The Christmas Card (2006) Movie Script
1
Let nothing
you dismay
remember Christ
our savior
was born on
Christmas day
to save us all
from Satan's power
when we were
gone astray
"Dear service member,
"I hope this card
finds you in good health
"and preparing
to enjoy the holidays.
"At this time of year,
"I always reflect on what
I can be thankful for.
"I was raised
in a loving home
"by wonderful parents.
"My folks,
Rosie and Luke,
"send their Christmas
greetings to you
"along with mine.
"Nevada city
has been home
"to the spelman family
for 3 generations.
"I could have left,
"but everything
that was important to me
"was here.
"Our lives are
not about things.
"Family and friends...
People... are at the heart of it.
"You won't find a chain store
or mall around here,
"and... and that suits us
just fine.
"Our local church organizes
operation Christmas card
"every year for our
troops overseas.
"The church is at the center
"for many of our activities
and social events.
"The doors are open
"24 hours a day to anyone.
"Believe me,
"you have many friends here.
"You just haven't
met them yet.
"I'm sure being
far from your loved ones
"weighs heavy on your heart.
"I know a little about that.
"When I met my boyfriend
"he was everything
I was looking for.
"Since then, his business
has kept us living far
"from one another.
"I bet you'll be
back with your family
long before he and I
live I in the same zip code."
hallmark channel and friends of nci
oh, what fun
it is to ride
in a one horse
open sleigh
hey
- jingle bells
- ho ho ho.
Hey, sarge.
What are you
up to, Jones?
Hey, hey, how about
snappin' a photo, chief?
Where'd you boys
get those hats?
From the dancers
at the u.S.O. Show.
Oh, a Christmas card for you from
our admirers back in the states.
The church group from my home
sent us all Christmas cards.
Give it to one of the boys
who didn't make the show.
Can't do that, sarge.
The army entrusted me with
the assignment of giving you
this card.
Mm-hmm.
Ho ho ho.
Jingle bells,
jingle bells
jingle all the way
"if you're ever out west,
please come visit us.
"We'd love to thank you
in person for your service
and sacrifice."
"I speak for everyone
in Nevada city
"when I say that we are
grateful to you
"for making sure
that we're safe and secure.
"I'm attaching a photo
of our church.
"Know that the lights there are
burning for all of you tonight
"in the hope that next
Christmas you'll be home.
"And the world
will be at peace.
"You're in our thoughts,
"and you're in our prayers.
"With loving best wishes
for the season,
faith spelman."
Did you get a nice
Christmas card, team sarge?
I did, jonesy,
thank you.
Looks like you've got quite
a handful of goodies there.
My fiancee liddy would
like you to have a cookie.
- She would, would she?
- Said so herself.
Thank her for me.
Oh.
This is her most recent photo.
She gets prettier
every day.
You're a lucky man.
Merry Christmas,
sarge.
Merry Christmas.
Man, I don't know
about you, Lewis,
but I did not
sign up for this.
You got that
right, brother.
Hey, me and liddy
picked a date last night.
Nice.
Valentine's day.
Congratulations,
jonesy.
Thanks.
Liddy and I would
like you to be there.
Incoming!
Uhh!
- Jonesy!
- Get out of there!
Just let it go!
Man, go!
Jonesy!
First squad,
secure that hill!
You'll be fine,
buddy. Come on.
Ahh...
Edo, get a medevac.
You're gonna be
all right, jonesy.
Everything's gonna
be ok, buddy.
- I need a medevac.
- At check point zulu, one priority.
Over.
Fragment wounds and
crush injury. Over.
U.S.S.F. W.I.A.
This is Charley 2-2. Out.
At ease,
master sergeant Cullen.
Mind if I sit
and talk a sec?
Please, sir.
I was sorry to hear
about sergeant Jones.
Lousy luck.
It was, sir.
You're about
to rotate home.
I'm thinking
of extending, sir.
I think you need
to take some leave, Cullen.
Look, Jones
wasn't your fault.
Time for some r&r.
That's an order,
sergeant.
I need you
to do something for me.
There's a young widow
stateside that needs these.
And while you're home,
don't think about the army.
Think about your life...
What you want,
your family,
a career out
of this uniform we wear.
You've stood watch
a long time now.
Maybe it's time
to find out what's next.
Hello, liddy.
Sergeant Cullen.
I would've
recognized you anywhere.
Jonesy used to send me
pictures of you all.
I would have
given my life for him.
If I had the chance.
I came here because
I wanted to tell you...
He really loved you.
- Howdy.
- Afternoon.
Hmm.
What can I get for ya?
Uh, you have
chicken salad club?
Curly fries.
- Mm-hmm.
- Extra crispy.
- All right.
- White, wheat, or rye?
Rye.
And a hot chocolate.
Marshmallows?
Even better.
How you doin'?
Know where the latrine is?
Hey, bill.
Molly...
Can I get some ketchup?
Thanks.
Mmm...
Molly.
I thought
I ordered it to go.
Faith, that isn't yours.
Whose is it?
It's his.
You ordered
a chicken salad club
on rye with crispy
curly fries
and hot chocolate
with marshmallows?
Yeah.
Heh... I'm so sorry.
What are the odds?
Oh, yeah,
that never happens.
Let me give you
some of my fries.
It's ok, really.
It's fine.
Come on!
I've gotta go.
Um, I'm sorry
about the fries.
Oh... merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
Afternoon.
Oh, good afternoon.
What can I do for you?
I was hopin'
you had a room available.
Ah, yes, quite a few,
actually.
But that's
only for tonight.
After that I'm filled up
through Christmas.
No, one night
would be fine, ma'am.
Oh, good, then I'll
have you fill this out.
If you don't mind.
So, you visiting folks
for the holidays?
No, I'm...
- I'm just passing through.
- Well,
then we'll have
to do our best
to impress you
quickly, won't we?
Uh, breakfast is at 8:00.
I was thinking of attending
church in the morning.
It's right
at the top of the hill.
We could sit together.
If you'd like, I mean.
Oh, ma'am, that'd
be great, thank you.
Oh, your keys, sir.
God, rest ye
merry gentlemen
let nothing
you dismay
remember Christ
our savior
was born
on Christmas day
to save us all
from Satan's power
when we were
gone astray
oh, tidings
of comfort and joy
comfort and joy
oh, tidings
of comfort and joy
oh, come
let us adore him
Mornin', bill.
Hi, Dennis, Phyllis.
Good to see you.
Hi, there.
Welcome. Welcome.
Oh, mornin', son.
Morning.
- Nice shine on those shoes.
- Oh, thank you, sir.
Oh, I bet
you're the visitor
that Selma wants
to sit next to today.
Yes, sir. She's
quite the host.
Well, you couldn't
pick a finer church.
It's beautiful.
What's your name?
Uh, Cody Cullen, sir.
Deacon of the month,
Luke spelman.
It's a real honor
to meet you, sir.
Honor?
I guess you haven't
caught wind of my reputation.
Oh, come let us
adore him
oh, come let us
adore him
Christ the lord
- good morning.
- Good morning.
There's an old
Hebrew saying,
"be kind to strangers.
By doing so, we may be
entertaining one of God's angels."
- That's right.
- So we'd like to welcome and warmly greet
any of you who might
be a stranger among us.
Here visiting
for the first time.
A... a-any visitors,
please stand...
- At this time.
- Come on Cody, stand up.
We wanna make
you feel welcome,
make you feel at home
here in God's house
on this fine holiday season.
Ah, welcome,
young man, welcome, sir.
Now we'd like
to invite you
for refreshments
after the service.
All right, let's sing
number 240.
Hark, the herald
angels sing.
Hark, the herald
angels sing
glory to
the newborn king
peace on earth,
and mercy mild
God and sinners
reconciled
joyful all ye
nations rise
join the triumph
of the skies
with angelic host
proclaim
Christ is born
in Bethlehem
hark, the herald
- angels sing...
- May the lord blessing keep you.
May his face
shine upon you.
Go forth in peace.
Nice to see you again.
Joy to the world
the lord is come
let earth
- receive her king
- oh, glad to see you're awake.
What I mean is...
Reverend ives
gives a poignant sermon,
but sometimes it's a poignant,
long-winded sermon.
Well,
I liked the message.
And the music.
No, they're great.
Shiny shoes
and the "sir" bit,
I gather
you must be army.
Well, I'm currently
on leave.
- Yeah...
- I-I served, too.
Vietnam?
I-it wasn't the crimean.
- Heh heh. Here.
- Come here a minute.
- That's all right.
- Excuse me.
I'd like to steal
my daughter for a second.
- Aww...
- Oh, oh...
Cody, this is my somewhat
attractive daughter, faith.
We saw each other
in the diner yesterday.
You two already met?
We're both fans of
curly fries.
Extra crispy.
Eh, um, Cody's army.
Sergeant.
On leave.
Oh, do you
have family in town?
- No, no, I'm just...
- I'm just passing through.
Faith, honey,
would you mind taking
Mrs. Cleveland to her car?
She wants to go home.
Well, Cody Cullen,
it was nice meeting you.
Um, hope you have safe
travels during the holiday.
I'll take you,
Mrs. Cleveland.
Um, it was really
great meeting you, sir.
- Great to meet you.
- You come back, anytime.
Soon.
Cody!
Hold up.
Dad, look out!
Sir, out of the way!
Unh!
- Is he ok?
- Are you ok?
Dad?
Dad?
Are you ok?
Somebody go call
an ambulance.
Here he is.
The hero.
- No, no, no.
- Right time, right place.
How you doin'?
Oh, banged up my bad hip,
bruised my shoulder,
but thank God for your
special ops reflexes.
Oh, we haven't
had a chance to meet yet.
I'm Rosie spelman.
Cody Cullen, ma'am.
I'm just so grateful
you were there.
We all are.
Oh, I'm just glad you finally got
to meet the love of my life.
Well, you'll
just have to come home
and have dinner
with us tonight, Cody.
I mean, we gotta be able
to thank you in some way.
I-I'm gonna
head out, um...
Ah, come on.
Humor the injured.
Been a long time since I talked
army with a fellow grunt.
Well, I won't
take no for an answer.
Besides we've got plenty of
extra rooms at the house.
You could just
stay the night.
Be smart. Be smart.
Surrender now...
We'd love
for you to join us.
Consider it settled.
Welcome to
the spelman family.
Mush!
You can go ahead and put it
right there next to pop's.
Oh, ok.
Wow.
Somethin'
smells really good.
My mom was baking blueberry
muffins this morning.
She bakes morning, noon, and
night during holiday season.
You like it?
Oh, yeah.
It's everything
I thought it would be.
