry, but,,,it‐‐it was,
Wait, okay, did I do something?
I mean, uh, didn't you want me to propose?
All that talk about Christmas proposals and‐‐
I did, but,,,
I don't know, it just,,,wasn't right,
How so?
It just didn't feel right,
and it wasn't very romantic,
‐and I'm‐‐ ‐Romantic?
You mean like the flowers and like, you know,
taking a knee and choreographed dance,
Well, yeah, it would have been nice,
Oh!
Wow, I just never took you for the romantic type,
What? Bruce, have you read any of my columns?
(stammering)
Not really,
(doorbell rings)
Listen, I gotta go,
Good luck and goodbye,
Um,,,wait, wait, no, but, uh‐‐
‐Hi! ‐Hey!
(Marty) Hi, Amalie!
Boy, it's colder than a banker's heart out there!
(Ian) Marty McCallister!
Where did you hear that?
‐We brought her! ‐Her?
‐Oh, you'll see, right? ‐Yeah,
(Amalie) Dad, you remember Ian McCallister?
(Ray) Yeah, of course! Hey, Ian, good to see you again,
(Ian) How you doing, how you doing? Yeah,
I like what you've done with the place,
‐Oh, thanks, ‐And this is his daughter Marty,
(Marty) Hi, Mr, Hess!
We brought our secret project,
Would you all like to see her?
(Ray) Absolutely,
Let's go, Right in there,
‐It'll just take a second, ‐Okay,
♪
So, Ian McCallister is back in town,
(Amalie) Yeah,
‐I always liked that boy, ‐Of course,
It's Ian, What's not to like?
(Marty) Okay, we're all set,
(Amalie) Aww,,,
(Ray) Just like my Holly when she was a puppy,
(Ian) Well, what do you think of us naming her after Holly?
(Amalie) She's,,,not a real dog?
(Ian) That's right,
She's a companion dog, a robot, a prototype,
Yeah, we've been working on her for about a year now,
(Amalie) But she feels so real,
Dad, pet her!
(Ray) She even moves like a real dog,
(Ian) She responds to voice commands,
‐Wow, ‐Like what?
(Marty) Holly, speak!
(barking)
♪
Holly, speak!
(meowing)
You've been messing with the voice box again,
haven't you?
(meowing continues)
See, now this is the problem with having a daughter
with such a high IQ,
Truth is we've been working out a few kinks,
We're having some trouble finding
just the right sounds for her,
(Amalie) Oh, Dad, do you still have those old, uh,
videos of Holly when she was a puppy?
(Ray) I think I do,
(Amalie) You think those would work?
There will definitely be some puppy sounds on there,
(Ian) That would be great, Yeah,
‐Can I go help? ‐Yeah, let's go look now,
You guys stay here
and talk about the good old days,
‐Okay, ‐Aw,
(Ian) She really does have a mind of her own,
(Amalie) She's a great kid,
Speaking of the good old days,
I was thinking of looking some people up,
but I don't know who's around anymore,
‐Anyone in particular? ‐Um, I don't know,
Maybe Will Rivers or Joseph Harrington,
Sander Monk,
(Ian) All your old boyfriends?
(Amalie) Other people, too,
(laughs)
But seriously, you don't know
if any of them are still around, do you?
(Ian) I don't, actually,
I've been really busy with Marty and Holly,
Demi is the editor of the Helen Herald,
She's gotta know, She knows everybody in town,
Everything that's going on,
(Amalie) Yeah, I was actually planning on dropping by
her office tomorrow,
So, I'll ask her then,
(Ian) Okay,
(barking)
♪
No, sir, I‐‐no, sir,
I‐‐I can't write a column about your missing bacon,
No, just‐‐I know it's important,
Just maybe you should speak to your wife,
maybe she's the one that ate it,
Yeah‐‐
Isn't that what happened last time?
Ye‐‐yeah, sir,
I'll,,,I'll call you back,
‐Amalie! ‐Hey!
You're gonna take down your whole office over a bug,
(Demi) You're right,
And how dare you come into town
and not come and see me before now?
(Amalie) Okay, so I see your network of spies and informants
‐is still going strong, ‐Excuse me!
Concerned and observant citizens,
And how could they not notice
when the big celebrity comes back into town?
(Amalie) You could have come to see me,
(Demi) Uh! I wish!
I have been slammed!
My co‐editor retired in November,
Rick is taking the kids to his parents' house
for an early Christmas,
I won't even get to see them until Christmas Eve,
That is cutting it short,
But enough about me,
Tell me about you,
How's the writing?
How is the love life?
So that's actually why I'm here,
Your writing or you love life?
Both,
You know my boyfriend Bruce?
We broke up,
Oh, I am so sorry,
‐Thanks, ‐Did he propose?
Okay, there's no way your spies would have known that!
Oh, they didn't need to tell me,
Same old Amalie,
You make all the guys fall in love with you,
and then the moment they get serious,
you turn and, pshh, run like the wind,
I don't do that!
How many ex‐boyfriends broke up with you first?
‐There's been a few! ‐Name names,
Okay, there was, um,,,
Okay, no, that was me,
Uh,,,
There was, um,,,
Yeah, you know, there's what's his name,,,
Oh,,,
Okay, all right, maybe that was me too,
I can't remember,
Aw, that's so cute, is that‐‐
(Demi) Don't even think about changing the subject,
Yeah, well, I can't think of anyone else,
but there's more,
Anyways, I think I might have been wrong about one of them,
because I just got this super romantic love letter
in a Christmas card,
‐Uh‐oh, ‐But it was unsigned,
‐Double uh‐oh, ‐Right?
But it came from here,
so I know it had to be someone from Helen,
I drew up a list of suspects,
(Demi) Hm,
And who is your prime suspect?
(Amalie) Joseph Harrington,
I know it was like eleventh grade
and he was really skinny and weird,
but he was always so super sweet,
(Demi) Have you seen Joseph Harrington lately?
(Amalie) No, why?
Do you know where to find him?
♪
What makes you say that?
♪
Oh, come on, I would never do that!
I would never do that,
♪
(Demi) There he is,
(Amalie) That's Joseph Harrington?
(Demi) Mm‐hm,
(Amalie) He's got arms!
And shoulders!
♪
‐You should see his‐‐ ‐Demi!
