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DAD (VOICEOVER): It's Christmas Eve.

And there I was in the middle of a snow storm on the final leg--

on your left.

[music playing]

Started to flip and--

[laughs]

Stop!

I don't like this part.

Tell it differently, Dad.

This is how it happened, Anya.

How could you lose if you were the best racer in the world?

I don't know if I was the best in the world.

Oh, you were.

At least that's what you said when

they brought you into my med tent on a stretcher.

In my defense, I was delirious.

You really didn't win the race?

No, but my dogs were OK.

And I won the hand of the most beautiful and brilliant doctor

I'd ever seen in my life.

You're right.

You were delirious.

Mhm.

Swept me off my feet and brought me to the land of Arizona

and gave me the greatest prize in the world.

[giggles] Less romance, more sled dogs.

Maybe in the morning.

Santa called.

He's very close to our house.

I didn't hear the phone.

He paged me.

Now go to sleep or Santa might have to skip our house.

[kisses]

I think this present wants to be opened.

How do you know that?

[upbeat music]

OK.

ALL: Cheese!

[camera click]

[sighs]

[barks]

[giggles]

I'll race you to the house.

[playful music]

Yeah.

[clattering]

[panting]

[grunts]

Are you OK?

I almost had you.

I almost had you.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, you got your grandma's speed.

Oh, yeah.

Elyse? - Hi.

Why are you decorating my house?

Oh, um, because you didn't.

Because we leave tomorrow.

Yeah, well, we need a little Christmas, OK?

[scoffs]

You know, I don't know any Finnish Christmas songs.

I guess I'll have to look some up on the plane.

I'm sure my cousin will be more

than happy to teach you some.

When I asked Lavi if we could stay with him,

he sent me back a 14-page email about the sights

and sounds of Finland.

That's my kind of cousin.

So how are you feeling about the race?

Good.

Just good?

This is the race in your father's home

country against the very man who beat him, and you're just good?

Yeah, I'm good.

OK, also terrified and excited and overwhelmed

and a little bit nauseous.

But I'm trying to keep myself steady.

So let me just have good.

Aye, aye, captain.

Thank you.

I can't believe this is finally happening.

And I can't believe my parents aren't here to see it.

I know.

But I am.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for spending Christmas away from your family.

Please, they see enough of me.

We're going to do a big thing when I get back.

And you know that I wouldn't miss this for the world.

Plus, I know that you need someone a little bit press

savvy like myself to help you navigate

the throngs of reporters.

[laughs] There won't be throngs.

One more question.

One more question.

You were right.

This is a throng.

We're here live at the signing at the 40th annual Joulurauha

Dog Race, where Anya Kivela has arrived,

taking back her family legacy and restoring her father's name.

The tension is palpable.

The stakes are high, and the chances nonexistent.

That is harsh.

Wow.

Little orphan Anya, what do you

have to say to your opponents?

I just-- you know, happy race, and I wish them well.

Even Monty White who beat your father

and sent him into early retirement?

Oh, sure, especially him.

What about you?

What do you have to say, friend of Anya?

Uh good race.

[laughs] Press savvy, huh?

I got sharp elbows.

I'm her cousin. I'm her cousin.

I'm her--

Lavi.

Anya.

Hi.

Elyse, this is my cousin Lavi.

Yeah, we met when I came to America.

We were, like, best friends.

Well, we were three.

And this is Elyse.

She's--

I'm her project manager, sled designer,

and current best friend.

I'm honored.

And Lavi is also the--

the race veterinarian.

Oh, isn't that like a conflict of interest?

Oh, no, no, no, no.

The panel okayed it.

Yeah, when it comes to matters of racing,

I'm like veterinarian number one, cousin two.

OK, so are you to sign in?

Yeah.

Yeah, let's go.

OK.

- Anya, one more question. - No.

One more question.

No more questions No more questions.

Wow.

I'm like Finnish bear when it comes to your safety.

Thank you, Lavi.

Thank you.

[mellow music]

Hi, Anya Kivela.

Of course, we are honored to host

the Kivela return to Finland.

Thank you.

Wow, everything is so beautiful here.

Thematically on point.

It is a Christmas race in the home of Santa Claus.

Well, that explains it.

That'll do it.

Let me show you something.

[soothing music]

Wow.

[soothing music]

Elyse, I'm slightly concerned about the qualifying leg.

We came all the way out here.

And if I lose so early, I'm just--

All you have to do is make it into the top six,

which, come on, you could do that in your sleep.

[sighs]

OK, two coffees coming up.

Ooh.

The backbone of Finnish hospitality.

Thank you.

Is it decaf?

It's coffee.

Thank you very much.

But is it decaf?

It's coffee.

Right.

I'm just saying I can't have caffeine too late in the day

or else I can't sleep.

Hmm.

That's great.

You know, Lavi your house is-- is just so inviting.

Is there a Finnish equivalent of "lagom" or "hygge"?

[laughs] A Scandinavian expert here.

Oh, I mean, some call me a scholar of coziness.

The most worthy scholarship of all time, if you ask me.

[giggles]

[laughs]

Well, uh Kalsarikannit.

That's it.

Kalsarikannit

Kalsarikannit

Very good.

Yeah.

What does that mean?

Pantsdrunk it means drinking alone at home in your underwear.

[laughs]

I'm so sorry.

That's good.

Did you hear it? Elyse: Yeah.

You snorted just like Aunt Thora.

Oh, did I?

Yes.

- Oh, lovely. - You're going to meet her.

She's going to be in Sodankyla.

And you're going to meet also Uncle Ernie and Aunt Pihla

and cousin Hilda, Matilda, and Petri.

You know what?

Let's slow down.

What if Anya doesn't meet her entire extended family

right in the middle of the most important race of her life?

OK, interesting.

It's not that I don't want to see them.

I really do.

I mean, it's been so long, especially your mom.

I haven't seen her in ages.

She's not good with surprises.

That's not true.

That is so not true.

I'm great with surprises as long as I know about them first.

That was a joke at my own expense.

I have a very dry wit.

Oh, yes.

And it leaves me quite parched.

[laughs]

Well, I'm going to go unpack before the welcome party,

so you two don't over caffeinate too much.

Oh, there's no such thing.

[clinking]

[rustling]

[soothing music]

I know.

But I'm just saying, come to the party.

I know there's going to be a lot of press there,

but it will be more fun if you're there too.

What do you say?

Nothing.

Wow.

I'm going to remember this.

I love you.

Turtledove brothers, welcome from Canada.

Would you say that your self-esteem and live presence

is riding on this race?

Well, his may be, but I'm doing fine.

Oh, wow.

Food.

Lohikeitto-- it's a salmon soup.

Oh.

OK.

Karjalanpiirakka-- it's potato pastry.

It's pretty good.

That one I think I got.

Yeah.

Potato and bread.

It's leipajuusto.

It's--

I'm fine.

Thank you very much, though.

I can figure it out.

- Understood. - Yeah.

Here we go.

You know what?

Actually, what is this?

Reindeer.

No.

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

Not for me.

Good choice.

Some of these. - Yeah.

So that's a grape.

Yeah.

[laughs]

So Finnish Santa is Jouli--

Joulupukki.

Joulupukki.

Joulu.

Yeah, it means Christmas goat.

And now we have a regular, generous human Santa?

Yes, of course, we have.

OK.

In fact, we are standing in his hometown right now.

Oh, OK.

Well, that explains why I saw, like, 20 Santas on the way

from the airport to here.

[laughs] Elyse, there's only one Santa.

He's just very fast.

Speaking of very fast, Nitaro.

Mendis.

Hi.

Your placement at La Grande Odyssey was incredible.

Is this your first race so far north?

It is.

And I can't think of a better one.

I'm-- I'm a nut for Christmas.

Oh.

And you, are you a Christmas nut?

