Original subtitles

[instrumental rendition of "Deck the Halls"]

♪

♪

- [humming]

Hey Mom. I think I got the lights right!

Are you ready?

- Oh! That's perfect, honey.

Just perfect. Thank you.

I'm so glad you came over to help us decorate.

- Oh, of course. I wouldn't miss it.

You know the trick, as dad taught me,

is to start from the bottom at the trunk...

- And to make sure they're plugged in and lit

before you begin.

- Right.

So, you can see what the lit tree is going to look like

as you string.

- Yes. You two and your tinkering.

- Well, it's all in the details Mom.

Right, Dad?

- That's right Doctor.

- Dad.

- What?

I like calling you Doctor. I'm proud of you.

- I finished Med School a long time ago.

- Mmhmm, I'm still proud of you.

- You know he's never going to change, Nicole.

This man is stubborn.

- Says the woman who we barely see any more

because of all of her volunteer work

despite me asking her to slow down.

- Well, I happen to enjoy staying busy.

Oh, and that reminds me,

I will be at the hospital tomorrow for my shift.

- Oh, I know Mom.

You're already our most faithful candy striper.

- Hm.

- Oh, but you might want to get that flour

out of your hair before you go.

- Well, a little flour never hurt anyone.

- Oh, Fran, does that mean you made...

- Yes, dear. I made the peppermint biscotti.

- They are my favorite.

- [in unison] We know!

- [scoffs] Okay, so I'm a creature of habit.

I like order.

And, now that the lights are done...

it is time for the first ornament.

- Okay.

[sentimental music plays]

- I know it's hard. First Christmas without grandma.

- This was her favorite time of year even with...

Would you please hang that on the tree for me?

- Of course.

- Awe.

I just wish she had more Christmases with him.

- He was a hero.

- That he was.

- Mm.

[instrumental Christmas music]

♪

[gasps]

- Good morning! - Good morning!

- You're out of uniform, Doctor.

- Oh, I couldn't find mine this morning

when I was rushing out the door.

- Fortunately for you, I always keep extras handy.

- What would I do without you, Marilyn?

- You'd be seeing your first patient

without looking as adorable as you do in that hat.

And Nicole, he's really cute.

- You have to stop trying to set me up.

Besides, it would be unethical for me to date a patient.

- I think there's a cuteness exception to that rule.

Anyway, I doubt he's going to be a patient for very long.

Just a minor knee injury.

He's in room 4.

[knock knock]

- Good morning Major Ross, I'm Doctor...

I... I... I'm Doctor...

- Ramsey. I think?

That's what's on your coat there, I'm not sure.

- Yeah, sorry I... I was just immersed in your chart.

- Oh yeah. Is it great?

It's probably great, I haven't seen it yet.

- Yeah. Yeah. It... is... I mean no.

No, it's not.

Anyway, you're here because you injured your right knee?

- Yeah. Uh, playing basketball in the base rec league.

Um, but it's fine. It's fine,

the fellas all made me come here.

Um, how long have you been working here?

Because I don't think I've...

- A little while, I'm in the reserves.

- Oh. The reserves, right.

A great way to pay off those Med School loans, huh?

- Well, it's a little more than that, but uh...

So, how did you injure it?

- I didn't. It's fine.

Like I said, the fellas made me come here.

- Well if you had injured it, how might have it occurred?

- Right. Uh, okay.

It might have occurred when I pivoted a little too quickly,

took a pass and then went to shoot, but...

I... I didn't. It's fine. It doesn't even hurt.

- Why don't I determine that.

I mean since you're here and all.

- Okay, yeah. I mean of course.

I, um, I love your Santa hat by the way.

- Thank you.

- Are you married?

- No. I mean no. You... you can't ask me that.

- Why not? Yeah, I just did.

It might be a little too forward,

and maybe slightly aggressive,

but I don't think it's illegal, is it?

I hope not.

- How has it felt since you injured it?

- You know, a little lonely.

But, it's Christmas time,

I'm trying to keep my spirits up. It's...

Oh, my knee?

[laughs] Sorry, it's...

I do have a little bit of pain on the inside of my leg,

but uh...

No, I haven't injured it before,

if that's what you were going to ask.

- Well, there is some laxity and I do feel some swelling.

I-I don't think you've fully torn your ACL, but,

I'd still like to do an MRI, just to make sure.

I can schedule that for you. - Oh, okay.

You know what, sure, on one condition.

- What do you mean "condition"?

- I agree to do an MRI on my knee,

even though my knee is probably fine,

if you agree to have coffee with me this afternoon.

- [scoffs] Oh, I am not accustomed

to medical treatment blackmail, Major Ross.

- Oh, call me Daniel. Please.

And come on... please.

[soft music]

- Yeah. Okay, why not.

- Okay.

- But only as your doctor and potential friend.

Because anything else would be unethical.

- Yeah. Of course,

I mean I wouldn't want you brought up on charges

for having coffee.

My conscious couldn't handle it.

And, plus once I've flirted my way past friendship,

I'll no longer be your patient anymore

because my MRI is going to show that my knee is fine,

thank you very much, so...

- Yeah, we'll see about that.

You can get dressed now, Major.

- Okay.

Oh, hey!

What about hot cocoa? I mean...

It's more Christmassy, right? Do you like hot cocoa?

- Yeah. Hot cocoa it is... Daniel.

- Great.

[door closes]

[Country Christmas music]

- I don't know? He's kind of arrogant?

Um, maybe not arrogant... Maybe he's a little...

Pesky, or... cocky.

Maybe, he's just sure of himself.

I mean he's definitely not sure of me, I can tell you that.

But I'm just going to meet him here later

for some Christmas cocoa.

Why are you smiling at me like that?

- What? Can't I smile at my daughter?

Or maybe I'm just, you know, filled with Christmas spirit.

- No, that's not a Christmas smile.

Well, it kind of is,

But no, that's an 'I'm going to meddle in Nicole's life'

kind of smile.

- How am I meddling?

- Because I know that smile.

You're thinking 'Ooh, she's intrigued by this guy;

'otherwise, why would she be talking about him so much

'after only having just met him'.

- That's what I'm thinking?

- Yeah. That's exactly what you're thinking.

- Ah.

Alright, so let's just say that you were intrigued,

I believe you said, what would his name be?

- It doesn't matter.

Major Ross.

- Major Daniel Ross? Blond hair? Bright blue eyes?

- No, I... I didn't notice his eyes.

Okay, yes, he had very blue eyes.

How did you know that?

- Because I know him.

- How?

- Well, you know that charity that I volunteer for...

- No, which charity, Mom?

You're like Town of Lacey's champion volunteer.

- I like to stay busy. There's nothing wrong with that.

- No, of course there's nothing wrong with that.

Mom, which charity?

- A Hand for Warriors.

- Oh... the one that works with injured veterans?

- Exactly. Helping them rebuild their lives.

I met Daniel there.

You know, he established our local chapter.

- Wow.

That's nice.

- Yeah. Oh, I really like him.

And he's single. And he'd be such a catch-

- [playful music] - for someone.

- Mom, I'm not looking for a relationship right now,

- I'm very... - Busy?

Busy. Yes, yes, so you've said.

- Well, like mother like daughter.

- Oh. Touché.

- Speaking of which, ooh, I have to get back.

I have a lot more patients to see.

- It's okay honey. I'll get the check.

- Oh. Thanks Mom.

- [Mwah]

Oh, and, do say hi to Daniel for me.

[patriotic instrumental music]

- Are you sure you should be up there, Major?

- I'm fine.

Actually, now that you're here

I want you to finish up for me though, okay?

- Alright. How was your appointment?

I told you, you weren't quick enough to keep up with me

on the court old man.

- [chuckle] I'm still plenty quick, thank you very much.

It went great. I'm actually meeting my soon-to-be ex-doctor

for a cup of hot cocoa later today.

- Do you always take your doctor out for cocoa?

- When she's as charming and beautiful as Doctor Ramsey is,

it seemed like the right thing to do.