(Demi) Everything,
(Amalie) You are a married woman,
(Demi) I still have eyes!
Even though I am partial to my own Rick's‐‐
(Amalie) Okay, calm down,
Tell me what you know about him now,
(Demi) Well, he ran track and field in college,
which is where he got his,,, everything,
And he volunteers here as a practice opponent
for the high school chess club most afternoons,
‐That's so sweet, ‐Mm‐hm,
(Amalie) Yes,,,
I think he could definitely be the one,
(Demi) The one who wrote the letter?
You don't mean "the one" the one, right?
(Amalie) Wish me luck,
(Demi) Okay, I'm just gonna go back to work,
You go get 'im, girl!
♪
(Amalie) Joseph?
‐Hi, ‐Hey,
‐Amalie, hey! ‐Hey,
♪
‐Ahh, I'm so glad to see you! ‐Okay,
(Amalie) It's been such a long time!
♪
(Joseph) Hey, um, can you give us a second?
Thanks,
Have a seat,
♪
(Amalie) Wow,
You look,,,great,
Like, really great,
(Joseph) You look really nice, too,
(Amalie) Thanks,
(Joseph) So, are you back in town for the holiday?
(Amalie) Yes,
Well, that and, um,
a certain letter brought me back,
♪
(waitress) Hi,
What can I get you?
(Amalie) Uh, I'll have hot cocoa, please,
(waitress) How would you like that?
(Amalie) Oh, I forgot about the 99 Loco Cocoa mixes,
(Joseph) She'll have peppermint and allspice,
I'll have one, too, thanks,
I do remember we liked our cocoa the same way,
(Amalie) You never forget your high school sweetheart, right?
It's so romantic,
(Joseph) Yeah, I also remembered you liked to play chess,
You can go first,
♪
(Joseph) I've been thinking a lot about the old days, too,
(Joseph) High school was a long time ago,
(laughing)
(Joseph) What?
(Amalie) Joseph, I know it was you who wrote that letter,
(Joseph) What letter?
Come on, the letter in the Christmas card,
You know, the one about how much you missed my face
and how I made you a better man,
How you wanted to hold my hand,
(Joseph) Amalie, it's‐‐ it's nice to see you,
but I have no idea what you're talking about,
Come on, the letter in the Chris‐‐I got it,
The love letter,
♪
(Joseph) I don't know,
‐Joe? ‐Oh, Dottie!
‐What is going on? ‐You're here!
‐Should I be? ‐Yes, of course
you should be here!
Amalie, this is‐‐ this is Dottie,
Dorothy O'Conner, my fi‐‐my fiancée,
(Amalie) Your‐‐your fiancée?
What about the letter you wrote me?
(Dottie) Yes, Joe, what about the letter you sent her?
(Joseph) Okay, um, Amalie, it's great to see you,
but I didn't write you any letter,
signed or unsigned,
(Amalie) Oh, wow, I am so sorry, Dottie, I, um‐‐
(Dottie) Maybe you should get your facts straight
before you try holding hands
with someone else's fiancée!
(Amalie) Great advice, yes,
You're right,
I am very about that,
I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry,
(Dottie) Joe!
♪
‐Sorry, ‐Now!
(Joseph) Okay,
♪
Excuse me,
♪
(waitress) Here you go, hun,
(Amalie) Thanks, I'll just take the check
whenever you have a second,
♪
Demi!
(tense music)
♪
Why didn't you tell me Joseph was engaged?
I didn't know!
You literally just published their wedding announcement!
Oh,,,wow,
Sorry,
I am,,,
I am so sorry, Amalie,
Things have been so crazy since Pat retired last month,
I haven't even been able to brush my teeth
the entire week,
Ew, Wait, you're trying to do this all by yourself?
That's crazy,
You need a gal Friday,
And luckily I know just the gal for the job,
(soft music)
What do you got for me, boss?
What about your own column?
The idea is still percolating,
so until then, I'm all yours, kid,
Come on, whaddya got fer me?
Breakin' open a big murder case?
Chasin' down fire trucks?
Corruption at City Hall?
Lay it on me, I can handle any story you got, big or small,
♪
Ooh, gingerbread house competition
at the senior center,
Ooh, I'm all over it, boss!
♪
Bless you, Amalie Hess!
(Amalie) Brush your teeth!
♪
Ooh, smells like feet,
♪
(female vocalist) ♪ It's that time of year again ♪
(vocalizing)
♪ Presents by the tree ♪
♪ My heart full of glee ♪
♪ I can hear the sleigh bells ring ♪♪
‐Hey! ‐Dad, this place looks amazing,
(Ray) Doesn't it look great, huh?
(Amalie) Where's Mrs, Crabtree?
(Ray) Well, she wasn't feeling up to it today,
(Amalie) Oh, I'm sorry, Is she sick?
(Ray) No, no, she just didn't want to be around people,
Oh, that's too bad,
(Ray) Yeah, especially since just plain human contact
would be so beneficial for her,
What brings you here?
(Amalie) Demi asked me to cover the contest,
(Ray) Oh, that's great!
We could use all the publicity we can get,
‐Amalie! ‐Hi!
(Marty) Are you here for the competition?
Do you wanna be on our team?
(Amalie) Aw, I would, but I'm reporting for the Helen Herald,
The objectivity of the press must be upheld
even in the face of gingerbread,
(Marty) Aw, too bad,
But maybe you can offer me some insight,
Miss McCallister, what is your strategy
going into the competition?
(Marty) Well, we'll be using marshmallow snowdrifts
to reinforce the gingerbread walls,
A good house always starts with a strong foundation,
That's what my dad always says,
(Amalie) Wow, I didn't know your engineering skills
branched all the way into construction,
(Marty) Oh, yeah, back when I was a little kid,
my dad made me this amazing doll house
with eight rooms, a big yard,
and lights that really work!
(Amalie) That is impressive,
♪
(Ray) All right, everybody,
It's time to take your places!
Ti‐‐whoop, there you go!
Ok, now when I say go,
you have exactly one hour to build a gingerbread house
from only the materials provided,
Are you ready?
Set,
Go!