Oh, no.

This one, she's like a Christmas goat, you know

Yeah.

Hey, look, I wouldn't call you a scrooge to your face, but--

I am not a scrooge.

I'm just reserved about Christmas, all right?

You keep Christmas in your own way.

I'll keep it in mine.

[chatter]

JOURNALIST: Monty, Monty, Monty, welcome

how do you feel this year? - I feel great.

You see the world champion, Monty White has finally

graced us with his presence.

My dogs are in splendid condition as am I.

I am Anya Kivela.

You beat my father.

Prepare to--

Shh!

You should say that to him.

May I have your attention, please.

May I have your attention.

Hyvaa joulua, everyone.

Welcome to the 40th annual Joulurauha race,

starting here in Rovaniemi, the official

hometown of Santa Claus.

The top six of tomorrow's qualifier will move on and take

part in a three-day, 300-mile race around Finland,

the same slope as the Santa Joulupukki

took when he was training to fly around the world.

That race will culminate on Christmas Eve, where the winner

will become our sole champion.

And this year promises to be the most competitive race yet.

[applause]

Our racers span the globe.

From Ladakh, near the Himalayas, we have Nitaro Mendis.

[applause]

To Canada, Bryce and Beckett Turtledove.

[applause]

Do you think that's their name all year

long or only during Christmas?

[laughs]

And, of course, the epic match 30

years in the making between Monty White and Anya Kivela.

[applause]

Come on, Jaak, we're athletes not Shakespeare characters.

I'm sure Anya Kivela isn't here just

because 30 years ago, I annihilated her father's

otherwise perfect legacy.

[laughs] I kid.

But truly, to come all this way just to finish her father's

business would be sad.

Don't you agree?

Oh, I couldn't agree more.

It would be silly to put so much stock in a man who's been racing

for 30 years but still hasn't managed to beat

any of my father's records.

[laughs] Yet.

I'm honored you know so much about me, junior.

I shall have to look you up, do a quick Google search.

Maybe follow you on social media.

[laughs] Don't worry.

By Christmas Eve, you'll be sick of following me.

Yeah.

Aah, there it is, the Kivela fire.

JOURNALIST: Anya, did you practice that burn, Anya!

Hey.

Psst!

[footsteps]

Coast is clear.

Are you OK?

Yeah, great.

I'm Anya.

Hi. - Cole.

Nice to meet you.

Yeah, no problem.

They could be animals.

Thanks.

Who is this?

This is Roux.

Hi, Roux.

May I? - Yeah, of course.

She loves the little pets behind the ears.

Aw, So does my lead.

Are you racing too?

Cole, I'm glad I caught you.

I have your press credentials.

[scoffs]

[laughs]

They're animals, huh?

They are, yeah.

Not me.

I [chuckles] provided the cover.

Probably so you could lure me down here

and pepper me with questions.

No.

Maybe a little bit.

Yeah, you know what it is, the thing about you guys

is you have no idea what goes on out there.

Cole used to race.

Cool.

Wait.

Cole as in Cole Olsen.

Did you race together?

No, no, no.

I mostly stuck to the North American races.

And I mostly raced when she was on sabbatical.

Besides, if we ever race together,

she would have been so far ahead of me, never would have seen me.

What else?

What do you mean?

You're secretly a reporter, secretly a former racer.

What other information are you withholding?

I'm a middle child.

I'm ambidextrous.

And I'm afraid of reindeer.

This has been wonderful.

Merry Christmas, Cole.

I don't think she meant that.

Got that new gang line.

Oh, and I gave the dogs their morning soup at 7:06 this

morning, which I think was maybe a little bit early,

but I feel like it'll be OK.

Maggie and Max prefer the meaty blend, I noticed.

So I put that in the yellow cooler for later after the race.

And also, I did tighten up the stanchion

brackets here because they were looking a little bit loose.

They were like [vocalizing]

Elyse, freeze.

What's up?

You've not been this revved since our first race.

What are you talking about, revved, huh?

I'm totally cool.

I am, like, cooler than a Finnish morning.

The people here drink more coffee per capita

than anywhere else in the world.

Did you know that?

I didn't know that.

And I thought that was highly interesting.

Actually, maybe I should give the dog some coffee, you know.

Elyse, take a breath.

Right, in and out.

[humming] How are you so calm right now?

Well, I'll have time to rush later.

So what is that?

Do you think this was planted here by one of our competitors

like a bug of some kind.

Maybe it was Monty.

Do you think he's listening in on our conversation.

It was my dad's, Elyse.

Oh, of course.

Yeah, it's a himmeli.

They used to hang it over the Finnish Christmas table

to ensure a good harvest.

And this was on my dad's sled.

It's really beautiful.

Yeah, it is.

I think I'm just worried that, like, I'm

going to be the one to ruin this whole thing for you.

Yeah, I kind of figured that out, like,

two breathless monologues ago.

Listen to me, Elyse, we're a team, all right,

you, me, and five dogs.

So there's no blame.

Either we lose together or we win together.

Right, one team, one dream.

One team, one dream.

One team, one dream.

BOTH: One team, one dream.

One team, one dream.

[laughter]

Please let us win.

[laughs]

- Anya? - Ugh!

Hi.

Hey, I was about to tell you I was press when Jaak came over.

I do not believe you.

OK, fair enough.

But my writing isn't exploitative, OK.

I do human interest stuff, deep dives,

insightful celebrity profiles.

ANYA: I'm not a celebrity.

COLE: Well, you are celebrated, right.

I mean, you won the Can-Am crown at 21, the American Derby twice,

and you've never placed worse than third until you took five

years off to care for your dad.

And now you are back.

What is your point?

Everyone is writing about you.

I want to do a piece that actually gets your perspective.

OK?

I mean, we could just do an interview.

No, I'm sorry, but that's not going to happen.

Why don't you interview Monty or Nitaro or the twins.

People love twins.

Your story is fascinating and so human.

That's why I got into sports.

Sports is people.

Sports are people.

Yeah, I was doing, like, a stylistic thing.

I don't know that it worked.

Never mind.

All right.

I understand.

I will-- I'll back off.

Thank you.

I appreciate that.

How are you feeling about the race?

Honestly-- oh, my God.

You're relentless.

That was a genuine question.

Mm-hmm.

[upbeat music]

Elyse: How are you feeling?

Feeling good.

You've got this.

Ah, Anya, I see they placed us side by side.

Don't let it get to your head.

It doesn't matter how we start,

Monty, only how we finish.

[scoffs]

The Kivela method.

Mm-hmm, yeah.

I read about it in your father's book,

five dogs instead of six, one in the middle instead of two.

Pretty wild.

Two is better always.

The fluidity in the line makes it so the rest of the team

can handle a harsher terrain.

Smart.

Less wear on your old dogs, no offense.

My pups are all three and under.

Young is better always, right?

Racers, on your marks, [barking] get set--

Come on, Cupid.

We can do this.

--mush!

[bell ringing]

[cheering]

[barking]

Come on.

[barking]

On by, on by, trail on your left.

[barking]

[hitting]

[exclaims] Are you crazy?

What is wrong with you?

Hiya!

[upbeat music]

[cheering]

REPORTER: What do you see?

MAN: Monty.

[sighs]

[cheering]

[barking]

[grunts]

[barking]

There's only one slot left.

She'll make it.

[cheering]

Hey!

What are you new?

Excuse me, I was going to ask you the same thing.

It is standard to yield the right of way

when you're being passed.

If the passing sled makes their intentions known.

I said, trail.

I must not have heard you.

Speak up next time.

Oh, I will.

You know it's a race, right?

It's not some little team-building exercise.

Don't.

What you did out there wasn't just unsportsmanlike,

it was dangerous.

Anya, it's Cupid.

He's hurt.

I pushed him too hard.

