Original subtitles

It's important that we discuss this sooner rather than later.

I take it that means the results are not good.

Mom, you're scaring me.

Best Christmas picnic ever.

I cannot remember the last time I've had this much fun.

News flash, you are not the only one

in that family who had an affair.

-Then, who? -Vernon.

Well, I thought we could squeeze in one more visit

before the holiday.

I'll find a way to make something happen.

Good.

Who were you talking to?

Just a telemarketer.

Nobody whispers to a telemarketer.

What's really going on, Sharon?

Come on, Sharon. That obviously was not a telemarketer,

so fess up.

Who was really on the phone?

The biopsy confirmed you have breast cancer.

Okay. So...

...what are we talking about here?

The biopsy showed that you have triple-negative breast cancer.

Tr...

Triple-negative?

What does that mean?

Triple-negative breast cancer is an aggressive form

of invasive cancer, and it can be more challenging

to treat than other types, but there are treatment options

and we'll talk through those together.

♪ ♪

Thank you, thank you, thank you. It's not even crooked.

-So I did good? -You did perfect.

It's not too tall, too short, too fat, too thin.

I would say it's just right.

-Okay, Goldilocks. -You mean Leola?

-Leola? -Leola and the Honeybears.

-You never read it? -Nah.

It's wonderful.

I used to read it to Naomi and Chelsea

when they were little girls.

It's this beautiful Black version

of that fairy tale by, um--

oh, gosh-- Melodye Benson Rosales.

Yes. And it's about an independent, bold, little girl,

which as you can imagine, both of my little ones were.

No, never heard of it, but I do like picturing

Naomi and Chelsea as little kids.

All snuggled up on your lap.

-That sounds sweet. -It really was.

In some ways, it was a cautionary tale.

Listen to your elders.

But underneath, I always felt like it was really about

the importance of family and community.

Right,

because that is exactly what Christmas is about.

Family and community.

Yeah.

-Yes. -Yeah.

And having a better Christmas tree than everybody else.

[laughs]

-You are hilarious. -I'm dead serious.

This is gonna be the best Christmas tree ever.

SMITTY: It's a Christmas tree, Martin. It's not a competition.

Have you met my family? Everything is a competition.

Even tonight, Aunt Dani is throwing a competing

tree-trimming party,

and I can confirm she's trying to bogart my mom and Kat

from our guest list,

even though I was the first one

to send out the invitations.

I love your mom and I love Kat,

but maybe it's for the best that they're going to Dani's.

It could have been uncomfortable

given that Ted and Eva are coming here.

It's true. Vernon is stepping out on Anita.

I saw it for myself.

Okay, then tell me what you think you know.

Eva was leaving my hotel room, right?

And she forgot her gloves.

So I opened the door, ran to tell her, and, boom,

there was Vernon and Sharon.

And do you know that he walked into that woman's hotel room?

Hmm. What's that prove? Nothing.

She could've been visiting for Thanksgiving

or joining Anita at the bar for dinner

and Vernon was escorting her downstairs.

The man is a gentleman, if nothing else.

Gentleman, my behind.

Nobody was walking anybody anywhere, all right?

Vernon and Sharon were getting busy.

And what makes you so sure of that?

I heard it.

A-And what did you hear them say?

That they didn't want to be seen together

because people would get the wrong idea.

Then I distinctly heard Vernon say,

"Especially my wife."

Could he have been joking?

Absolutely not.

And you know this because?

Because I confronted Vernon at WinterFest,

and he didn't deny it.

Face it, Vernon is stepping out on Anita

the same way you stepped out on Nicole.

-MARTIN: Wow-- Ah. -SMITTY: You have to wait

for the guests to get here

so we can decorate these first.

-Oh, look, guests. -Oh, nice try.

Okay, so when is everybody supposed to get here?

-[knock on door] -Oh. -Oh. Now.

-Oh, you better get that. -No way.

I am staying here to guard the cookies with these kids.

Okay, I'll get the door, warden.

-Look, Samantha. -Oh, I've always loved this ornament.

Pop got it for our first Christmas here.

Hey, everyone, look who's here.

-Hey. -June!

-Happy holidays. -Happy holidays.

H-Hi, June.