(female vocalist) ♪ Hurry home and come 'round here ♪
♪ I really love this time of year ♪
♪ Making plans to get together ♪
♪ Memories that will last forever ♪
♪ Sharing laughter and sharing joy ♪
♪ Everyone is singing, all the girls and boys ♪
♪ Some kind of magic is in the air ♪
♪ To make a special moment we can share ♪
♪ Snow is falling deep outside ♪
♪ The day is almost done ♪
♪ Come inside and don't be shy,
'cause now it's time to have some fun ♪
(chorus) ♪ Christmas ♪
♪ Please Christmas ♪
(female vocalist) ♪ And I want to share this Christmas with you ♪
(chorus) ♪ Please Christmas ♪
(female vocalist) ♪ And I want to share this moment with you ♪
♪
(rhythmic vocalizing)
(vocalizing)
(chorus) ♪ Christmas ♪
♪ Please Christmas ♪
(female vocalist) ♪ And I want to share this moment ♪♪
(Ray) All right, all right, everybody,
It's time to get your stuff together,
Let's go, This is it,
Five, four, three, two, one,
Okay, stop, drop everything,
There you go,
Hey, this has been the best gingerbread house contest
we've had in a long time,
But the winners are,,,
Mr, Wellington and Marty and Ian McCallister!
Way to go, Marty!
Good Job,
Good job, Marty,
Oh, good job,
Okay,
Everybody say "gingerbread,"
(group) Gingerbread!
‐That's great, ‐Good Job,
‐Thank you, ‐Yeah,
‐Nice job, ‐I appreciate it,
‐Good job, ‐Thank you, Thank you,
(Ian) All right, guys, I'll be right back,
‐Okay, ‐Okay,
(Ian) Hey!
Get some good shots?
(Amalie) I did,
Congrats!
I was hoping you guys would win,
The peppermint walkway was inspired!
(Ian) That was all Marty,
She's the visionary,
I'm just the contractor,
Are you looking for Will Rivers still?
I went by the general store and, apparently,
he took over the whole place, so he should be there,
Great!
Will,
How did he look?
(Ian) Like Will, I don't know,
Maybe a little different,
(soft music)
(Amalie) That's, um, that's not a bad thing!
Would you maybe wanna come with me
to the general store real quick?
I won't be long, and I just have to finish
this write‐up for Demi,
I guess so, yeah, as long as your dad
doesn't mind looking after Marty,
Great! I'm sure he won't,
Hey, Dad, can I use your office real quick?
(Ray) Of course,
It'll only just be like three minutes,
‐Thanks, ‐Is she going to call Bruce?
‐Who's Bruce? ‐Her fiancé,
♪
(lively music)
♪
(Will) So I was just coming back from the lake
with these three big beautiful bass in my bucket
when the game warden stops me,
(friend) You're talking about Amazon Annie,
(Will) Oh, you know it,
(soft music)
♪
Well, it's a problem,
because I left my fishing license at home that day,
(Ian) I thought you wanted to catch up with him?
(Amalie) Yeah, I do, I just haven't seen him in a while, and, um,
I wanna see something,
(Will) "No, ma'am," I said,
"I didn't catch those fish,
Those are my pet fish,
Every night I let them out to swim around in the lake,
and in the morning I whistle
and they come jumping back in the bucket,"
‐Is he married? ‐He wasn't wearing a ring,
‐You looked? ‐Yeah, 'cause you asked,
(Will) The game warden says to me,
"Sir, I don't believe you for a moment,"
I said, "Here, let me show you,"
So, I dumped the fish back out in the lake,
And a few minutes later the game warden says,
"Well, aren't you going to whistle for your fish?"
(Amalie) Oh, I remember that smile,,,
(Will) And I said, "What fish?"
(donkey‐like laugh)
♪
Amalie Hess?
‐Hey, ‐Oh, I think I've got a bite,
(Amalie) Oh, no, we don't have to do that‐‐
(Will) Oh, come on, you always loved this!
(Amalie) Ohhh,,,
Oh yeah, this is gonna be a good one!
♪
(Will grunts playfully)
♪
‐Okay, ‐Oh, she's a fighter!
♪
Get on over here,
♪
(Amalie) Hi, Will,
You remember Ian McCallister,,,
‐Will, nice to see you, ‐You're looking good,
(Amalie) Oh, well, thank you,
You're looking nice, too,
(Ian) Well, I'm gonna leave you two to get acquainted,
I will see you later,
‐Will, ‐You're leaving?
(Ian) Yeah, I gotta check on Marty,
(Amalie) I'll see you later at Dad's, though, right?
(Ian) Take your time,
(Will) Well, well, well,
if it's not the one who got away,
(Amalie) How are things?
Ian tells me that you're running this place now,
That's great!
Do you have a partner or girlfriend?
Nope, no one's caught me just yet,
Guess I'm still waiting for the right bait,
You know, I always knew
someday you'd come swimming back into my life,
And here you are,
ready to jump back into my boat!
(Amalie) Oh, I'm actually in town for the holiday
and working on a column,
It's about ex‐boyfriends
and second chances,
You don't believe in second chances, do you?
I do when you're standing right in front of me,
You know, I always said, any fin is possible,,,
Just don't trout yourself,
(donkey‐like laugh)
(Amalie) There's also this angle about love letters,
Unsigned love letters,
You don't know anything about those, do you?
Hey, if I'm gonna drop you a line,
you're gonna know it, get it?
Drop you a line like a fishing line
or drop you a line like a letter‐‐
(donkey‐like laugh)
Hey, what are you doing tonight?
Why don't you come over for dinner?
I'll make you laugh, like the old days,
and, uh, show you my aquarium,
(Amalie) Okay, Will, I'm just going to be straight up with you,
Did you write me a love letter and put it in a Christmas card,
talking about how much you missed my face
and how you wanna hold my hand
and how that last Christmas we spent together
was the best Christmas you've ever had?
‐We spent a Christmas together? ‐Yeah,
‐Junior year of college, ‐Hey, if you say so,
but I'm sure it was dolphinately
a Christmas tuna remember,
(donkey‐like laugh)
(Amalie) Okay, well, great,
It was great seeing you again,
Um, have a very merry Christmas,
(Will) So that's a no on the aquarium?
(Amalie) Bye, Will,
(Sander) Hey,
Wasn't that Amalie Hess?