I was so busy trying to make up time,

I didn't even notice he was overexerting.

Well, I doubt that Cupid felt anything until he

stopped running, you know.

Is he going to be OK?

He's going to be absolutely 100% OK.

Don't worry about it.

He's going to be fine--

Yeah.

--in about four to six weeks.

Four to six weeks?

Mm-hmm.

So he's out of the race?

Yes.

OK.

I thought it would be a great tactic

to start being encouraging then give the bad news.

I see now that was wrong.

I'm sorry.

That's fine.

Cupid is going to be OK, and that's what's important.

Yeah.

Sisu.

What?

It means determination and perseverance

and having a clear head when things are bad.

And you have it.

Sisu.

Now you go, and I'll take care of Cupid.

OK, baby.

I'll see you in a bit.

[kisses]

[whines]

OK.

Yeah.

Oh.

No, not you. - Oh it is.

So sorry.

Any big thoughts on your dramatic finish today?

- Yeah, don't waste your time. - Don't waste your time.

That's brief and enigmatic. What does it mean?

It means interview someone who's actually racing.

I'm out.

Good news, sled was an easy fix.

Terrible news, Cupid is injured.

We have to scratch.

I was just on my way to tell Jaak.

What?

I'm sorry, scratch, as in, like, quit the race?

We can't race without a lead dog.

And none of the other dogs are ready.

I-- I'm so sorry, Elyse.

I'm sorry that I dragged you away from your family

at Christmas.

I cannot believe that I thought I was ready.

I can't believe we ended up here.

Hey, hey, hey. Stop, OK.

Do not scratch.

Just give us a few hours to--

you know, we're going to think of a solution here, OK.

Worst case, the lesser Partridge brother--

Turtledove.

--finds out that he qualifies a little bit later.

It's Christmas.

You got to have a little hope.

Fine.

But just a little.

OK.

[mellow music]

I'm sorry, guys.

[mellow music]

Sisu.

It's all my fault. I feel so responsible.

Lavi, it's all going to work out.

Well, how do you know this?

Because it's Christmas.

That's true.

Hey, you two.

- Hi. - Hi.

Elyse, I can take over sled work

if you want to go start packing.

What?

Are you leaving already?

Well, I mean, I figure I should get you

home for Christmas if I can.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

We are not going anywhere.

In fact, we are competing if I have to strap myself

to the front of this sled.

It's going to hurt.

Like a reverse Air Bud.

Elyse: Yeah.

I'm not sure Jaak's going to go for it.

OK, well, I at least need to get a good Finnish Christmas

out of this trip.

So Lavi, what do you got?

A lot like Santa Claus.

Mhm.

LAVI: Santa Claus village for you.

That is a snowman.

[chuckles]

And over there is the elf school,

and over there is the reindeer retirement home.

[laughs]

Yeah.

If I lived here, I would never leave.

Like, not even to fly around the world for a night.

Yeah.

Finland's pretty magical, Lavi.

Yeah, you should come back next year

and, like, compete again.

What was this?

Why did you look at each other with, like, secret in your eyes?

Well, between the entry fees and--

Equipment costs--

ANYA: --and the pre-race checks--

--international travel for two women plus five dogs--

--I bet we'd have enough saved up to come back--

--about--

Five years.

What?

Yeah.

Kind of mortgaged everything that I had to be here.

And when I took a few years off to take care of my dad,

I lost all my sponsorships.

Well, we will get them back.

Well, that's the big hope behind Anya

winning the race this year.

Wait, I know.

We shall go and see Santa Claus and ask him for help.

[laughs]

Yeah, I know, we can't travel all this way and not see him.

That's crazy.

It is crazy.

LAVI: Yeah.

Like, go sit on Santa's lap?

No, that's-- come on.

That's weird, right?

That's weird.

Hey, Lavi, how do you say bah humbug in Finnish?

Pyh humpuukia

That's what you sound like right now.

That's what I sound like right now?

Pyh humpuukia

Yeah.

Fine.

Let's go see Santa.

Well, I've got to admit, Lavi, this place is pretty amazing.

I told you.

Aren't you old?

Yes.

Look, it says right here, Santa

Claus enjoys meeting friends of all ages, so she's fine.

- Thank you. - Yeah.

SANTA CLAUS: Next.

[footsteps]

[giggling]

ANYA: Hello.

Elyse: Hi.

Hyvaa joulua!

Amerikkalainen serkkuni

Oh, what brings you to Lapland?

Oh, nothing.

Just wanted to stop by and say hello.

And?

All right.

Fine.

Santa, I would very much like to be able to compete

in the Joulurauha race.

But-- excuse me, you're not going to ask to win?

Serious?

Well, winning I can handle, but it's the competing

that will take a miracle.

Anya?

Are you stalking me?

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

No. Nephew.

I have a nephew and a sister.

Just met him here.

I think fate brought me here, though.

I have a way for you to stay in the race.

Say cheese.

Cheese!

[camera clicks]

This is iconic, and I'm going to keep this forever.

Where is he? Do you think he forgot?

Do you think this is a trick?

Do you think he's just trying to score an interview?

I think he's probably just hanging out with Santa,

and you might have some trust issues.

- Ah! - Sorry about that.

Oh, hi.

Hi.

OK, so what's your plan?

Use Roux.

Who's Roux?

Cole's lead dog.

Oh, who's Cole?

Oh, you're-- right, of course.

He's a reporter.

Oh, Well, I got sharp elbows.

OK.

Yeah, he used to be a racer.

And I don't know anyone who takes better care of his dogs

than-- yeah, besides Anya.

Thank, Lavi.

That really means a lot.

Yeah.

Roux is in incredible shape.

I was ready to retire, she wasn't.

What's your angle?

None.

I won't even write about it if you don't want.

I am here as a former racer.

I know what it's like to fly halfway

across the world for a race, and I'm

not going to let you pull out if there's

anything I can do to help.

OK, well, I can't just throw in a new lead dog last minute.

The first leg is in six days.

Roux doesn't know our harness set up.

It'll throw off the entire team dynamic.

Jaak won't allow it.

OK, let's do it.

Yes.

What just happened?

Oh, she just has to lay out all

the obstacles in front of her before she sets off,

metaphorically.

Yeah, I just, I really like to see a map before I

make a decision.

Brilliant.

It's a long shot, a real long shot.

But, I mean, what other option do we have?

You say nothing.

I do all the talking.

Got it.

You're the lead dog.

Pretend I didn't say that.

It's going to be great.

No, no.

I don't know.

I know that you finished with the dogs you start with,

but technically, that was just the qualifiers.

The race hasn't started yet.

It's a shame to lose you, Anya.

I was a big admirer of your father and you.

Thank you.

But the rules, it's just not done.

What will the board say?

They--

I think they'll say, whew, I'm so glad Kivela

isn't out of the race.

Attention has been declining over the years,

but people seem really excited again,

thanks to her perseverance and moving story.

What a shame it would be if she was to drop out so early.

But I just don't think this attention is enough to justify--

Cole is going to write about me.

What?

He is.

Yes, I am.

It is about a legacy trying to catch her father's white whale.

It's a new dog tries old trick kind of thing.

Sorry, am I the new dog?

I got to stop doing that.

I mean, yeah.

This is not a conflict that she's racing with your dog?

Not if everyone knows I'm involved.

Jaak, this is going to be a first-person essay, right.

And my editor at the magazine, which has

a circulation of 1.2 million--

Oh, my God

--and a digital readership of 5 million,

is going to love this.

I will bring it to the board now.

If Roux passes the physical and the board

approves this and all the other racers agree, you're in.

Go.

OK.

Good, Jaak.

We are only on the record when I say we're on the record.

I set our hours and no probing questions.

Anything else?

I get final edit.

Absolutely not.

Fine.