Hi. Thank you so much for inviting me.

Hey. I hope you like eggnog.

Uh, sure. I'll have some. Thank you so much.

Oh, I cannot tell you how warm and fuzzy it makes me feel

inside that all of you have accepted me into your family.

Warm and fuzzy-- I like that description.

[laughter]

JUNE: Oh, you're decorating the tree?

I have something for the two of you.

Oh.

Well, thank you, June.

Uh, we'll put them under the tree when it's done.

Uh, it'd be great if you open them now.

What are these?

They're ornaments.

The two of you made them.

You make it tough to not at least consider

what you're saying might be true.

-But... -It is true.

But you don't have to worry

because I promised Vernon I'd keep my mouth shut.

And you know better than anybody

that I'm really good at keeping secrets.

I mean, I kept ours for decades.

So this information can be between you and me.

Hell, it might even bring us closer together.

Why would it do that?

Oh, don't worry, Teddy.

Right? I'm not trying to light any fires between you and me.

Then don't call me Teddy.

It's a bright red flag for me, Dana.

All right, Ted.

Ted, my friend, because that is exactly

-what we are now, right? -Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Besides, I have other irons in the fire.

Good. I'm glad you do.

Well, I'm glad you're glad.

And I won't be pressing you to take me with you

to Martin's party.

Yeah, besides, you and Eva need to have

-some father-daughter time. -Mm-hmm.

-Enjoy yourselves. -Mm-hmm.

I have a question for you, Dana.

Shoot.

Why would you even bother to tell me

your suspicions regarding Vernon in this...

...supposed affair?

Consider it a Christmas gift.

I thought you'd prefer knowing about Vernon's hypocrisy.

What is it that you're keeping from me, Sharon?

Nothing.

I swear, you're so suspicious.

And you're a terrible liar. Always have been.

I don't believe you.

I know what this is about.

I already told you what it's about. Nothing.

You told someone about Anita's health scare.

I would never do that.

Divulge a confidence like that.

Anita made it very clear that she was telling us

about the biopsy in private,

and Vernon doesn't even know anything about it,

and he certainly isn't going to hear about it from me.

Hear about what?

So, what kind of... breast cancer is this?

What does triple-negative mean?

I think it would be best for you

if you take your phone out and record

the rest of our conversation.

'Cause what I'm about to tell you can be a lot to take in.

And then, this way, you can review our session later

or share it with your family.

And if you have any other questions, you can contact me.

I'll be available to you day or night.

Okay, first there are some informational things

that you should know.

Black women are twice as likely to be diagnosed

with this type of breast cancer than white women.

And unlike most breast cancers, triple-negative cancer cells

don't have estrogen or progesterone receptors,

and they also don't make much of the HER2 protein,

and that's why they call it triple-negative.

What it does do is grow and spread faster than other types.

It also, sadly, has a high recurrence rate.

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed.

I know it is a great deal of information to process.

But when it comes to treatment, time really does matter.

There will be some important decisions to make,

and we're gonna need to make them fairly quickly.

I'm assuming that you are

on board with moving forward with treatment?

Um...

Yes, of course. [sniffles]

So where do we begin? Is there a...

process, a-a-a leader? A team?

Yes to all of the above.

I'm-I'm gonna get you set up with an oncologist

who will do some further testing,

and then a group of cancer specialists

called the tumor board will go over

your case together and figure out the best next steps.

[echoing]: You'll then be assigned a nurse navigator

who will set you up with your cancer care team,

and they will get you set up with scheduling

for your port placement for chemo and so forth.

[steady ringing]

Vernon, what are you doing here?

That's my question, Sharon, since I live here and you don't.

What are you two even doing in town, huh?

It's always wonderful to see you,

but to what do we owe the pleasure?

We came to surprise Anita for Christmas.

Ah. Well, I... I don't see my wife.

Was she so surprised, she took to her bed?

-[laughter] -Vernon, you and your jokes.

Seriously, where is Anita?

Um, she went to the hospital to get some test results.

From her vision test.

Uh, she got results from her vision test a few days ago.

Did I say vision?

Uh, Tracy means hearing.

Anita said that she was going to get the results

from her hearing test.

And maybe you should get your hearing tested, too, Tracy.