- So... you asked your doctor out on a date?

- Here's the thing, once she tells me my knee is fine,

which she will do after I get my MRI results,

she won't be my doctor anymore,

And yea, I really like her actually.

Just a cup of Christmas cocoa.

- Alright.

Cocoa already?

- [laughs] Yes.

- I'm all for it. I want you to meet someone special.

- Okay, pump the breaks, we're not getting married yet,

I just said I liked her that's all.

Actually, you know her mom,

I ran into her at the hospital.

Uh, Fran Ramsey.

- Well, if this Doctor Ramsey is as nice as her mother is,

then maybe she is worthy of some Christmas cocoa.

- Okay. I appreciate your approval, Captain.

I'm going to go get ready.

- You're going to get ready? For cocoa?

- I do this time.

[patriotic instrumental music]

- Your last patient of the day before your date.

- It's not a date.

- It seems like one,

I saw you fixing your makeup a little while ago.

- No, I just smudged it when I rubbed my eye earlier.

- Oh, right.

- No, I did.

I'm a notorious smudger,

that's why I barely wear any makeup.

- You did a nice job with that barely any blush.

Or is it natural in anticipation of your date.

- Ugh, stop calling it that.

- [laughing]

- I'm just going for a cheerful cup of Christmas cocoa

with Daniel, so he'll get his MRI, and that's it.

- Daniel, huh?

- That's his name.

- Oh.

- And, uh. Will you give me the name of my last patient please?

- You're going to love him.

He's Mr. Morton, and he's in room 2 with his wife.

He's one of our last surviving World War II vets in the area.

He's having some hip problems.

- I like forward to meeting him.

[knock knock]

- Hi Mr. and Mrs. Morton.

I'm Doctor Ramsey.

- Oh, hello dear.

- Did Marilyn tell you why we were here?

- Give her a minute Millie, she just came in the room [chuckle].

She's always been an impatient one.

- I have reviewed your chart, and after we chat a bit,

I have some thoughts about how I can help that hip feel better.

- Oh, good.

I want to get this old man's hip fixed

so that we can finally take that ballroom dancing class

that he's been promising me forever.

- What do you mean forever?

- Well, we've been married 76 years

and you promised me on our honeymoon.

I think that qualifies as forever,

don't you, Doctor Ramsey?

- Now, don't let her cajole you into taking her side.

We just haven't gotten around to it.

I was quite a good dancer in my younger days.

I turned quite a few French ladies' heads back in the war.

- Yes, and I put a quick end to any head turning,

when you got back home.

- She's right.

I met her when I got home from the war and...

I knew right away she'd be the only dance partner

I would ever want for the rest of my life.

- That's really beautiful.

I wish my grandmother would have had the chance

to enjoy the long wonderful marriage you two clearly have.

- Did your grandfather pass young?

- He did.

- Oh.

- Like you Mr. Morton, he served in World War II.

[solemn instrumental music]

He was killed in Italy, just before Christmas,

towards the end of the war.

- We lost so many good men.

I sometimes wonder why I...

- I know why.

You were saved to take me dancing.

I'm sorry about your Grandpa.

They were all heroes.

Including this old poop [chuckles].

Your family can rest easier knowing that.

- Thank you.

Both of you.

Now, Mr. Morton, let's take a look at your hip.

- Okay.

- Hey, there she is!

- Hey! I hope I didn't keep you waiting,

your text did say 4:00, right?

- No, no you are right on time, yeah.

Okay, I hope you don't mind,

I went ahead and ordered us cocoa.

- Not at all.

Oh. I love that mine has a cherry on top.

You usually don't see that with cocoa.

- That's because I ordered you the Rudolph,

hence the cherry on top, and I got myself the Dasher,

which is just dashed with sprinkles.

- Very cute. Well, it looks delicious.

And I could use something warm

because even that short walk over made me chilly.

- I actually hope it snows.

I love it when it snows, especially at Christmas.

- Awe, yeah me too.

- Even if it makes you chilly?

- Awe, well as long as I have a way

to warm up again, absolutely.

I mean like...uh... like a hot drink. Um.

- Right.

- Yeah. I can't wait to try this.

- Yeah. Let's go.

[laughs]

- Oh, that's delicious!

- [laughs]

- Nothing like hot cocoa at Christmas time.

- What? - Nothing.

No, I just really appreciate an enthusiastic cocoa drinker.

Cheers.

- What? Oh! Oh! - Oh, that is good.

Oh!

- Do I have something?

- [both laughing] - So do you.

- Oh my gosh. [laughs]

- Thank you so much for coming.

- Yeah, you know, how did you get my number

because I realized after you left, I never gave it to you.

- Oh, I have my sources.

It's top secret military clearance stuff,

I can't really get into it.

- My mother.

- Hm. I can neither confirm nor deny.

- Mm. You just did.

She told me about A Hand for Warriors.

I love what you're doing there.

- Thanks, well, your mom, actually, is a huge help.

I mean she has such a passion for helping veterans.

- Oh, well you must too.

- Fourth generation military family.

You can say it's in my blood, I guess [chuckle].

Hey, listen, uh tomorrow's Saturday,

we're actually having an open house down at the HFW Center.

You should come down. I'd love it if you came.

No blackmail this time, I promise.

- Ohh, well okay then, it's a date.

- Yes, it is.

- Great, no I mean [stutters] yes, it's great.

Um, you know, I scheduled that MRI for you.

[light cheery music]

- He kind of flusters me.

- You don't get flustered.

- I know.

Besides, I barely know him.

- Well then, get to know him.

- I will. I might.

[timer rings]

- Oh.

- Oh. Here you go, Mom.

Put them here.

- Thank you, honey.

[soft instrumental music]

- Oh, Mom,

you're going to send Dad into sugar shock.

- No, they're for the holiday open house

at A Hand for Warriors tomorrow.

- Daniel invited me to come.

- Oh. [playful music]

And?

- And I'm... looking forward to it.

- Good!

- I always wondered why grandma kept this box in the kitchen.

- Well, she spent a lot of her time in this kitchen.

She liked to keep her memories of Dad close to her.

- Oh. I met the most amazing couple today.

- Mmhmm.

- Joe and Millie Morton.

- Oh, I know Joe.

He's come by the center before, such a nice man.

- Mmhmm, and she's a firecracker.

- Well, you know your grandmother could be a firecracker too.

I always loved that about her.

- Yeah, I did too.

- Wow. - [soft instrumental music]

- Just 20-years-old and a new father when he died.

- I used to love looking through these with grandma.

- I did too.

He never met me, nor me him.

- Yeah, but you know from all the letters grandma saved,

how happy he was.

That you were born safely after he went overseas.

- And he couldn't wait to meet me.

- Oh, grandma said that this was taken

right before he left.

- Yes, yes.

Yeah, he promised her that when he came home,

he was going to build her a house for his new family.

- Wow, I can just imagine him.

Taking out these photos, to remind him of home

and how much he was loved and missed.

You know you used to tell me not to ask grandma about his death,

to avoid upsetting her.

- Yeah.

- Mom said the War Department

said he was killed in a battle in Northern Italy.

The entire company was ambushed, they never stood a chance.

There were very few survivors.

Oh.

This was the last letter that she had from him.

She got it a few weeks before...

He was telling her just how beautiful it was there...

despite it being a war.

About all these little picturesque Italian villages...

but all he wanted was to just come back home to see us.

- I never knew about this letter.

- Well, she kept that one private.

She only let me see it once.

Mom would say is that he died a hero

doing what he was meant to do.

- Why do you keep the deed to the house in this box?

- The government gave Mom $10,000 after Dad was killed

as a death benefit.

She used that to build this house and raise me.

- So, he kept his promise to her.

- Yes, he did.

And he'll always be a part of this home.

- Hey Mom, would you mind

if I tried to find out more about how he died?

- Oh, sure honey.

Yeah, I've always wondered about that myself.

I just never wanted to upset your grandmother.