(Will) Yeah,
That's the second time she left me on the hook,
(donkey‐like laugh)
(mysterious music)
♪
(cell phone rings)
‐Hello? ‐Amalie, it's Karen,
Remember me, your editor?
Hi, yeah, Merry Christmas,,,almost,
(Karen) Oh, I'm glad you remember it's almost Christmas,
Do you also remember it's almost your deadline?
Two days, Amalie,
I don't want to run another column,
but if you don't give me a choice,,,
(Amalie) No, no, I, um,
I'm working on it now, actually
‐How's it going? ‐It's almost done,
Just ironing out some kinks,
Um, I'll email you when it's done! Okay?
Tell the kids I said Merry Christmas!
What was I thinking!
♪
Ian!
♪
Hey, your dad said you'd be out here,
He wanted me to come get you,
Oh, I completely lost track of time,
♪
What was I thinking dating someone like Will?
I don't even like fish!
‐Or eggplant, ‐Or eggplant!
‐How did you remember that? ‐I know a lot about you,
I remember you don't like eggplant, fish, spiders,
grapefruit juice, scary movies,
Should I keep going?
Well, I remember that you don't like bananas,
water chestnuts, or lamb chops!
And I also remember you don't like it when I do this!
(Ian) Wait a minute!
Yeah, because you can't start a snowball fight
without having established the rules first,
♪
(Amalie) Um, I should, uh,,,writing,
(Ian) Right, of course, yeah,
(Amalie) I left my column to the last minute, uh,,,
‐Yeah, ‐It's due in like two days,
so I should probably go work on that,
♪
(Ian) Good luck,
♪
(Amalie) So, any update on the Center?
(Ray) What do you mean?
(Amalie) Dad, I saw the bills when I went into your office,
If we don't get our funding,
I'm gonna have to start laying people off
and cutting services,
Why?
I thought you had more than enough between
the city and all the fundraising events,
Yeah, Usually, yes,
But all the rest of it comes hat in hand
and we just haven't had any donations this year,
So, what are you going to do?
Well, there's talk about raising membership fees,
Hey now, don't worry, I‐‐
I know how little our seniors have
for spending on extras,
How is your column coming?
It's not!
And I have only two days to turn something in to my editor
before I lose my spot in the Christmas edition!
(Ray) Eh, you'll be fine,
You'll come up with something,
So, um,,,
looks like Ian McCallister has turned into a pretty good dad,
(Amalie) Yeah,
It's no big surprise,
He was always looking after the younger kids in school,
Helping them or making sure they didn't get bullied,
(Ray) How come you two never dated?
‐Date Ian? ‐Yeah,
‐Dad, we were best friends! ‐Friends date,
(Amalie) Not unless they want to ruin their friendship,
(Ray) Or sweeten it up,
(Amalie) Okay, well, maybe,
but he never asked,
And it's too late now,
What do you mean it's too late now?
‐Because he's married, ‐His wife died a year ago,
You didn't know that?
(Amalie) No!
Marty said her mom was,,, with her grandparents,
Poor kid,
‐Poor Ian, ‐Here,
That's for you,
(Amalie) That's weird, It's not stamped,
(Ray) Well, they must have just slipped it into the mailbox,
(Amalie gasps)
"Dear Amalie, I see you're back in town,
Please come to the hay ride tomorrow
and let's celebrate this Christmas together,"
(Ray) Who's it from?
(Amalie) No signature again,
‐What are you going to do? ‐I'm gonna go,
‐No,,,really? ‐Yeah!
(country music)
♪
(Marty) There's Amalie! Amalie!
(Ian) Oh, we'll be right back,
(Marty) Hi,
♪
‐Hi Amalie! ‐Hi,
(Marty) Are you here for the hay ride, too?
‐That's right, ‐Will you ride with us?
(Amalie) Actually, I'm meeting someone,
Oh, nice, Who?
Well,,, I don't know,
Really? What do you mean?
Okay, so I'm here because I got this card,
this unsigned Christmas Card, and,,,
I know it sounds crazy, but the writer
said he wished I was here
and that he wishes he could hold my hand again
and that the Christmas we spent together was‐‐
(Sander) Was the best Christmas of my life,
‐Sander Monk? ‐Hello, Amalie,
Hi,
(Sander) Thank you for coming,
(Amalie) Thank you for inviting me,
And for finally revealing yourself,
(Sander) Yeah, I figured it was about time,
(Amalie) Uh, they probably want to get started,
I actually reserved this one just for us,
‐But, Amalie, what about‐‐ ‐Marty, come on, let's go,
‐But Dad! ‐Look,,,
♪
(Sander) You all right?
(Amalie) Yeah,
‐But Dad! ‐Hey, you and I,
we need to have a little talk,
All right?
(Sander) And,,,I got us a blanket,
You really thought of everything,
(Sander) Mm‐hm,
♪
‐Thanks, ‐Yeah,
‐So, are you warm enough? ‐Oh, yes,
What?
(Sander) I was hoping you would say no,
Why?
So I could do this,
♪
‐What? ‐It's just,,,
you were never this romantic
when we were dating in college,
(Sander) Maybe I read a newspaper column or two
that made me realize some women like a little romance,
Sounds like a very informative column,
(Sander) Yeah, and by a very pretty writer,
(Amalie giggles)
(Sander) Honestly, I didn't think you wanted
all this mushy stuff back when we were dating,
You never said anything about it,
but, you know, people can change,
♪
(Amalie) I guess they can,
♪
‐You want some cocoa? ‐Yes, Please,
(Sander) All right,
♪
Made especially for you,
‐Thank you, ‐You're welcome,
♪
(Amalie coughs)
(Amalie) That is some adult cocoa,
(Sander) Yeah, I remembered we liked it the exact same way,
With a kick,
Drink up, there's lots more,
(Amalie) Great,
♪
(Sander) So are you still into hockey?
(Amalie) Yeah, sure,
(Sander) What'd you think of Friday night's game?
Uh, you know, I'm still processing the game,
Wha‐‐what did you think of it?
(Sander) Defense on both sides was pretty lame, if you ask me,
I mean, six to eight final score?
