Exes of Christmas Past (2025)

[bunniefuu]

(upbeat music)

(bells jingle)

(upbeat music continues)

It's that time of year again

Oh, oh, oh, oh

Presents by the tree

My heart full of glee

I'll go to Santa

for one thing

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa

Under the mistletoe

That's where I long to go

Oh the snow is

falling down around me

Oh

There's magic in the air

I can't wait to see

my boy this Christmas

Like I did the year before

Oh

He's been gone away

since last December

But it's just made

me want him more

- Thank you so much for staying

with us and Happy Holidays.

(phone rings)

Thank you for calling

Crabtree Hotel.

This is Nadia speaking.

- [Person Over Phone] Hi, I'd

like to make a reservation.

- I can absolutely

help you with that.

- [Person Over Phone]

Thank you (indistinct).

- Hey, Nadia, I need you.

(toy squeaks)

[Person Over Phone]

Three nights, two adults,

one child.

(toy squeaks)

[Person Over Phone] Do you

have a room with two beds?

- Actually, I might need to

place you on a brief hold.

- I can take care

of that for you.

Here you go.

All right, Merry Christmas.

Oh, you must be the Walshes.

We are so happy to have

you staying here with us.

And hello, you.

Charlie, would you mind

showing our young guest

the train set under

the Christmas tree?

He knows the trick to make steam

come out of the smokestack.

It's really cool, have fun.

Let's get you checked in.

Marco, I will send Nadia

as soon as she's available.

Okay, let's see where

we have you staying.

A premium suite with an

adjoining room, enjoy your stay.

(Nadia sighs in relief)

The window displays on

Michigan Ave are incredible,

but you really don't wanna

miss the Christkindlmarket.

Just as seasonal, but

with a quirky specificity

that is tailor-made

for Instagram stories.

Oh, I think that's

your taxi now.

- Thanks.

- Bye.

- Merry Christmas.

(Josie sighs)

How are you feeling?

- Better now that you're here.

- You were doing great.

Sometimes everything

just stacks up at once.

- I don't want you to worry

about a thing while you're away.

I have your lists and

your instructions.

- And you have my cell.

You call me if anything.

- I will, but I won't have to.

Are you ready to go home?

- I am.

It feels weird to be leaving

in the middle of everything,

but I haven't been home

for Christmas in years.

I miss it.

- Promise me you won't

call every five minutes.

Like, you've made this place

into a well-oiled machine.

Promise.

- I promise.

I'll just text you every

five minutes instead.

Text me all you

want as your friend,

but no shop talk unless it's

absolutely necessary, okay?

- Tough but fair.

Bye.

(cheerful music)

The trees and the

grass are frosting up

There's something in the air

Yes, everyone wants

to make the most

Of this magic time of year

The Christmas

bells are ringing

The Christmas

bells are ringing

The Christmas bells

are ringing once again

- No reindeer?

No sleigh?

Guess Dad's knee surgery

really did take it out of--

(snowball thuds)

(Josie gasps)

- Oh.

- Mrs. Bramm?

- Josie.

Oh my word, I'm so sorry.

- Did you just throw

a snowball at me?

- I never would have.

I have this thing with

the DoorDash guys.

They've been here a lot

since your father's surgery.

- The DoorDash guys made

you a snowball sn*per?

(Mrs. Bramm laughs)

- It's just a fun little...

Look at you.

Aren't you so lovely?

- It's good to see

you, Mrs. Bramm.

May I request a truce

while I get my suitcase?

(Mrs. Bramm laughs)

- 'Tis the season

of peace after all.

- It sure is. Goodnight.

(gentle music)

(Josie sighs)

(gentle music continues)

Oh, Santas.

(gentle music continues)

- Oh, Graham, she's

here! She's home!

- Hi.

- Oh, you're home.

Oh, gosh, oh.

(Josie laughs)

Oh.

- The place looks great.

- Oh, hey, every year

we find a new ornament

for the collection.

Maybe it's too much.

- No, I think it's wonderful.

And how many years

ago did you take

Santa's hand in marriage?

- Isn't it perfect?

Your dad and I like

to dress up sometimes

for milk and cookie hours

during Christmas week.

- Aww.

- Joey.

(Josie squeals excitedly)

- [Josie] Dad.

Oh, how's the knee?

h*, h*, horrible?

- h*, h*, h*'kay.

I'm finally part man

and part machine.

So that's a bonus.

- Oh, okay,

- I don't know if

your mom mentioned--

- Yeah, milk and cookie hour.

I love that you two

are still doing that.

- [Lauren] Yeah.

- Is it still

in the family room?

- [Lauren] Well...

(jaunty music)

- What?

Oh, no Christmas tree?

- [Lauren] Oh, well, we're a

little behind on decorating.

- There's a few things I

haven't been able to manage

since the knee replacement.

- It's a good thing I got

here just in time, huh?

- You already work all the time.

You're home now, you don't have

to worry about any of that.

- Dad, this is what I do.

Accommodations management,

attention to detail,

part-time elf for

Santas in need.

I will get the milk

and cookies ready.

How about you start the fire?

- I'm just glad you're home.

- Oh, me too, Dad, me too.

I can't wait to see what

you did with my room.

- Oh, speaking of which, we

got a last minute reservation,

so we're all booked

up through Christmas.

And it's funny--

- That's totally fine.

I have no problem sleeping

on the very comfy couch.

- Oh, I can take the couch.

You can bunk with Mom.

- Oh yeah, I'm sure your

knee would love that.

I am taking the couch.

And besides, it wouldn't

feel like coming home

without surrendering

my room to a guest.

- And about those guests--

(clock chimes)

- Oh, the tolling of

the clock announces

the arrival of a bedtime snack.

And I can hear the ghosts

of Christmas present,

or shall I say the guests

of Christmas present,

drawing nigh.

- Oh.

(Lauren and Graham laugh)

Hon'?

- We should have warned her.

- I kept trying,

but you heard her.

She's an unstoppable

talking machine

of positivity and light.

- Just like her mom.

- Oh, stop it.

(Lauren and Graham laugh)

- Okay,

and...

this one.

- Oh, hello.

- Who are you?

- I'm Josie, and who are you?

- I'm Trudy. Do

you need any help?

- Nice to meet you, Trudy.

You know what?

I would actually love some help.

Do you know anything about

Christmas cookie presentation?

So the way I like to do it is

I take the pretty cookies

and I put them up front

and then I hide

any imperfections

by stacking them like this. See?

- Hey, Trudy Fruity, did

you remember to... Josie.

- Miles.

- Hi.

- Hi.

Wow, does this adorable

little Christmas angel

belong to you?

- Women are not property.

- Good looking out, kiddo.

But she did come

to live at my house

shortly after my wife

gave birth to her, so...

- And she's been

there ever since?

- That's where she

gets her mail, yeah.

(Miles and Josie laugh)

I didn't know you were

getting in tonight.

- Yeah, look at

you all grown up.

- Yeah, both of us.

Of course, you

haven't aged a day.

And I look like the Grinch

who stole Christmas.

You know, pre-heart thing.

(Josie laughs)

- Are you two getting

in the way here?

- No, actually

quite the opposite.

Trudy here is taking the

reins on milk and cookie hour.

- This is Josie.

- Oh, hi, so nice to meet you.

- You too.

- I understand I have

you to thank for this man

being single when I met him.

- I'm pretty sure

you broke up with me.

- Who can remember?

- Cookies are served.

- [Lauren] Oh!

Beautiful.

- Look what I found

in the kitchen.

- Well, we tried to tell you,

but you were just

being too helpful.

- No, it's a wonderful surprise.

I just, you didn't wanna

stay with your parents?

- They moved to Arizona.

Yeah, we've been doing

Christmases with them,

but they had other

plans this year

so I thought I'd come back

to the place that feels

the most like Christmas to me.

- And crash with your high

school girlfriend's parents.

- I wanted to stay at the

best B&B in Mill Creek,

right on the

Christmas Crawl route.

The best hospitality in the biz.

- Oh.

- Hear, hear.

- Oh, and there's one other

thing that I wanted to mention.

- Ellis.