I'm sorry?
You know, when you
imagine someone's home.
It's very cozy
and inviting.
Come on. I'll show you
the guest bedroom.
These are some
of the men
who served with dad
and never made it home.
He salutes them
everyday.
I don't need to tell you
about that bond.
My mom calls them
his mistress.
She always credits
the army
with teaching dad
the skills
for a good marriage.
Loyalty, commitment,
love of family...
And the ability
to do his own laundry.
I believe she
really taught him that,
but... seems more masculine
to credit the military.
Come on.
So, this'll be your room.
The bathroom's
right around the corner.
I'll hang you some towels.
Yours'll be the green ones.
Ok.
Thank you, um,
faith, I wanna, um...
Faith, we're back!
Can you come
help with dinner?
Coming, mom.
Take your time,
settle in.
I'll see you later.
Ok...
Cody.
Come meet Rosie's cousins
from brass valley.
This is Jack and Suzanne.
- Hey, Jack.
- Hi.
My boys
Sammy and Henry.
The scalawags.
My daughter Rebecca.
The beauty.
Cody, would you mind
going out to the garage
and grabbing a couple of
folding chairs for the boys.
Point me
in the right direction.
I'll show you.
Ah, ah, ah... ok...
But no lifting for you.
The doctor doesn't want you
using that arm at all.
Fine, fine, I'm just
goin' for a walk
with my hero buddy.
It's really great
to have you here.
Great to be here.
- Man...
- Looks like somebody's got a couple of hobbies.
Yeah, I wanted
to build a sleigh,
but one with wheels
on it.
Rosie gets a kick
out of this thing.
She says it's romantic.
Yeah...
I suppose that hog's
for Rosie, too, huh?
Oh, no, no, no
that one's for me.
Not too much lately, though.
The eyes are slowin'.
Hmm.
Wow, what a great spot.
Yeah, that's up
off of highway 49.
That's, uh, got a beautiful
view of the yuba river.
You oughta see it
before you leave.
- That view.
- Yeah.
It's a California
memorial site
dedicated to those
who died in Vietnam.
My dad died in Vietnam.
I'm sorry to hear that.
Hit my mom pretty hard.
She passed away after I
graduated from high school.
You know, sometimes I think
that's why I joined the army.
Hmm.
I thought it'd
fill that void somehow.
So... w...
What are you doin'
for the holiday?
I'm not really sure.
Yeah?
I got a business
proposition for ya.
I own a mill...
Family business.
Now with this injury, I really
could use your help here.
Especially
during the holiday.
It's one of the busiest
times of our year.
I don't want
to take your money, Luke.
Maybe I could
work for room and board,
somethin' like that.
Well, yeah, great.
Great, that'll
get Richard off my back
squawkin' about takin'
on more help. Yeah.
That's good.
Hmm... yeah.
Wh-what are you doin'?
Oh, I wanna
surprise Rosie.
So, you know, it's like
fate brought you here.
- Yeah...
- Sure.
Uh... not fate...
Exactly.
Huh?
Well, I got this
Christmas card.
- What?
- It's been a real lifeline for me.
I...
She brought you here.
Don't you think
it's a little odd
that a grown man
would travel this far
based on a card?
Have you told her?
Maybe we should keep it
to ourselves for now.
Ah, no problem.
It doesn't matter
how you got here.
It's just great that
you're here with us now.
How fast was that
crazy guy goin'?
40. I'd say
40 up that hill.
- Jeez.
- Without him I'd be pushin' up...
Food's out!
Happy new year!
- Ha ha ha.
- Oh, boy.
Perfect timing,
Uncle Richard.
I know my cue, dottie.
Hey, the gang's all here!
How is it that you
always seem to arrive
after all the work is done,
and at the very instant
that the food is out?
Genius timing.
Richard...
Meet Cody Cullen.
A real, live hero.
Well, I don't
know about that.
Well, you'll be getting
to spend extra time
with this real, live hero.
Because he just agreed
to stay on
through the holidays
and help us...
I should say you...
- At the mill.
- Great!
I'll teach ya
everything I know.
Where's your sling?
Oh, Rosie,
you know I heal fast.
Well, might as well
eat while it's hot.
- Yeah, look out.
- Come on.
There's nothin'
for you.
Let us give thanks.
Thank you, lord,
for the meal we are
about to receive.
And thank you for
our family and friends
both old and new.
Please take care of those
far away from their homes
this day.
And during this
Christmas season,
please let us
all find peace.
Amen.
- 37!
- Hut!
You're all over it,
baby! Yeah!
- Yeah!
- Aah!
[All yelli
yeah.
Yeah, come on, Richard!
Why didn't you
sweat like that
when you worked for me?
37, hut, go!
Go back!
And he's
in the end zone!
Look at twinkle toes.
Dishes are done.
Oh, that's good.
Off sides, off sides!
Get back over here!
Boy, I wish I could play.
They'd probably kill me.
- Come on, dad.
- What?
The way Uncle Richard plays
we could use a referee.
That's an idea.
I'd love to
blow the whistle on him.
Come on.
- Hut!
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, he's offsides!
Whoa, ho ho!
That's not fair!
Ha ha!
Those kids are tough.
Bye, Henry!
Bye!
- Bye, Sammy!
- Merry Christmas!
See you in a few weeks.
Hey, you're up late.
Hey.
I was just gonna
get somethin' to drink.
Help yourself.
Hot chocolate.
Ooh.
Hm. Your parents
are great.
Aren't they?
They both know when to lead
and when to follow.
Neither feels the need
to compromise.
It's really inspiring.
I'd love to have that
with someone one day.
Got quite a few cards
to write there.
Oh, not really.
I already sent the ones to the
troops at Thanksgiving, so...
Now it's just friends
and... family.
It's a really
special thing that you do.
Not really.
It doesn't make that
big of a difference.
Faith,
it makes a huge difference.
In many ways
it saved my life.
My mom and I,
we made a card
for my dad when
he was in Vietnam.
I know he got the card.
And it meant
a lot to him.
Did he make it back?
Oh, no.
Well...
Getting a card
from someone you know
has got to have
a lot more meaning
than getting one
from a complete stranger.
I got a card once.
The words kept me going.
We pretty much
do all things wood.
Logging, lumber,
firewood,
Christmas trees.
Mostly cedar.
Some Doug fir,
little northern pine.
And, of course,
the last few weeks,
we've been selling
Christmas trees.
Definitely everyone's
favorite season.
Oh, yeah.
Someday, it'll
all go to faith.
Wow. What's all this for?
Woodworking.
The guys use it
whenever they get the urge.
Usually just
my brother-in-law Richard.
He's a master craftsman.
And since his wife died,
I guess he just likes
to pass the hours in here.
Let's go look at the office.
That way.
Hello, everybody.
Morning.
This is where the beauty and
brains of our outfit hang out.
Needless to say,
my chair is over there.
That doesn't mean
we don't let him buy us lunch.
Faith, our lovely daughter
sits over there
and handles all the accounting,
plus counting the dots.
Counting the dots,
what's that?
Hm, well...
- It's silly, really.
- Never mind.
- Good morning, all!
- Oh, no.
Armin messed up
the Hartland lumber order.
- Really?
- Yeah.
You know, he can't load logs,
and he can't load lumber.
- Yeah.
- My order says,
"1,200 board feet of cedar,"
and armin, he stacked up
about a thousand.
Oh, Richard. All right,
let's go work that out.
Faith, would you finish
the tour with Cody?
And be sure and show him
our magic spot.
Sure.
Come on, Richard.
Are you ready?
See ya!
Ok, this is our headrig,
our edger and resaw.
These cut the logs
into 3 sizes,
6 by 6, 6 by 4,
uh, 8 by 8.
And then the jackets go
up over the chipper
and down to the chip truck
for hauling.
The chips get used in
playgrounds and gardening mulch.
The rest goes
to electric plants.
If we didn't use every inch,
we wouldn't have a profit.
Come on, I'll show you
the best part of the tour.
You really love
working at the mill, don't you?
- Can you tell?
- Yeah.
I do. I love it.
One day I was gonna go away
and work in the city, but...
I love my mom, my dad,
I love the work we do,
I love being outside.
See? Look how beautiful
this place is.
This...
Is my parents' favorite
place in the whole world.
I can see why.
This is where my dad
proposed to my mom
before he left
for Vietnam.
When he was gone,
she came here every day
to pray for his safe return.
When he got back,
they were married here.
And they named me faith,
because they never lost faith
that they would always
be together and have a family.
...have the Miller delivery
a day later.
I hate it, but go ahead.
Anybody shoot at you?
Not today, dad.
Did you show him
our magic spot?
Oh, it was beautiful.
Mm-hm.
Why don't you take Cody
with you and check on our load?
Right.
Keep him out of trouble!
- You betcha!
- Talkin' to Cody.
- Ah hah hah hah.
- Uhh.
What's scary is,
he meant it.
I'm known to be a bit
reckless around here.
Kinda keeps things
exciting.
How long have you been
with the company?
Since high school.
I introduced my sister to the
boss' son for job security.
Looks like it worked.
- Didn't expect to see him.
- That's Paul.
Faith's very
long-distance boyfriend.
She's like job, waiting for him
to take things to the next level.
He's been moving
slower than molasses.
Oh, this is 1990.
Yeah, well,
use it later.
Hello!
What a surprise!
Oh!
Rosie, Luke.
How nice to see you, Paul.
- Paul.
- What are you doing here?
I wouldn't miss
Christmas with my girl.
You were supposed to be
traveling through Europe.
I know, but I'm going
to work out of the napa office
for a couple of weeks.
I'm so glad you're back!
I brought some
delicious wine back
to go with
your great cooking.
Wow! Then you better
come over for dinner tonight.
I'd love to.
If you don't mind, I'd like
to steal faith away for lunch.
- What do you think, boss?
- Can I take an early one?
- Well, uh...
- Have fun!
- We'll see you later!
- See you tonight.
Hey, there.
I could use that quarterback
arm of yours out in the mill.
Ok.
Um...
If you require a hammer,
I'm your man.
I got a little
woodworking project.
I was kinda hoping
you could help me out with it.
Sure.
All right.
- So he's staying here?
- In the house?
Yeah.
Well, do you know anything
about this sargeant-hero?
There are some twisted freaks
in the army, too, you know.
Your eyes are about
the same shade of green
as our guest bathroom towels.
I'm not jealous.
I'm just protective.
You mean a lot to me.
Hi.
- Hi!
- Hey.
Sure put in
a lot of hours today.
Hope Richard didn't
work you too hard.
He looks like
he can handle it.
Hi, I'm Paul.