There's just no excuse,
Plus the coach used a power play,
just downright embarrassing,
Not to mention the short‐handed play,
I mean it just seemed ridiculous
that they just kept scoring back and forth and just,,,
‐I don't know, it's just‐‐ ‐Right,
(Sander) I, you know, I don't know,
♪
Okay, let's see if that works,
(Amalie) I didn't know mom was on here,
(Ray) Yeah,
Holly loved Lucy,
♪
She would have been so proud of you,
(Amalie) Thanks, Dad,
♪
How did you know she was the one?
(Ray) Being with your mom was, well, like being home,
♪
It was as easy as breathing
and as natural as smiling,
♪
Honey, have you talked to Bruce?
‐Yeah, ‐And‐‐
(Amalie) Oh,,,it's past my bedtime,
‐I should get going, ‐Okay,
‐Good night, babe, ‐Good night,
‐Sleep tight, ‐You too,
♪
Hay,
Had to be hay,
♪
(clears throat)
(Demi) Yes, sir, I am happy
that you found your missing bacon,
Yes, yes, yes, yes,
Please tell your wife that I said hi
and to enjoy her bacon,
Okay,
♪
(Demi) Amelie!
Ooh, you know what,
such a great job covering the gingerbread contest,
it's going on the front page,
(Amalie) Thank you!
I forgot how much fun regular reporting can be,
I'll be your gal Friday any day of the week,
(Demi) Really? What about your column?
(Amalie) Well, by this time tomorrow
that's all going to be squared away,
(Demi) Ooh, something tells me that smile on your face
is not just from the joys of journalism,
♪
Wait, where did that rose come from?
♪
Did you figure out who your mystery writer is?
It's Sander Monk,
Sander Monk?
You mean Sander Not‐A‐Monk,
the biggest liar in White County?
He's not like that anymore,
Do you not remember why you broke up with him?
Would the old Sander write that beautiful love letter
or plan that romantic carriage ride?
That was the most romantic thing that's ever happened to me,
I think it's a sign,
Well,,,
If you're happy,,,
I am,
‐Then I'm happy too, ‐Thank you,
(Demi) Oh, can you cover the Christmas party
at the senior center for me?
Yeah!
I'll be there anyway,
‐Yes! ‐Oh, I gotta go,
I told Sander I was going home to change
before the hockey game,
I'll have that Christmas party write up
for you on your desk day after tomorrow,
But, Amalie, you don't even like hoc‐‐
I can't help that girl,
(knocks)
Oh, somebody remembered
that they actually hate hockey,
‐Ian! ‐Hey,
Hi, I‐‐I'm sorry, I thought you were Amalie,
(Ian) Well, that's who I came to talk to you about,
‐You got a sec? ‐For you, two seconds,
Thanks,
Amalie told you about the anonymous letter
‐she got, right? ‐Yes,
(Ian) Yeah, well, uh,,,
‐I know who sent it, ‐Sander Monk,
No, he's lying,
How do you know that?
♪
Wha‐‐you?
♪
‐Yeah, ‐You?
You sent Amalie the anonymous Christmas love letter?
I‐‐I wrote it, but I didn't send it,
My daughter Marty looked up Amalie's publisher's address
and sent it without me even knowing,
‐Oh, oh, wow, ‐Yeah,
turns out there are downsides
to having a daughter who's practically a genius,
Maybe, But not in this case!
Demi, she's got a fiancé!
No, she doesn't,
He messed up the proposal
and so she broke up with him,
This is your chance,
Ian, you have been in love with Amalie since high school,
but you never said anything,
She always had a boyfriend,
She never looked at me like that,
See, these are the same lame excuses
that you used in high school,
When are you ever going to speak up?
I'm just not ready,
(Demi) Boy!
You better get ready!
Christmas is a time for second chances,
♪
You know what? You're right,
You're right, thank you!
(Demi) Welcome! Welcome,
Queen Demi does it again,
♪
(Ian) All right,
Pliers, Mr, Hess,
Thank you,
Try it now,
♪
(Ray) Eh, that's not right,
‐Nope, ‐No
(Ian) No? Okay, how about now?
♪
(Marty) Okay, Holly, be a good doggie robot,
(barking)
(Ray) That's it! That's exactly right!
Aw,,,
That's a noise that'll crack open anybody's heart,
I could do this all night long,
‐Me too, ‐Hello?
(barking)
We're in here!
(Amalie) Aw, I missed a Holly day!
Oh, Sander, you gotta meet this dog,
She is a robotic companion dog,
She looks, acts, and feels just like a real dog,
She's amazing,
‐My God, ‐Go and pet her,
♪
(Sander) All right,
(barking)
(laughter)
(Ian) Still working out the bugs,
‐You're okay, ‐It's not a bug,
‐It's a feature, ‐Yeah, we're planning
on introducing her to the public
at the senior center's Christmas party tomorrow,
I know a lot of seniors who would love
‐to see a dog at Christmas, ‐That's a great idea,
Demi wanted me to cover the party for the paper,
(Sander) Oh, no, uh,
I've got tickets to the Metal Shredders
at the Stumble Inn tomorrow,
‐I thought we'd go, ‐Oh, but I promised Demi,
(Sander) I mean I thought we'd drive around after,
look at the Christmas lights?
‐It's pretty romantic, right? ‐It's very romantic,
(Amalie) Um, okay, I can talk to Demi
and maybe she'll cover the senior center
‐and I'll cover the concert, ‐Sweet,
‐Yeah, ‐Aw, you're not coming
to the party?
Not even for Holly?
(whimpers like a puppy)
(Ray) That's too bad, but I'm sure it'll all work out,
(Ian) Yeah, well, it's getting late,
I guess we should get home for dinner, Marty, huh?
‐Great job, Ian, ‐Thank you for your help,
(Ray) They'll love you at the party tomorrow,
(grunting)
Good night, Sander,
Night, Amalie,
♪
(Amalie) Uh, just give me a minute,
I'll be right back,
♪
Ian, there's more than enough food for you and Marty,
You guys can stay for dinner,
(Ian) No, yeah, thank you,
We appreciate it, but we should get going,
‐Okay, ‐Oh, you, uh,,,
You guys left your cocoa,
(sniffs)
Wow,
(Amalie) It's not mine,
Well, it is but it's how Sander likes it,
It's adult cocoa,
(Ian) How do you like your cocoa?
I don't know,
Isn't that funny?