Bring Roux by first thing tomorrow morning.

All right, you got it.

What are you doing?

Are you already writing this in your head?

- Maybe. - Stop.

See you tomorrow, boss.

[sighs]

You know, we're not on the record yet.

This is nothing personal.

You did nothing wrong.

You are perfect.

And you're late.

Are you sure about that?

Wow, you are right on time.

I was so ready for you to be late.

[exhales]

I'm taking this serious, Anya.

Thank you.

I really appreciate that.

Here, this is for Roux.

This is for you.

It's Karelian pie.

It's rice porridge in a rye crust.

I figured you're not the sit down

and eat a bowl of oatmeal type.

Thank you.

It's very sweet.

Let's go.

I went ahead and left Cupid back for this just in case

he got territorial.

- Yeah, it's definitely wise. - Yeah all right.

You're good.

You're good, baby.

OK, you're good.

You're good.

You're good.

All right, let's try this.

[barking]

Hike!

[clanking]

[whines]

All right.

All right.

Maybe if I reorganize the line.

Maybe.

OK.

[groans]

[whines]

[clanking]

All right, let's go.

Hike!

[whines]

Really?

Nothing.

Great.

This is going really well.

- They need more time. - I don't know what they want.

I'm not sure what to do for them.

[barking]

Six hours, and I think we went a total of 4 cumulative feet.

Jeez, I never thought that team loyalty

would be our big downfall.

Well, on the bright side, I think you and Roux bonded.

We really did.

Look at us.

[laughs]

Except we lost an entire day. - Yeah.

And we only had five to begin with.

True.

Too bad doggie ice breakers aren't a thing.

[laughs] Yeah, everyone go around and bark your favorite

flavor of dog food.

[laughs] Would you rather belly

scratches or ear scratches?

If you're stranded on a doggie desert

island with one celebrity, dead or alive,

who would you want it to be?

Balto.

Naturally.

Yeah.

Oh, of course.

[yawns] Oh, I'm so tired.

[laughs] I'm sorry.

I did not sleep last night, and I doubt

I will sleep again tonight.

There's not some Finnish cure-all for insomnia, is there?

Actually--

[soothing music]

Avanto.

But I don't avanto.

I'm hilarious.

[laughs]

Yeah.

I'm familiar with this concept, but I've never done it.

You've been missing out.

Whoo!

Whoa!

Oh!

[sighs] Oh.

The anticipation is the worst part.

Yeah?

[exhales]

[shudders]

[gasping]

[stammers]

The anticipation is not the worst part.

[laughs]

How is this supposed to make me sleepy?

I feel like I have the adrenaline of a skydiver.

As your body temperature decreases,

you'll start releasing a bunch of chemicals like melatonin--

Mm-hmm.

--and reduce cortisol levels, so you'll be less stressed.

Cool.

Yeah.

How much longer?

- Takes 30 minutes. - What?

OK. 30 seconds

- OK. - And then the good part.

OK.

[shudders]

Oh-oh!

Worth it?

Worth it.

I cannot believe I'm in a sauna with a reporter.

Sauna.

Sauna.

Yeah, the sauna is actually, it's one of Finland's

greatest Christmas traditions.

Families, they-- they go in on Christmas Eve

and to cleanse and rest the mind and body.

That's lovely.

How connected are you to your Finnish roots?

Well, it's my first time here, but wait--

are you asking me as a reporter or as a fellow racer

turned almost friend?

Almost friends?

Yeah.

What's your deal with journalists?

Why do you dislike us so much?

I don't dislike you, I just don't trust you.

Why?

My dad lost one race, one race,

and everyone wrote about his life and my life

like it was a tragedy.

And, you know, I just don't like that someone

else can tell you who you are.

You could write that I smell, you know.

I could be smelly Anya Kivela for the rest of my life.

Anya Ki-smellia.

Ugh, see, that's good.

That would stick.

Yeah, it would.

I just don't know what you'll write.

And I hate, hate unknowns.

I have to know what's coming.

Where do you think that comes from?

Actually, it's my turn.

Mm-hmm.

Where are you from?

The Midwest.

So vague.

Why do people say that?

Because wait, I'm not the one being interviewed here.

Where are you from?

I'm from 181 Nicholas Avenue, Wakefield, Michigan.

I moved here in high school.

Thank you.

That's very [yawns] specific.

See, the Midwest, super boring.

No, it's not boring.

- Yeah. - You're not boring.

[laughs] - Serious?

[laughs] You're not.

I'm just actually genuinely getting sleepy.

My plan worked.

I'm going to pay you back for that plunge.

- Sure. - You know I am.

Maybe not tonight and maybe not tomorrow.

But someday.

One day my revenge will come.

[mellow music]

And then after that we went tubing.

And, oh, my gosh, that's when Lavi

said this really funny thing.

Wait, I want to get the nuances of this right

because he's so funny.

What did he say?

It was like--

[laughs]

[clanking]

Elyse, is it possible you have a crush on my cousin?

Pienen pieni

[laughs]

Is that OK?

Yes, it's adorable.

You two are some of the cutest humans

who have ever Christmas-ed.

What kind of Grinch wouldn't love that?

Well, speaking of adorable, what's

going on with you and the missing Hemsworth brother?

[laughs]

Uh, it's good.

I don't know.

I mean, when Lavi was suddenly so positive about him,

something in my brain just shifted.

Well, that makes sense, you know.

I think when someone you trust signs off on someone new,

it just makes you feel safe.

Elyse, you're a genius.

You're a genius.

Oh, my gosh, you are a beautiful, perfect genius,

and I love you.

OK.

Oh, OK, so you're just going to tell me later what's going on?

I'm a beautiful genius.

All right.

How do you get two alphas to bond?

Sounds like the beginning of a very bad joke.

Yeah, we're going to be a very bad joke

if we don't make this work.

That's true.

- OK. - OK.

All right, let's just give them a circle.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah, follow the leader.

That's a good boy, Cupid.

Good boy, Cupid.

Yeah, you see, you see.

Yeah, you can see.

Yeah, give him a sniff. - Right there, sniff there.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

It's so good.

Oh, yeah.

All right.

If we get Cupid to accept Roux, we should be gold.

You really think this is going to work?

No, but it's worth a try.

[pants] ANYA: Hi.

We really think this is going to work?

No, but it's worth a try.

All right.

Yeah.

Yeah?

[barks]

[whines]

There you go.

COLE: Got it.

OK.

Wish me luck. - Good luck.

Got this.

Hike.

[barking]

Hike.

Hike! Hike!

Hike!

[barking]

Hike!

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Come on. Looking good.

All right, let's see how she corners.

[barking]

[cheering]

Nice.

She's really good.

Oh, oh, oh.

That's so good.

Yeah.

[barking]

LAVI: Good. Good.

Hey, hey.

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

We're doing good.

Nice.

Yes.

Yeah!

We did it.

Elyse: You did.

Good job.

ANYA: That's all we need.

Yes.

[footsteps]

The vet said the dog looks great,

so you're officially back in the race again.

Monty really agreed?

Yes, he said, as long as the vet besides your cousin

did the exam, he has no issues with it.

I guess we're back in this.

[cheers]

Today is a fantastic day to be alive

because we are live here from the starting line

of the Joulurauha dog race.

OK, harnesses have been double--

wait, actually, triple checked.

Did you remember--

To add electrolytes to Axel's soup this morning?

Yes, I did.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, Libby's paw pad is--

Oh, it's looking a little red. I put some balm on it.

She's totally good now.

Amazing.

You are going to crush this, because you are the most

stubborn, cantankerous--

Weird pep talk.

I got more coming-- determined,

levelheaded, and resilient person that I know.

- One team. - One dream.

Yes.

Ah!

You should know I had no reservations about the panel's

unconventional request to allow you to continue

with the replacement dog.