Cody.
Faith told me how you saved
Luke the other day.
I'm impressed.
Sure you would have
done the same.
Paul's in the wine business,
and we were about
to have a tasting.
If you'd care to join us.
- Oh, that'd be great.
- Let me clean up,
and I'll come back
and start a fire.
No need, I got it covered.
Great.
Here, honey,
have a seat.
It's good to be home.
It's been a long time.
Whew!
- Whoo!
- Hi.
Hi, Paul!
Time to get dinner started.
Oh! You brought the wine.
I'll get some stuff
to go with it. Ok?
I'd say this is
a fruity wine, isn't it?
This wine you brought
is really good, Paul.
Yeah, this stuff
really does taste...
What was it you said, Paul?
Full-bodied and romantic?
Aromatic.
I picked it up
when I was in France last month.
I toured the chateaus
of the alsace region.
They're known for their whites,
especially their rieslings,
which are sometimes confused
with German wines.
- Why's that?
- Ah, because the grapes are very similar.
Ah, speaking for myself,
I find I always prefer
a French fry
to a French wine.
Me, too.
Here comes the boss.
He's a good worker, dear.
Pull over in here.
We're running low
on Christmas trees.
Guess we'll be cutting
some more tomorrow.
Let's go get the girls.
Hey, how's it going?
Oh, great!
I think we're just about ready
to quit for tonight.
- What is...
- You read my mind! I'm starving.
What're the bags for?
Care packages for
the people in the shelter.
Hmm!
We're really low
on winter clothing.
We really need
mittens, hats, scarves,
and especially sweaters.
- Ok.
- Where's your boyfriend, faith?
He seems to have
disappeared.
Oh, he's out of town
on business.
He'll be back when he can.
Oh.
Hey, Cody!
You gonna be a logger,
you gotta look the part.
- Wow, thanks, Luke.
- That's awesome.
- Go on, put it on.
- We'll be twins today.
That's scary.
You know, he's just trying
to butter you up.
He knows that cutting
Christmas trees
is gonna be the most
exhausting day of your life.
Morning, boys.
Morning, dottie.
Paul's volunteered to help
cut Christmas trees with you.
All the whos in whoville
better run for it.
- Morning.
- Good morning.
I'm glad
you could make it.
- Are you ready?
- No.
- Come on, Paul bunyan.
- Let's cut you loose.
I'll see you later.
We get a thousand feet
above the mill,
we hit the snowline.
Your cell phone
works up here?
This is Paul.
Don't cut anything under
5 and a half feet.
And only the ones
that are crowded.
No, no, it's ok, I...
I told them I was...
I, uh...
I can't hear you up here.
They're operating
a chainsaw.
Yeah, yeah, we're
cutting down trees.
In the woods.
I don't know
if it's a forest
or it's some sort of
tree hatchery.
Have you talked to Roberto
about that?
And what did Roberto say?
Uh, what I told James
in the office...
No, thanks, I'm glad you called,
this couldn't wait.
No, I wasn't busy at all.
Listen, you have
a merry Christmas.
I will. I will, you, too.
Wow, you guys
really went to town.
How long was I on that call?
About 2 hours.
Sorry. James in New York
had a problem
with a shipment out of France.
- Can I help?
- Nope. We're done.
Little late, but thanks.
You boys have fun?
- Oh, yeah.
- Oh, yeah.
Uhh! That was hard work.
We'll make a woodsman
out of you yet.
Come here.
Cody, darlin',
I'm feeling a little tender.
Would you mind?
- Ok. Merry Christmas.
- Merry Christmas.
- Hello, ladies!
- Hey, what do you have there?
You mentioned that you were
putting together boxes,
and you needed
a few extra items,
so last night, I went out
and bought some stuff.
- Oh, thank you!
- Oh, so generous.
Hey, what do you have, Cody?
Oh, just a few things
I was gonna donate to the cause.
Oh, how nice of you, Cody.
Let me help you with that,
come on.
Thank you. That way.
He's such a gentleman.
Paul.
Everybody was really impressed
with what you did in there.
What about you?
Of course I'm impressed,
I'm really proud of you.
You see more taken
with Cody.
What you both did
was wonderful.
Come here.
Hey.
Ah, top of the morning.
That looks complicated.
Eh, I've been doing it
a long time. It's pretty simple.
We just count the boards
with the sizes.
It's 4 by 6,
6 by 6, 6 by 8,
it's how we keep
track of them.
We have a code of dots.
And each dot
counts for a board.
You get 5 dots like this,
then you just
connect the dots with a line.
Which also counts
for another board.
Are these the dots
that faith likes?
I taught her
how to count them
before she was even
old enough to count.
That's why I call her dottie.
Would you take
that tally sheet
back to the office
for me?
Morning, everybody.
Morning.
Well, you missed
breakfast.
- Oh, I got up early.
- Went for a run.
Oh, why didn't you tell me?
I could have gotten up
and watched.
Nice flowers.
They're from Paul
for my mom.
- Isn't he clever?
- Roses for Rosie?
Too clever for my Luke
to have figured out.
He always brings me
dogwood blossoms.
Not that I'm cheap.
I just like to pick flowers
from our special place.
These are from Richard.
I love counting dots.
I know that sounds silly,
it's my favorite thing to do.
So you like to recount
the dots,
and it makes you happy?
Immensely.
Your lucky day, Cody.
Lesson number 2.
How to sharpen chipper blades.
Pardon me.
Good luck.
- Cody!
- Sir?
Huh.
We need you to count up
that wood stack
over by the multi-head resaw,
I'm sending out a load.
When you finish up,
tonight,
tomorrow morning,
whenever,
I want you to get
the totals over to faith.
Ok.
Thanks.
Well, that shouldn't
take you much time.
You didn't have anything
planned for tonight, did you?
See you in the morning!
If I'm done by then.
Good morning!
Hey.
Do you know what this is?
It's a tally for the lumber
that's being sent.
Hmm.
Let me know
if it doesn't add up.
Dottie.
- Hey.
- What are you two up to?
Just working on a little
Christmas project for Sammy.
Oh, good, good.
Hey, you didn't forget
about the Christmas dance
tonight, down at the
veteran's hall, did you?
Oh, um...
You know, I think
I'm gonna stay here, Luke,
and finish up
some odds and ends.
- What?
- Well, good!
Maybe I can get a woman to dance
with me, with you not there.
Richard, Richard,
who are you kidding?
You don't stand
much of a chance
with or without Cody.
Cody, come on. It'll
give you a good chance
to meet some great veterans.
And if you don't
get down there tonight,
Rosie's gonna be
very ticked at you
for not tasting
her baby back pork ribs.
I mean it.
All right, we'll be
right behind you.
- All right.
- Don't forget! Hurry up!
Boy, oh, boy, oh, boy.
Just what I need.
I'm gonna find my lovely wife
and take her for a spin.
Well, what'll I do?
Try amusing yourself.
Thank you, Mary Ellis,
thank you.
How's it going, Cody?
Feel like a little, uh,
spin with me?
No.
Faith looks like
she's having fun.
- Yeah.
- She deserves better.
He treats her
pretty well.
- For the moment.
- Not for the long run.
Lasted quite a while
already.
Nothing but a long,
stretched-out romance.
Every time she talks to him
about the future together,
he disappears.
Off to pursue
some new goal
to secure their future.
Maybe now
he's ready to commit.
Oh, that's exactly what
Luke and I are afraid of.
I'm gonna grab a soda.
You want one?
I'm good, thanks.
This is yours,
if you go dance with Paul.
You can buy a lot
of bingo cards.
Deal.
'Scuse me, may I cut in?
Uh-huh, sure.
- You got it.
- Thank you.
You snooze, you lose.
Care to dance?
Sure.
Will be the same
you could be happy,
and it's worth the part
Mm, mm, mm.
Quite a nice couple.
Except they're not
a couple, honey.
Faith and Paul
are a couple.
Eh. What kind of couple
sees each other
a handful of times a year?
Oh, come on,
she's not a child.
We have to respect
her choices.
- Good in theory.
- But speaking as a father,
he's not the right guy
for her.
He's not that bad a guy.
Besides, he's crazy
about faith.
Eh, so's Cody.
Where you been?
Look at them.
They don't make 'em
any better than him, Rosie.
Anyway, I know true love
when I see it.
You could be happy,
and it's worth the part...
When she's back
in your arms once more
Mind if I cut in?
'Scuse me, can I have
my dancing partner back?
- I need to go...
- Freshen up.
It's just a dance, Paul.
Everything ok?
Just marking
his territory.
The greatest things happen
when you're dancing.
- Thanks, faith.
- You're welcome.
- Thank you!
- Of course.
Paul's still m.I.A.?
He's on his way back from
a business trip in napa.
What exactly does he do
for a living?
Yeah, faith.
What exactly does he do
for a living?
He's an international
wine broker.
Ah. He spends far more time
internationally
than he does
with my daughter.
- Hey, herb.
- Sorry about the delay.
Traffic over the bridge
is stacked.
Hey, I don't believe it.
What's that?
I don't think
I've ever seen you wear jeans.
Well, believe it or not,
later today,
I'm heading back up
to help faith sell
Christmas trees.
You must really
love this girl.
There's another guy
trying to move in on her.
Well.
This should seal the deal.
So you gonna move up to the
boonies, become a Mountain man?
Ah, no way.
Once faith says yes,
she's coming
on the road with me.
What if she
doesn't want to leave?
She's ready.
Well, the problem is,
he's supposed to be
selling trees with faith
down at the lot.
I'm sure he wouldn't
want to miss out on that.
Well, let's stay,
we'll have dinner, celebrate.
- All right.
- Waitress?
Listen, Cody.
It'd really look bad,
if we miss our turn,
selling trees down at the
children's Christmas charity lot.
You mind taking faith
down there
and getting her
started selling?
Works for me.
Thanks, Cody,
that'd be great.
Paul can meet us
up there.
I'll run,
go get my coat.
One man's loss
is another man's gain.
Nice meeting you, Cody.
Nice meeting you,
Mr. lombardo.
- Thanks, faith.
- Merry Christmas to your mom and dad.
- I'll tell them. Bye!
- Bye!
- That was great!
- Really fun.
Got a serious catch, huh?
- What?
- You're covered in needles.
That's better.
You seem happier
than when you first
got into town.
Oh, what are you saying,
I was stuffy?
Cautious.
Compliments
of the army.
Wait.
I'll be right back.
Hey.
I have a present for you.
Faith.
So you can
remember your family.
Hold on, I want to take
a picture of you.
Cheese.
Cheese.
Cody Cullen,
this guy's looking
for a tree.