(Ian) Not really,
(Amalie) Okay,
Why are you rushing off?
Something wrong?
(Ian) Honestly, I just don't want to stand here
and watch you do this again,
Do what?
♪
(Ian) Twist yourself into somebody else
so that you can become some guy's "perfect girlfriend,"
I'm not doing that, much less doing it "again,"
(Ian) Come on, the "adult" cocoa?
Hockey jersey?
The Metal Shredders?
(Amalie) Couples take part in each other's interests, Ian,
(Ian) Yeah, yeah, of course they do,
I mean, I went yard sale‐ing with my wife on Saturdays
because she loved it and I was happy to do it,
But she would go hiking with me on Sundays,
You know, it's gotta go both ways,
I mean, do you even know what your interests are?
What you want to pursue?
You don't even know how you like your cocoa,
♪
You got everything? Gloves, jacket, hat, scarf?
(Marty) Gloves, jacket, hat, scarf!
(Ian) All right!
Say bye,
‐Bye, Amalie! ‐Bye, Marty,
Good night, Ian,
♪
(Ray) So you and Sebastian, huh?
(Amalie) Sander, Dad,
(Ray) What about Bruce?
(Amalie) Bruce and I,,,
We broke up,
Well, you could have told me,
I know, I guess I just felt stupid
because of how sure I thought I was about him,
Well, I thought you were sure about him too,
but, hey, there's no reason to rush,
(Amalie) Oh, but I love the rush!
I love getting to know someone new,
I love wanting to know everything about them,
I love lying awake, wondering if they're thinking about me, too,
‐I just love the‐‐ ‐Love?
Yeah,,,
I guess I do,
Hey, Dad, do you think that I change myself?
For my boyfriends, I mean?
Ian said that I twist myself around
to become the "perfect girlfriend,"
Is that true?
Well, you've always been extremely open to new ideas,
(Amalie) Oh! So, I'm a pretzel!
I'm just a pretzel who twists herself into knots
to make some guy love me!
(Ray) That's not what I said all!
No one needs more reasons to love you,
You are the most lovable person I know,
‐Thanks, Dad, ‐But I will say this,,,
I know how you like the time you spend with your boyfriends,
but you've always seemed the happiest
when you're just hanging out with Ian and Demi,
Seemed like you never felt the pressure
to be anyone else when you were with them,
♪
All right, I got another question for you,
What's that?
Do you remember how I used to like my hot cocoa?
I have no idea,
(Amalie) That's what I was afraid of,
♪
‐Excuse me, ‐Marty! Sit down,
(Marty) Hello, Amalie,
What did you call me for today?
(Amalie) I really need your help with a special science project,
(Marty) Hm, a science project in the cafe? Why?
(Amalie) I need to figure out how I really like my cocoa,
Oh, my goodness, you don't know?
(Amalie) I've gotten a bit confused,
so I'm gonna try them all,
♪
But there are 99 different kinds!
(Amalie) I've drawn up a list and I've crossed off the ones
that I know I don't like,
We only have 76 left,
‐Can you help? ‐Hm,
Of course, I can,
Bring on the cocoa! For science!
‐What would you like? ‐Um, we'll try 76 flavors,
‐All of them? ‐Yes,
(energetic holiday music)
♪
(female vocalists) ♪ Happy, happy holidays ♪
♪ I wish it was Christmas every day ♪
♪ Snowflakes fall on the windowpane ♪
♪ Trouble seems so far away ♪
♪ Love and laughter fill the air ♪
♪ Joy and people everywhere ♪
♪ Happy, happy holidays ♪
♪ I wish it was Christmas every day ♪
(vocalizing)
♪
♪ It's Christmas time and the party's started ♪
♪ Having a good time, having a good time ♪
♪ We're having a good time, we're so excited ♪
♪ Having a good time, having a good time ♪
♪ There's lots of things for us to do ♪
♪ Lots of things for us to do ♪
♪ And all our dreams can come true ♪♪
♪
Okay, Amalie,
It's down to these three,
What shall it be?
(Amalie) I'm pretty sure it's not this one,
‐Okay, ‐It's this one
or it's this one,
(tense music)
♪
‐Is that a yum, yum, yum? ‐It's pretty good,
♪
Okay, this is the one!
This is my favorite way to have cocoa,,,absolutely,
‐What is it? ‐It's classic cocoa
with three marshmallows,
(applause, cheering)
(Amalie) Yeah,
(Marty) Good job for bringing all of them,
(Amalie) Thank you for all your help,
(Marty) You're welcome,
(Amalie) Sander! Over here!
‐These are for you, ‐Thank you!
‐So thoughtful, ‐Yeah?
(Marty) So, you're the one who wrote her that letter?
‐That love letter? ‐That's right,
(Marty) But if you hadn't seen her in a very long time,
how did you know where she lived?
(Marty) Well, so, there's this big thing called the internet‐‐
(Marty) I know about the internet,
I'm not two years old, Mister,
(Sander) Okay, yeah,
Um, well, so I looked up Amalie
and I found the address to her apartment,
Wait,
Her apartment's address?
‐Yes, ‐That's very smart,
right, Amalie?
‐Marty, what are you‐‐? ‐Oh, my Dad's here,
I have to go,
See you later, Amalie,
‐See ya, ‐Bye,
♪
(Ian) You have fun with Amalie?
♪
(Sander) That's a weird kid, huh,
(Amalie) Ah, so, what did you mean when you said
you looked up my apartment address online?
My home address is unlisted,
It's got to be on there somewhere,
since I got it to send the letter, right?
You just need one of those privacy firms to do their thing,
Except the letter didn't go to my apartment,
It went to my office, at the paper,
You didn't send the letter at all, did you?
Amalie,,,
(Amalie) Why did you tell me you wrote it when you didn't?
I overheard you telling Will about it
in the store the other day,
And I was like, man, I wish I had done that,
'cause I've really missed you, Amalie,
(Amalie) You lied to me, Again!
Yeah, but that was the only thing, I swear,
Look, look,
And you've not been that completely honest, either,
I have so!
(Sander) I can tell you don't actually know
a goal crease from a penalty box,
But you just kept nodding and acting like
you knew what I was talking about!
Okay, fine, I guess we're both liars,
‐Fine! ‐Fine!