- Yeah, I'd like to know more about Corporal John T. Medlen.

I think it might be the perfect Christmas present

for our family.

And I think I might know the perfect person to help me.

- Oh.

[jazzy Christmas music]

♪

♪

- Hello Doctor.

- Oh. - Hey.

- Since we're away from the office,

I think it's fine if you call me Nicole.

- Even though I haven't had my MRI yet, Major?

- [chuckle]

I think the ethics board will be fine with it.

- [laughs] Okay.

- I really do appreciate you meeting me here.

I've just loved it since I was a kid.

- Yeah, isn't it great?

Always puts me in a Christmassy mood.

- Mmhmm.

- You okay? You're not too cold, are you?

- Not at all. No, I feel... warm actually.

- Good. So uh, how can I help?

- It's just advice really.

- Okay.

- I admire all the work you're doing

helping veterans and their families.

- Oh well, it's not just me.

- And, that's the beauty of it.

Anyway, my... my grandfather he was killed in World War II.

- Oh. I didn't know that. Fran never mentioned it.

- Oh, well... when my grandmother was alive

we didn't really talk about it because it made her sad but now,

now I want to know everything.

I want to know who was with him when he died,

I want to know where he was.

- Sure, I can understand that.

- Yeah, and all I know right now is that...

it was just before Christmas in 1944 in Northern Italy.

- Okay.

- Yeah.

- Can I get two please?

- You know my grandmother she never remarried.

She always said she was lucky enough to have married

the love of her life and that was enough for her.

- [chuckle]

I asked my mom if she would be okay with me

trying to find out more about him and she said she would,

I think it would mean a lot to her.

More than she lets on.

Since my grandma passed last year,

she's just poured herself into her volunteer work.

- Well, I've definitely noticed that.

- No one works harder than Fran. - Mmhmm.

- I think she's hurting.

But I believe this would bring her some peace.

I know it would me.

- Well, that sounds like a very noble cause,

and I'd be happy to help.

You know, I actually played basketball

with a guy in the rec league

that works at the causality office on the base.

So, we can just start there on Monday.

- Oh, that would mean the world to me, thank you.

- My pleasure.

Here we go.

- Chocolate. - [both chuckle].

- I'm looking forward to seeing A Hand for Warriors Center.

- Oh, well, I'd be happy to come pick you up.

- Oh no no, I know you have a lot going on this afternoon

to prepare for the party, so I'll just come by with my dad.

- Oh, well I'm looking forward to meeting him.

- Oh. Yeah. You'll be meeting my Dad...

- What? I am great with dads.

- No, I'm sure you are.

- I am.

[patriotic music]

[indistinct chatter]

- Oh, Daniel said he'd watch for us.

- And I would like to put eyes on this Daniel.

- Dad. I'm not 16. And uh, I'm not dating Daniel.

- Well maybe not yet, but that twinkle in your eyes

isn't coming from those Christmas tree lights.

- Doctor. Nicole. Doctor Nicole [chuckle].

- Daniel. This is my Father.

- Yeah.

- Ted Ramsey. Dad this is my...my...

this is my Major, uh...

- Daniel is fine. It's a pleasure to meet you sir.

You know I haven't known her long,

but you've got quite the daughter here.

- Yes. Yes, I do. Thank you.

And it's a pleasure to meet you, Daniel.

Perhaps we could have a chat a bit later.

- I don't think that's...

- Yeah, absolutely. That'd be great.

Um, then you could tell me more about Nicole here.

- Uh, I really don't think that's a good, uh.

Oh, oh look Dad. There's Mom.

Why don't you go help her?

- Oh. Uh. That's my signal to beat it.

I'll talk to you later.

- Looking forward to it, sir.

What, you didn't...

you didn't have to send him off like that, you know?

I can hold my own with fathers of women that I'm-

- Women you-

- Women that I invite to the center to show around.

Is what I was going to...

- Oh...smooth.

Actually, I'd love it if you show me around.

- Great, it'd be my pleasure. Let's start over here.

[instrumental Christmas music]

- The peppermint biscotti's are going fast.

Oh, easy easy.

- Mmm!

Yup, it's easy to see why people love these things.

They're my favorite.

- Mm, I know.

And I saw you with Daniel and Nicole.

- Yeah.

- So, what'd you think of him?

- Well, first of all, I barely met the guy,

and second of all, he seems very nice, and third of all,

stop trying to fix our daughter up with someone.

- I didn't fix her up with him. She met him all on her own.

- Exactly.

And as she's fond of telling me, and she's right,

she is a grown woman

and has been a grown woman for some time.

And it's up to her whether she wants to have someone

in her life, and if she does, when she does and who it is.

Although, I have to say...

it was really nice to see that spark in her eye

when he walked up.

- That's all I'm saying.

- [laughs] That is not all you are saying,

but I love you for it.

- Oh.

- And I love your biscotti, and this is really the last one.

- Is it?

- Yep. I promise. - Really?

- So, you help veterans of all branches of service here?

- Yeah, yeah, any struggling soldier or veteran

can come to us, we help them reintegrate into their communities.

Sometimes coordinating vital services,

you know counseling, therapy,

sometimes it's more direct assistance

like financial aid or helping them with food,

groceries, clothing, that kind of thing.

Whatever they need.

- Wow, what an honorable mission.

- Well, we're just getting started really, it's...

- Hey!

- Oh boy. This is my best friend here.

- Oh!

- Now, judging from the look in your eyes

I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you must be Nicole.

- I am. Hi.

- What's wrong with my eyes?

- There's nothing wrong with them,

but if we were in the fifth grade, we'd call them goo-goo.

- I'm so sorry Nicole, this child here,

is actually Captain Mark Jennings,

although you'd never know from the way he acts.

- Hi, nice to meet you.

- Nice to meet you.

So, what do you think of our facility, Nicole?

- Oh, it's beyond impressive.

What you're doing is so important.

- Well, honestly, nothing would be possible without Mark here.

- No, no, no, he tries to give me the credit,

but the truth is this place would not be here without Dan.

Okay.

And also neither of us really care about the credit

we just want help our comrades-in-arms.

- Okay, well then, all modesty aside

why don't you tell Nicole how this all came about.

- Oh, yeah. Please do.

- Ah well, okay.

Uh, when I came back from an overseas tour, um,

I was... I was in rough shape.

I was in a vehicle crash due to an IED explosion.

- Yeah, I was in a trailing vehicle. I was lucky actually.

But Mark here, it was touch- and-go for a minute there,

we almost lost him.

- Yeah.

The doctors overseas were amazing,

and I made it back ultimately, but uh...

I had a stroke and my life was really shattered.

Honestly, I didn't know if I was going to recover,

but I did, thanks to this guy.

He made sure I had everything I needed,

and um thankfully now I'm almost back to normal.

- Yeah, almost.

Just his annoying personality is the only thing

they just can't... - [laughing]

- Somethings are incurable.

But um...no, after that experience I realized

that none of our military brothers or sisters

should ever go through anything like that alone, right?

Everybody needs help, and military looks out for military.

- Always have, always will.

- Wow. I'm... truly overwhelmed.

What you guys are accomplishing is...

- Well, there's a lot left to do, honestly.

- Yeah, we've been working hard to raise money to,

build a residential rehab facility on the land

next to the center.

It's been going pretty well, the fundraising but...

- Just couldn't make it the rest of the way.

Folks are stretched pretty thin nowadays,

and we're uh trying to close the gap,

but we're running out of time, aren't we pal?

- Yeah.

The gentlemen who owns the land has been very patient,

giving us every opportunity to purchase it,

but... that generosity only goes so far

because he's got other interested buyers.

- Yeah, but from what I've seen of you two,

you're not giving up the fight yet.

- Oh, absolutely not. Are you kidding me?

- [both chuckle]

- But hey, Nicole, can I uh,

can I get you something to drink or anything?

I've dominated all your time since you've been here.

- I'm fine. I'm fine. Thank you.