Thank you, Monty.

It is a shame, though.

What is?

You building your name off of your father

and then having that journalist come to your rescue.

Disappointing for womankind to see such a prominent young woman

rely so much on men.

How lucky womankind is to have you in our corner.

I do what I can.

All right.

Thank you, brother.

I'll see you at the finish line in Sodankyla.

[barking]

Racers on your marks, get set, mush!

[cheering]

Ha!

[barking]

[cheering]

[ringing]

[barking]

Up the hill.

Up the hill.

You can do it.

[barking]

Almost there.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

That's what I missed.

That's what I missed.

[barking]

Mailbox is over here, junior.

Aargh!

Where's the letter?

[laughs]

Come on, boys.

Come on!

[grunts]

[barking]

OK.

[barking]

[upbeat music]

[cheering]

[laughs]

[cheering]

[upbeat music]

Atta girl. Come on, girl.

Eyes forward, eyes forward.

You got this.

[barking]

Here are the Turtledove brothers.

[cheering]

The only one.

Only one is here.

There she is, Anya Kivela.

There she is.

[cheering]

Hooray, Anya.

I mean, everyone.

I mean, everyone, everyone, everyone is so good.

That is so amazing.

Fourth is my favorite number.

Fourth of six, better than one third of the teams.

That's what I was going to say.

- And that's math. - That is math.

You know what?

There were some kinks to work out, but, in the end,

they really came together, and our girl did great.

Good.

Well, that's a lot of celebrating for fourth place

and overshooting the mailbox.

Just imagine how I'll do when my team has more time to gel.

[scoffs]

JOURNALIST: Monty.

[cheering]

OK, vet hat off, cousin hat on.

I have a special delivery from my mother.

You must come for dinner tonight.

- I would love to. - Great.

Yes, I'd love to.

It's been too long.

Elyse, Cole, are you in? - Yeah.

I think that's a little weird, right?

I'm not part of the family.

OK, OK.

Hang on a minute.

It would be weird if you did not come.

Elyse: Are you ready for this?

ANYA: Yeah, I just raced across Finland with a brand new team.

I'm ready for anything.

[doorbell rings]

You made it.

Hey.

Hi.

Come in, everybody.

Oh, thank you.

I'll take that.

Oh, thank you.

MAN: There she is.

[exclaims] - Hi.

Welcome, my love.

Oh, it's so nice to see you.

It's been too long.

Everyone is so excited.

Everyone?

Hi.

Hi.

Merry Christmas.

And Evie is your second cousin.

Oh, hi.

So you're my cousin's cousin. - No.

No, second cousin means you have

a great grandparent in common. - Yes.

Oh.

So a third cousin would have a great, great grandparent

in common. - Precisely.

Aha!

So who would be my first cousin once removed?

Oh, I think that's your cousin's cousin.

No, no.

Removed means generation up or down.

LAVI: Yeah.

OK, so my father's cousin is my first cousin once removed.

Yes.

Like cousin Aatos.

Oh.

Hi, Aatos.

[laughs]

OK, OK, OK.

So who's the cousin's cousin?

Like, what's that person?

That's someone you met at a wedding once.

And how do you know all this?

My Finnish mother is very into genealogy.

Come on, Anyakka.

I have a very special Christmas job for you.

I'm being summoned, everybody.

Excuse me.

Excuse me.

We are going to make--

Joulutorttu.

Yes.

[laughs]

These jam pastries were your father's favorite.

He made sure you knew them?

Well, my mom did, actually.

I think she felt guilty about moving him to Arizona,

so she tried really hard to keep his traditions alive.

They were very much in love and very lucky.

I know.

Anyway, I haven't made these in years.

Well, tonight you will.

Now, we cut the corners like this.

OK.

Then a big dollop of jam.

Ooh, that looks good.

And then you fold the corners like this.

That's right.

This feels familiar now.

[laughs]

Very, very good.

My brother had no patience for baking,

but he could absolutely inhale these.

I so wish that we had visited Finland together as a family,

but dad was always putting it off.

I think he wanted to wait until all

the fuss about his legacy had died down, which, of course,

as you know--

It hasn't.

Mm-mmh.

Now you do it.

Yes, OK.

How's that?

Your father would be very proud.

Of my Joulutorttu?

That too.

Um, hi.

They are demanding more Glogi.

[sighs] You help her.

Oh.

I'll fold, you jam.

I live to jam.

[laughs] So, I've noticed you haven't asked

me any probing questions for your article recently.

Well, I've been focusing more on my astute powers

of observation.

Oh, no, Don't tell me that.

That's terrifying.

I do have one probing question, though.

All right.

Go for it.

You've been working your entire career for this race,

and everyone and their cousin thinks they know why.

But what does it mean to you, you know, in your own words?

Well, I guess--

I guess, I always hated that part of my father's life

had to end so the other could begin.

Racing Kivela made way for Papa Kivela.

So it feels like me being here racing

and maybe winning, it's my way of saying,

here, Dad, you can have both.

It's a lot sweeter than just coming here to trounce Monty.

Well, I want to do that too.

Of course, yeah.

Deeply.

OK, my turn.

Oh, no.

What do you do when you're not busy following

me around everywhere?

It's a little embarrassing.

I doubt that.

No, it is.

I'm-- I'm working on a book.

In what world is that embarrassing?

That's really cool.

What is it about?

Losing.

OK, that sounds great.

Very uplifting. - Oh, yeah.

Yeah, big time.

[laughs]

It's a collection of essays about people who had

to lose big before they won.

I have a publishing friend of mine, and he wants to read it.

But I think people just--

I don't know, they kind of want to-- they

want to read a book about losing from a winner, right?

I think you're selling yourself short.

I do.

You're a great writer.

Yeah, the night that we agreed to the article,

I stayed up until like 5:00 AM reading your work just to make

sure that I didn't doom myself.

Wow.

You really can't handle the unknown, can you?

No.

[sucking]

[clanking]

So the Glogi is really good here.

[laughs] It's really good.

What is that, like, cardamom in it or something,

is that what that is?

You know, oranges are very--

In Finland, it is OK to sit in silence.

Oh, OK.

So you guys aren't big on small talk?

Yeah, no, but I like it when you talk.

I kind of like it when you talk.

[giggles]

[laughs]

OK, that's enough of a companionable silence.

Letkajenkka time.

[cheering]

OK, follow me.

Perfect.

Mm-hmm.

[singing in finnish]

[laughs]

How long were we in there?

I'm not sure if we time traveled forwards or backwards.

Are you the best racer in the world?

I don't know that I'm the best.

I'm Willa, and I'm your cousin.

And I wanted to be a racer my whole life,

but I don't have any dogs, so I can't race.

No dogs, you say.

How are we going to do this exactly?

Well, you used to be a professional racer.

You should know how this works.

Gosh, I can't believe I never mentioned this to you.

I did the human part.

What?

Yeah, I know.

Hey, you ready?

All right, you know what to do.

Hike!

[groaning]

Yeah.

Gee!

Ha!

Gee!

Gee!

[laughter]

Ah!

Haw means left.

Yeah, I know that.

I just I forgot--

Let's go again.

--which way left was.

OK.

Again. You heard the girl.

I need to take a minute.

Do you know the number for a doctor?

[laughs]

I think something romantic might be happening

between those sled dogs.

Oh, yeah.

I would definitely agree.

100%.

What would a romantic date in Finland be?

Oh, yeah, you could take a tour of the frozen waterfalls.

That's so great.

That sounds amazing.

I've never seen a frozen waterfall.

No, yeah, you should.

Yeah, definitely.

I mean, I hope I get to before I leave, you know.

You and Anya must go and see it.

It's so good.

No, I mean, like, you know, it would be cool, like, if I

had, like, a local to show-- - Yeah.

--maybe give me, like, a private tour or something.