♪
You have to be the one to walk away,
This is my table,
♪
(Sander) Fine!
♪
(Will) Well, we've got the candles
and the outdoor Bluetooth speakers,
that's not a problem,
But I gotta ask,,,
What do you need 15 bales of hay for?
I need them to get my girlfriend back,
(female vocalists) ♪ Christmas time is here again ♪
♪ We're full of winter cheer ♪
♪ All the people gather 'round
as Christmas Day draws near ♪
♪ Snow, lights ♪
(donkey‐like laughter)
♪ Rockin' on Christmas Day ♪
♪ Like you've never seen it done this way ♪
♪ Right, ding‐dong, ding‐dong ♪
♪
♪ I want to dance with Father Christmas ♪
♪
♪ I want to dance with Father Christmas ♪♪
(Amalie) Merry Christmas, Mrs, Crabtree,
What are you doing way over here?
Let's get you closer to the festivities‐‐
(Mrs, Crabtree) Don't touch my chair!
I don't want to be any closer!
This is a terrible party!
(Amalie) It looks like a nice party to me,
(Mrs, Crabtree) There used to be better parties
when your father's other girl would come,
(Amalie) Mrs, Crabtree, my father doesn't have another daughter,
Holly was his dog,
‐Don't you remember? ‐I remember!
I never said she was a daughter, did I?
Nobody listens,
Nobody cares,
(Amalie) I care,
My dad cares,
♪
‐Can I get you anything? ‐No,
Just‐‐just go on with you now!
Just get away from me!
♪
(soft music)
♪
(Demi) Amalie!
What are you doing here?
Aren't you supposed to be at a Shredded Wheat concert
or something,
(Amalie) Well,,,
(Demi) Mmm, was Sander Monk Not‐A‐Monk, again?
(Amalie) No, but he's not my mystery writer either,
(Demi) Mm, sorry,
Not sorry,
You were right, as usual,
Yep, so, what are you gonna do for your column?
(Amalie) I got nothing,
No great love story,
No big reveal of my mystery writer,
No column about the power of second chances
during Christmas,
I'm gonna have to call my editor
and have her get someone else to fill my space,
My readers are going to be so disappointed,
(Demi) Mm, sweetheart, I'm sorry,
♪
(Marty) Hi Santa!
(Demi) What's this?
(Amalie) It's a surprise!
♪
(Ray) Hey, hey, hey, everybody!
It's pretty brilliant,
(Ray) Thank you so very much
for coming to our annual Christmas party,
First, I'd like to thank all of the volunteers,
You guys are amazing,
This is terrific!
I'd also like to take this time
to introduce someone new to the center,
We've been searching for a new canine friend,
but there have been a lot of challenges,
Luckily, with the help of Ian McCallister and his daughter,
Marty, I think we've found the perfect solution,
Marty, would you like to do the honors?
(Marty) Yes, I will,
(applause)
Everybody, we'd like you to meet Holly,
Holly is a robot companion puppy,
She looks and acts just like a real dog,
And best of all, she never bites,
has to go outside, or makes anybody sneeze,
(donkey‐like laugh)
Well, come on up and meet Holly!
♪
(Demi) Did you know that Ian could pull off
something this amazing?
(Amalie) I did!
I absolutely did!
(Ray) This is going to make a great story for the paper, won't it?
(Demi) It will, I have never seen
anything make an entire room of people smile
all at once like Holly,
♪
(Amalie) Everyone is smiling, aren't they?
Well, almost everyone,
♪
(Ray) Well, I guess Holly can't do everything,
♪
(Amalie) Just wait,
♪
Do you wanna go show Mrs, Crabtree?
(Marty) Yeah, yeah,
♪
Hi, Mrs, Crabtree,
Would you like to meet my friend Holly?
(Mrs, Crabtree) No, What? No!
Just‐‐just get her away from here,
You're trying to sneeze me into a heart attack?
(Amalie) It's okay, Mrs, Crabtree,
‐Holly's not like other dogs, ‐I know, I know!
I heard your father,
(Amalie) No one is allergic to her, I promise,
♪
Well, maybe she could come a little closer,
But one sneeze or one tickle,
you take her right back now, you hear?
(Marty) Would you like to pet her?
♪
(Mrs, Crabtree) Oh, aren't you a good girl,
♪
(Amalie) Yeah,
♪
♪ Deck the halls with boughs of holly ♪
♪ Fa la la la la, la la la la ♪
♪ 'Tis the season to be jolly ♪
♪ Fa la la la la, la la la la ♪
♪ Don we now our gay apparel ♪
♪ Fa la la, la la la, la la la ♪
(Mrs, Crabtree) ♪ Troll the ancient Yuletide carol ♪
(group) ♪ Fa la la la la, la la la la ♪♪
(cheering, applause)
(Amalie) Karen, it's me,
Don't yell just yet,
Okay, you have exactly one minute
and then I start yelling,
Amalie, where is your column?
Okay, so there was a problem,
The mystery writer?
Still a mystery and I guess it's going to stay that way
because he sure seems like he never wants to be found,
I was afraid of that,
I'm sorry, but I do have another piece all lined up,
No, but I have a story to write,
It's got a robot,
A robot?
(Amalie) Here, I'll send you the picture,
‐Easier to explain that way, ‐Amalie, there are two things
our readers expect from a Christmas Love Notes column
and that's Christmas and love,
I don't see how‐‐‐
(Amalie) Please just look,
Aw,,,
Hi,
Right?
It's just a different kind of love,
I'll need it within the hour,
Done!
Whether it comes in the form of a bark or a tail wag,
in the end, Christmas is about love,
Any kind,
All kinds,
Connections deep and strong
that bind us and remind us
of the true meaning of the season,
♪
The end,
(Ian) Amalie, there you are,
♪
We were wondering where you went,
(Amalie) Had to step away for a few minutes
to write my column,
(Ian) Nice, And?
I think it's pretty good,
only not what I expected it to be,
My mystery love letter wasn't from Sander Monk,
(Ian) Mm,,,yeah, I know,
Did Marty tell you?
Mmm,,,something like that,
(laughs nervously)
♪
(clears throat)
‐So the party,,, ‐Yeah,
‐Holly was a huge success, ‐Yeah, you know,
I finally realized I'd been holding back
on showing her to people,
(Amalie) Why?