No, I'm happy to be, uh, you know, to give up my...

- [laughs]

- Okay, I'm just going to let you two figure this out.

Nicole, very nice to meet you.

- You too.

- Buddy... - Okay, yeah.

- See you later.

- He's a good guy, actually.

- Um...you know I know this is last-minute notice,

but kind of seems to be our m.o.

- Yeah, doesn't it?

- But my parents are hosting a small Christmas gathering

at their house tomorrow.

- Oh.

- And uh well, there will only be a few us there

and I'd really love it if you'd come.

- Oh, well I was supposed to hang out with Mark tomorrow,

but let's see, you Mark, really not much of a choice.

Yeah, I would love to come.

- Oh, great!

Well, I have a better idea.

Why don't you see if Mark wants to come too?

- He would love that, I'm sure.

- Great!

Well, there's just one small catch.

- Catch?

[instrumental Christmas music]

♪

- I do hope you boys are comfortable

with the wardrobe for our Christmas festivities today.

- Comfortable? Of course, we are.

- And Daniel here, would wear a sweater like this every day

during Christmas if he didn't have to wear his Army uniform.

Isn't that right?

- It's true, I actually love... - Attention.

- Ah, there he is.

I was going to say Christmas actually, thank you.

- You guys are good sports.

And I promise, we're going to have a lot of fun today.

- It's a Ramsey Family tradition.

- Yes. And Marilyn, so nice to have you with us today.

- I'm honored... really.

- Well, you look so pretty. Doesn't she Mark?

- Uh, yes.

- Mom. Why don't you share with everyone

how our tradition came about?

- That's a great idea!

- I'm sorry, did I... did I... miss something there? I...

- No.

- No, no, no.

- No, no. Okay, okay, you two.

So...

- Okay.

- My mom always loved to celebrate Christmas,

but she didn't just celebrate the holidays

she would celebrate my Father.

- My grandfather died in World War II.

Just before Christmas,

and grandma and he had been married just over a year

and my mom had just been born.

- Awe, that's so sad.

- Yeah. It was hard on my mom at times,

but she was a strong woman of faith.

She would always focus on Jesus at Christmas,

knowing that he was born to reconcile all mankind to God.

What an amazing gift he gave us.

And she would always insist that Christmas was a time

to celebrate with thankfulness, with joy and with fun.

And that's why she started up

these Spirit Sweater Holiday Parties.

- Spirit Sweaters? - Mmhmm.

- My mother-in-law, Dorothy, felt

that there was literally nothing u-word about Christmas.

And she thought instead, that if everyone came together

for the party and wore a festive sweater

then they could express their own unique Christmas spirit.

- U-word?

- Ugly.

[everybody yells] - No! Don't say it!

- There's one rule

and you can't refer to any spirit sweater as u-word.

- I got it now. I apologize.

- I'm sorry about him.

[everybody laughs]

- And sometimes it would be the four of us and then others

it would be like this year,

where we would meet people along the way,

and we would invite them to celebrate with us.

- And who were Christmas spirited.

- Well, I mean, that's us. Clearly.

- Absolutely.

- So, we'll go around the room and each of us will say

why their sweater represents

the best of the Christmas spirit to them.

- Awe, I love that. It's so sweet.

- I love it too.

- Awe...yeah, and of course we'll have

lots of treats to go with it.

In fact, why don't you and Marilyn head into the kitchen

because I have a nice jug of eggnog.

You can bring that in and the lovely tray of cookies, please?

- Yeah, sure.

- Absolutely.

- Thank you. - Cookies. Eggnog.

- Mmhmm.

- I...

- Mom.

- Hey. - Hi.

- Sorry.

- [chuckle]

- Is it, is it me or does it seem like she's trying uh...

Set us up?

- Yes. As soon as she saw us today.

Nicole says its kind of a hobby of Fran's.

Drive's Nicole crazy,

but she knows her heart is in the right place.

- That's funny.

- Why is it funny?

- Well, I mean...

Well, we're the best friends, right?

We're the sidekicks.

I know it's early days, but I'm really rooting

for Nicole and Daniel to get together.

- Mmhmm, there's definitely something brewing between them.

- You see it too?

- Of course! - Yeah.

- And you're right, it'd be right out of a Romcom

for the sidekicks to end up together too.

- That would be funny.

- Hilarious.

- Hilarious?

- I don't mean hilarious in a bad way.

I was just agreeing with you.

I was saying it'd be funny if you and I

were to develop feelings for each other too.

...Or maybe it wouldn't be?

- Oh, um sorry Fran, we were just coming with the eggnog.

- And the cookies are right here.

- Thank you.

Continue doing what you're doing.

It's all good.

- We're not doing anything...

- We're not doing anything. No, we're just talking.

- Well then just continue not doing kind of doing whatever,

I'm fine.

- [both sigh]

- Okay, everyone! Let's take our seats please.

We're going to start telling our stories.

- Okay.

- Daniel, why don't you and Nicole sit down

over on that one.

- Perfect, yes. - Sure!

- Marilyn, you can sit there.

And, I'll take those. Thank you Mark.

You can sit beside her.

- Fran, they can choose their own seats.

- What? I'm just trying to be a very good hostess.

- You're being a great hostess, if I may say.

- Thank you, Daniel.

- And I for one love my seat.

- And I love my seat too.

- Okay, see... perfect. Alright, so.

Who would like to start?

Tell us about your sweater

and what the Christmas spirit means to you.

- Okay. I will break the ice. - Good.

- [everybody chuckles]

- Uh...so, my, uh, turkey's name is Ted.

- [everybody laughs]

- Ted, you named your turkey after yourself?

- Well, there is a little resemblance.

- Okay.

- But, uh, Daniel and Mark as you both well know,

an army marches on its stomach.

- Yes sir.

- And so too does Christmas, because sharing traditional food

and drinks with family and friends

is the epitome of the Christmas spirit to me,

and I look forward to it every year.

- Well said, Dad.

- And he says that every year.

- Because I like to eat every year.

- [everyone laughs]

- Marilyn, would you mind going next?

- Not, at all.

For me, Christmas is for everyone of course,

but it's especially about children.

Their innocence, their pure joy.

I see it in my nieces' and nephews' faces.

And it makes me so happy.

So that's Christmas spirit to me.

- Awe.

- Very nice, very nice.

- That is lovely.

- Mark, I think you should follow that now.

- Oh boy.

- Sure. Alright.

- [laugh]

- Uh, well... um as some of you in this room may know,

I am a bit of a, how do I say it, a goofy guy.

- What? No one noticed that. You hide it so well.

- [laugh]

- Thank you, former best friend.

- [laugh]

- But this reindeer reminds me of how I felt about Christmas

ever since I was a kid.

It's about imagination and fun.

And believing that reindeer really do now how to fly.

Feeling this way has gotten me through some hard times

and it's made the good times even better.

So... that's the Christmas spirit to me.

- That was beautiful Mark.

- Yeah. Didn't know you had it in you, pal.

- [laugh]

- Alright, I did.

- Okay, we're best friends again.

- [laughing]

- Alright, hostess with the moistest. Your turn.

- Alright, that's very easy, um...

I chose the Christmas wreath.

Because to me, Christmas is all about family and unity

and it's also a complete unbroken circle.

So, it includes those who are no longer with us.

And that is the perfect Christmas spirit.

- That was great, Fran.

Um, should I go?

- Absolutely.

- Okay, um...

Well, it's probably no surprise that my feelings on Christmas

were formed growing up in a military family.

And then of course, joining the army myself.

But, Christmas to me is about giving.

And about sacrificing for others.

I mean, in the end, isn't that what Jesus did for all of us,

so, it sounds simple but, uh, I think it's pretty profound.

- Hear, hear Daniel.

- [chuckle] Thank you Fran.

Uh, I believe you're up Doctor.

- Oh, okay, my turn.

Well, when I was a little girl

my grandma always let me put the star on top of the tree.

And, back then I always wondered

why do we put a star on the tree?