- Is what I wanted to mention.

- Hi, it's so good to see you.

- Yeah, you too.

Hey.

Miles.

- Hey, man.

You staying here too?

- I am.

- Nice.

- And I thought

high school reunions

just took place in

hotel ballrooms.

- And I thought milk

and cookie hour was

supposed to be a pajama affair.

- Oh, it's not

mandatory, but it's fun.

- Sure is.

- Didn't you guys used

to date too?

- Yep.

- Mm-hmm.

I get it, I'm single.

- This is not a setup.

- I'm not single.

- See?

- Great.

Two of my high

school exes are here.

- Well, if that's not hometown

vibes, I don't know what is.

- Oh no, not here in town,

no, no, here at the B&B.

- That is very local.

But how do they look?

- They look great.

Where are you right now, am

I interrupting something?

- I was supposed to

meet someone for dinner,

but so far it's just me

romancing this cheese.

(Nadia blows kisses)

- Wait, is this the

one from the app?

You started with

a romantic dinner?

- Yeah, well, now that

I am solo fonduing,

it does seem kind of sus.

- [Marco] Nadia?

- Marco.

- [Marco] Hey.

- [Nadia] Hey.

What are you doing here?

- Wait, Marco, our

Marco, chef Marco?

- Full disclosure,

Josie is also here.

- Oh! Hey Josie.

Aren't you supposed

to be on vacation?

- I am.

This is a personal call,

not business, okay?

- Two of her exes are staying

at the same B&B as her.

- Whoa.

- Yeah.

- [Nadia] What are

you doing here?

- I know the chef here.

He asked me to come

and give an opinion

on some stuff he's testing.

Would you wanna join me?

Oh wait, are you on a date?

- Pretty sure I'm not on a date.

Yeah, taste test sounds fun.

Josie, it seems

like the universe is

serving you up some tasty exes

like sashimi at a

rotating sushi bar.

You've been working too

much to have a social life.

So pick an ex, any ex.

- Oh, no, no.

None of them are single.

It's just me.

Just me.

(peaceful music)

- Are you sure you're

all right waiting up

for our late check-in?

- I don't know, I still

got one high school ex

you haven't booked

to stay here yet.

It's not him, is it?

- It's some corporate account.

I, we really didn't mean

to spring this on you.

- I'm just kidding.

You go get some

sleep, I'll be okay.

- I'm so glad you're home.

- Me too.

Night.

- Night.

(Josie sighs)

(car door slams)

(door closes)

- Sam?

- Hi.

- Of course.

- I didn't know you

were gonna be here.

- Same.

The reservation said

QuantumCipher Core something.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

They always book me under

the corporate account.

- Ah.

- They try to find me

nice alternatives to hotels.

I didn't know it was

gonna be your house

until I got in the rental car.

- Cool.

- You run the place?

- No, I manage a

hotel in the city.

I just got in tonight.

- Oh.

I'm glad.

- Me too.

Is it just you?

- Yeah, yeah, yeah,

yeah, it's just me.

Is it just you too?

- [Josie] Oh.

- Sorry.

- No, it's okay.

My parents are here.

But if you're asking

if I'm single?

- I never learned subtlety.

- They didn't offer that course

in any of your fancy

computer schools?

- Shocking, right?

Clearly, some of us

could have used it.

- Yeah, it is just me.

I should get you checked

in, right up here.

- Oh, thanks.

(peaceful music)

- Your room.

- You remembered.

- Of course.

Taking down your

Josh Hartnett poster

and replacing it with

a landscape photo,

doesn't fool me.

- Ah, the joys of

shared history.

- Do I still need to keep the

door open a ruler's length?

- That rule only applies

if we're both in here

and are 17.

I think since you're

a paying customer,

my parents will be okay

if you close the door.

I'll be downstairs

if you need anything.

- Thanks.

- Okay.

- Wow.

(Josie sighs)

(dial tone rings)

- [Nadia] Yo.

- All three of my high

school exes are here.

- Ooh, Merry Exmas, baby.

(glass clinks)

How's this one look?

- Incredible.

- Is he single?

- Seems like it.

- The best Christmas presents

are the ones you least expect.

You have a pimple

patch on your head.

- Cool.

Goodnight, babes.

- [Nadia] Goodnight, babes.

(Josie sighs)

(uptempo music)

- And Christmas tree

pancakes for Trudy

with a side of sprinkles.

Anyone else care to partake?

- I am very much used to

doing the serving myself.

- Well, I figured I'd

make myself useful.

- Sam!

Were you our late check-in?

[Lauren] I promise

I didn't know.

- It's okay, Mom.

- Mr. And Mrs. Fletcher, hi.

- Hey.

- Wow, the whole g*ng is here.

Hey, man.

- Sam.

- [Sam] Hey.

- So you were our

corporate reservation?

- Yeah, that was me.

- How lovely.

I heard you sold your company.

- Wow, word travels fast.

- Oh, when someone from

town makes a sale that big,

word's gonna get around.

- [Ellis] What's the company?

- QuantumCipher, it's

data encryption solutions.

- Oh, congrats, man.

- Yeah.

- How long are you in town for?

- Just Christmas.

My sister's house

was full of family,

so I thought I'd grab a room.

- So did you date Josie too?

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- Okay.

- Oh, that's weird, right?

- After me, before you.

- Mm, after me.

- Senior year

and some college, long distance.

- This is a complete

coincidence.

- I think it's great.

- So, what are everyone's plans?

- Well, we still

have a lot to do

to get ready for

the Christmas Crawl.

- Oh, action items, great,

I can take care of that.

- What's a Christmas Crawl?

- Well, it's actually a

big part of the reason

why we're here, kiddo.

Every Christmas Eve, a bunch

of the businesses in town

put up Christmas stations

and everybody goes

from place to place

getting treats and doing crafts.

- We're the cocoa house.

- [Lauren] One of three.

- The best cocoa house.

- So what are

everyone else's plans?

- I think I'm gonna

head over to my sister's

and check in with everyone.

- Yeah, we're gonna

take Trudy around town.

- Mm, you're gonna take

her by the community center

and show her the Battle

of the Bands photo?

- What are you doing?

- Have you seen your

dad's mohawk era?

- Excuse me?

(Miles laughs)

- Good memory.

- They won

two years in a row.

I wanted to book them

for the homecoming dance,

but administration thought

they were too punk.

- Punk, you say?

- Okay, your dad

was cool, all right?

What about you?

Swim team and student

council, right?

Did you end up in politics?

- Teacher.

- Nice.

- Can we talk about

our relationship?

- Sure, what about it?

- It was good, right?

- It was great.

- So why did we break up?

- We were 16.

Who needs reasons?

- I do.

I'm not trying to

re-litigate the past,

but it's become

increasingly clear

that there is a pattern

to my relationships

and it was already in place

when we dated in high school.

- Oh, okay.

How can I help?

- Do you like true

crime podcasts?

- I know of them.

- Think of this as

a crime in progress

that can only be avoided

by solving a cold case.

We are that cold case.

Can you help?

- I will try.

- Thank you.

- Can we maybe

defrost this cold case

over coffee later today?

- Yes, of course.

- Great.

Okay, yard display, Christmas

tree, cocoa, cocoa stand.

- Yeah.

- Okay, no problem.

Oh, Dad, I actually wanted to

talk to you about the cocoa.

- We always do cocoa.

We're the cocoa house.

- I know, and I

don't wanna get rid

of any of the

traditional elements,

but I do have an idea for how

we could plus it up this year.

- Really?

- Yes.

So at the hotel, we had an

artisanal bakery demonstration

and a big part of it was

making these trays of

handmade marshmallows.

So I was thinking

we could do a marshmallow

roasting station

right here at our fireplace.

- That's fantastic.

- Right?

It adds an activity element

to our spot on the crawl.

And everybody loves a

complimentary offering,

but they always remember an

activity even more fondly.

- You've really been honing

your customer service out there.

- Well, I learned from the best.

Only three more days

until Christmas Eve.

So, leave the list to me.

All right.

Set up yard display.

Reindeer.

- Hey Josie,

you got a minute?

- Yeah.