Maybe I should.

Hearing test.

Hmm.

Okay, you two,

Anita's probably told you to keep a Christmas secret,

so I won't push.

Uh, well, if you'll excuse me, please,

-is there a restroom this way? -Right down the hall.

-Okay, thank you. -Mm-hmm.

Vernon.

Why didn't you tell me you were on your way back home?

Why didn't you tell me you were at my house alone with Tracy?

Look, it doesn't matter now.

We covered, and Tracy is totally in the dark, and so is Anita.

Nobody knows what's going on between us.

That's not exactly true.

What? What do you mean?

Somebody saw us together.

Sissy! You're alone.

I'm a little disappointed.

I thought you'd change your mind and invite Carlton.

Oh, I thought about it, but he did already have plans.

Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.

Well, we'll just have to make do without him.

We should still have a pretty big crew.

Why? Is there a reason you're trying to have a big group here?

For Andre. I wanted to make things festive for him.

That's why I encouraged everyone to bring a plus-one.

Happy holidays, Mom, Aunt Nicole, Andre.

Merry Christmas Eve, honey. Where's Jacob?

-Who cares? -Sweetie, what's going on?

Did something happen between you and Jacob?

I guess you could say that. We're not speaking.

Honey, I thought things were getting better between

you and Jacob. When you started going to couples therapy,

it genuinely seemed like things were looking up.

You're right, things were going better-- great, in fact.

We spent a wonderful romantic evening

together just last night.

So what changed in such a short time?

I don't want to ruin your Christmas sparkle

with my sob story. We can talk about it later.

Okay. I won't press.

-This party is seriously shrinking. -[phone chimes]

Ugh, Chelsea. More shrinkage.

[groans]

You kids made these

when you were just little bitty things.

My sister Regina kept them at her house,

and she gave them to me when we reconnected.

I thought you'd like to have them.

They're so cute. I don't even remember them.

Do you?

-Did we make them at school? -You did.

You were so proud of yourselves.

But being who I was back then, I didn't...

get you a Christmas tree like I promised to make happen,

so there was nowhere to hang them.

Anyway... you were devastated.

Maybe you just couldn't afford to buy a tree.

That's a kind thought.

But I probably had the money. I'm sure I just spent it.

A little while after that, I made the call to CPS.

I knew you'd have...

a-a better chance without me.

It's the hardest thing I've ever done.

But seeing your lives now,

I know it was the right thing for you.

You deserved to grow up in a house with a Christmas tree,

with loving parents who could provide for you.

Martin and Smitty, I am always grateful to you.

Your decision was

our good fortune, June.

SAMANTHA: Don't feel bad, June.

Okay? We're fine now, both of us.

Samantha's right.

We can all see the work you've done

to turn your life around,

changing yourself and the way you do things.

It's not easy.

I'm proud of you.

And... if it's okay to say, I forgive you.

[cries]

[door closes]

Hey. I hope it's okay that I let myself in.

Eva, merry Christmas Eve.

I thought you were coming with Dad.

-Oh, I told him I would meet him here. -[door opens]

I didn't mind showing up alone

-once I found out Kat wouldn't be here. -[door closes]

And where'd you get that idea?

Of all the people in this town,

Barbara's daughter saw us together?

And she's convinced we're having an affair.

What did you say to her?

Nothing.

That woman's a troublemaker.

I wasn't about to dignify her accusations with a response.

What if she tells Anita?

She claimed that she can keep it quiet for now.

But can you trust her?

Oh, hell no.

But at this point I don't have much of a choice.

So, Sharon, um, what do you think?

Maybe we should leave Vernon's house.

He's probably got a ton to do.

You are welcome to stay until Anita gets back from the doctor.

No, we've got to get going.

We'll talk to Anita later. Bye, Vernon.

Ladies.

Going forward, I recommend you bringing

a support person with you to all your appointments.

That way they can take notes and ask questions,

and that'll allow you to focus solely

on processing what's happening in the moment.

A support person.

Talk to Vernon.

I will take that under advisement.

You have every right to feel overwhelmed.

I just dropped a bomb in your life

and flooded you with facts.

Do you have any questions for me right now

that I can answer for you?