Cody will help you out.
- All for charity.
- What do you need?
We got 10-footers,
8-footers...
Hey.
Wait a second,
I'm gonna take your picture.
That's sweet!
She's a beauty!
- Who threw that at me?
- Was that you?
Hold on, hold on.
Can you get one of me?
Ok, looking up.
- You take it.
- No, I'm taking it!
Ok, smile!
No.
Come forward.
Better.
- Ok, smile.
- Ha ha.
One, two, three.
I'm sorry I'm late.
- Later.
- Traffic was a nightmare.
- It's ok.
- Everything's working out.
- It's not too late.
- We can go home,
open up a bottle of wine.
Sit in front of the fire.
Um, I just have
to finish off
a couple of things here.
First.
Oh, no, it's ok.
You guys go ahead.
Thanks, Cody.
Oh. Forgot this.
- It's cold out here.
- You think this is cold?
You should have been here
this afternoon.
Where are we going
for dinner?
- Hey.
- Hi.
What are you doing here?
I went for
an early morning walk.
How about you?
I was delivering wedges
to Uncle Richard.
I got to get back.
Oh. I'll go with you
if you want.
What?
Oh, no. I... I got to...
- Faith.
- I got to go.
I... I got to get...
I got to get back.
- Faith!
- I'm sorry!
Faith!
I kissed him, mom.
I love Paul,
and I kissed Cody.
- Oh, it was...
- You were just wrapped up in the moment.
It was just a... A brief
lapse in judgment, no?
I'm not sure it was.
What am I going
to do, mom?
Only you can answer
that question, darling.
You like Paul,
don't you?
It's who you love
that matters.
I've always thought...
Paul would be the man
I would spend my life with,
raise a family with.
You just have
to remember, sweetheart,
you've got
to follow your heart.
I love you, mom.
I can come back later.
Go ahead,
set her down.
Some of that, uh,
sapwood, would you?
Hold on a minute!
No, it's a special order!
Keep going!
What's going on
around here?
- I'm sorry?
- Uh-oh.
He said "I'm sorry."
Must be a doozie.
I kissed faith.
- Finally.
- Go ahead, turn it off.
Well, judging by
the scene in the office,
she must have
kissed you back.
- Did you hear the news?
- What news?
Love is in the air.
What are you
talking about?
Well, your daughter was
outflanked by special forces.
Oh? What happened?
He planted
a big one on her.
- What did she do?
- She turned bright red!
- Yeah.
- They seem to like it?
They both seemed
to liked it.
Good. That's going
according to plan.
Oh, you have a plan?
- Of course I have a plan.
- I've always had a plan.
- Where is she now?
- She's up with her mom.
Yeah?
- Mm-hmm.
- Uh-huh.
Ok. I got to go
talk to her.
- Can I come?
- Don't be silly.
Where's faith?
She was upset,
so she went home early.
- Did you hear?
- Y...
You're stirring up trouble
and looking for a smack
on the bottom.
Now, Rosie, don't you
get me all excited.
This is a better batch
than the last one you made.
What was wrong
with the last one?
You didn't have
enough flour in there.
- Look at this.
- There's plenty of flour.
- Thanks.
- No, no. You're wrong.
I mean,
I keep telling you this,
and every year
you give me the same grief.
- Oh, you...
- Don't you see what he's doing?
- Hey, everybody.
- Hey, it's about time.
You're missing all the fun.
- You ok, Cody?
- Yeah, everything's good.
Come in!
Hello.
Hey. Hi.
Hi, Paul.
Wow, you guys are doing
good work here.
- Make yourself at home.
- Grab some sugar sprinkles.
I'd love to,
Rosie, but, uh...
Actually, I wanted to know if I could
steal faith away for the evening.
Ahem. It's getting cold
in here.
Cody, go get some firewood.
My work is done here.
Let me help you.
I got you a surprise.
Thanks!
It's so cute.
Listen...
I know we've only known you
for a short while.
But I want you to know
you've become family here.
We've all come
to love you
I mean all of us.
Look, I didn't plan
on any of this.
Mmm.
Soldiers bond
with one another.
They become
a band of brothers
and sisters...
A family.
Their job is to defend
and come back home
to those who are waiting
for them.
What you need is someone
to come back to.
Got it?
- All right. You sit tight.
- I'll get the umbrella.
Here you go.
Watch your step.
Right this way.
Where are
all your customers?
The place looks deserted.
Table ready for you.
What's going on, Rachel?
We're closed tonight.
We have a private party.
And for you...
Enjoy your meal.
What are you up to?
I just thought we haven't had
any quality time together.
So you bought out citrone
for an entire night
during the busy season?
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
- To us.
- To us.
Thank you.
Ok. I'm having shrimp.
Now I know that Christmas
is only 2 days away,
and I probably should
have waited until then,
but I can't wait
another minute.
Will you do me the honor...
Of marrying me?
Paul...
I love you.
Of course I'll marry you.
We'll spend all
of our anniversaries
traveling through Europe.
Wherever I go,
you'll go with me.
We'll spend the rest
of our lives
traveling the world.
Morning.
Hi. Cody.
Um, there's something
I have to say.
Paul and I got engaged
last night.
- That's great.
- I'm really happy for you.
Paul's a great guy.
I'm happy for you, faith.
Hi, honey.
Hey.
Did you order for us yet?
Uh-huh.
I'm glad you called.
I needed a break.
You know,
once we get married
we can have Christmas
in Belize.
Ha ha ha.
And miss spending it here
with my family?
We're gonna start
our own family.
In napa.
Honey, we never discussed
leaving Nevada city.
You know I love
working at the mill.
And you know I love spending
time with my family.
I thought you did, too.
We can get
a little place up here.
We'll split our time.
Relationships are
about compromise.
Never really
thought about that.
It's gonna be ok.
Your dad's gonna...
Find someone to replace you,
and we'll come up and we'll
visit 'em all the time.
What you got?
Ah, good tidings.
Good tidings.
I guess you've heard by now?
Yeah.
Richard's wearing black.
Whatever happened to the young man
asking the father's permission?
Well, if faith's happy,
I'm sure
you would've said yes.
Uh, listen, son...
I...
I know that you've
fallen in love with faith.
It's so easy for you
to retire from the army now
with your tours of duty
and years of service.
You can stay on here
and work at the mill.
And run it one day.
- I can't stay.
- She's marrying somebody else.
E-exactly my point.
But Paul isn't the one!
Where's your sense of
fighting for the right thing?
Well, there's something
to be said for not invading
where you don't belong.
You can't retreat now.
You need to tell her
how you feel.
It's the right thing to do.
The right thing to do
is to move on.
Ok.
To the guy who saved my life.
To the guy who saved mine.
Hi, this is Paul.
I can't make it
to the phone right now,
but if you leave a message,
I'll call you...
I'm not at all happy
about this engagement.
- Faith made her decision.
- We've gotta support her.
Well... Cody's leaving
because of it.
Yeah, well,
I'm sorry about that.
But that's his decision.
Wh... hold these.
Hello?
Hey, dad.
I'm stuck at the mill
and my battery's dead.
And I can't find Paul.
Can you come pick me up?
I'm on my way.
Faith's battery died,
and she can't find Paul.
You want me
to go with you?
- Oh, no. It...
- It's way too cold out there
for old people like us.
Luke spelman...
Hmm?
Hmm?
We're back.
How was the sleigh ride?
- Oh, as usual.
- Very romantic.
Faith's battery died.
Would you run to the mill
and pick her up?
Oh, Luke.
I don't think
that's such a good idea.
Humor me.
This is faith's
favorite blanket.
Ok.
Keep the lines tight,
but be gentle on the bit.
Hmm. She'll do the job.
You sure about all this?
Positive. Let 'er rip.
Hyah!
Whoa.
This was not my idea.
I'm sorry about what happened
in the woods the other day.
It was unfair of me
to give you the wrong idea.
I'm not sorry.
The time I spent with you,
the kiss...
I'll have that
for the rest of my life.
You deserve
to be happy, Cody.
- I'm gonna be happy.
- Come on.
It's cold.
Thanks.
Mmm.
Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.
Good girl.
Tell your dad
I was easy on the bit.
I want you to have this.
It'll keep you safe
and warm after you leave.
Thank you.
Phew.
Come on.
- De de de de
- come to papa.
LA LA LA LA
Cody! Grab a girl!
Come on! Come on!
Ha ha! Come on, Cody!
Ha ha!
Do do do
da da da
hmm. Change your partners,
dosey-do.
Ha ha!
I really should be going.
What?
- I have some...
- Stuff to finish off
for tonight's service.
Aw, come on!
I have some things
to take care of also.
May I borrow the truck?
Oh, yeah. Sure.
Uh, uh, remember,
Christmas Eve service
is at 7:00.
If I'm finished, sir.
Ok, Cody. But try, huh?
It's a beautiful service.
Yeah.
Yes, ma'am. I'll try.
In hills where they
lay keeping their sheep
on a cold winter's night
that was so deep
Noel, Noel
Noel, Noel
born is the king of Israel
they looked up
and saw a star
shining in the east
beyond them far
and to the earth
it gave great light
you're still here.
You're a lucky man, Paul.
Love, not luck, had
a big part in my good fortune.
I need you to know
I'm in love with faith,
but I know she loves you,
and I hope you're doing this
for all the right reasons.
Understood.
In every heart
prepare him room
and heaven and nature sing
- oh, I saved you a seat.
- Come on.
And heaven and nature sing
he rules the world
with truth and grace
and makes
the nations prove
"As the glory of the lord
shone all around,
"and they were
very much afraid.
"The angel said to them,
do not be afraid.
"I am bringing you good news
of great joy
for all the people."
The image of the holy family
puts me in mind of
our own Nevada city
and the families here.
Jesus came for the world,
yet like all of us,
he was a small town kid who never
strayed far from his loving family.
He was surrounded by people
who loved each other
and had as his example Joseph,
who by choosing
to stand by Mary
set the standard
for doing the right thing.
For making the kinds
of choices that call upon us
to set aside out own desires
for another's welfare.
Is there any greater gift
we can give
or larger goodness
we can do?
I don't think so, friends.
I just want
to remind everybody
to be sure to say a prayer
for our brave men and women
in the armed services
who are overseas in harm's way
on this holiday season.
All right.
Now that
your candles are lit,
let's all sing silent night.
Something wrong?
Holy night
all is calm
all is bright
Paul. Paul!
I'm so sorry.
- Ho ho ho!
- Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas, Richard.
Here let me help you
with this.
I didn't see Cody's bike
out front.
Know where he went?
No. You?
- I don't like this.
- His bed's made up.