- Great.

So, I'm in a bit of a pickle.

See, Christmas Eve is

Clare and my anniversary.

- Oh, a Christmas Eve wedding.

- Yeah, 15 years.

- Adorable, congratulations.

- Thank you.

It's a big one and I'm a

notoriously bad gift giver.

I just, I really don't wanna

disappoint her this year.

- Well, lucky for you

there is a system in place

for anniversary gifts.

We get plenty of desperate

husbands at the hotel

so I have all the

big ones memorized.

It's wood, paper, tin, crystal.

15 years is crystal.

- Okay, great, crystal.

So, like

witchcraft?

- Oh wow.

- Would you please help

me find something in town?

- Yes, okay.

You head into town and

start getting some ideas.

I'm gonna meet up

with Ellis for coffee

and I will check in

with you after that.

- You're a lifesaver, thank you.

- Of course.

Witchcraft?

(pensive music)

Okay, for the tree.

Don't you go anywhere,

I'm coming back for you.

Where is the?

There you are.

All right, let's get

you out to the yard.

(pensive music continues)

Winston.

- Need a hand?

- Feel like decking the halls?

(peaceful music)

How was your sister's?

- Chaos.

Between my sister's family

and aunts and uncles and

cousins and their kids,

it's like 18 people

in that house.

- Whoa.

- Yeah, everybody's everywhere

running into each other.

It's a total systems nightmare.

(Josie laughs)

- I'd be over there trying to

get the whole thing in order.

- I don't even think Stevie

sees it as overwhelming.

She's like totally zen

about the whole thing,

just the liveliness

of the holidays.

- Huh.

- She could tell

that I was

overstimulated though,

and told me to take

off until dinner.

- Just my luck.

- Yeah, mine too.

So

you live in Chicago?

- Yeah, and you're in?

- New York.

- Ah, two pizzas both

alike in dignity.

- Oh, whoa, there is plenty,

plenty, plenty of room

for all pizzas.

(Josie laughs)

- We'll see.

So do you like

living in New York?

- It's a beautiful place,

but it's always kind of felt,

well, a little like

Stevie's house today.

Everybody is everywhere.

I don't know, I've

always felt more at home

in a place like Mill Creek.

Do you miss it?

- Mill Creek?

- Yeah.

- No, I mean, I miss

my parents obviously,

events like the Christmas Crawl,

adorable neighbors like

Mrs. Bramm, hold please.

- Oh, hey.

Whoa, what are you doing?

(snowball thuds)

That one's for

DoorDash, Mrs. Bramm.

(Mrs. Bramm laughs)

- You don't know what you're

getting into, Josie Fletcher.

- You started this.

- When you least

expect it, my dear.

- What is going on?

- When you least expect it.

- She knows what she did.

- I don't.

- So why do you stay in New York

if it doesn't feel like home?

- It's where I raised the

startup capital for my company

and it just kept growing

and growing from there.

But you're right, I

guess I don't have

anything tying me there anymore.

- So what are you gonna do now?

- I have no idea.

- Well, from the glisten

in my father's eyes

when he was talking about

the size of your sale,

sounds like you don't

really have to do anything.

- Oh yeah, well, I

can't do nothing.

- Hmm.

Well, if you're looking

for something to do,

I'm sure you could

help out anywhere.

I mean, 'tis the season

for part-time employment.

There are help wanted signs

in half the shops in town.

- Hey, you know, I never

did get one of those jobs

that everybody gets

in high school.

I just started getting paid

to help people with websites

and computers before

I got the chance.

- Could be fun.

- Hmm.

(cheery music)

(cafe patrons

chatter indistinctly)

- Wow.

- Well. how will I

know it's Christmas

without the cozy

lingering jitters

of a peppermint mocha?

What's going on, Ellis?

- Can you tell me your version

of what happened with us?

- Oh, easy peasy.

After junior prom,

you stopped liking me.

- No, nope.

- It lines up pretty cleanly.

- You broke up with me.

- Yeah, after weeks of

you not talking to me.

- [Ellis] I didn't

stop liking you.

- We stopped hanging out.

My Razr Sidekick went

conspicuously silent.

You avoided all of our spots.

I finally had to break

up with you over MySpace

because I couldn't find you.

- Ah, see,

this is my issue.

And it keeps happening,

it has not changed.

And I need it to change, Josie.

I need it to.

- What happened at junior prom?

- It was a great night,

you looked amazing.

Everything was perfect.

- Until?

- Dinner.

- Dinner was amazing.

It was all of our friends,

Catie and Joe, Christie and Leo.

- It was five

couples making plans,

trips with each

other's families,

coordinating class schedules,

applying to the same colleges.

And all of a sudden,

I couldn't breathe.

- Ah.

(Ellis exhales loudly)

Are you all right?

- See, this is how I react

when I remember other

people's high school plans.

You should see what

happens when someone talks

about moving in together.

- Oh?

- I've even gone so far

as renting a room in a B&B

in the same town I live in

so she can't find

me at my place.

- Oh.

- Yeah.

Her name's Darcy.

We've been together

for a year and a half.

She's the best.

- And you haven't

spoken to Darcy in?

- Four days.

- Ellis.

- Right, it's

nutso-cuckoo-sauce.

- Is this some sort of

afraid of commitment thing?

- I don't wanna be with

anyone else, I love her.

I can't explain it, we

basically live together anyway.

Her place, my place,

it doesn't matter.

But whenever I think about that

next step, I just shut down.

I'm hoping you can get me

back in the same room with her

before I blow Christmas.

- Oh boy.

- I know,

you were just always

the best communicator.

I'm hoping you can roadmap

a conversation for me

where I tell her

this isn't about her.

And I'm trying to work on it.

- Okay, okay, that's a

really clear action item.

We can role play.

I could be Darcy

and you can be you.

- Oh, okay.

- Where have you been?

- Whoa, I immediately hate this.

- Too angry?

- I hope so.

You think she's

gonna be that angry?

- Well, I was trying to go for a

"I've been so worried

about you" type of vibe.

- Mm-mm.

- I might need

to think about this

a little longer.

And I also have to get a

Christmas tree for the B&B.

Can we reconvene after milk

and cookie hour, try again?

- Yeah, yeah, of course.

Thanks for trying to help.

- Hey, we're gonna

figure this out.

(crowd chatters indistinctly)

(uptempo music)

- Oh, I'm sorry.

- Sorry.

- Sam?

- Hey.

- Are you tree shopping?

- Tree selling, I got a job.

- [Josie] Wow.

- Doing trees.

- That was fast.

But I guess your resume

speaks for itself.

- You know, they didn't

even ask me for it.

My sister, she

knows the lot owner,

and she told me

they needed help.

- Well, welcome to

seasonal employment.

How's the tree lot

life treating you?

- Great, yeah.

I sold one whole tree,

gave it a fresh cut,

tied it to the car

and everything.

- Yeah, you having fun?

- Yeah.

Hey, did you know that there's

more than one type

of Christmas tree?

I thought a Christmas

tree was a Christmas tree.

But there's pines

and balsams and firs,

and people have their opinions

and I can't tell the difference.

- Oh, actually, I think I have

a mnemonic device for that.

P is for pines and packets.

The needles come in packets?

- Why on earth would you have

a mnemonic device for

different types of trees?

- Well, it's like you

said, people have opinions.

The more I know,

the more I can help.

- Is there anything

you don't know?

- Oh, there's plenty.

But you'll never catch

me copping to it.

You'll just have to find

that out for yourself.

- I look forward to it.

- Right.

Well, I need to get

a tree for the B&B.

Do you wanna use your

newfound expertise

to help me find the perfect one?

- Hey, I'm your man.

But first,

wanna get some shopping gelato?

- What, now?

You can't take a break.

Didn't you just start

like a half hour ago?

- Come on, we'll be right back.

Sam.

(jazzy music)

- [Sam] Did your family always

have a real Christmas tree?

- Oh, absolutely.

I love that smell.

- My family always

had a fake one.

- Really?

- Yeah,

but it was always an event.

Every year we would pop

on a Christmas movie

and pull the tree outta storage,

pop the branches

back into place.