Not at the moment, but I'm sure I will.

Actually...

-May I have a moment alone? -Of course.

But just a reminder, as you mull all this over,

we're gonna have to act quickly to begin treatment.

Yeah, absolutely.

Let's have at it.

All right.

I'll go get things started.

-Did Chelsea give a reason? -She just said

-she and Madison can't make it. -Oh, that's too bad.

I really wanted to catch up with them.

And Kat seems to be a no-show as well.

Well, we'll just have to celebrate enough for everybody.

We may only be four people,

but we're about to be the four best tree trimmers

in all of Fairmont Crest.

So grab some ornaments and let's get busy.

Ah, talk to Auntie Nicole.

Tell me what's happening between you and Jacob.

Can't be that bad, can it?

I guess not.

-See, we're already making progress. -It's worse.

-What on earth happened? -I can tell you what happened.

We're all ears, son-in-law.

Yeah, go ahead. Tell them.

First of all, Naomi snooped through my things

and found her Christmas gift.

Uh-uh. I was looking for a shoehorn.

Okay? It was an accident.

A shoehorn? Sweetheart, I'm-I'm not buying it.

But even if Naomi accidentally saw

her Christmas gift, why is she mad?

Because it sucks. He put zero thought into it.

And not to mention, it's ugly.

-Is it? -No, it's not.

But, here, I'll let you all be the judge.

[Dani gasps]

What the heck is that?

This is a changuito.

-Changuito? -No.

Yeah. It's a Mexican monkey hat that sprays water.

-Here, I'll show you. -Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Don't you dare.

Not here, not tonight. In fact, not ever.

Aw, come on. It's interesting. And it's cute, right?

DANI: Nah, it's pretty ugly.

NAOMI: Thank you.

Aunt Nicole?

Interesting question. Why do you ask?

That means she hates it in shrink talk. Andre?

Mm-mm. Bro code. I'm neutral.

Shouldn't we give Jacob the benefit of the doubt?

It's unusual,

but isn't it the thought

behind the gift that matters?

Well, that's exactly my point.

I put so much thought into his gift,

but that thing?

Listen, when I'm trying to rock a hat,

I'm aiming for Aretha at the inauguration,

not some tacky novelty monkey.

And you should know that by now.

I just thought you'd want a souvenir.

A souvenir of what?

The Christmas I sprayed water on my family

-and pissed them off? -Of Mexico City.

This hat is one of the most popular souvenirs for tourists,

and he's just the messenger.

-Messenger? What... -Yeah.

I got you a Mexican vacation. Surprise?

-Merry Christmas Eve. -Thank you.

Thank you so much.

You can just slide 'em under the tree.

Oh, Smitty, I fasted for two days

just so that I could have some of your fantastic eggnog.

Help yourself. And, Eva, please do not wait to be asked.

-Make yourself at home. -Thanks, Smitty.

And I don't think you've actually met June,

-the kids' mother. -June, this is my sister Kat.

Hello, Kat. You are very beautiful.

Thanks. I've seen you around Orphey Gene's.

-Nice to meet you. -JUNE: Officially.

[Martin chuckles]

Sis, I'm a little confused.

I thought you were going to Aunt Dani's.

Well, I'll get there, but I had to drop by

to see my niece and nephew.

I'm so excited about your cotillion.

-I loved mine. -What was that like?

It was like...

real-life fairy tale but with better lightning.

Show up and slay?

Well, I'm not gonna lie,

there is work involved.

Rehearsals, dances to learn, posture to perfect,

etiquette boot camp.

But you get to pick your gown and your shoes and your escort.

Mm?

Lots of prep, but it's a dream.

[Kat laughs]

Hi, everybody.

-Hey. -Hey. -Kat.

What a terrific surprise.

I'll bet. Don't worry, I'm not staying long.

Oh, well, glad I got to see you.

So, what are your Christmas plans?

Oh, simple. I'm going to sit around and watch football.

[laughs] Okay, I'll give you a call.

Okay, little niece, I have to tell you about

the most incredible thing that happened...

Eva, I am sorry.

I didn't know Kat was gonna be here.

No worries. If I can't be in the same room

with my half sister

who totally hates my guts on Christmas Eve,

when can I?