Why do we place it so high?

And I know now that the star lit the path, it guided the way,

it allowed those to follow where God was leading them.

That star, so high in the sky, was a beacon of hope...

that inspires us, and we just need to follow it.

[soft inspirational music]

- Good morning! - Hi there!

- Thanks!

- Early start today?

- Yeah, I took the early shift because Daniel and I

are running an errand together this afternoon.

- Oh, it was so nice to see him last night.

To see everyone, your family is amazing.

Thank you for including me.

- Aw. Thank you for coming.

- [chuckle]

- I hope my Mom's matchmaking tendrils

didn't grab onto you too hard.

- She was totally fine. And, Mark is... nice actually.

But now, we have a young man waiting for us

in exam room 8... shoulder issues.

[knock knock]

- Come in.

- Good morning Private Southworth.

I'm Doctor Ramsey, you've already met Nurse Marilyn.

I understand you're dealing with some lingering issues

on your left shoulder from an injury you sustained

while deployed overseas?

- Uh, yeah, that's um... that's right.

- Vitals are all good. Just BP is a smidge high.

- Can you tell me a bit more

about how you got the injury, Private?

- Um...

Um... I uh...

I was thrown from a vehicle and landed on my shoulder.

- Was the vehicle going very fast?

- Yeah, yeah it was.

[solemn instrumental music]

We were um, in a pursuit when we got cut off.

I, uh, landed...

I landed hard on my shoulder... - [hyperventilating]

- Landon, Landon, I need you to slow your breath down.

Breathe through your nose.

[inhales deeply]

Have some water.

- Thank you.

I'm sorry.

- You have nothing to apologize for.

- I uh, I lost a close friend that day.

And um, I've been dealing with some PTSD stuff

since I got back.

- That's totally understandable.

How long have you been back?

- Just uh... just a couple of weeks.

I was stationed here at JBLM when I was deployed.

My wife and I liked the area,

we have a daughter and she's so excited about Christmas, but...

I just keep asking myself why I'm still here...

Why I'm here and he's-

[hyperventilating]

- Okay, okay.

Have you received any therapy or counseling

since you've been back?

- No, not... not yet.

I keep thinking I can tough it out, you know?

I'm trying to be strong for my family.

I want to make sure they have a good Christmas.

Money is so tight.

I'm just so tired.

- You don't have to do this alone, Landon.

Okay, I'm going to check out your shoulder.

We're going to get that fixed up, okay?

And then, I'm going to reach out to a friend

who has an organization right here near the base,

that I believe can help you.

- Thank you.

I appreciate it.

I don't know what else I should say.

- Well, I know one thing...

You can be proud of your heroic service.

[sniffles]

- The... the real hero was my friend.

- This day flew by. I barely got to talk to you.

- It really did. And now, I'm off to see Daniel.

- I think it's amazing that you guys are going

to try and find out what happened to your grandfather.

- Yeah, I hope we can.

Oh, and we're meeting Landon at the HFW center tonight.

- I'm so glad he decided to check it out.

I looked at him in that room, so young and in such pain,

my heart just broke.

- Yeah, mine too.

But I am confident that Daniel and his team will help him.

- Oh, hey!

You know that charity I just started doing

some volunteer work for.

The one, Belinda at my gym, turned me onto.

- Santa's Helper, right? - Right.

Belinda's the director over there,

they provide toys and books and things for military families

who are going through financial hardships.

You heard Landon say how he was struggling with money

and he wanted to try to give his family a nice Christmas.

- Yeah. I think that's a great idea!

- Good.

We just need someone like Daniel or Mark to refer him

and then they'll set up an appointment for him and his wife

to go by the workshop and pick out what they'd like.

There's nothing else to it really.

- I'll talk to Daniel tonight.

- Maybe Mark, instead.

I could help him coordinate things for Landon.

- Mark it is, then. Thank you, Marilyn.

- [Nicole] Sergeant Bates, I can't tell you how much

I appreciate your help with this.

- [Bates] Well, I was glad to look into it for you.

Even if this guy has torched me on the basketball court

one too many times.

- [laugh]

- [Nicole] I didn't know you were good.

- [Daniel] Nah, not really.

- [Bates] Oh, he's good alright.

Let's just say zealous on that court.

- [Nicole] Oh, I've already seen the results of that zealousness.

- [Bates] How's your knee.

- [Daniel] It's fine, yeah, I'm fine.

- [Nicole] Uh, it might be fine.

We hope it's fine, but he does have his MRI appointment

tomorrow morning, doesn't he?

- Ah, yes, he does,

and he will be there bright and early Doctor.

Ray, what'd you find out for us.

- It's a challenge

because a lot of the army personnel records

from World War II were lost in a fire in 1973.

I was able to track down your grandfather's infantry

company major, but unfortunately there aren't many

present-day survivors.

They'd be the best sources to tell us what happened.

- Oh.

- It's not unusual, sadly.

World War II was a long time ago.

Many of your grandfather's fellow soldiers

were killed in the battle that took his life.

And the few who did survive, have since passed.

- So, that's it then? A dead end?

- Not at all. We're going to keep searching.

I have a few ideas for how I might be able to find out more.

I have some pretty good connections

at National Archives.

and I'm going to try to reconstruct

what was lost in the records as best I can.

I just need a little more time.

- Thank you, Ray, that means a lot.

- I'll reach out as soon as I find anything.

- Amazing, Ray. Thank you so much.

And I promise to go easy on you next game, okay?

- [laugh]

- And I can promise as his doctor,

he won't be playing that next game until he's fully healed.

- Great.

- Yes ma'am. You know best.

- Yes, I do, and don't you forget it.

- I couldn't forget anything about you. Ever.

- [chuckle]

You are so smooth, Major.

- Um, maybe you two could continue this on your own.

I have an important mystery to solve.

- Yes.

- Ray, I really am grateful,

for anything you can find out about my grandfather.

For me and for my family.

- Of course.

[hopeful instrumental music]

- Nicole's here. She's at the front entrance.

- Did you find out more about her grandfather?

- Not yet, but we will. Oh yeah, Merry Christmas.

- Merry Christmas to you. What's that supposed to mean?

- Traditional holiday greeting, Mark.

- No, no I understand that but you're smirking.

- Am I? - Yes.

- That's weird.

Hey, listen, when Nicole asked if we could help get

Private Southworth to Santa's Helper,

of course I said yes, but I was thinking

maybe you could escort him and his wife when they go?

- Yeah, sure. - Okay, great.

I gotta make sure you're hooked up

with a certain volunteer over there when you do.

- Okay, what's his name?

- Oh, it's not a him it's a her, and I think you know her?

Her name's Marilyn.

- Hi again, Landon. I'm so glad you came.

- Hi. - Hi.

- Welcome, you must be Private Southworth.

- Yes sir. Major.

- [Mark] You're not reporting for duty.

- You're alright.

- When you're at the center

you can call him Daniel, you can call me Mark.

We want you to feel at ease.

- Yes sir.

- These two are going to take very good care of you.

- Absolutely.

We're going to get you all the help you need.

All the help you deserve.

- Thank you for your service, Landon.

- Um sure.

Hey, can I ask, um how does this all work.

[sentimental instrumental music]

- I've been in the exact spot that you are in right now.

I am going to show you around

and tell you all about the resources we offer.

You're going to do just fine.

- And, Landon, we understand the holidays can be challenging

for military families.

There's an organization here in Lacey called Santa's Helper.

- They're great.

We actually work really closely with them here too, so...

- We'll make sure you don't have to worry about getting gifts

for your daughter.

That's just one of the things we'll take off your shoulders.

- Really?

- Yeah.

- I mean, I don't know what to say.

- Ah, you don't have to say anything.

Just know that we are your brothers and sisters in arms

and we're going to take care of you.

- Thank you. - Alright.

- Welcome. - Thanks.

- I'll show you around.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

- This way.

- Alright, we'll see you in a bit okay.