- Huh, and that always

felt just as special?

- Oh, for sure, yeah, yeah.

- I always loved

that trip to the tree

lot every year, though.

It's like its own

special sub-tradition,

all the kids bundled

up imagining their

Christmas mornings.

- The occasional handsome

Christmas tree salesman.

- Oh, goes without saying.

- Okay, I think you're

taking that one for granted.

You gotta get

lucky for that one.

(Josie laughs)

- No, but the anticipation

of walking through the trees,

it's like you have this idea

of what the perfect

one is gonna look like

so you just hunt and

hunt and hunt to find it.

- Yeah, the hunt can be fun,

but I think there's

something to be said

knowing that you've already

found the perfect one

and it's waiting for

you right at home.

- You sell artificial

trees over there, Sam?

- Nope, sure don't,

let's go hunt.

- Okay.

- Okay.

- So were you a

white lights family

or a rainbow lights family?

- Oh, rainbow

lights all the way.

- Hmm.

Big, old 1950s style bulbs

or modern-day cuties?

- Modern-day cuties.

Plus, had a lot of

handmade ornaments.

Stevie always had a

real knack for 'em.

- I love that.

My hotel's all white lights,

which is very elegant,

but we've always been a

rainbow lights family.

There's just something

so cozy about them.

And even though we've

always been a B&B,

my parents always

wanted to make sure

it still felt like a home.

- Was it weird

growing up in a place

where there was always random

people popping in and out?

- I didn't know any different.

But you get really

good at figuring out

what people want

from you right away.

Some people wanna tell

you their problems.

Some people wanna chat.

And some people don't

wanna engage at all.

But with all of them,

you can always tell immediately,

right when you

look in their eyes.

(Sam laughs)

- Well, maybe you can,

but I definitely cannot.

I need people to tell

me what they want.

- I bet you're better

at it than you think.

- No, I'm not.

- Hmm, okay.

Look at me.

What do I want?

- You...

want...

a Christmas tree.

- Ah, look at you.

- All right.

Context clues kind of

gave that one away.

What do I want?

- Hmm, okay.

You want...

to find what you've

been missing.

Sharp spruce.

If the needles are sharp

and stiff, it's a spruce,

fluffy and friendly, it's a fir.

- Yes, great, and

which mnemonic are

we in the mood for today?

- Well, as a professional,

what is your recommendation?

You sure you don't want me

to take that back with me?

- I'll bring it

back when I'm done.

- Okay, well, thanks

for your help.

- Well, thank you for

being my second ever sale.

- All right, I'll see you later.

- Bye.

- Bye.

(Josie sighs)

(tranquil music)

Well, I see your problem, Miles.

You're in a hardware store.

- They have some other stuff.

- [Josie] Miles.

- I told you I needed help.

- Crystal, buddy, crystal.

- They have a sign

that says crystal.

- Copper, bronze, crystal.

Those are fixtures, Miles.

The woman wants to feel loved.

She's not redoing

her bathroom sink.

- Of course, I mean it's

obvious they mean fixtures

when someone with a functional

brain points it out.

I don't know, it's this

whole gift giving thing.

It's like I short circuit.

- Well, maybe you should

be in a jewelry store.

- Seriously?

You wanna send a blind soldier

onto the biggest

minefield of all time?

Okay.

- It's easy.

Clare likes jewelry that

is simple and elegant.

Like this morning at breakfast,

she was wearing these

adorable silver danglies

and a delicate

herringbone chain.

- She was?

- Yes.

- It's like I don't

see that stuff.

When I look at Clare,

I see the woman I love.

I see the possibility

of us in her eyes

on the day we met,

her smiling at me as she

walked down the aisle

on our wedding day,

her squeezing my hand

the day Trudy was born.

I see an entire lifetime I

can't imagine without her.

- That's beautiful.

- All this other stuff,

it's just window dressing.

I see the hot dog,

not the condiments.

- Okay, that's less beautiful.

- If you're gonna send

me into a jewelry store,

I need you standing

like right next to me

or else I'll end up, I don't

know, redoing her sink.

- Okay, well, we can't go now.

I have to get everything

ready to decorate the tree.

- Yeah, I promised

Clare and Trudy I'd

meet them for dinner.

- Okay.

- [Miles] Hey, Josie?

- Yeah.

- Should I get the hot stuff

oven mitt just in case?

- No, absolutely not.

- You sure?

- I am sure.

- It's so cool.

- Put it down, Miles.

- Fine.

(gentle music)

- You know, I haven't

put a tree up in years.

- Sam.

That's so sad.

- I was living alone and it

just always felt kind of lonely.

- Hmm.

- Well, I live alone

and I put up a tree every year.

This is more fun, though.

- Are you single, Sam?

(Josie clears throat)

- I'm, uh,

married to the job.

- People say that,

but I think it represents a

pretty dim view of marriage.

- No, no, I mean that--

- I know it communicates

that you're a busy person,

but jobs demand that

you meet them on their terms.

They boil you down to a very

specific version of yourself.

- Well, I kind of

like that, though.

There's something nice about

knowing what's expected.

- It could be a very

fulfilling part of life,

especially if you're good at it,

which you clearly both are,

but that's all it is,

a part of life.

A marriage is a life.

It doesn't ask for one

little part of you.

It wants the whole thing.

- [Lauren] Mm-hmm.

- It's two people

bringing all of themselves

to one life every day.

Nothing feels better than that.

- If you find the right person.

- And I did.

- But you two got

to combine the two.

This B&B, it's such a reflection

of your lives together.

- It is.

- Well, have you ever thought

about streamlining

any of your processes?

I see that all the

guests still sign

themselves into a logbook.

- Oh, well, it's

all on the computer.

We just don't have

it on public display.

- Oh?

- Yeah.

B&B clientele want to step

into an older stay experience.

You know, they wanna check

in on an old leather book

and be handed physical keys.

I keep trying to convince

them to get old doors

so we can give our guests

the old skeleton keys.

- That's a great idea.

- Doesn't it seem

kind of theatrical?

I would feel silly.

- Well, you know

what else is silly?

- The phrase cha-ching.

(Graham laughs)

(jazzy holiday music)

Felt like a long

time but it's here

So let the good

vibes roll in

When we're together

Together, it's

Christmas time

There's nothing better

When everything

just feels so right

This magic weather

We'll live and learn

together at Christmas time

Together

Together at Christmas time

(group cheers and applauds)

- [Josie] Get and decorate

Christmas tree, check.

- It's perfect.

Oh, I miss putting

up the tree with you.

- Me too, Mom.

But this is exactly

the kind of thing

that milk and cookie

hour could use.

Just something new each night

to give everyone a

reason to attend.

And it doesn't have to be

as big as putting up a tree,

but, you know, a new

snack or activity or game.

I'll think on it.

(peaceful music)

- You know, you have a lot of

great ideas for this place.

- Well, hospitality is my game.

I mean, I definitely learned

a lot running the hotel,

but growing up here really

laid the groundwork.

I just love creating

the perfect atmosphere,

turning people's experiences

into something magical.

- Sounds like it doesn't

give you a lot of time

to focus on yourself.

- It's worth it.

- You ever feel like you're

missing out on something?

- I love my dad's perspective,

but I don't think

hospitality boils me down

into a tiny version of myself.

I mean, it's problem solving

and attention to detail,

it's compassion and 1,000

points of human interaction.

It engages all of me.

- Running QuantumCipher

gave me the same thing.

As we grew, I had

to split my time

between the system

that we were building

and the people who were

helping me get there.

I engaged with so many lives

and provided so many livelihoods

that it just became

crystal clear what I

was missing out on.

- What's that?

- Why'd you stopped calling

me our freshman year?

Did you find somebody else?

- No.

- Then why?

- I wanted to see how long

it would take you to call me.

- But you were the one

that always called.

- Yeah.

It started to feel

a little one-sided.

- I would text you all the time.

- That started to feel

like passing notes,

bite-sized check-ins

between things,

as opposed to spending

real time on the phone

at the end of the night.

- No, I loved those phone calls.

Those phone calls, they were

the best hour of my day.

- Three weeks.