Looks like all of his stuff
is gone.
Oh, look, look,
look, look, look!
Look, he left the card
and... and a map or something.
- What?
- Um, "dear Rosie,
"faith, Luke, and Richard.
"The last couple of weeks
have meant the world to me.
"You invited me
into your home
"and for that, I will
be eternally grateful.
"I've lived a lifetime
here in Nevada city
and will cherish
every memory, every image.
"I wish you all a lifetime
of love, happiness, and peace.
"Merry Christmas...
Cody Cullen.
"P.S. If you follow this map,
you'll find
your Christmas present."
Look.
Let's go.
Well...
When are we gonna open
our Christmas presents?
Aw, boy.
Easy does it.
Come on.
Oh, look at this.
- Beautiful!
- Oh, I'll be darned!
"Where the magic begins."
The time Cody must've
spent on this.
This is what you two
were working on
until the wee hours.
Guilty as charged.
Oh, Richard. Thank you.
- Don't thank me.
- Thank Cody.
It was all his doing.
I just showed him
how to hold a hammer
and nail a nail
and work the table saw.
Well. Hmm.
"Dear faith,
"I've fallen in love
with you twice now.
"Once when
this beautiful woman
swiped some
of my crispy curly fries..."
Hmm.
"And then the first time,
"when a thoughtful,
tender woman sent me this card.
"I want to thank you
for showing me
"how amazing love
can make me feel.
"I hope all your dreams
come true.
Cody."
So...
This card brought him
to Nevada city?
No.
You did.
Dad, I have to find him.
I have an idea.
Sergeant Cullen?
You forgot something.
Chicken salad sandwich
on rye with curly fries?
Extra crispy.
No hot chocolate?
You'll have to come back
to Nevada city for that.
How'd you find me?
Dad knew you'd never
leave town
without visiting
the Vietnam memorial.
If you ever,
ever leave town
without saying
good-bye again,
I swear, I'll...
hallmark channel and friends of nci
institute ...Www.Ncicap.Org...
Let nothing
you dismay
remember Christ
our savior
was born on
Christmas day
to save us all
from Satan's power
when we were
gone astray
"Dear service member,
"I hope this card
finds you in good health
"and preparing
to enjoy the holidays.
"At this time of year,
"I always reflect on what
I can be thankful for.
"I was raised
in a loving home
"by wonderful parents.
"My folks,
Rosie and Luke,
"send their Christmas
greetings to you
"along with mine.
"Nevada city
has been home
"to the spelman family
for 3 generations.
"I could have left,
"but everything
that was important to me
"was here.
"Our lives are
not about things.
"Family and friends...
People... are at the heart of it.
"You won't find a chain store
or mall around here,
"and... and that suits us
just fine.
"Our local church organizes
operation Christmas card
"every year for our
troops overseas.
"The church is at the center
"for many of our activities
and social events.
"The doors are open
"24 hours a day to anyone.
"Believe me,
"you have many friends here.
"You just haven't
met them yet.
"I'm sure being
far from your loved ones
"weighs heavy on your heart.
"I know a little about that.
"When I met my boyfriend
"he was everything
I was looking for.
"Since then, his business
has kept us living far
"from one another.
"I bet you'll be
back with your family
long before he and I
live I in the same zip code."
hallmark channel and friends of nci
oh, what fun
it is to ride
in a one horse
open sleigh
hey
- jingle bells
- ho ho ho.
Hey, sarge.
What are you
up to, Jones?
Hey, hey, how about
snappin' a photo, chief?
Where'd you boys
get those hats?
From the dancers
at the u.S.O. Show.
Oh, a Christmas card for you from
our admirers back in the states.
The church group from my home
sent us all Christmas cards.
Give it to one of the boys
who didn't make the show.
Can't do that, sarge.
The army entrusted me with
the assignment of giving you
this card.
Mm-hmm.
Ho ho ho.
Jingle bells,
jingle bells
jingle all the way
"if you're ever out west,
please come visit us.
"We'd love to thank you
in person for your service
and sacrifice."
"I speak for everyone
in Nevada city
"when I say that we are
grateful to you
"for making sure
that we're safe and secure.
"I'm attaching a photo
of our church.
"Know that the lights there are
burning for all of you tonight
"in the hope that next
Christmas you'll be home.
"And the world
will be at peace.
"You're in our thoughts,
"and you're in our prayers.
"With loving best wishes
for the season,
faith spelman."
Did you get a nice
Christmas card, team sarge?
I did, jonesy,
thank you.
Looks like you've got quite
a handful of goodies there.
My fiancee liddy would
like you to have a cookie.
- She would, would she?
- Said so herself.
Thank her for me.
Oh.
This is her most recent photo.
She gets prettier
every day.
You're a lucky man.
Merry Christmas,
sarge.
Merry Christmas.
Man, I don't know
about you, Lewis,
but I did not
sign up for this.
You got that
right, brother.
Hey, me and liddy
picked a date last night.
Nice.
Valentine's day.
Congratulations,
jonesy.
Thanks.
Liddy and I would
like you to be there.
Incoming!
Uhh!
- Jonesy!
- Get out of there!
Just let it go!
Man, go!
Jonesy!
First squad,
secure that hill!
You'll be fine,
buddy. Come on.
Ahh...
Edo, get a medevac.
You're gonna be
all right, jonesy.
Everything's gonna
be ok, buddy.
- I need a medevac.
- At check point zulu, one priority.
Over.
Fragment wounds and
crush injury. Over.
U.S.S.F. W.I.A.
This is Charley 2-2. Out.
At ease,
master sergeant Cullen.
Mind if I sit
and talk a sec?
Please, sir.
I was sorry to hear
about sergeant Jones.
Lousy luck.
It was, sir.
You're about
to rotate home.
I'm thinking
of extending, sir.
I think you need
to take some leave, Cullen.
Look, Jones
wasn't your fault.
Time for some r&r.
That's an order,
sergeant.
I need you
to do something for me.
There's a young widow
stateside that needs these.
And while you're home,
don't think about the army.
Think about your life...
What you want,
your family,
a career out
of this uniform we wear.
You've stood watch
a long time now.
Maybe it's time
to find out what's next.
Hello, liddy.
Sergeant Cullen.
I would've
recognized you anywhere.
Jonesy used to send me
pictures of you all.
I would have
given my life for him.
If I had the chance.
I came here because
I wanted to tell you...
He really loved you.
- Howdy.
- Afternoon.
Hmm.
What can I get for ya?
Uh, you have
chicken salad club?
Curly fries.
- Mm-hmm.
- Extra crispy.
- All right.
- White, wheat, or rye?
Rye.
And a hot chocolate.
Marshmallows?
Even better.
How you doin'?
Know where the latrine is?
Hey, bill.
Molly...
Can I get some ketchup?
Thanks.
Mmm...
Molly.
I thought
I ordered it to go.
Faith, that isn't yours.
Whose is it?
It's his.
You ordered
a chicken salad club
on rye with crispy
curly fries
and hot chocolate
with marshmallows?
Yeah.
Heh... I'm so sorry.
What are the odds?
Oh, yeah,
that never happens.
Let me give you
some of my fries.
It's ok, really.
It's fine.
Come on!
I've gotta go.
Um, I'm sorry
about the fries.
Oh... merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
Afternoon.
Oh, good afternoon.
What can I do for you?
I was hopin'
you had a room available.
Ah, yes, quite a few,
actually.
But that's
only for tonight.
After that I'm filled up
through Christmas.
No, one night
would be fine, ma'am.
Oh, good, then I'll
have you fill this out.
If you don't mind.
So, you visiting folks
for the holidays?
No, I'm...
- I'm just passing through.
- Well,
then we'll have
to do our best
to impress you
quickly, won't we?
Uh, breakfast is at 8:00.
I was thinking of attending
church in the morning.
It's right
at the top of the hill.
We could sit together.
If you'd like, I mean.
Oh, ma'am, that'd
be great, thank you.
Oh, your keys, sir.
God, rest ye
merry gentlemen
let nothing
you dismay
remember Christ
our savior
was born
on Christmas day
to save us all
from Satan's power
when we were
gone astray
oh, tidings
of comfort and joy
comfort and joy
oh, tidings
of comfort and joy
oh, come
let us adore him
Mornin', bill.
Hi, Dennis, Phyllis.
Good to see you.
Hi, there.
Welcome. Welcome.
Oh, mornin', son.
Morning.
- Nice shine on those shoes.
- Oh, thank you, sir.
Oh, I bet
you're the visitor
that Selma wants
to sit next to today.
Yes, sir. She's
quite the host.
Well, you couldn't
pick a finer church.
It's beautiful.
What's your name?
Uh, Cody Cullen, sir.
Deacon of the month,
Luke spelman.
It's a real honor
to meet you, sir.
Honor?
I guess you haven't
caught wind of my reputation.
Oh, come let us
adore him
oh, come let us
adore him
Christ the lord
- good morning.
- Good morning.
There's an old
Hebrew saying,
"be kind to strangers.
By doing so, we may be
entertaining one of God's angels."
- That's right.
- So we'd like to welcome and warmly greet
any of you who might
be a stranger among us.
Here visiting
for the first time.
A... a-any visitors,
please stand...
- At this time.
- Come on Cody, stand up.
We wanna make
you feel welcome,
make you feel at home
here in God's house
on this fine holiday season.
Ah, welcome,
young man, welcome, sir.
Now we'd like
to invite you
for refreshments
after the service.
All right, let's sing
number 240.
Hark, the herald
angels sing.
Hark, the herald
angels sing
glory to
the newborn king
peace on earth,
and mercy mild
God and sinners
reconciled
joyful all ye
nations rise
join the triumph
of the skies
with angelic host
proclaim
Christ is born
in Bethlehem
hark, the herald
- angels sing...
- May the lord blessing keep you.
May his face
shine upon you.
Go forth in peace.
Nice to see you again.
Joy to the world
the lord is come
let earth
- receive her king
- oh, glad to see you're awake.
What I mean is...
Reverend ives
gives a poignant sermon,
but sometimes it's a poignant,
long-winded sermon.
Well,
I liked the message.
And the music.
No, they're great.
Shiny shoes
and the "sir" bit,
I gather
you must be army.
Well, I'm currently
on leave.
- Yeah...
- I-I served, too.
Vietnam?
I-it wasn't the crimean.
- Heh heh. Here.
- Come here a minute.
- That's all right.
- Excuse me.
I'd like to steal
my daughter for a second.
- Aww...
- Oh, oh...
Cody, this is my somewhat
attractive daughter, faith.
We saw each other
in the diner yesterday.
You two already met?