- Yes sir. - We're glad you're here.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

- Ah, you don't have to say that. It's what we do.

- You are something.

- What? Do you mean like something good or...?

- Mmm... well, that's still under consideration.

- [laugh] Okay.

- But it's looking promising.

[knock knock]

- Good morning.

- Well, hello Doctor.

- That smock really does suit you.

- Okay, okay. Do you remember your name this time?

- [both laugh]

- Yes, I believe I do.

So, we won't have your full MRI results back

for a couple of days, but...

I was able to pull some strings,

and I spoke to the radiologist about your scan.

- Okay.

We had looked to see if you had torn your ACL,

we also took a look at your MCL, it was...

as I expected.

- What does that mean?

- It means you're fine.

- [sigh of relief] I knew it, I knew it actually.

I knew it.

- Okay, okay. Slow down there.

I'm not giving you a get-out-of-jail-free card.

I need you to take it easy for a while, okay?

Not put any stress on that knee to allow it to fully recover.

And, I would like you to schedule a follow-up appointment

with my colleague Doctor Reynolds,

in a couple of weeks please.

- Okay. Wait, your colleague? Why with your colleague?

- Oh. I'm not going to continue being your doctor anymore,

I might have a conflict of interest.

[cheery instrumental music]

- Ohh, you might, you might, huh? - Yeah.

- [phone vibrates] - Okay.

Oh hey, a voicemail from Ray.

- Oh, well I hope he has some good news for us.

- Yeah.

- Uh, you can uh get dressed

and I'll meet you out at the nurses' station.

- Wait, no examination? - Nah-uh.

I didn't have to put the smock on, did I?

- It looks so cute on you.

- [chuckles]

- [both laughing]

- Oh, don't even tell me what you two are giggling about.

I don't want to know.

- Sorry Major, it's girl code anyway.

- Okay.

- So, what did Ray say on his message

- Okay, so apparently, your grandfather's infantry company

joined forces with an army mountain company briefly,

a short time before his death.

- [gasps] That sounds like an encouraging clue!

- Yeah.

- So, how does that help you guys?

- There's two surviving members left from this mountain company.

One of them, is apparently quite ill.

He doesn't have much memory left from his time in the war.

The other survivor, a gentleman named Christian Murray,

he lives in Portland

and he's agreed to meet with us this afternoon.

Now, if it's not this afternoon

you'll have to wait to the new year.

- Oh, no. I definitely want to go today.

I can't stand the idea of waiting.

- I thought you might say that.

So, what I can do is I can clear my schedule for this afternoon

I start Christmas vacation tomorrow anyway.

And, you know we can take a day trip?

- Yes, You have to go.

I'll take to Doctor Reynolds about covering for you.

- Thank you. Oh, I'm nervous.

But I'm excited.

I mean it could be nothing, but... it could be something.

- Absolutely.

Let's go to Portland.

- [Daniel] What's going on over there?

- [Nicole] Oh, these are delicious. Here have some.

- No, I'm good now thanks.

- You're good? How can you be good?

A road trip isn't a road trip without car snacks.

- [laughs]

Is that why you cleaned out that convenience store back there?

- Do you know nothing about the concept of guilty pleasures?

- This is good.

The mysteries of Nicole Ramsey are coming to light.

- [laugh]

- No mysteries, really.

- Okay.

Then, have you been in a serious relationship recently?

- Not recently.

- You have to give me a bit more than that, Doctor.

- Have you?

- Not recently. Why not?

- I suppose because I haven't been looking for one.

- Despite your mother's constant efforts to the contrary.

- As my mother well knows, once I decided to change course

and become a doctor, my time is pretty limited.

- I totally get that.

It's a long road.

- Why not you?

- Why not me?

You want to be in a serious relationship with me?

- What? No, I... - Are you asking me right...

- We'll see.

No, just answer the question, Major!

- Well, honestly, I think Major is the answer to it, Major.

I'm a military man through and through,

I've been stationed all over the place over the years.

Did a few tours overseas...

- So, it's a long road for you too.

- Long and winding and unpredictable road.

- I just think it's hard to put someone else through that.

- What if they're the one?

You know, my grandmother always talked about

my grandfather being the love of her life.

- Hm.

I don't know.

I guess, I just haven't met the right person before now.

- Before now?

- Before... before, before.

- Mmm. - Is what I meant.

- Yeah, thanks for clarifying that.

- So, wait okay, you do all this hard work,

you become a doctor, a very good doctor I might add,

um... what's next?

- Well, I always thought I'd finish up my commitment

in the reserves- - Okay.

- and there's an orthopedic practice in Olympia

that's been interested in me.

- Oh.

So, you'd move?

- Well, that's what I was thinking.

I mean that's what I was thinking before now.

- Before now?

- No, before, before.

- Before before. - Mmhmm.

[cheerful instrumental music]

♪

- We're here.

- Let's go.

- [instrumental Christmas music]

- [door closes]

- I've prepared some tea, if you'd like.

- Yeah sure, that'd be great. Thank you.

- Thank you.

- Here he is.

- I saw them drive up.

- [laugh]

- Well, you introduce yourselves, I'll get the tea.

- It's an honor to meet you sir, I'm Major Daniel Ross,

this is Major Nicole Ramsey.

- Hello.

- It's nice to meet both of you.

Sergeant Bates told me a little about why you're here.

Sit.

- Oh.

Wow, you have such a beautiful home, sir.

And we very much appreciate your meeting us during the holidays

on such short notice.

- Well, I'm happy to.

But no more sir from either of you, alright?

Chris will do.

- You got it sir... Er... Chris.

- [laugh]

- I am not a knight.

But I wanted to be one when I was a kid.

- [chuckles]

- Instead, I started a commercial shipping company.

And fortunately, it was a success.

My son, Joseph who you met, he runs it now.

Along with one of my granddaughters [chuckle].

I'm retired now.

- Well, you've earned that.

- Tell me a little bit about your grandfather, will you?

- Of course, his name was John Medlen.

And he was killed in Northern Italy, in December of 1944.

- That was a tough time.

The Italians had surrendered by then, but the Germans,

they increased their presence there.

- Sorry to interrupt. Here you go.

- Oh wow.

- Thank you. Wow, those cookies look amazing.

- They were my mom's recipe.

- She baked them every Christmas.

She passed three years ago.

- Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.

My condolences. To both of you.

- She was definitely the rock of the family.

- My grandmother was that way too.

We lost her this past year.

- My condolences.

- And she never knew what happened to your grandfather?

- Just where and when he died.

- That was December 1944.

- Ah, I know that story well.

It can be hard for Dad to tell it.

- Oh, we were told that my grandfather's company

had met up with your company that month, Chris.

- They were on the move, both of them,

in the mountains and they crossed paths... briefly.

They were hit by a group of German snippers

and both companies had to move on quickly

to their intended destination.

Dad was shot, by the snippers. Gravely injured.

There was a lot of smoke around snippers

that had been setting fired for diversions.

And in the confusion and haste of battle and moving on,

my father was left behind.

- Oh.

- But, a solider from your grandfather's company

spotted him as they were moving out and refused to leave him.

- He told his squad that he'd... catch up with them.

- He convinced some local villagers to help assist

in getting Dad to a farmhouse.

The Italians were on the allied side at that point in the war,

and it was there that they summoned a doctor.

- He stayed with me in that farmhouse,

until I was stable and could be transported home

when other American forces arrived.

- That solider then risked his life traveling alone

to get back to his company.

Dad later learned that that company was virtually wiped out

in a battle short time after.

That must have been where your grandfather perished.

- I am so sorry.

I was badly hurt, the medications...

I never even got the Corporal's name.

- He was a Corporal? - Mmhmm.

- Chris...

is this the solider?

- [teary] Yes. Yes!

I remember that face.

I could never forget it, even with that fog.

How can you forget the face of someone

who risked everything to save your life?

- That man was my grandfather. Corporal John T. Medlen.

- That man... he was a true American hero.

- Okay, I've got a teddy bear for you.