Took you three weeks to call me.

- Remember when I did you were

distant and

distracted.

- I had had three weeks of

feeling like you didn't care.

I guess I just

wanted you to have

a taste of your own medicine.

- And you stopped responding

to my text messages so often

and then kind of stopped

responding at all.

- A textbook breakdown

in communication.

I was very much 18 years old.

- I missed you.

So much.

- I missed you too.

I should have kissed him.

- Ugh, definitely.

- How's everything

at the Crabtree?

Falling apart at the seams?

- Nope, it's too well sewn.

French seams, even.

Couldn't fray if it wanted to.

(Josie laughs)

- And how's prep going for

the Christmas Eve high tea?

- Oh, it's going so good.

Marco was just running me

through the final menu.

He made these

gluten-free cupcakes

that are just nom,

nom, nom, nom, nom.

- Ooh, delicious.

Oh, and did someone double check

that we got everything we

ordered from the rental place?

They're usually pretty good,

but every now and then

they miss a piece.

- Beep, beep.

You have exceeded your

work question limit.

Beep, cannot compute.

- No, no, I'm sorry, I just

can't turn my brain off.

- Mm-hmm.

This robot will talk to

you again later. Beep.

Over and out.

- Over and out.

(Josie sighs)

(group chatters indistinctly)

- Sorry, Mom, I got a little

bit of a late start today.

- Late night?

- Just catching up on old times.

- That's funny, I had

a late night as well,

waiting for someone to

workshop something with me.

Got a bit of a Christmas

deadline looming.

- Oh, sh**t, Ellis,

I am so sorry.

It completely slipped my mind.

Can we workshop after breakfast?

- Wait, weren't

we gonna go to...

Didn't you need my help in town?

You know, for the

Christmas Crawl?

- Yes, I do.

- What about sledding?

- You and Mom head

straight for the hill

and I'll join you with

some hot chocolate

after helping Josie in town.

- And I will be back by

1:00 to help you work

towards your goal.

- Well, if you need

a hand in town,

I'm more than happy to pitch in.

- Oh, perfect.

- It's gotta be Miles.

- Oh?

- Yes.

Because Miles used to work

at the market in town,

and so he's gonna

help me get a deal

on all of the things we need

for the Christmas Crawl.

- I didn't know you

ever worked at a market.

- Oh yeah, high school job.

Restocking shelves,

running the register,

you know...

vegetables.

- A mohawk and a market man.

I'm learning so much about you.

- Josie, if there's too

much to do on that list

to get it done by tomorrow,

your dad and I can

take care of it.

- Oh, no, it's not a problem.

I can do all the things,

that's what I do.

And I can get them all

at a better price point

thanks to Miles.

But I'll be quick and

I'll be back by 1:00.

(jaunty music)

[Josie] All right, what

are your instincts?

- Well, my first instinct

is to head towards the exit.

- Okay, don't do that.

Look, I know it's overwhelming

and there's a lot

to choose from.

So let's just narrow

it down, okay?

We can peruse.

Try again, trust your instinct.

- That looks fancy.

- It does, 'cause it is.

It's too fancy.

See, Clare feels like

the kind of woman

who wants to wear her jewelry.

You keep that thing in a safe.

- Just looks like the

kind of thing women like.

- Okay, no, forget

about womenkind,

we are only shopping for Clare.

That's the key to gift

giving, specificity.

It should communicate

that you put time

into thinking about

what she would enjoy.

Trust me, I've gotten

plenty of generic gifts

that have communicated

to me my boyfriend knew

how to Google "Top 10

lady gifts of the year."

Hey, we're not just shopping

for any old pack of hot dogs.

We're shopping for

your special hot dog.

- Right.

- I've also gotten

plenty of gifts

that have been way

more about the giver,

ostensibly so we could

spend more time together,

but really geared more towards

their interests than mine.

Skis that came with lessons,

because I've never

gone skiing before.

It's the gift that says,

hey, all this time we've

been spending together has

really shown me how

much I miss skiing.

- Oh, I've done one of those.

- Of course you have.

- Yeah, I got her a wine

of the month membership

to hopefully find out

the one that she loves.

- Let me guess, you

love wine, she doesn't.

- She thinks it's okay.

I just thought be a fun

project to do together.

- And a project is a

great idea for a gift

as long as it's something you

both enjoy doing together.

Or if it's something

she enjoys more,

that's even better.

That's the gift that says,

"Hey, I know you like

this more than me,

but I'm willing

to devote my time

into experiencing it with you

because you're special to me."

- Right.

- Well, that's a lot to process.

So you need to get

to the sledding hill

and I have to get to the market.

But I think we're

making progress.

- Yeah, me too.

- Okay.

(Josie grunts softly)

- Josie.

(Josie shrieks)

- Ellis, hi.

- You want a hand

with those groceries?

- Oh, I was just

coming to see you.

- Thought I'd meet

you, get some air.

Gimme that.

- Oh, thank you.

- You're crazy.

- Well, you know,

someone's gotta do it.

- Yeah, I guess so.

- [Josie] So how'd

you and Darcy meet?

- [Ellis] App.

- [Josie] Ah, the apps.

Yeah, I haven't had a

lot of luck with those.

- [Ellis] I hadn't

either until I did.

It only takes one.

You recognize this?

- [Josie] Of course I

do, it's your old house.

- You spend your entire

childhood in the house

and you think it's gonna

feel like home forever,

but it doesn't.

My folks sold it 10 years ago.

Thought it'd be weird to

pass by it all the time,

see another family living

in there, but it's not.

That intimate feeling

of connection is gone.

It's like seeing an ex.

- Well, it seems like they're

taking good care of it.

- It looks great.

But now it's just a memory.

The one place I was sure

would feel permanent.

You move out and you live

in apartments for a while,

you know that's not permanent.

You finally buy a place

and you think that home

feeling is gonna come back,

but it doesn't.

It's home, but it's not

home.

I think you only ever get one

place that feels like that

and it's the place

where you grew up.

That's what they mean when they

say you can't go home again.

You might not have

that problem, though,

if whoever your parents

sell to keep it a B&B.

You'll always be

able to go back home

as long as there's a vacancy.

- Did they say something

about selling it?

- No, but you know, eventually.

- Right.

You wanna see if they'll

let you take a look around?

- Nah, I'm just gonna

remember it the way it was.

Looks great, though.

Love the decorations.

- [Josie] Coming.

(Josie and Ellis laugh)

(Josie sighs)

All right, I'm gonna need to be

working on these

marshmallows while we chat,

if that's all right.

- Maybe the reason

you ditched me is

because you're juggling

too many things.

- Okay, you're

right and I'm sorry,

but the only way out is through.

- You could ask for help.

- It's all right, I got it.

- Would you like me to help?

- Yes, please.

So where were we?

- You were terrifying me

with a hopefully inaccurate

depiction of Darcy's anger.

- Right.

Ellis, what's the goal?

You don't wanna break

up with Darcy, right?

- No! No, absolutely

not, I love Darcy.

- Okay, I'm gonna say something

a little hard, all right?

The actions that you

are taking right now is

you passively breaking

up with Darcy.

You're ghosting, dude.

- I know.

I hate it.

- Okay,

so you don't wanna break up,

but your actions are

leading down that path.

The question is, are you

willing to try the other path?

The one where your and

Darcy's relationship goes

somewhere new.

- I want to be able to.

- Okay, well, there is someone

far more qualified than me

to discuss your relationship.

- I will find a therapist

after the New Year.

- I mean Darcy.

I think you need to be willing

to try and ask her for help.

- That's, like, really direct.

- It's okay.

I will help you get all of

your talking points in order,

but we know that you want one

outcome more than the other.

So screw your courage

to the sticking place

and we'll not fail.

- Okay, period three English

with Mrs. Staranowicz.

(Josie laughs)

(gentle acoustic music)

- You got it.

(Josie laughs)

- Have you come to

oversee assembly?

- We've put that up

together ever since you were

seven years old.

I may not be much help,

but I couldn't pass

up the opportunity.

- Well, how about a

little role reversal?

You can hold the corners

and I'll screw 'em in.