We're both fans of
curly fries.
Extra crispy.
Eh, um, Cody's army.
Sergeant.
On leave.
Oh, do you
have family in town?
- No, no, I'm just...
- I'm just passing through.
Faith, honey,
would you mind taking
Mrs. Cleveland to her car?
She wants to go home.
Well, Cody Cullen,
it was nice meeting you.
Um, hope you have safe
travels during the holiday.
I'll take you,
Mrs. Cleveland.
Um, it was really
great meeting you, sir.
- Great to meet you.
- You come back, anytime.
Soon.
Cody!
Hold up.
Dad, look out!
Sir, out of the way!
Unh!
- Is he ok?
- Are you ok?
Dad?
Dad?
Are you ok?
Somebody go call
an ambulance.
Here he is.
The hero.
- No, no, no.
- Right time, right place.
How you doin'?
Oh, banged up my bad hip,
bruised my shoulder,
but thank God for your
special ops reflexes.
Oh, we haven't
had a chance to meet yet.
I'm Rosie spelman.
Cody Cullen, ma'am.
I'm just so grateful
you were there.
We all are.
Oh, I'm just glad you finally got
to meet the love of my life.
Well, you'll
just have to come home
and have dinner
with us tonight, Cody.
I mean, we gotta be able
to thank you in some way.
I-I'm gonna
head out, um...
Ah, come on.
Humor the injured.
Been a long time since I talked
army with a fellow grunt.
Well, I won't
take no for an answer.
Besides we've got plenty of
extra rooms at the house.
You could just
stay the night.
Be smart. Be smart.
Surrender now...
We'd love
for you to join us.
Consider it settled.
Welcome to
the spelman family.
Mush!
You can go ahead and put it
right there next to pop's.
Oh, ok.
Wow.
Somethin'
smells really good.
My mom was baking blueberry
muffins this morning.
She bakes morning, noon, and
night during holiday season.
You like it?
Oh, yeah.
It's everything
I thought it would be.
I'm sorry?
You know, when you
imagine someone's home.
It's very cozy
and inviting.
Come on. I'll show you
the guest bedroom.
These are some
of the men
who served with dad
and never made it home.
He salutes them
everyday.
I don't need to tell you
about that bond.
My mom calls them
his mistress.
She always credits
the army
with teaching dad
the skills
for a good marriage.
Loyalty, commitment,
love of family...
And the ability
to do his own laundry.
I believe she
really taught him that,
but... seems more masculine
to credit the military.
Come on.
So, this'll be your room.
The bathroom's
right around the corner.
I'll hang you some towels.
Yours'll be the green ones.
Ok.
Thank you, um,
faith, I wanna, um...
Faith, we're back!
Can you come
help with dinner?
Coming, mom.
Take your time,
settle in.
I'll see you later.
Ok...
Cody.
Come meet Rosie's cousins
from brass valley.
This is Jack and Suzanne.
- Hey, Jack.
- Hi.
My boys
Sammy and Henry.
The scalawags.
My daughter Rebecca.
The beauty.
Cody, would you mind
going out to the garage
and grabbing a couple of
folding chairs for the boys.
Point me
in the right direction.
I'll show you.
Ah, ah, ah... ok...
But no lifting for you.
The doctor doesn't want you
using that arm at all.
Fine, fine, I'm just
goin' for a walk
with my hero buddy.
It's really great
to have you here.
Great to be here.
- Man...
- Looks like somebody's got a couple of hobbies.
Yeah, I wanted
to build a sleigh,
but one with wheels
on it.
Rosie gets a kick
out of this thing.
She says it's romantic.
Yeah...
I suppose that hog's
for Rosie, too, huh?
Oh, no, no, no
that one's for me.
Not too much lately, though.
The eyes are slowin'.
Hmm.
Wow, what a great spot.
Yeah, that's up
off of highway 49.
That's, uh, got a beautiful
view of the yuba river.
You oughta see it
before you leave.
- That view.
- Yeah.
It's a California
memorial site
dedicated to those
who died in Vietnam.
My dad died in Vietnam.
I'm sorry to hear that.
Hit my mom pretty hard.
She passed away after I
graduated from high school.
You know, sometimes I think
that's why I joined the army.
Hmm.
I thought it'd
fill that void somehow.
So... w...
What are you doin'
for the holiday?
I'm not really sure.
Yeah?
I got a business
proposition for ya.
I own a mill...
Family business.
Now with this injury, I really
could use your help here.
Especially
during the holiday.
It's one of the busiest
times of our year.
I don't want
to take your money, Luke.
Maybe I could
work for room and board,
somethin' like that.
Well, yeah, great.
Great, that'll
get Richard off my back
squawkin' about takin'
on more help. Yeah.
That's good.
Hmm... yeah.
Wh-what are you doin'?
Oh, I wanna
surprise Rosie.
So, you know, it's like
fate brought you here.
- Yeah...
- Sure.
Uh... not fate...
Exactly.
Huh?
Well, I got this
Christmas card.
- What?
- It's been a real lifeline for me.
I...
She brought you here.
Don't you think
it's a little odd
that a grown man
would travel this far
based on a card?
Have you told her?
Maybe we should keep it
to ourselves for now.
Ah, no problem.
It doesn't matter
how you got here.
It's just great that
you're here with us now.
How fast was that
crazy guy goin'?
40. I'd say
40 up that hill.
- Jeez.
- Without him I'd be pushin' up...
Food's out!
Happy new year!
- Ha ha ha.
- Oh, boy.
Perfect timing,
Uncle Richard.
I know my cue, dottie.
Hey, the gang's all here!
How is it that you
always seem to arrive
after all the work is done,
and at the very instant
that the food is out?
Genius timing.
Richard...
Meet Cody Cullen.
A real, live hero.
Well, I don't
know about that.
Well, you'll be getting
to spend extra time
with this real, live hero.
Because he just agreed
to stay on
through the holidays
and help us...
I should say you...
- At the mill.
- Great!
I'll teach ya
everything I know.
Where's your sling?
Oh, Rosie,
you know I heal fast.
Well, might as well
eat while it's hot.
- Yeah, look out.
- Come on.
There's nothin'
for you.
Let us give thanks.
Thank you, lord,
for the meal we are
about to receive.
And thank you for
our family and friends
both old and new.
Please take care of those
far away from their homes
this day.
And during this
Christmas season,
please let us
all find peace.
Amen.
- 37!
- Hut!
You're all over it,
baby! Yeah!
- Yeah!
- Aah!
[All yelli
yeah.
Yeah, come on, Richard!
Why didn't you
sweat like that
when you worked for me?
37, hut, go!
Go back!
And he's
in the end zone!
Look at twinkle toes.
Dishes are done.
Oh, that's good.
Off sides, off sides!
Get back over here!
Boy, I wish I could play.
They'd probably kill me.
- Come on, dad.
- What?
The way Uncle Richard plays
we could use a referee.
That's an idea.
I'd love to
blow the whistle on him.
Come on.
- Hut!
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, he's offsides!
Whoa, ho ho!
That's not fair!
Ha ha!
Those kids are tough.
Bye, Henry!
Bye!
- Bye, Sammy!
- Merry Christmas!
See you in a few weeks.
Hey, you're up late.
Hey.
I was just gonna
get somethin' to drink.
Help yourself.
Hot chocolate.
Ooh.
Hm. Your parents
are great.
Aren't they?
They both know when to lead
and when to follow.
Neither feels the need
to compromise.
It's really inspiring.
I'd love to have that
with someone one day.
Got quite a few cards
to write there.
Oh, not really.
I already sent the ones to the
troops at Thanksgiving, so...
Now it's just friends
and... family.
It's a really
special thing that you do.
Not really.
It doesn't make that
big of a difference.
Faith,
it makes a huge difference.
In many ways
it saved my life.
My mom and I,
we made a card
for my dad when
he was in Vietnam.
I know he got the card.
And it meant
a lot to him.
Did he make it back?
Oh, no.
Well...
Getting a card
from someone you know
has got to have
a lot more meaning
than getting one
from a complete stranger.
I got a card once.
The words kept me going.
We pretty much
do all things wood.
Logging, lumber,
firewood,
Christmas trees.
Mostly cedar.
Some Doug fir,
little northern pine.
And, of course,
the last few weeks,
we've been selling
Christmas trees.
Definitely everyone's
favorite season.
Oh, yeah.
Someday, it'll
all go to faith.
Wow. What's all this for?
Woodworking.
The guys use it
whenever they get the urge.
Usually just
my brother-in-law Richard.
He's a master craftsman.
And since his wife died,
I guess he just likes
to pass the hours in here.
Let's go look at the office.
That way.
Hello, everybody.
Morning.
This is where the beauty and
brains of our outfit hang out.
Needless to say,
my chair is over there.
That doesn't mean
we don't let him buy us lunch.
Faith, our lovely daughter
sits over there
and handles all the accounting,
plus counting the dots.
Counting the dots,
what's that?
Hm, well...
- It's silly, really.
- Never mind.
- Good morning, all!
- Oh, no.
Armin messed up
the Hartland lumber order.
- Really?
- Yeah.
You know, he can't load logs,
and he can't load lumber.
- Yeah.
- My order says,
"1,200 board feet of cedar,"
and armin, he stacked up
about a thousand.
Oh, Richard. All right,
let's go work that out.
Faith, would you finish
the tour with Cody?
And be sure and show him
our magic spot.
Sure.
Come on, Richard.
Are you ready?
See ya!
Ok, this is our headrig,
our edger and resaw.
These cut the logs
into 3 sizes,
6 by 6, 6 by 4,
uh, 8 by 8.
And then the jackets go
up over the chipper
and down to the chip truck
for hauling.
The chips get used in
playgrounds and gardening mulch.
The rest goes
to electric plants.
If we didn't use every inch,
we wouldn't have a profit.
Come on, I'll show you
the best part of the tour.
You really love
working at the mill, don't you?
- Can you tell?
- Yeah.
I do. I love it.
One day I was gonna go away
and work in the city, but...
I love my mom, my dad,
I love the work we do,
I love being outside.
See? Look how beautiful
this place is.
This...
Is my parents' favorite
place in the whole world.
I can see why.
This is where my dad
proposed to my mom
before he left
for Vietnam.
When he was gone,
she came here every day
to pray for his safe return.
When he got back,
they were married here.
And they named me faith,
because they never lost faith
that they would always
be together and have a family.
...have the Miller delivery
a day later.
I hate it, but go ahead.
Anybody shoot at you?
Not today, dad.
Did you show him
our magic spot?
Oh, it was beautiful.
Mm-hm.
Why don't you take Cody
with you and check on our load?