Dad, that was supposed to be a joke.

-Oh, y-you know, uh... -Everything Okay?

Yeah, first Christmas without the usual rituals.

[piano playing]

♪ ♪

[steady ringing]

AHN: Triple-negative breast cancer.

Very aggressive.

Black women are twice as likely to be diagnosed

with this type of breast cancer.

Can be difficult to treat.

Sis, we got your call.

Is it... cancer?

[cries]

I won't tell you I'm not scared.

But not just for myself, for my family.

How am I supposed to tell Vernon?

And my girls? And my grandkids?

How else? But with your usual strength and grace.

And of course we'll be with you

right by your side every step of the way.

I am so sorry for assuming the worst.

Truth is, I think I was so upset because...

we've been in therapy,

working on our issues, getting to know each other again.

And I thought we were making progress,

and then I found that thing,

and I thought, "Maybe it's not working.

"Maybe he doesn't know me at all.

Maybe I'm not communicating as well as I thought I was."

Babe, you just did what you do.

You analyze, you theorize, and you form an argument.

Yeah. That is what I do,

and it's exhausting.

Which is why you need a vacation.

So, Mexico, here we come.

Ooh! Jacob, that is so thoughtful.

-I've been saying I want to go to Mexico. -Exactly.

And you clearly were listening. I just didn't realize it.

Give me that thing.

-It's kind of cute, right? -Yeah.

-[laughter] -CHELSEA: Hello. I'm here.

-Chelsea! -Hi. -What's up, Chels?

What is that horrible-looking thing?

[laughter]

Oh, my God.

No bloodshed, no eggnog thrown.

We can count that as a win for my two sisters.

TED: Yeah, I'm glad to see you and your family

all so happy.

Me, too.

It's been a rough year, but we got through it.

You know my biggest regret?

Not telling Smitty my secret after so long.

You are preaching to the choir, son.

Wish I'd come clean to Nicole sooner.

But you and Mom seem to be in a good place.

We are.

Even though she seemed to have taken a shine to Carlton.

One step at a time, Dad.

We can focus on the fact that you and Mom are getting along.

We can't go back to the past,

but at least you can be honest with her from now on.

That's sage advice. Thank you for that.

Hi, guys.

I hate to cut this short, but I need to head home

and wrap some gifts before tomorrow.

[Eva chuckles]

I need to get going, too. I'll walk you out.

-Okay. -Hey, everybody.

June, it was great to see you.

Eva and I need to get going.

Don't stop what you're doing, guys. The tree looks fantastic.

-Bye, Grandpa. Bye, Eva. -Bye.

It's good to see you, Ted.

-And you, too, Eva. -Bye.

-Bye, y'all. -OTHERS: Bye.

-Merry Christmas. -Yeah. -EVA: Merry Christmas.

I'm not sure I've seen a better decorated tree.

Mm, I've got an empty spot right here.

-[knock on door] -Oh. I'll get it.

-Look at your gingerbread man. -[laughter]

-My cyclo-- My cyclops. -Did you make this?

[Smitty clears throat]

I have a surprise.

I wanted the entire family

to be over for Christmas tree trimming, so...

I reached out and in-invited...

Regina.

-Sister. -Oh, my God.

[laughing]: Come here!

Oh, Samantha, Tyrell, you probably don't remember,

but this is my sister.

Auntie Gigi.

You remember me?

After you'd take us to church, I'd...

crawl into your lap, you'd read me a story, and I'd fall asleep.

REGINA: You sure would,

and I'd sit there and stroke your hair.

[laughs]: You are not so little anymore.

And, Tyrell, I'd play checkers with you.

I remember that. You would never let me win.

I hear that was a good thing.

♪ Christmastime with you...♪

I prayed this day would come

that I'd hold you sweet babies in my arms again.

♪ Christmastime...♪

Thank you so much for making this happen.

Well, Madison got called into the hospital.

You know, the holidays, some of doctors' busiest times.

And although my job isn't saving lives like hers,

I still had a lot to do.

And maybe fashion is saving jobs

and helping someone's self-esteem.

Never apologize for what you've chosen to care about.

Well said, Sissy.

Chels, help me with these?

After you just doused me?