(Josie laughs)

(drill whirs)

Here we go.

Okay, that should do it.

- [Graham] Okay.

- [Josie] I can't believe

you let me hand paint

all this stuff on the front.

- What do you mean,

it's the best part.

- Well, I could have

used some stencils,

gotten these lines

a little cleaner.

- Oh, Joey, you were 10

when you painted these.

Every time I put up the arch,

I can see your

determined little face,

trying to get every

detail perfect.

- Trying to.

- Ah, Joey,

you were 10.

I don't know if you

remember it now,

but after you painted these,

all the families that

came into this lobby would

ooh and ah over how

pretty you made the arch

and you beamed.

It always made the event

so much more special.

You started acting embarrassed

about it by the

time you were 14.

But I could still see that

10-year-old pride peeking out.

I still can.

When everybody appreciated

what you and Sam did

with the Christmas tree

the other night.

I saw my 10-year-old Joey again.

(Graham sighs)

You've always had a knack for

making things feel special.

- Well, you and Mom always

made me feel I could.

- Eh, we just got

outta your way.

- You paved the way.

I grew up watching how much care

you and Mom put into this place,

the way you always

wanted to make sure

every guest felt

completely at home.

- Well, looks like you made

Sam feel pretty much at home.

- Dad.

- Oh, speaking of.

- No, no, no, no, no, no.

Promise me you will not

say anything like that

when he's here.

- No promises.

- Dad, I know you

think it's funny,

but it's really not funny, okay?

(Graham laughs)

- [Graham] I haven't

seen you act like this

since you were a teenager.

- Just no smoochie

smoochie talk.

I will die, I will

actually physically die.

- Hello.

- Hey.

- Hey, Sam, we were

just talking about you.

- [Sam] Oh really?

- Yeah, yeah.

I'm not as much help as I

usually am with the arch,

so I thought you'd make a

good second set of hands.

- My pleasure.

- Well, it's actually

pretty much assembled,

but you can stick around and

help spruce it up if you want.

- Spruce it up?

- Yeah, you gotta get in on

that cottagecore game, Dad.

- Cottagecore?

- You have to create

a visual moment

that is so picturesque

that guests can't help

but wanna post pictures

of themselves in there.

- That's some of that

social media stuff, huh?

- Well, it's all about

the socials, my man.

Advertising you don't

have to pay for.

- I don't know how to break

this to you, Joey, but I'm old.

- We're already doing it, Dad.

People are definitely

gonna wanna take pictures

of their kids toasting

their homemade marshmallows

in our fireplace.

Oh, you know what we should do?

Add some more twinkle lights

and whatever else we can find

so that people have no choice

but to want a selfie here.

- [Graham] Whatever you say.

- Okay, we've done the

house, we've done the tree,

the front display is set.

So, anything we have

left is fair game.

- Got it.

- Did you check in with

the tree lot today?

- Oh, Mr. Harrison

said he had it covered.

Told him to call me if anybody

needed a break the cold.

- You know, I've never had

one of those kind of

jobs before either.

I've always just worked here.

- Yeah, it's my first

time working directly

with the public.

- Ah, it's the best.

- Really?

Even when they get mad

at you for tying a tree

to their car a different

way than they would?

- Like, yeah, it's tough.

But even when they're upset,

if you just hold their

eyes long enough,

they're forced to look

at you as a person,

not just a functionary.

At the end of the day, people

just wanna feel taken care of.

- Who takes care of you?

(emotive music)

- I take care of myself.

- Does that ever get lonely?

- Twinkle lights.

See, it's already looking

so much more festive.

Just a few more

snowy pine bundles

and our selfie snare

will be complete.

- What?

- You've only been here

a few days and I've

already seen you introduce

so many innovations to the B&B.

Just imagine what you could do

if you rolled your sleeves up.

- Well, everything we've

been doing is pretty simple.

Anyone could do it.

- Yeah, but they

didn't, you did.

You should stay.

See how far you can take it.

- I have to get back to

the hotel after Christmas.

- You have to?

- That's where my life is, Sam.

Just like yours is in New York.

- Just one version of life.

Imagine pouring all of

your passion and talents

into something with

no chain of command

and no corporate guidelines,

into a company that

you would actually own.

- I don't own this place.

My parents do.

- For now.

I can't imagine anyone

who could modernize

the B&B experience

while still preserving

the traditional charm.

You can make this

place better than ever.

- All that stuff takes money.

- I have money.

- Sam, what are you doing?

- What?

I'm just really enjoying

spending time with you.

- I think

you're a little

confused right now.

Selling that company was

a big, big change for you,

and it's all just

a huge adjustment.

- No, I am not

confused about you.

- You haven't known me in years.

- You're still the same

Josie that I've always known.

You've got the same drive

and charm and ambition.

- Sam.

- The only difference is

you're more beautiful

now than ever.

- Sam.

- [Sam] What?

- Are we talking about

the B&B or us right now?

- I'm talking about all of it.

- Well, all of it is a lot.

- Okay, yeah, no, you're right.

All of it, that's a lot.

All of it's a lot.

And, um, we...

should break it up into parts.

So, part one: Business.

When I see the opportunity

to get into a new marketplace

with someone who is

uniquely talented,

I get excited, okay?

That makes business sense to me.

Number two:

Us.

I haven't felt

connected to anyone

the way that we

felt in high school.

And I've been spending

the last 20 years

chalking it up to some insane

emotional teenage high.

But the second that I

walked through that door

and I saw you, something

lit up inside of me.

And that's not about youth.

It's about

realizing

where you belong.

And I feel like,

I feel like I'm coming home.

Are you not feeling

what I'm feeling?

- I have a whole

life in the city.

It is a life that I am proud of,

that I've worked really hard on.

And everything that you just

said, as beautiful as it is,

asks me to turn

my back on things

I have been working

on for decades.

- No, no, no, no, no.

- And the stall is not finished,

and I have to get

back to the fireplace

and the marshmallows

and processing

a beautiful confession of love

is not on my to-do list, Sam.

So I'm just gonna need a minute.

- Okay, can we add

it to the list?

- [Josie] As soon

as I find a pen.

- Okay.

(Josie exhales)

- Hey, Josie, I think

I got the perfect--

- Not now, Miles.

- Understood.

(emotive music continues)

- Sam, I.

- Oh! Gah!

- Mom, sorry.

- Cracking ice, Josie.

What are you doing in here?

- I just needed some

space from things.

What are you doing here?

- I just came to get the

marshmallow roasting rods,

get 'em washed up for tomorrow.

- Oh, I can get that for you.

- No, one less thing for

you to have to worry about.

You're already juggling so much,

and that's not how we wanted

you to spend your time at home.

- Oh, Mom.

(Josie sobs)

- Oh, oh, honey.

What?

Oh, shh.

(Lauren shushes)

- I just left him standing there

holding the Christmas lights.

I mean, what do you say to

somebody who tells you all that?

- Yeah, it's a lot

to think about,

but I will also say

that it sounds like

a nice thing to hear.

- It's not like

I haven't thought

about relationships.

I've had plenty

of relationships.

Maybe Sam's right.

I haven't felt this way

about anyone since him.

Since I hadn't felt

anything close,

I guess I just started to think

it wasn't in the plan for me.

- Oh, sweetie.

You could plan and

plan all you want.

There's always gonna

be something that

pops up unexpectedly.

Sometimes it's rough,

like a bum knee

that shows you it might

be time to shift gears,

or it might be something

really beautiful

like someone carrying

you in their heart

for their whole life.

(Josie sighs)

The question isn't

whether or not

there are gonna be surprises.

It's whether or not

you want to make room

in your plan for them.

- Can you believe this

whole thing about us

taking over the B&B,

as if you and Dad would

ever give this place up.

- Well.

- [Josie] Mom?

- We have started talking

about the possibility

of selling.

- What?

- [Lauren] Yeah.

- To who?

- Well, no one in particular.

- Oh, good.

- There are a few options.

- Mom.

- Well,

your father's surgery

popped up unexpectedly

to show us a few things.

And we're trying

to rework our plan

around that new information.

- But a B&B is like a

retirement business model.