Right.
Keep him out of trouble!
- You betcha!
- Talkin' to Cody.
- Ah hah hah hah.
- Uhh.
What's scary is,
he meant it.
I'm known to be a bit
reckless around here.
Kinda keeps things
exciting.
How long have you been
with the company?
Since high school.
I introduced my sister to the
boss' son for job security.
Looks like it worked.
- Didn't expect to see him.
- That's Paul.
Faith's very
long-distance boyfriend.
She's like job, waiting for him
to take things to the next level.
He's been moving
slower than molasses.
Oh, this is 1990.
Yeah, well,
use it later.
Hello!
What a surprise!
Oh!
Rosie, Luke.
How nice to see you, Paul.
- Paul.
- What are you doing here?
I wouldn't miss
Christmas with my girl.
You were supposed to be
traveling through Europe.
I know, but I'm going
to work out of the napa office
for a couple of weeks.
I'm so glad you're back!
I brought some
delicious wine back
to go with
your great cooking.
Wow! Then you better
come over for dinner tonight.
I'd love to.
If you don't mind, I'd like
to steal faith away for lunch.
- What do you think, boss?
- Can I take an early one?
- Well, uh...
- Have fun!
- We'll see you later!
- See you tonight.
Hey, there.
I could use that quarterback
arm of yours out in the mill.
Ok.
Um...
If you require a hammer,
I'm your man.
I got a little
woodworking project.
I was kinda hoping
you could help me out with it.
Sure.
All right.
- So he's staying here?
- In the house?
Yeah.
Well, do you know anything
about this sargeant-hero?
There are some twisted freaks
in the army, too, you know.
Your eyes are about
the same shade of green
as our guest bathroom towels.
I'm not jealous.
I'm just protective.
You mean a lot to me.
Hi.
- Hi!
- Hey.
Sure put in
a lot of hours today.
Hope Richard didn't
work you too hard.
He looks like
he can handle it.
Hi, I'm Paul.
Cody.
Faith told me how you saved
Luke the other day.
I'm impressed.
Sure you would have
done the same.
Paul's in the wine business,
and we were about
to have a tasting.
If you'd care to join us.
- Oh, that'd be great.
- Let me clean up,
and I'll come back
and start a fire.
No need, I got it covered.
Great.
Here, honey,
have a seat.
It's good to be home.
It's been a long time.
Whew!
- Whoo!
- Hi.
Hi, Paul!
Time to get dinner started.
Oh! You brought the wine.
I'll get some stuff
to go with it. Ok?
I'd say this is
a fruity wine, isn't it?
This wine you brought
is really good, Paul.
Yeah, this stuff
really does taste...
What was it you said, Paul?
Full-bodied and romantic?
Aromatic.
I picked it up
when I was in France last month.
I toured the chateaus
of the alsace region.
They're known for their whites,
especially their rieslings,
which are sometimes confused
with German wines.
- Why's that?
- Ah, because the grapes are very similar.
Ah, speaking for myself,
I find I always prefer
a French fry
to a French wine.
Me, too.
Here comes the boss.
He's a good worker, dear.
Pull over in here.
We're running low
on Christmas trees.
Guess we'll be cutting
some more tomorrow.
Let's go get the girls.
Hey, how's it going?
Oh, great!
I think we're just about ready
to quit for tonight.
- What is...
- You read my mind! I'm starving.
What're the bags for?
Care packages for
the people in the shelter.
Hmm!
We're really low
on winter clothing.
We really need
mittens, hats, scarves,
and especially sweaters.
- Ok.
- Where's your boyfriend, faith?
He seems to have
disappeared.
Oh, he's out of town
on business.
He'll be back when he can.
Oh.
Hey, Cody!
You gonna be a logger,
you gotta look the part.
- Wow, thanks, Luke.
- That's awesome.
- Go on, put it on.
- We'll be twins today.
That's scary.
You know, he's just trying
to butter you up.
He knows that cutting
Christmas trees
is gonna be the most
exhausting day of your life.
Morning, boys.
Morning, dottie.
Paul's volunteered to help
cut Christmas trees with you.
All the whos in whoville
better run for it.
- Morning.
- Good morning.
I'm glad
you could make it.
- Are you ready?
- No.
- Come on, Paul bunyan.
- Let's cut you loose.
I'll see you later.
We get a thousand feet
above the mill,
we hit the snowline.
Your cell phone
works up here?
This is Paul.
Don't cut anything under
5 and a half feet.
And only the ones
that are crowded.
No, no, it's ok, I...
I told them I was...
I, uh...
I can't hear you up here.
They're operating
a chainsaw.
Yeah, yeah, we're
cutting down trees.
In the woods.
I don't know
if it's a forest
or it's some sort of
tree hatchery.
Have you talked to Roberto
about that?
And what did Roberto say?
Uh, what I told James
in the office...
No, thanks, I'm glad you called,
this couldn't wait.
No, I wasn't busy at all.
Listen, you have
a merry Christmas.
I will. I will, you, too.
Wow, you guys
really went to town.
How long was I on that call?
About 2 hours.
Sorry. James in New York
had a problem
with a shipment out of France.
- Can I help?
- Nope. We're done.
Little late, but thanks.
You boys have fun?
- Oh, yeah.
- Oh, yeah.
Uhh! That was hard work.
We'll make a woodsman
out of you yet.
Come here.
Cody, darlin',
I'm feeling a little tender.
Would you mind?
- Ok. Merry Christmas.
- Merry Christmas.
- Hello, ladies!
- Hey, what do you have there?
You mentioned that you were
putting together boxes,
and you needed
a few extra items,
so last night, I went out
and bought some stuff.
- Oh, thank you!
- Oh, so generous.
Hey, what do you have, Cody?
Oh, just a few things
I was gonna donate to the cause.
Oh, how nice of you, Cody.
Let me help you with that,
come on.
Thank you. That way.
He's such a gentleman.
Paul.
Everybody was really impressed
with what you did in there.
What about you?
Of course I'm impressed,
I'm really proud of you.
You see more taken
with Cody.
What you both did
was wonderful.
Come here.
Hey.
Ah, top of the morning.
That looks complicated.
Eh, I've been doing it
a long time. It's pretty simple.
We just count the boards
with the sizes.
It's 4 by 6,
6 by 6, 6 by 8,
it's how we keep
track of them.
We have a code of dots.
And each dot
counts for a board.
You get 5 dots like this,
then you just
connect the dots with a line.
Which also counts
for another board.
Are these the dots
that faith likes?
I taught her
how to count them
before she was even
old enough to count.
That's why I call her dottie.
Would you take
that tally sheet
back to the office
for me?
Morning, everybody.
Morning.
Well, you missed
breakfast.
- Oh, I got up early.
- Went for a run.
Oh, why didn't you tell me?
I could have gotten up
and watched.
Nice flowers.
They're from Paul
for my mom.
- Isn't he clever?
- Roses for Rosie?
Too clever for my Luke
to have figured out.
He always brings me
dogwood blossoms.
Not that I'm cheap.
I just like to pick flowers
from our special place.
These are from Richard.
I love counting dots.
I know that sounds silly,
it's my favorite thing to do.
So you like to recount
the dots,
and it makes you happy?
Immensely.
Your lucky day, Cody.
Lesson number 2.
How to sharpen chipper blades.
Pardon me.
Good luck.
- Cody!
- Sir?
Huh.
We need you to count up
that wood stack
over by the multi-head resaw,
I'm sending out a load.
When you finish up,
tonight,
tomorrow morning,
whenever,
I want you to get
the totals over to faith.
Ok.
Thanks.
Well, that shouldn't
take you much time.
You didn't have anything
planned for tonight, did you?
See you in the morning!
If I'm done by then.
Good morning!
Hey.
Do you know what this is?
It's a tally for the lumber
that's being sent.
Hmm.
Let me know
if it doesn't add up.
Dottie.
- Hey.
- What are you two up to?
Just working on a little
Christmas project for Sammy.
Oh, good, good.
Hey, you didn't forget
about the Christmas dance
tonight, down at the
veteran's hall, did you?
Oh, um...
You know, I think
I'm gonna stay here, Luke,
and finish up
some odds and ends.
- What?
- Well, good!
Maybe I can get a woman to dance
with me, with you not there.
Richard, Richard,
who are you kidding?
You don't stand
much of a chance
with or without Cody.
Cody, come on. It'll
give you a good chance
to meet some great veterans.
And if you don't
get down there tonight,
Rosie's gonna be
very ticked at you
for not tasting
her baby back pork ribs.
I mean it.
All right, we'll be
right behind you.
- All right.
- Don't forget! Hurry up!
Boy, oh, boy, oh, boy.
Just what I need.
I'm gonna find my lovely wife
and take her for a spin.
Well, what'll I do?
Try amusing yourself.
Thank you, Mary Ellis,
thank you.
How's it going, Cody?
Feel like a little, uh,
spin with me?
No.
Faith looks like
she's having fun.
- Yeah.
- She deserves better.
He treats her
pretty well.
- For the moment.
- Not for the long run.
Lasted quite a while
already.
Nothing but a long,
stretched-out romance.
Every time she talks to him
about the future together,
he disappears.
Off to pursue
some new goal
to secure their future.
Maybe now
he's ready to commit.
Oh, that's exactly what
Luke and I are afraid of.
I'm gonna grab a soda.
You want one?
I'm good, thanks.
This is yours,
if you go dance with Paul.
You can buy a lot
of bingo cards.
Deal.
'Scuse me, may I cut in?
Uh-huh, sure.
- You got it.
- Thank you.
You snooze, you lose.
Care to dance?
Sure.
Will be the same
you could be happy,
and it's worth the part
Mm, mm, mm.
Quite a nice couple.
Except they're not
a couple, honey.
Faith and Paul
are a couple.
Eh. What kind of couple
sees each other
a handful of times a year?
Oh, come on,
she's not a child.
We have to respect
her choices.
- Good in theory.
- But speaking as a father,
he's not the right guy
for her.
He's not that bad a guy.
Besides, he's crazy
about faith.
Eh, so's Cody.
Where you been?
Look at them.
They don't make 'em
any better than him, Rosie.
Anyway, I know true love
when I see it.
You could be happy,
and it's worth the part...
When she's back
in your arms once more
Mind if I cut in?
'Scuse me, can I have
my dancing partner back?
- I need to go...
- Freshen up.
It's just a dance, Paul.
Everything ok?
Just marking
his territory.
The greatest things happen
when you're dancing.
- Thanks, faith.
- You're welcome.
- Thank you!
- Of course.
Paul's still m.I.A.?
He's on his way back from
a business trip in napa.