Yeah, definitely good idea.

Yeah.

No, Lavi, I'm asking you out.

What?

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

[stammering] I couldn't.

I could never do that, you know.

That's not possible.

You know, I'm a veterinarian.

Yeah, so?

And I'm a cousin.

And--

OK, you're not my cousin.

I simply can't.

I cannot.

I'm really sorry.

No worries. No.

- No. - It's fine.

It's totally cool.

I mean, if I was giving you a wrong impression,

I'm really sorry about it.

It's fine.

No, because us Finns are very known for being

effusive and outgoing.

But you are really beautiful, but I can't--

OK, I have to get now more glogi.

I'm sorry.

Bye.

[mellow music]

Elyse: Yeah, He said he was too effusive

and just all this other stuff about being a vet

and a cousin and--

Wow, really, that was his excuse?

Yeah.

I'm so sorry.

I really thought that he liked you too.

Yeah.

Whatever, It's for the best, right?

It's not like we had completely complementary personalities and

the same exact sense of humor.

Like, how would it have ever worked, right?

So delusional

- Hello, Jaak. - Hi.

Is everything OK?

Yeah, you might disagree, but there

has been a recent development in the race.

In order to level the playing ground,

players now must race with weighted bags,

so every sled is travelling with the same amount of burden.

I'm sorry, I'm not following.

Do you mean that the smaller racers now have

to travel with added weight?

Are you saying that we're going to be doing that?

Yes, everyone is pulling as much as the heaviest racer.

The heaviest racer?

Let me guess who that is.

Is it Monty?

Yes, that was him that brought it to the committee.

But there is good news.

We were able to style the weighted bags,

so we stayed on theme.

Oh.

Wow, that is great news.

have reached the second leg of Finland's

annual Joulurauha race.

All eight races are departing from Sodenkyla

and are heading to beautiful, beautiful Kemi.

Each racer needs to drop coal into a designated

stocking along the route.

The second leg has begun!

Trail on your left.

[barking]

[thud]

Come on.

On the bright side, you placed second,

and Monty's face was [kisses].

But I know it was your dad's.

Oh. All right.

I'm going to go over to the vet office and get more ointment.

Do you want to--

you want to stay here and not come

within 100 yards of that place? - Mm-hmm.

Yeah. - Got it.

I'll meet up with you later.

Understood

Ah, Anya, well done for second.

You probably didn't make up enough time to win

tomorrow but good hustle.

[sighs] You know, Monty, I am really not good with unknowns,

so I just wanted to thank you for being so reliably obnoxious.

It means a lot.

Come.

I'm offering gallon and a half of water every day.

Yeah, yeah, Yeah.

Hi.

Hello.

So sorry to interrupt.

OK.

How are you holding up?

Not great.

I came in last today.

My team is exhausted.

Not the finish I was hoping for.

Yeah, that weight trick, that was rotten.

So puppies like yours--

Yeah.

--they get so excited when they're running and competing

that they totally forget to think about their bodies,

and therefore, don't hydrate enough.

I don't know what more I can do.

Well, if you don't mind some unsolicited advice.

- Sure. - Go ahead.

Yeah, is she a good eater?

Oh, big time.

OK.

OK.

So try soaking her kibble in a lot of water,

and then disguise it with fish and frozen meat.

- Yeah. - Exactly.

Good trick.

So she's eating and hydrating at the same time.

Exactly.

NITARO: Thanks.

You're welcome.

All right.

Have a good night, guys.

Yeah, you too.

Good luck.

Come on.

OK, how can I help?

Wait, how is Elyse?

Is she sad?

Is she fine, not fine?

OK?

OK, never mind.

Never mind.

How can I help?

For my dogs, I need ointment.

What?

Ointment, yes, no problem.

And for you?

[sighs] For me, I need a distraction.

Are there any, like, once-in-a-lifetime

things to do in Kemi?

Yeah.

OK.

There you are.

LAVI: Thank you.

Welcome.

Guys, I am so relieved that an ice

restaurant means that it's made of ice and not

that it only sells ice.

[laughs]

You know what?

I'm-- uh, what's going on?

That was moderately funny.

It was OK.

I'll tell you later.

You guys, I cannot believe that the race is over tomorrow.

Yeah.

I know.

Yeah, so how long has this been a goal?

Oh, gosh, For me and Elyse, it's been what?

12 years.

For Anya, it's been two, three decades.

Oh, I don't even want to think about it.

But you know what I could go for right now is a warm beverage.

Could we do that?

Yeah and, like, a gingerbread.

Yes, We haven't had any Finnish gingerbread.

I screwed up.

I'm such a bad host.

No, you're not.

I'm so, so bad.

No, I'm not saying that.

You must try gingerbread the Finnish way.

What's the Finnish way?

LAVI: Yeah.

ANYA: OK.

Blue cheese.

ANYA: I'll do it if you do it.

We win together, we lose together.

[chewing]

It's interesting.

Yeah, it's an experience.

Yeah, it's good.

It's good, huh?

Very brave.

Speaking of brave--

Why am I suddenly worried?

--the time has come.

I'm going to take my revenge.

Please, no.

Oh, no.

What is your thing with reindeer?

It's a long story that involves my older siblings,

a New Year's prank, and upsetting that guy's cousin

once removed.

WOMAN: Next.

OK.

So you guys want to take the front, we'll take the--

WOMAN: Yeah, only two per sled.

Sorry, you can take the next one.

- Uh. - Fine by me.

I don't mind. Yeah.

No.

OK.

OK.

Nice.

[laughs] Do you need a distraction?

Funny.

Yes

OK.

Why did you start racing?

You have a real one-track mind, don't you?

I call it goal oriented.

Oh, I love dogs.

Love being on teams.

It doesn't get much better than being on a team

with a bunch of dogs.

I came to this race, my first Christmas here,

and I was a goner.

I think that's really lovely.

Yeah.

OK.

Now, why did you stop racing?

I just didn't have the killer instinct.

You have it.

I don't have it.

And I love the process.

I love the work.

But, you know, we get out there, and I just

think as long as we try hard and have a great time,

that is all that matters.

I still think that.

And a dog needs a driver who really wants to win.

I agree.

If you don't mind me saying, it sounds like maybe you wouldn't

have made a great lead dog.

Actually, I never made a first move in my life.

Good to know.

Yeah.

[clears throat] So the snow everywhere.

It's a good snow.

You know it's bad when a Finn is trying to make small talk.

Yeah.

You know, when we get back to the cabins,

I'm going to read your book proposal.

That's revenge part two.

No.

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

Absolutely not.

I am out of my comfort zone, as you can tell by the reindeer.

And we are even-steven.

Well, the discomfort of that plunge

means one reindeer ride plus one book proposal.

That's just math.

OK, that's over.

Thank you.

Merry Christmas.

Thank you.

So nice trip?

OK, it's a snowstorm.

Yeah, a big one.

It's supposed to hit tomorrow.

Well, how many inches?

You know, when is this going to start?

What's the path?

Do you think this will affect the race?

It's not a crystal ball, right?

You know whatever will be, will be.

Yeah.

You're right.

I don't know what's coming, but whatever it is, I can handle it.

- Mm-hmm. - Yeah.

Yes.

That's right, ladies and gentlemen,

this race has thrown me enough snowballs

that I feel like I've grown, maybe a little against my will.

And speaking of--

OK, the book's still, it's very rough.

There's a lot I want to change, especially kind

of the flow in the beginning, all the way

to, like, the midpoint.

What will be will be.

Right.

Take a walk, Cole.

OK.

I probably should cut that into--

OK.

[mellow music]

[background chatter]

Look, I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

No, I'm sorry.

No, no.

Actually, just let me go first because I want to apologize for,

you know, making things weird.

No, no.

I'm sorry for being so really harsh and rude, you know.