It's like the

textbook definition

of a business for

retired people.

- It's a lot of upkeep and

we've been doing it a long time.

We love this place

with all our hearts,

but we always knew that

eventually it would go

to somebody else.

- But you weren't counting on me

to be the one to

come and run it?

- Oh, Josie, no.

No, we knew you were

staying in the city.

Every time we visit you,

it's clear what a wonderful

home you've made there.

- But this is home.

This has always been home.

- Do you think Sam would

still be interested in buying

the place even if you

weren't the one to run it?

- Mom!

- Well...

You okay?

- I am getting unbelievable

information overload tonight.

It turns out that things

that I thought were

just in the past are very

much a part of the present.

And things that I thought

of as permanent are

not only temporary,

but already in a

state of transition.

I need time to process.

(Lauren exhales)

- Now, where are

those roasting rods?

- You're late.

I've almost made it

to the last batch.

- You kept going.

- Yeah, it's not like I

was trying to busy work

my way through an

emotional crisis.

(Josie's breath hitches)

- I could use a little bit

of that myself right now.

- Grab an apron.

(determined music)

I light a candle, put the

presents 'round the tree

The sound of carols

fills the air

Outside, the snow is falling

I hear the children calling

The way it always used to be

I still remember how we

loved this time of year

We kissed beneath

the mistletoe

And as I hung the ivy

I felt two arms around me

Wishing you were

here for Christmas

- Mm, perfection.

- Mm, I think it could

use one more ingredient.

Eh?

- Ooh, yes please.

- Not for the Christmas Crawl,

but just for a

couple of grownups

who have had a very long day.

Okay.

Much better.

We'll try again.

- A toast.

There are good

ships and wood ships

and ships that sail the sea,

but the best ships

be friendships.

May they always be.

(mugs clank)

- Hear, hear.

(Josie laughs)

Mm.

- Ooh.

- Uh-huh.

- Mm-hmm.

- Yeah.

- Yeah, I felt that.

- You got a little.

- Oh, really, okay?

(Josie laughs)

- And, ah.

(Clare and Trudy laugh)

Yeah, whatever, all right.

Laugh away.

- Eggnog?

- [Sam] Mm.

Josie's idea?

- Something different

every night.

- Do you think she's

gonna join us tonight?

- She needs to finish making

the marshmallows for tomorrow.

- Oh, why don't I go help her?

- Maybe not tonight.

- She told you.

- You gave her a lot

to think about, Sam.

Josie processes things out loud.

- You think she's

gonna tell everyone?

- I'm sure she just needs

time for introspection now.

- Yeah.

- Do you want to be with Sam?

- I'd love to try.

But how?

Drop everything and move here?

Dive headlong into

a relationship

and a business partnership

at the same time?

That sounds like a simple

solution to modern living.

- See, it's hard

when out of the blue,

someone wants to redefine

aspects of who you are.

- Yep.

- And I've had a lot of time

to think about Darcy

while making huge,

igloo block-sized bricks

of artisanal marshmallows.

- Give it to me.

- It's not that I don't

wanna live together,

but right now we have

something truly wonderful

that totally works.

Every subsequent

change that we make is

an opportunity for her

to find out something

she doesn't like about me.

- Oh.

- I want things to

be this good forever.

- So you're not

afraid of commitment.

You're afraid of her finding out

she's afraid of commitment

once you've already committed.

- Bingo bango.

- Breakthrough.

(high five slap)

You've done the work.

Now you gotta say

all that to her.

- Can I text it?

- No, you may not.

- I'll call her tomorrow morning

and invite her to

the Christmas Crawl.

- Now this is what we

call cocoa courage.

(mugs clank)

(fire crackles)

- [Nadia] What?

- I know.

- Too much, too fast.

I don't care how cute he is.

- Thank you.

(cough off-camera)

Is someone there with you?

- Don't worry about it.

- Am I interrupting something?

- So Marco and I

just got off work

and now we're hanging out.

- And I've just been

babbling, I am so sorry.

Hi, Marco.

Wait...

Is this a date?

- Yes.

- No.

- Yes.

- Maybe.

- Ooh.

- Josie, I think this

guy sounds really nice.

- Yeah, of course

he sounds nice.

That's not what we're talking

about right now, Marco.

- Okay, well why'd you

break up in the first place?

- I guess technically

we didn't ever break up.

We just stopped talking.

So maybe this isn't

coming out of nowhere.

Maybe we've just been

in this completely silent,

non-monogamous relationship

for the past 20 years.

Like two computers

set to sleep mode

and he finally decided to

hit the space bar tonight.

- Is that him?

Show me.

- Okay, he is kind of cute.

(upbeat, rhythmic music)

(group chatters indistinctly)

- So does everyone know?

- Know what?

So, it's Christmas Eve.

I know we have the

Christmas Crawl later,

but what's everyone's

plans until then?

- Well, there's still a lot of

setup to do before the crawl,

so I will be busy doing that.

- Ah, so I guess that means

Trudy and I will

see you tonight.

- What?

- Well, I just assumed

that today will be

like every other day.

- [Miles] Clare.

- This whole trip was

supposed to be

about family time,

but you're choosing to

spend it helping Josie

with whatever she needs.

- I... Right, okay,

look, I know I said that.

- No, you're right.

I have been taking up way

too much of Miles's time.

I'm sorry.

- You don't have to do that.

- No, Josie,

this is not about

you, you're so sweet.

This is about Miles and

how he set the expectations

for this trip versus

how he's choosing

to actually spend his time.

- Hey, look, it's

not really her fault.

It was her simply

doing me a favor.

- [Ellis] While she was

doing you this favor

were you also elbows

deep in marshmallow mix?

The only way I could get

her to listen to me was

through hours of manual labor.

- I didn't tell you to keep

making the marshmallows.

I said I needed to

make them while we talk

and then you just kept going.

- [Sam] Hey, Ellis, after

she was listening to you,

did she go around and tell

everyone exactly what you said?

- What's all this?

- The eggs are really

good this morning, Dad.

- Yeah, yeah, they're okay.

There seems to be

something going on here

that I don't have access to.

- Oh, there is someone

that you didn't tell.

- Tell me what?

- It, nothing,

it's not important.

- Not important?

Oh, well, it was

important to me.

- No, I was just trying to

move the conversation along

before I ended up

telling somebody else,

which I'm already gathering is

something you're not a fan of,

but it sounds like you

wanna tell him, so tell him.

- Let's tell him.

- I'll tell him.

- Mom!

- It seems that Sam here has

taken a particular interest...

- Okay, Mom.

- In our B&B.

- [Graham] Oh.

- [Lauren] He figured we were

starting to think about retiring

and expressed an interest

in taking the property

to the next phase.

- Why is everyone

getting so upset?

I don't think that should

be some sort of big secret.

- Yeah, I think

that's great, Sam.

- Wait, that's

what you told them?

- I thought we

were talking about

the whole confession

of love thing.

- See?

- No, okay, all right.

You know what?

The Christmas Crawl is in

just a few hours so I need

everybody to keep it

together so we can provide

these families with a

magical Christmas experience.

Think of the children.

- Seriously.

(cheerful holiday music)

Are you ready, ready

Are you ready

Are you ready for Christmas

Are you decking the halls

Are you ready for Christmas

We'll be having a ball

Are you ready for Christmas

Are you having some fun

Are you ready for Christmas

It's only just begun

It's only just begun

(snowball thuds)

- Oh.

- Oh, what?

(Mrs. Bramm laughs)

- Good shot, Mrs. Bramm.

- [Graham] Extra cups.

- [Lauren] Oh, these

turned out great.

- Hmm.

- Those aren't for you.

- [Graham] Nothing for Santa?

- Okay, Trudy, you're gonna be

what a con artist

would call a shill,

but what we in the hospitality

industry would prefer to call

a carrot.

Any kid who sees you

toasting a marshmallow is

gonna have to do it too.

So just look like

you're having fun.

- I am having fun.

- The perfect carrot.

Thanks for helping out.

- Of course.

Miles is once again

unaccounted for.

- His heart's in the

right place, you'll see.

- I'm sorry I dragged

you into it at breakfast.