Uh-oh, I know that look.

We all know that look.

Forget everything I texted you.

Oh, about whatever that thing was on your head

that Jacob got you for Christmas?

Turns out it was a preamble to...

he's taking me on a trip to Mexico.

Oh, well-done, bro-in-law.

So, why you busting out the Cascade?

Let's get back to the party and celebrate.

Well, Mom did the most, so the least we can do

is help her avoid dish dread.

You know, the moment when everybody leaves the party

and the host is left with nothing but

great memories and a mountain of dishes.

Yeah, I hate that, and it looks like Mom

is gonna need a lifeline.

Getting this stuff cleaned by hand is impossible.

Been there. Broke nails.

Please, this tray's only shot

is the hot steaming water from there

and Cascade Platinum Plus.

Hmm.

-Does anyone know where Kat is? -No.

Actually, I'm here.

[overlapping greetings]

What in the world is that horrible thing?

Oh, I wouldn't if I were you. Kat has anger issues,

and I hear she likes to break things.

DANI: Sweetie, we are so glad you're here.

I was hoping you'd bring Tomas along.

I was hoping I would, too, but he has to work.

Typical Bill Hamil-Scrooge.

Well, the tree's almost done, but

you're just in time to help put the star on top.

-Really? -DANI: Yeah.

-Here you are. -Ooh.

-Careful. -Yeah, okay, okay, okay.

♪ ♪

[squeals]

[cheering]

When tiny Samantha climbed up on little Tyrell's shoulders,

she still couldn't reach the top of the tree

and ended up pulling it down on themselves.

[laughter]

REGINA: They looked at me as if I was gonna yell at them,

but all I could do was laugh.

[laughter]

It's getting late. I'd better get going.

I like to help out at the church on Christmas mornings.

I do hope I'll get to spend more time with you in the future.

That'd be cool.

Could you stay for a couple more minutes?

We need to put some finishing touches on the tree.

As long as you don't pull it over.

[laughter]

♪ ♪

It only feels right that

you should add it to the tree.

Because, for so many years,

you were our angel, watching over us.

♪ The night feels new♪

♪ Under the Christmas lights♪

♪ All I need is you.♪

This has been wonderful. Thank you.

We're so glad you could join us.

We'll have to do it again next year.

June, why don't you spend tonight

and Christmas Day with me?

I'd love that.

SAMANTHA: We'll walk you out.

All those years ago, you made the right decision.

-I'll see y'all later. -Yes.

-Merry Christmas. -Merry Christmas.

The tree is beautiful. Look at the kids' ornaments.

I can't believe how much Samantha and Tyrell

went through before we adopted them.

Those two are so resilient.

Despite everything that they've been through,

they still survived.

Like those ornaments.

Just like us.

That monkey thing on Naomi's head?

Absolutely priceless.

I don't know how you get people at exactly the right time.

Yeah, there is a bit of an element of surprise to it.

And what surprise do you have in store for me?

[laughs] You impatient woman, you.

Man. But too bad, you're gonna have to wait

for your gift on Christmas.

But I do have one thing that I can give you now.

-What's that? -[clears throat]

-Pow. -[laughs]

You know what that is, right?

-Mistletoe. -Yeah.

And I know what it's for, too.

Ted, you surprised me. What's going on?

I'm glad you're home. I was about to leave a note.

What is it? Is everything okay?

Kat said she saw you at Martin's. Did something happen?

Everything is fine with them.

Great. I look forward to seeing them tomorrow. So what's up?

Uh, this isn't easy, and I vacillated

about telling you.

But I don't want to keep any more secrets.

-What kind of secrets? -It's about your dad.

Vernon's having an affair.

Anita is one of the strongest women I know.

She'll get through this.

I pray that's true.

And now that we have a moment alone...

I want to know what's going on between you and Vernon.

And don't lie. I want the truth.

Okay. I'll tell you.

So, what did the doctor say?

Sharon and Tracy were here.

They told me you were at the hospital

getting the results of a hearing test.

I saw right through their charade.

I know they were covering for what you were really up to.

Which was?

Finding the perfect Christmas gift for me.

Come sit with me, sweetheart.

What is it, darling?

Vernon.

I have bad news.

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