I'm so sorry.

OK.

Friends again?

Friends.

Yeah.

It's good that we made up before Christmas Peace.

What's Christmas Peace?

OK, so in the Middle Ages, we'd

start the Christmas season by declaring a period

of harmony and goodwill.

Oh, that's beautiful.

Isn't it?

Yeah.

Yeah, and those who violated it were, like,

punished so, so, so harshly.

That's less beautiful.

Now just have fun and a beautiful start

of the Christmas season going. - I love that.

Yeah. [laughter]

Happy Christmas Peace.

Yeah, Christmas peace.

[clinks]

Safe to enter?

It is.

Oh, Cole, this is wonderful.

- Yeah? - Yes.

You have to give this to your publisher friend.

I mean, it's funny and insightful.

And if the article about me is half as good as this,

then I know I have nothing to worry about.

What?

Oh, God, is it the article?

Is it bad?

Is it a hit piece? - Oh, no.

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

It's just I'm a little stuck.

It's because I'm boring or something.

I knew it.

I told you you should have done the twins.

You're not boring.

It's just-- look, the other night I asked

what the race means to you.

And your answer was still about your dad.

I don't know what a win means for Anya.

[inhales]

[exhales]

Um.

[exhales]

When I was younger, I lost my mom really fast.

And then later, I lost my dad really slow.

And turns out that both ways are equally terrible.

Yeah.

Yeah, I-- I knew that.

I'm so sorry.

Yeah.

And-- sorry can we actually talk off the record?

Yeah.

[exhales]

I had really, really, really, really,

really wonderful parents.

And they loved Christmas.

Oh, they loved it.

But they're gone now, and it's just me.

And deep down, I really hate that

I get to keep having these beautiful Christmases,

and they don't.

But there is something about being here,

being in Finland in the place where they met,

especially at the race where they met.

It's really nice.

And it kind of makes me feel like I'm having

Christmas with them again.

Gosh, I hope you win.

Did you not beforehand?

Is that new?

You can tell me.

Do you think you have an article now?

Yeah, I think so.

Good.

No, I appreciate getting to know that stuff about you.

Yeah.

As almost friends.

Mm-hmm.

OK.

Here, eat, eat, energy.

Mhm.

Mhm.

Oh, my, you got the almond.

What does the almond mean?

That is good luck for the rest of the year.

I suspect this almond was planted.

[laughter]

Hey, can I say something else off the record.

Yeah.

[kissing]

I want you both to know that no matter what happens,

I feel so, so lucky to have gotten to race with both of you.

Cupid, my love, we would not be here if you didn't

get us through the qualifiers.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Aah!

Absolutely touching.

Merry Christmas Eve, Monty.

You know, it's devastating to know that we're coming

to the end of our journey.

I have enjoyed our banter.

What have you got for me?

Am I a feminist tragedy, a spoiled upstart?

Am I the heartbreak of the Finnish American dream?

I just wanted to wish you well.

It's a scary day for you, after all.

I'm not scared of you, Monty.

I never said you were.

But me, I'm lucky.

Win or lose, I'll wake up tomorrow,

and I'm still Monty White.

But you-- well, if you win, you're little Anya Kivela

saving her father's legacy.

But if you lose, [laughs] oh, boy, you

said you don't like unknowns, and that's

a big one, a whole life building to this race.

Without it, I have to wonder, who are you?

Anyway, have a good race.

[footsteps]

[somber music]

Hey, coffee?

Thank you.

I just don't really have time for that.

Hey, I'd be careful.

You can get arrested around here for talking like that.

Mm-hmm

I can't find Libby's booties. I can't find them anywhere.

Last night, we had a full 13, and now they're what?

They're just gone.

Libby can't race without her booties,

and I can't race without Libby.

You know we always have a back up pair.

Of course.

Thank you.

Hey, this is not about booties.

Are you a little woo-hoo because of your kiss with Cole?

Elyse!

What?

It's not like we don't all know.

I mean, we're adults.

No, I'm not really thinking about kissing Cole.

No offense, Cole.

A little bit of offense.

I'm sorry.

I just-- you know, I ran into Monty this morning,

and now I'm--

Monty?

Forget about that guy, OK.

You can trounce him in your sleep.

Elyse, I know you're trying to be positive right now,

but that's really not what I need.

No, no, I'm not being positive, OK.

I know that we can win this thing.

Right, guys? - Absolutely.

- Yeah. - I mean, that's just not true.

Monty came in first twice.

I have a lot of time that I've got to make up,

and there's a very real possibility

that I'm going to lose.

With that attitude you might because you are being

very pessimistic right now.

No, I'm being pragmatic.

Well, I don't really know what the difference is.

Cole, will you please back me up here?

The difference between pragmatism and pessimism?

Well, look, all I'm saying is I need my team to be

living in reality right now.

Reality.

No, Anya, I don't think you should be living in reality.

Remember when you were living in reality

and you almost quit right before the qualifying race,

or when you were living in reality

and you almost didn't have the confidence

to start racing to begin with? - OK.

All right, all right, all right.

Win or lose, right, what you've accomplished so far,

it's incredible.

But I mean-- - Thank you.

That's a beautiful sentiment.

The thing is, is that's a very writer-y version of saying

there will be a happy ending.

Well, don't you want a happy ending?

I would love a happy ending, but this is real life.

And that's not how things work.

Anya, just remember, you're not in this alone, OK.

We're a team. We're here for you.

I know we're a team.

But I need you all to realize that today holds very

different stakes for all of us.

Well, we've all made sacrifices to be here.

Yeah, we did.

We did.

But if we lose, Cole goes back to writing.

Lavi goes back to saving dogs.

You go back to your big joyous, rescheduled family

Christmas celebration.

And I, I will be a loser with no family.

So I don't want to hear silver lining.

I don't want to hear words of cheer.

I want to mush through another disappointing Christmas

and for all of you to give me a little space.

[somber music]

I think I really need to tell her about Christmas Peace.

As millions of children around the world

is waiting to see if Santa will come,

Anya Kivela is waiting to see if her entire life is building to

a soul-crushing disappointment.

As the storm brews and the snow swirls,

to tell us more about this last leg is our chairman, Jaak.

What can you tell us?

Much like Santa, our racers must deliver a sack of presents

to a designated Christmas tree along the trip.

Tomorrow, the Santa Claus himself will deliver those

presents to a children's hospital in Rovaniemi.

Which is beautiful.

But we need to speak about the commanding lead

of 22 seconds, Monty White.

Do the other six races, should they give up now?

This is still anybody's race.

This is still anybody's race.

We are coming back to you after this.

OK, boys, it's time to shine.

All set. All right.

- Hey. - Hey.

Nitaro, your dogs look better today.

Yeah, your kibble trick worked.

Good I'm really glad to hear that.

My mother told me that a true competitor

wants to face their opponents at their absolute best.

Yeah, my father taught me the same thing.

Good luck out there today.

Yeah, you too.

Hi.

Everything's looking good.

Thank you.

I'm still mad at you, but I think

the guys would be pretty upset if I didn't give you this.

Oh, Elyse.

Yeah, Cole found the straw, and Lavi put in the work,

but it was all my idea.

[mellow music]

Thank you.

Elyse, I'm so sorry that I said I'd be a loser without a family.

I mean, even if I don't win today,

I will be a loser with a family.

A family.

Yes.

Thank you.

Sorry.

Just remember that no matter what,

you are Anya Kivela, the most determined, practical dreamer

that I know.

One team.

One dream.

That's right. OK.

I'm going to go.

I'll see you at the finish line.

OK.

[barking]

[whining]

I'm Anya Kivela.

OK.

I'm more comfortable around new dogs than I am new people.

I'm incredibly pragmatic.

But if there's the tiniest glimmer of hope,

then I will throw my all into it.