- Oh, no, it's okay.

- Me too.

I don't really think

you tricked me into

making marshmallows.

I'm just nervous

about seeing Darcy.

I know you're juggling

more than you expected.

- Thanks.

Has anyone seen Sam?

- Not since breakfast.

- [Graham] h*, h*, h*.

- Merry Christmas, Laurie.

- Here they come, look alive.

- Mommy, Mommy, look

at my marshmallow.

I'm doing it.

- Such a pro.

(group laughs)

(cheery music)

- There you go, enjoy.

This is perfect, Josie.

You took our favorite thing,

you made it even better.

- It's my favorite thing too,

here you go, happy roasting.

- Good to see you,

Merry Christmas.

About last night, I didn't mean

that you don't belong here.

I mean, look at this.

You're better at running

this place than we are.

- No, that's not

true, I could never.

- You went and

did your own thing

and we couldn't be prouder

of the life you've made

for yourself,

and we didn't want you

to end up back here

out of some sense of obligation.

- It just never occurred to me

that there would ever come a day

that you and Dad would

stop running the B&B.

I think I took for granted

that I could always

come running home

and cozy up in your warm,

little Christmas world

you've created.

I just thought it

would last forever.

- It doesn't have to be

forever to be special.

I love you, Mom.

- Oh, Josie, I love you always.

- Family hug.

- Oh.

- I love you, Dad.

- I love you, Joey.

- Aww.

Merry Christmas.

- Don't forget a stick.

- [Lauren] Hi, Merry

Christmas, come on in.

Oh, this here, enjoy.

Yeah, take those,

you're gonna need 'em.

- Hey guys.

- Oh, hello there.

- Taste this.

- Mm, that's perfect,

did you make that?

- Yep.

- It's amazing.

Hey, can I borrow

Mom for a minute?

(tender music)

I'm so sorry I

kept disappearing.

I have spent the

entire week obsessing

over what would make

you feel special,

and it's had the

complete opposite result.

- We just want to

spend time with you.

- See, I love that, I do.

I just wanted to get

you something that shows

you how special you are to me.

Happy anniversary.

- Oh.

(tender music continues)

Oh.

- That was the day that

you changed my life,

the day we started building our

own traditions year by year.

And we could see it in

every Christmas tree

we put up together.

The ornaments from

our childhoods,

hanging next to the

ones we found together,

and all the ones that Trudy

made when she was little.

It gets more beautiful

and meaningful

every year we spend together.

- Dad, come toast a marshmallow.

- I'd love to.

(warm music)

- Ellis.

- Hey.

- What are you doing here?

Well, aren't you in witness

protection or something?

Well, this can't

possibly be safe.

You'll blow your cover.

(Ellis laughs)

- I'm really sorry

I've been avoiding you.

- Hold on, if you are in fact

not in witness protection,

you must be breaking up with me.

- No, I'm not.

You said we should

move in together

and I couldn't.

- It's okay, Ellis,

we don't have to.

- No, no. I want...

I haven't been able

to talk about this

and I need to

'cause I...

I love you.

- Okay.

- The times I'm happiest are

when I'm with you.

But what if we move in together

and suddenly you realize

that you can't stand

the sound of me eating?

What if you immediately

wanna break up with me

and we just signed a lease?

- I already know

what you sound like

when you're eating, Ellis.

I know that you are a

heavy night breather.

I know what you look

like when you have a cold

and you have that tissue

perma-lodged in your nose.

And I asked you to

move in together

already knowing all of that.

But I get it, it's big.

And from my perspective,

it's worth the risk.

And I like our odds.

The question is whether

you trust me enough

to take the risk with me.

Because I trust you.

- I'm coming home.

- You freaked me out.

(warm music continues)

(Josie claps)

- You wanna toast

some marshmallows?

- Sure.

- I made them.

- What?

- Yeah, I've been staying here

with my high school

ex-girlfriend's parents

and I learned to make gourmet

homemade marshmallows.

- Ah, I think maybe you need

to start from the beginning.

- Okay, so...

(jaunty holiday music)

- So cute.

- Oh.

- Hi.

- Hi.

- You remember my sister?

- Oh, of course. Hi, Stevie.

- Hi, Josie, welcome home.

I hope it hasn't

been too stressful.

- No.

Oh, you got a whole

group here, huh?

- Yeah.

- Do you guys wanna

toast some marshmallows?

They're homemade.

- Do you have a second to talk?

- Yes, she does.

- Mom, I can speak for myself.

- I just meant that

we could handle this.

- Yes, I do.

(emotive acoustic music)

- So I spoke to my

sister and I get it now.

- Yeah?

- Yeah, it's good

to speak to someone

outside of our situation

to get some perspective.

- I didn't mean

to embarrass you.

I am so sorry.

- I know the perspective I

got is that I'm bad at this.

- No.

- No, I am,

I'm very bad at this.

I think about things

like I'm an entrepreneur

and when you get a gut

feeling about something,

you're supposed to

pursue it right away.

And the truth is, with the

B&B and you running it,

it seems like a really

great investment.

And I bundled all that up

with my feelings towards you

into some all-or-nothing package

because I'm bad at this.

So forget the B&B.

I'm interested in you.

And I don't need to

live in New York,

I don't need live in Mill Creek,

I would just...

I would like

to be close to you.

- Well, I am also bad at this.

And the reason that I walked

away last night is because

I do feel the same

things as you.

But that meant I had

a lot to think about.

I should have just talked to

you instead of running away.

- Well, if you have any interest

in seeing if we still

work as a couple,

I could get a place in Chicago.

- Well, I actually know

of a pretty nice hotel

with extended stay options.

- Yeah?

And you're sure

management would be okay

with me staying there?

- In a highly unusual move,

I think management

would like to kiss you.

(group cheers and applauds)

- Oh yeah.

- Way to go.

(Josie and Sam laugh)

(soothing music)

(phone rings)

- Merry Christmas.

- Merry Christmas.

Hey, where are you?

- Oh, same old, same old.

It's just me and

the Crabtree, baby.

- Speaking of that,

how would you feel about

training a takeover for me?

- No, Josie.

Whatever you have, we'll

find a cure, I promise.

- I appreciate the sentiment.

But I think it's time

and I think you're ready.

How did it go with Marco?

It was great.

We have like a date

date on Monday.

- Nadia, that is so great.

I'm so happy for you.

- I never saw it coming.

- Well, you're not

the only one, babes.

(peaceful acoustic music)

- Oh, Merry Christmas.

- I have one more

present, actually.

It's for both of you.

- Oh.

What is this?

- It's my letter of

resignation from the hotel.

- What?

- In a year.

If you can wait

one year to retire,

I'd love to come

home and take over.

I've found a wonderful

business partner

who I understand can make

you a very attractive offer.

And I think I have all

of the things that I--

- [Graham] Josie,

your whole life's in the city.

- This place can't not be here.

And I don't want someone to come

and change everything you've

built beyond recognition.

This is what I do.

And I wanna preserve

what you've created

and make sure we always

have a place here.

This is my home.

And if I want it

to stay that way,

I have to take

responsibility for it.

And what better

place for me to do

what I do best

than with the people who

first taught me how to do it?

(group laughs)

(fire crackles)

(gentle music)

(Josie laughs)

(upbeat holiday music)

Nothing says the

holidays quite like this

Ringing the Yuletide

season in with exes

of Christmas past

Decking all the halls

and doing our thang

Taking a stroll down

memory lane with exes

of Christmas past

This is gonna

be one December

No doubt I'll

always remember

As the chaos and the

romance come to pass

So crank the joy on up to 10

Looks like it's gonna be

time well spent with exes

of Christmas past

Christmas Crawl

is coming up soon

Gotta pull it off

and make it through

With exes

of Christmas past

I've heard it said

that three's a crowd

I finally understand

what that means now

This is gonna

be one December

No doubt I'll

always remember

As the chaos and the

romance come to pass

So crank the joy on up to 10

Look like it's gonna

be time well spent

With exes

of Christmas past

Yeah, here's to exes

of Christmas past

Here's to exes

of Christmas past

(bells jingle)