I mean, I get that her bark needed a little work,
but, I mean, from the beginning she was amazing,
(Ian) I think I just wanted to know
how someone would react before I showed them something
that was such a big part of myself, you know,
How could you doubt that people would love her?
I don't know,
(soft music)
♪
I guess I just thought that some people
might not recognize a thing they love,
even when it's been there the whole time,
♪
(door opens)
Only an idiot would do that,
♪
Amalie?
♪
(Ian) Who are you?
I'm Amalie's fiancé,
I mean, I'd like to be,
Bruce‐‐
(Bruce) If you could just give me a second chance,
Because it's Christmas,
♪
(Amalie) Where are we going?
(Bruce) You'll see,
♪
Uh, you,,,
♪
(Demi) You didn't tell her, did you?
(Ian) I tried, but, no, I didn't,
It doesn't matter anyway,
Her fiancé is back,
♪
(Amalie) Bruce!
What did you do?
(Bruce) Oh, just a little nothing, nothing,
Here,
♪
(plays recording of classical music)
♪
The first time I ever saw you I had this thought,
It just popped into my head,
and I have no idea where it came from,
But it was, there she is,
The rest of my life, our life,
it just flashed before my eyes,
I saw us together,
I saw us dating and getting married,
I saw us buying a house and having children,
I saw us growing old and retiring together,
I knew that my life would never be complete without you,
Bruce,
♪
That was so beautiful and amazing‐‐
(Bruce sneezes)
Oh, god,
(Bruce sneezing)
‐It's the hay, isn't it? ‐Yeah,
(Amalie) Why would you do this if you're allergic to hay?
I mean, why hay at all?
Yeah, I saw it on your Instagram feed,
Oh, that's where you saw the champagne and the music,
(Bruce) Yeah,
♪
Okay,
♪
Did you get that speech from one of my columns?
(Bruce) Well, I‐‐I didn't mean to steal it,
I just did it to give you what you wanted,
(Amalie) It's very sweet, but it's just not very‐‐
(Bruce sneezes)
(Bruce) Excuse me,
I'm sorry, what were you saying?
‐It's not really you, ‐I guess I'm pretty boring,
(Amalie) Well, I'm boring sometimes too,
And you should know that I'm not going to be
the perfect wife,
I'm not even the perfect girlfriend,
I actually don't like going to lectures
about population pyramids,
Or eggplant,
I really, really don't like eggplant,
♪
But I really like hot cocoa with just three marshmallows,
and working with Demi
and writing for The Helen's newspaper
and hanging out with girl geniuses,
And robotic dogs,
(Bruce) Uh, eggplant parmesan with the garlic?
That was,,,
(Amalie) Yeah, that really wasn't my thing,
(Bruce) I feel like I don't even know you,
(Amalie) I don't think you do,
But it's not your fault,
I pretended to be someone else for you
so that everything would be perfect,
I didn't think that there could be romance without perfection,
so in order to have that I had to pretend,
You're a wonderful guy,
Is that a knee pad?
(Bruce) Oh yeah,
(Amalie) Bruce, you're a wonderful guy,
and I know you're going to find someone imperfectly perfect,
But that someone, she's not me,
(Bruce) I hope you find what you're looking for,
‐Thanks, ‐Just,,,I mean, if you know,,,
Do you?
I want romance,
Grand gestures and small kindnesses,
Yeah, that's not me,
And I want to be myself too,
I don't know if that's asking too much,
but there you have it,
(Bruce sneezes)
You should really get out of here,
(Bruce) But, uh, please enjoy the‐‐
I'll deal with this,
Yeah, don't,,,worry,
(Bruce) I'll grab a Benadryl,
(Amalie) Yeah, that's a good idea,
(clearing throat repeatedly)
Okay,
♪
Dad, I'm home!
(Ray) Amalie!
Great news! Ian just called,
An investor saw your post,
He wants to invest in the Holly dogs,
Ian's thrilled, and he wants to make a donation
to the senior center,
I think we'll be able to keep it open,
‐It's saved! ‐That's great news,
(Ray) Yes!
♪
Oh, here,
This came for you,
♪
"Dear Amalie,
I'm the one who wrote you the Christmas love letter,
who misses your face every day
and wants to hold your hand,
You still light up my world every time I see you
and make me want to be a better man,
If you come home and read this
and still want to give me a second chance,
come and find me,,,
You'll know where if you just take a moment
and think it over,"
Who's it from?
Doesn't say,
Think it over,
♪
Think it over,
♪
I gotta go,
Okay,
♪
"Dear Amalie,,,
♪
I am always thinking of you this time of year,
but this year I could not stop wishing I could see you,
wishing you were here,
wishing I could see your face,,,
(laughs)
Wishing I could hold your hands,
♪
You always light up my life every time that I see you,
just by being you,"
♪
And I hope that you think that I'm‐‐I'm worthy,
♪
I know it's been a really long time since that last Christmas
that we spent together,
Yeah, it was the Christmas before I moved away,
I was sad because I was single,
♪
I remember now,
♪
You remember,
♪
Look, I know that we haven't explored
anything past friendship,
but it is way past time for me to tell you
how I really feel about you,
(Amalie laughs)
♪
Ian!
I can't believe it was you
who wrote that beautiful, romantic letter,
I should have known,
♪
I should have known it was you,,,
♪
It was always you!
♪
(Ian) Oh, we have snow?
Come here, you, get over here,
(Amalie) It's a glitter squirrel!
♪
(energetic holiday music)
(female vocalist) ♪ Hurry home, and come 'round here ♪
I really love this time of year ♪
♪ Making plans to get together ♪
♪ Memories that will last forever ♪
♪ Sharing laughter and sharing joy ♪
♪ Everyone is singing, all the girls and boys ♪
♪ Some kind of magic is in the air ♪
♪ To make a special moment we can share ♪
♪ Snow is falling deep outside ♪
♪ The day is almost done ♪
♪ Come inside and don't be shy,
'cause now it's time to have some fun ♪
(chorus) ♪ Christmas ♪
♪ Please Christmas ♪
(female vocalist) ♪ And I want to share this Christmas with you ♪
(chorus) ♪ Please Christmas ♪
(female vocalist) ♪ And I want to share this moment with you ♪♪
♪