I have my father's passion, my mother's heart,

and a very dry sense of humor, which honestly,

more people should appreciate.

You're telling me this why?

Because you asked who I am, and I'm telling you.

I'm Anya Kivela.

And I'm going to win.

[scoffs]

Racers, on your mark, get ready, mush!

[bell ringing]

[barking]

[cheering]

[barking]

Come on.

[vocalizing]

[barking]

Help!

Help!

Over here.

Help!

Help!

[sighs]

Why couldn't it be anyone else?

I'm sorry, did you want to wait for someone else

to save you?

What happened?

The storm blew us off course.

A tree got knocked down from the wind, and it spooked the dogs.

They knocked me off my sled and ran too close to the cliff.

And I couldn't exactly go chasing after them.

- Can you put any weight on it? - A little.

All right.

Sit down on my sled.

I can't beat you if you're dead, silly.

Take a seat.

[barking]

Whoa!

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

OK, Monty, grab the brake. Careful.

Take it easy.

Take it easy.

You got it?

- I got it. - OK.

All right.

I'll be back.

Oh!

Yeah.

All right.

Yeah, OK.

Your sled is caught between some ice and rock.

Your lucky day.

You should just leave me.

Yeah, I probably should, but I'm not going to do that.

Besides, if I did, who would take care of those guys, huh?

You know what?

While I have you, what is your problem with me, anyway?

You were born into racing with the greatest teacher

to ever live, handed a legacy, and then welcomed back to

my race like a returning hero.

[chuckles] That's a very biased story.

Well, that's what stories are.

How about the son of a single mother

teaches himself how to race, defeats the greatest competitor

of all times, returns to that race 30 years later,

and then gets painted as the villain.

All right, I'll be back.

Stay on that brake.

OK.

Here we go, OK easy, easy.

OK.

[grunts]

[hitting]

[grunts]

[hitting]

Be careful.

Oh, now you care.

[grunts]

[hitting]

[sliding]

[gaps]

[whining]

[barking]

Monty, help!

[panting]

[barking]

Help me!

Monty!

Hang on.

Anya is hanging off a cliff.

Here, take this rope, take it around those trees down there,

and hitch to Anya's lead dogs. - Yeah, yeah.

- I'll get around to help her. - OK.

Quick. Let me know when you're ready.

Yeah.

Hold on.

Hang in there, Anya.

It's not like I have a choice.

I'm coming.

Ready?

Yeah.

Mush.

Ha!

[barking]

Grab my hand.

I can't reach you. NITARO: Yeah, you can.

Come on. - I can't.

NITARO: Come on. ANYA: I can't.

[groaning]

NITARO: Come on.

ANYA: Good dogs.

Well, that was close.

What?

You thought I was just going to leave you out there.

Absolutely, 100%.

I'm a jerk not a monster.

[laughter]

Thank you.

Thank you, both of you.

Thank you.

Yeah.

We're even for the kibble thing.

Oh, no, that's not even remotely the same thing.

But, yeah, I'll take it.

Just so you know, this little friendship circle

doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on you ladies.

I wouldn't want it any other way.

[barking]

Where have you been?

It's a long story.

[upbeat music]

[barking]

[exhales]

Oh, that's amazing.

Merry Christmas, Mom and Dad.

Ha!

[upbeat music]

[barking]

Anya!

Anya!

Anya!

Anya.

Anya!

CROWD: Anya!

Anya!

Anya!

Anya!

JOURNALIST: Is this possible?

Is this possible?

[barking]

CROWD: Anya!

Anya!

Anya!

That's not your father they're cheering for, Anya.

[upbeat music]

Bring it home, baby.

You got this, girl.

[cheering]

[applause]

Yes, we won.

I don't know why I can't stop saying that.

I don't know why either, but I like it.

OK, I have to confess, I was rooting for you all the time.

You don't say.

I had my suspicions.

You actually had a pretty big rooting section.

[cheering]

Oh, they came.

All the way from Sodankyla.

Everybody wanted to see you win.

Where's Cole?

Anya, Anya, Anya, congratulations.

Do you have any comments on your highly improbable win and--

You know what?

Anya Kivela was a winner from the moment she stepped

off the plane, all right.

She is the smartest, bravest person I know.

And Finland is lucky to have her.

[laughs]

Anything to add, Anya?

No.

No, I think that about covers it.

But if you want a really good story, go talk to that guy

right there.

He can tell you all about our adventure.

Monty.

Monty White.

Monty White, how do you feel?

How do you feel?

So there I was stranded and injured in the woods.

A tree collapsed from the wind and spooked my dogs.

Hey, we have won.

[laughs]

In Finland, we come to the cemetery on Christmas Eve

to remind ourselves that those who are not with us

are never really gone.

I think that's beautiful.

You know, I really felt my parents with me when

I crossed that finish line.

I guess all those Christmas Eves of my dad telling the tale

of him losing really paid off.

Oh, Anyakka, you know, he wasn't telling

you that story of losing.

Oh, I know.

I know.

It was about how he met my mom, and then how he had me.

But--

There's no but.

Not for your father--

you were no consolation prize.

You were the win, a very unexpected win.

So you're saying that this entire time

I've been listening to a fairy tale

about embracing the unknown?

Some lessons we have to learn for ourselves.

Speaking of love stories, [giggling],

what's happening with you and that reporter from my kitchen?

I knew you were going to ask about that.

Cole--

Aha.

--I don't know.

He picked up Roux from Elyse while I was talking to Jaak,

and he didn't stay to see me.

I just don't think it can work between us.

I'm too aggressive, and he's too passive.

My life is a big question mark right now,

and we live in vastly different places.

It just, it can't work.

I don't see a clear path.

Still with all the unknowns.

Yeah, that's me.

In Finland, we have this saying,

you can't get the almond unless you eat the porridge.

Cole is my almond.

Yes.

Cole is my almond.

Yes, he is.

[laughter]

Cole is my almond.

You're right.

Oh, you're absolutely right.

I have to tell him.

This is a little creepy but beautiful.

Yes.

Yes.

Elyse, so I have another confession.

I lied to you.

Oh, buddy, I'm way ahead of you.

There's no way blue cheese on gingerbread cookies

is an actual thing.

No, that's a thing.

It's very good.

No, wait, that's not it, sorry.

I lied when I said I wasn't interested in you.

Oh.

In my list of things I find interesting,

the first thing is like Christmas and dogs,

and it's like you way up here.

And I just didn't think you'd like me back.

And I panicked.

I just thought I was unworthy of a beautiful soul

such as yourself.

[kissing]

Hey, you two.

Hey, where are you going?

To get her almond.

You're my almond.

[giggling]

[kissing]

[typing]

Don't look at me like that.

The last time we talked she specifically said,

I'm not thinking about kissing Cole.

So, yes, it was a very specific set of circumstances.

Yes, she did kiss me first, but I don't agree.

I don't think the ball is in my court.

If Anya was interested, she would take the lead.

[thud]

I fully support this, but I'm wondering a little bit

where it came from.

Well, it's like the Finnish say,

you can't get your almond unless you eat the porridge.

Well, it's not a Finnish saying, you know.

My mom lies sometimes.

Hey, Anya.

Good evening.

Good to see you.

What's going on, girl?

What?

Cole.

Anya.

Hey.

Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas.

[stammers] I was looking for you.

I was looking for you too.

Well, I wanted to tell you that--

- No, no, no, no, no, no, stop. - What?

Why? What's wrong?

I'm finally being lead dog.

[serene music]

[kissing]

And I really got to quit it with those dog metaphors.

I mean, it only kills the romance a little bit.

OK, your turn.

I wanted to tell you that I like you, Cole.

And I have no plan.

I'm completely off trail.

There is no map.

But I really, really, really like you.

[kissing]

[theme music]

[audio logo]