Merry Christmas!

- They do a really good job in here.

It's very very Christmassy.

- [laugh]

- It looks great.

- Marilyn. Hi.

- Hi.

Landon, it's so good to see you again.

- Thank you, Ma'am. Uh, this is my wife, Luisa.

- Hi.

- Hi, it's nice to meet you. Thank you for helping us.

All of you.

- Anything for family, right?

- And, it's nice that you came along, Mark.

- Yeah, I was in the neighborhood...

- Didn't he say that he was really excited

to see Marilyn again? That...

- Did I? - Yeah.

- Yeah. Yeah. I said that.

- [laugh]

[clears throat]

Luisa, how old is your daughter, Layla?

- She's three.

- Awe.

- Does she like reindeer?

- She loves them, yeah.

- [laugh]

- So do I.

- [laugh]

- Alright, well, let's go get some reindeer for Layla.

- Yeah.

- And maybe one for Mark.

- And yes, definitely for me.

- This way.

- Yeah.

[soft instrumental Christmas music]

- Please tell your father how much we appreciate his time,

And yours.

- Of course. Thank you, both, so much for coming.

It meant so much to him.

To find out the name of the man who saved him.

It meant so much to all of us.

- Would it be okay if we came back to visit again sometime?

- Absolutely.

- And Major Ross? - Yeah.

- When Sergeant Bates gave us the names of

who'd be visiting today, I did some online research about you,

and just out of curiosity.

But this work you're doing at A Hand for Warriors,

is very important and I admire you.

- Well, thank you very much. I appreciate that,

but we've got a long way to go.

- They're trying to raise funds

to build a residential rehab center.

- Helping brain injured veterans

relearn social interaction skills

with individualized treatment plans.

- Noble work. Much needed.

Please, come and see us again.

- Thank you.

- We will

- Merry Christmas. - Merry Christmas.

- Wow.

- You said we will in there.

- Did I?

Oh, I think that's because you asked if it would be okay

if we came back, so...

- I like the sound of that.

- Good. Me too.

[cheerful Christmas music]

- Good morning. - Good morning.

What a nice treat to have our favorite daughter stop by

on her way to work.

- You're only daughter.

- Still my favorite.

- Where's Dad?

- At his morning constitutional as he likes to call his walks.

- Oh. Well good, I wanted to talk to you first anyway.

- You're getting married.

- [gasp] I am?

- Yeah. - To whom?

- Daniel, of course.

- Oh. Well, that's news to Daniel and me,

since we're just getting to know each other.

- Well, a girl can always hope.

- Well, you can hope, Mom because I like him... a lot.

- And he likes you a lot. I can tell.

But, if that's not the news then what is?

- You know I told you I was going to look into what happened

to Grandpa in the war.

- Yeah, you borrowed the photo.

- Yes, and I'm returning the photo.

By the grace of God and with the help of some amazing people,

I have a story to tell you.

[hopeful instrumental music]

- I'm serious, if you could've seen the look on Nicole's face

when she showed that photo of her grandfather to Christian

and he recognized it, it was like...

- Well, it's a beautiful thing.

And your face right now would best be described as...

- Don't say goo-goo. Don't say it.

- I didn't say it. - Don't say it.

- You said it. But you're right.

- [chuckles]

Oh hey, how'd it go with Landon

and those guys at Santa's Helper?

- It was great. It was uh, really great.

- Yeah, and...?

- And, we found this really cool reindeer toy for his daughter.

- C'mon, and...?

- Clearly, I'm not the only fifth grader in the room.

Alright, I like Marilyn.

We're gonna, you know, hang out and see what happens.

- Yeah, Merry Christmas buddy! - Merry Christmas!

Hey. Listen, listen.

Do me a favor, don't screw it up with Nicole, all right?

She's really good for you

and even though it pains me to say it...

You're good for her.

- Wait, stop.

Was that a compliment, because it sounded like a compliment.

- Yeah, I complimented you.

Must be running a fever or something.

- You should get that checked out.

- Yeah, yeah. I will.

[soft instrumental music]

- Wow.

- Well, that's just incredible.

Thank you for finding all of this out about your grandfather.

- I'm just so overwhelmed, I... I can't even find the words yet.

- I know it's a lot to take in.

Daniel and I would love to bring you to meet Christian one day

if you're up for it.

- Yes. That would be so special.

- It would.

- Oh, thank you, honey.

- Of course, Mom

- I want some of this.

[cheerful instrumental Christmas music]

♪

- I love this tradition.

With the base next to us,

I'm so proud that the town honors

the military at Christmas every year.

- Well, the service members in the area appreciate it

I can tell you that

- There certainly are a lot of them here tonight.

It's wonderful.

- Daniel, um... Hi Landon!

- Hi guys.. - Hi.

- Hey guys, hey. - Hi.

- Yeah, I'm so glad they came.

I know that Mark was encouraging them to come so...

- Where is Mark anyway?

- Ah Mark, he's like a golden retriever puppy,

he probably got distracted by the flashing lights

and lost his way.

- [laugh]

- I heard that.

- He's not wrong.

- Hi. - Hi.

- I'll get you a treat if you're good.

- I would like two treats, please.

- This guy. - Hi.

- What's up buddy? - I think they're about to start.

- Okay.

- Oof. Am I ready for this?

- You're ready, Mom.

- Good evening everyone! And Merry Christmas!

- [everyone] Merry Christmas!

For those of you who don't know me, I'm Joe Morton,

and I'm a proud United States Army Veteran of World War II.

- [applause]

Each year the town of Lacey likes to honor

our service members with this special lights display.

Tonight, I would like to dedicate this unveiling

to a fallen World War II hero. Corporal John T. Medlen.

Now, if you guys could help me here with the countdown.

I will flip this switch.

Are you ready?

- [crowd] Yes!

[All] Three...

Two...

One.

[patriotic music]

♪

♪

♪

[cheers and applause]

- Thank you, service members and veterans!

Merry Christmas and God bless you all!

[cheers and applause]

- Thank you

[instrumental Christmas music]

[indistinct conversation]

♪

- Okay, this is mine. That's yours.

- Thank you. - Merry Christmas friends.

Here's to our first double date together.

- Yes, and your first date ever.

- Yeah, I'm excited.

- What is that?

- Mm, this is a Blitzen Special.

It's blitzed with a little bit of everything.

- Of course, you ordered that.

- I did promise him a treat last night.

- Mm.

[phone buzzes]

- You promised me two treats and I have witnesses, so...

[phone buzzes]

- Ah, I'm so sorry guys, I have to take this.

- No, yeah.

- So, what are you guys doing tomorrow for Christmas Eve?

- Well, since neither of us have family in the area...

- And, neither of us could get away for Christmas...

- We thought we'd just...

- Hang out together.

- Awe, that sounds so nice. - Yeah.

- Daniel's coming over to my parents' house tomorrow.

- Awe.

- Right, with his parents stationed overseas

he doesn't get to see them at Christmas often.

- So, that's really nice. - Yeah.

- Yeah. - He looks a little stressed.

- Nah, he doesn't get stressed.

- Sorry about that gang.

- It's okay.

- Is everything okay?

- Uh, yeah, yeah. Everything's fine.

Should we order some food or...?

- Yes, yes, I am starving.

- You're always starving. What else is new?

- I wonder why Ray wanted to see us in person?

- Ah, he just said it was important when he called.

- But that wasn't the call you got at the diner?

- No, no, that was...

Hey Ray!

- Hey you two. Thanks for coming.

- No, it's you I should be thanking for all of your help.

Can I hug you?

- Of course, you can. That would make my day.

Now, I have something to tell you, and something to ask you.

Here, have a seat.

- I'm still reeling from what Ray just told us.

- I know right pfft...

- And, I would've thought it had to do with the call you got

at the diner, but it wasn't, was it?

- No, it wasn't.

- And, from the look on your face,

things clearly aren't all good, so what's going on?

- That call was from my commander.

I'm getting transferred in March.

[melancholy music]

- Oh. I... I see.

- Yeah, I didn't know. I had no idea, Nicole.

It's military life, right?

- Yeah. Yeah, then you have to go.

- What about...

- No, Daniel you have to go.

- Yeah. Are you okay with that?

Okay, um...

I don't have to come to your parents tomorrow if it's...

- Of course, you do. It's Christmas.

[instrumental Christmas music]

- I think the taste of homemade cranberry sauce

is so much better, don't you?

- Mm, I don't know, I used to love the canned stuff.

grandma used to let me use the cookie cutters

and make Christmas shapes.

- She did do that, didn't she? - Mmhmm.

- Okay, what's wrong?

- Nothing's wrong.

- Nicole, I've known you your whole life

and something is wrong,

and I have been waiting

ever since you came in earlier today with Daniel,

both wearing that hang dog expression,

for you to tell me what it is.

- I don't want it to ruin the surprise.

- Yes, I know.

You and Daniel have a surprise for me,

and as I told you, I don't need anything.

- No, it's not really a thing.

- And you're not really answering my question.

Honey, c'mon, talk to me.

It's Daniel, isn't it?

- He's leaving, Mom.

They're transferring him in March.

He just found out yesterday.

- Oh no. Oh honey.

I am so sorry.

But, sweetie, that doesn't mean

that that's the end of the story.

- Yes, it does. It's military life.

He said so himself and he's right.

He's been moving around his whole life serving other people.

Maybe people like him, people like me, we don't...

We don't get to have anyone else.

- I don't believe that.

- Maybe the duty and the transience makes it impossible.

- I don't believe that at all.

- I do not want this to ruin Christmas.

Okay, because we really do have a wonderful surprise for you.

And I'm sure Daniel and I will stay good friends.

- Well then, we will just talk about this at another time.

Oh.

Darn.

I'm out of butter.

And I remembered last night and yet I didn't get out

to go and get some more,

and I'm just in the middle of all of this.

Honey please, would you mind going to get me some?

- Oh, yeah. I came with Daniel, I'm sure...

- No, no, no, no.

You just take my car. You know where the keys are.

I mean Daniel and your dad are out there,

they're talking about sports, I say we just let them...

- Mom, what are you...

- I really want the butter.

- Okay.

Thanks honey!

- Thanks for helping, Daniel.

- My pleasure,

I do have to warn you I'm not much of a cook, so...

- [chuckle]

Well, you just keep chopping. You're doing such a good job.

- [laugh] Thank you Chef.

- Hey, uh, did Nicole ever tell you how this house got built?

- Uh, no, but I know she grew up here, right?

- Yeah. But originally it was my mothers.

My father had promised her when they got married

that he would build her a house.

And while it didn't turn out the way he intended,

he was still true to his word.

- Well, it is very nice. It's beautiful.

- It is, isn't it?

Tell you what I really miss about my mother...

are her eyes.

The way that they would just sparkle

when she would talk about my father.

Love at first sight, she would always say.

Not everyone gets to experience that kind of love.

But everyone deserves it.

Love is powerful, in all of its forms.

I mean the love that I share with Ted,

just continues to grow, even at this age.

- That's a beautiful thing.

- Yes, it is, isn't it?

- Um, I'm guessing Nicole told you.

- Yes, she did.

- Okay, um...

- I know I have this reputation of being a matchmaker,

but I promise you, I'm not going to interfere.

- I appreciate that.

- But I am going to tell you,

that my daughter has waited her whole life for you.

And I think the same is true for you with her.

Some people who share this kind of love,

like my mother and father, only have a short time together.

Sometimes love requires sacrifices,

but those sacrifices are always worth it.

And as sad as it is that my mom lost my dad,

she wouldn't trade the time she had with him

for anything in the world.

- Thank you for that, Fran.

That's... It's easy to see why your daughter

is such a remarkable woman.

- Chop. - Chop. Okay.

Yes, Chef.

- Well, after my false butter run,

Dad is now helping Mom finish up in the kitchen.

Oh, well, I'm sure that makes sense somewhere.

- Ah, you've been around us long enough to know.

- [laugh]

That's true.

- Daniel, I want you to know that I really do understand.

I don't want you to be worried

that your transfer is upsetting me.

I'm going to be...

- No, don't say it...

And I'm not worried.

- Well, you could be a little worried.

- Nope, I'm not. - Okay.

- No, Nicole. I'm not worried, because I'm not going.

- What?

- I'm not taking the transfer.

- No, you have to go.

- Yeah, so you told me yesterday,

but I've been thinking about that

pretty much non-stop since and I realized something...

You're wrong, Doctor.

- I'm wrong?

- Yeah, it might be a first, I'm not sure.

But you are absolutely wrong about this.

I'm not going.

- But how?

Oh, did my mother talk you into this?

- No. The only thing your mother did

was made me realize something that I already knew.

Nicole, I've been searching for you my entire life.

I knew it the moment you walked into that exam room

and forgot your name.

- I didn't forget my name. - Well...

- Okay, I kind of did.

Well, it was the smock you were wearing.

- No, it wasn't. - No, it wasn't.

- [both laugh]

- So, what are we going to do?

How do we solve this military life?

- Well, I've actually been thinking for a while now

about switching from active duty to the army reserves anyway, so.

- Oh, Daniel, no, I don't want you making any big decisions

like that because of me.

- It will give me more flexibility,

free me up to stay here,

continue the work I'm doing with A Hand for Warriors,

work that's been taking up a lot more of my time, as it should.

I already called my commanding officer and told him.

He was totally supportive.

- You did? - I did.

And there's no question that a big reason why I did,

was because of you.

We deserve a chance.

- Yeah, we do.

- And you know, the JBLM reserves,

they're actually looking for

a brilliant but stubborn orthopedic surgeon,

I don't know if you know anyone?

- Are you romancing me, or recruiting me, Major?

- I think there's only one way to answer that.

[romantic music]

[instrumental Christmas music]

- That dinner was delicious, Frannie.

- Another triumph. - Hm.

- I won't be able to eat again for at least another hour.

- I am so happy about Nicole and Daniel.

I mean, I know it's the beginning of their journey,

but I just have a very good feeling about this.

- Well, this one time, Madam Matchmaker,

I have to agree with you.

[doorbell] [door opens]

- [Nicole] Mom, Dad. Would you come in here?

I'd like you to meet Christian Murray and his son, Joseph.

- It's a pleasure to meet you, Ma'am.

And Chris, is just fine.

- Oh my.

So, this is the surprise.

- Well, that's not all of it.

- We're hoping you'll take a ride with all of us.

We...have something to show you.

- Well, you've come all this way and on Christmas Eve.

Of course. Ted?

- I'll get our coats.

- I can't imagine what it could be.

[Fran gasp]

- Oh, wow!

- Ma'am I know by now you've heard the story

of how your father saved my life.

Corporal John T. Medlen.

He was a hero then... and he's a hero now.

And he will be a hero forever.

- Thank you. Thank you.

[applause]

- All of these folks are generations of our family.

We're here to honor your father and your family

because without him, none of us would be here.

So, we want to say, thank you. And, Merry Christmas.

- Yeah, Merry Christmas! - Merry Christmas!

- Merry Christmas!

[applause]

- I don't even know what to say, I'm just completely overwhelmed.

- So, Fran, you should know that when Chris and Joseph here,

heard that we needed additional funding to buy this land

and build our new residential facility,

they very graciously and generously,

contributed what we needed.

- To honor your father and your mother.

[hopeful instrumental music]

[applause]

- Fran? Would you care to do the honors?

- Yes. Ted? - Okay.

- Thank you.

- Okay? - Yeah.

[applause]

- So, Mom, what do you think?

- I just...I think it would have been so nice

if Mom could've been here to see all of this.

- Awe, but I think she is. And grandpa too.

And I think they're up there,

celebrating together all of the Christmases that they missed.

Because for them, it's...

- It's Christmas forever.

[inspirational music]

♪

♪