What exactly does he do
for a living?
Yeah, faith.
What exactly does he do
for a living?
He's an international
wine broker.
Ah. He spends far more time
internationally
than he does
with my daughter.
- Hey, herb.
- Sorry about the delay.
Traffic over the bridge
is stacked.
Hey, I don't believe it.
What's that?
I don't think
I've ever seen you wear jeans.
Well, believe it or not,
later today,
I'm heading back up
to help faith sell
Christmas trees.
You must really
love this girl.
There's another guy
trying to move in on her.
Well.
This should seal the deal.
So you gonna move up to the
boonies, become a Mountain man?
Ah, no way.
Once faith says yes,
she's coming
on the road with me.
What if she
doesn't want to leave?
She's ready.
Well, the problem is,
he's supposed to be
selling trees with faith
down at the lot.
I'm sure he wouldn't
want to miss out on that.
Well, let's stay,
we'll have dinner, celebrate.
- All right.
- Waitress?
Listen, Cody.
It'd really look bad,
if we miss our turn,
selling trees down at the
children's Christmas charity lot.
You mind taking faith
down there
and getting her
started selling?
Works for me.
Thanks, Cody,
that'd be great.
Paul can meet us
up there.
I'll run,
go get my coat.
One man's loss
is another man's gain.
Nice meeting you, Cody.
Nice meeting you,
Mr. lombardo.
- Thanks, faith.
- Merry Christmas to your mom and dad.
- I'll tell them. Bye!
- Bye!
- That was great!
- Really fun.
Got a serious catch, huh?
- What?
- You're covered in needles.
That's better.
You seem happier
than when you first
got into town.
Oh, what are you saying,
I was stuffy?
Cautious.
Compliments
of the army.
Wait.
I'll be right back.
Hey.
I have a present for you.
Faith.
So you can
remember your family.
Hold on, I want to take
a picture of you.
Cheese.
Cheese.
Cody Cullen,
this guy's looking
for a tree.
Cody will help you out.
- All for charity.
- What do you need?
We got 10-footers,
8-footers...
Hey.
Wait a second,
I'm gonna take your picture.
That's sweet!
She's a beauty!
- Who threw that at me?
- Was that you?
Hold on, hold on.
Can you get one of me?
Ok, looking up.
- You take it.
- No, I'm taking it!
Ok, smile!
No.
Come forward.
Better.
- Ok, smile.
- Ha ha.
One, two, three.
I'm sorry I'm late.
- Later.
- Traffic was a nightmare.
- It's ok.
- Everything's working out.
- It's not too late.
- We can go home,
open up a bottle of wine.
Sit in front of the fire.
Um, I just have
to finish off
a couple of things here.
First.
Oh, no, it's ok.
You guys go ahead.
Thanks, Cody.
Oh. Forgot this.
- It's cold out here.
- You think this is cold?
You should have been here
this afternoon.
Where are we going
for dinner?
- Hey.
- Hi.
What are you doing here?
I went for
an early morning walk.
How about you?
I was delivering wedges
to Uncle Richard.
I got to get back.
Oh. I'll go with you
if you want.
What?
Oh, no. I... I got to...
- Faith.
- I got to go.
I... I got to get...
I got to get back.
- Faith!
- I'm sorry!
Faith!
I kissed him, mom.
I love Paul,
and I kissed Cody.
- Oh, it was...
- You were just wrapped up in the moment.
It was just a... A brief
lapse in judgment, no?
I'm not sure it was.
What am I going
to do, mom?
Only you can answer
that question, darling.
You like Paul,
don't you?
It's who you love
that matters.
I've always thought...
Paul would be the man
I would spend my life with,
raise a family with.
You just have
to remember, sweetheart,
you've got
to follow your heart.
I love you, mom.
I can come back later.
Go ahead,
set her down.
Some of that, uh,
sapwood, would you?
Hold on a minute!
No, it's a special order!
Keep going!
What's going on
around here?
- I'm sorry?
- Uh-oh.
He said "I'm sorry."
Must be a doozie.
I kissed faith.
- Finally.
- Go ahead, turn it off.
Well, judging by
the scene in the office,
she must have
kissed you back.
- Did you hear the news?
- What news?
Love is in the air.
What are you
talking about?
Well, your daughter was
outflanked by special forces.
Oh? What happened?
He planted
a big one on her.
- What did she do?
- She turned bright red!
- Yeah.
- They seem to like it?
They both seemed
to liked it.
Good. That's going
according to plan.
Oh, you have a plan?
- Of course I have a plan.
- I've always had a plan.
- Where is she now?
- She's up with her mom.
Yeah?
- Mm-hmm.
- Uh-huh.
Ok. I got to go
talk to her.
- Can I come?
- Don't be silly.
Where's faith?
She was upset,
so she went home early.
- Did you hear?
- Y...
You're stirring up trouble
and looking for a smack
on the bottom.
Now, Rosie, don't you
get me all excited.
This is a better batch
than the last one you made.
What was wrong
with the last one?
You didn't have
enough flour in there.
- Look at this.
- There's plenty of flour.
- Thanks.
- No, no. You're wrong.
I mean,
I keep telling you this,
and every year
you give me the same grief.
- Oh, you...
- Don't you see what he's doing?
- Hey, everybody.
- Hey, it's about time.
You're missing all the fun.
- You ok, Cody?
- Yeah, everything's good.
Come in!
Hello.
Hey. Hi.
Hi, Paul.
Wow, you guys are doing
good work here.
- Make yourself at home.
- Grab some sugar sprinkles.
I'd love to,
Rosie, but, uh...
Actually, I wanted to know if I could
steal faith away for the evening.
Ahem. It's getting cold
in here.
Cody, go get some firewood.
My work is done here.
Let me help you.
I got you a surprise.
Thanks!
It's so cute.
Listen...
I know we've only known you
for a short while.
But I want you to know
you've become family here.
We've all come
to love you
I mean all of us.
Look, I didn't plan
on any of this.
Mmm.
Soldiers bond
with one another.
They become
a band of brothers
and sisters...
A family.
Their job is to defend
and come back home
to those who are waiting
for them.
What you need is someone
to come back to.
Got it?
- All right. You sit tight.
- I'll get the umbrella.
Here you go.
Watch your step.
Right this way.
Where are
all your customers?
The place looks deserted.
Table ready for you.
What's going on, Rachel?
We're closed tonight.
We have a private party.
And for you...
Enjoy your meal.
What are you up to?
I just thought we haven't had
any quality time together.
So you bought out citrone
for an entire night
during the busy season?
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
- To us.
- To us.
Thank you.
Ok. I'm having shrimp.
Now I know that Christmas
is only 2 days away,
and I probably should
have waited until then,
but I can't wait
another minute.
Will you do me the honor...
Of marrying me?
Paul...
I love you.
Of course I'll marry you.
We'll spend all
of our anniversaries
traveling through Europe.
Wherever I go,
you'll go with me.
We'll spend the rest
of our lives
traveling the world.
Morning.
Hi. Cody.
Um, there's something
I have to say.
Paul and I got engaged
last night.
- That's great.
- I'm really happy for you.
Paul's a great guy.
I'm happy for you, faith.
Hi, honey.
Hey.
Did you order for us yet?
Uh-huh.
I'm glad you called.
I needed a break.
You know,
once we get married
we can have Christmas
in Belize.
Ha ha ha.
And miss spending it here
with my family?
We're gonna start
our own family.
In napa.
Honey, we never discussed
leaving Nevada city.
You know I love
working at the mill.
And you know I love spending
time with my family.
I thought you did, too.
We can get
a little place up here.
We'll split our time.
Relationships are
about compromise.
Never really
thought about that.
It's gonna be ok.
Your dad's gonna...
Find someone to replace you,
and we'll come up and we'll
visit 'em all the time.
What you got?
Ah, good tidings.
Good tidings.
I guess you've heard by now?
Yeah.
Richard's wearing black.
Whatever happened to the young man
asking the father's permission?
Well, if faith's happy,
I'm sure
you would've said yes.
Uh, listen, son...
I...
I know that you've
fallen in love with faith.
It's so easy for you
to retire from the army now
with your tours of duty
and years of service.
You can stay on here
and work at the mill.
And run it one day.
- I can't stay.
- She's marrying somebody else.
E-exactly my point.
But Paul isn't the one!
Where's your sense of
fighting for the right thing?
Well, there's something
to be said for not invading
where you don't belong.
You can't retreat now.
You need to tell her
how you feel.
It's the right thing to do.
The right thing to do
is to move on.
Ok.
To the guy who saved my life.
To the guy who saved mine.
Hi, this is Paul.
I can't make it
to the phone right now,
but if you leave a message,
I'll call you...
I'm not at all happy
about this engagement.
- Faith made her decision.
- We've gotta support her.
Well... Cody's leaving
because of it.
Yeah, well,
I'm sorry about that.
But that's his decision.
Wh... hold these.
Hello?
Hey, dad.
I'm stuck at the mill
and my battery's dead.
And I can't find Paul.
Can you come pick me up?
I'm on my way.
Faith's battery died,
and she can't find Paul.
You want me
to go with you?
- Oh, no. It...
- It's way too cold out there
for old people like us.
Luke spelman...
Hmm?
Hmm?
We're back.
How was the sleigh ride?
- Oh, as usual.
- Very romantic.
Faith's battery died.
Would you run to the mill
and pick her up?
Oh, Luke.
I don't think
that's such a good idea.
Humor me.
This is faith's
favorite blanket.
Ok.
Keep the lines tight,
but be gentle on the bit.
Hmm. She'll do the job.
You sure about all this?
Positive. Let 'er rip.
Hyah!
Whoa.
This was not my idea.
I'm sorry about what happened
in the woods the other day.
It was unfair of me
to give you the wrong idea.
I'm not sorry.
The time I spent with you,
the kiss...
I'll have that
for the rest of my life.
You deserve
to be happy, Cody.
- I'm gonna be happy.
- Come on.
It's cold.
Thanks.
Mmm.
Whoa. Whoa. Whoa.
Good girl.
Tell your dad
I was easy on the bit.
I want you to have this.
It'll keep you safe
and warm after you leave.
Thank you.
Phew.
Come on.
- De de de de
- come to papa.
LA LA LA LA
Cody! Grab a girl!
Come on! Come on!
Ha ha! Come on, Cody!
Ha ha!
Do do do
da da da
hmm. Change your partners,
dosey-do.
Ha ha!
I really should be going.
What?
- I have some...
- Stuff to finish off
for tonight's service.
Aw, come on!
I have some things
to take care of also.
May I borrow the truck?
Oh, yeah. Sure.
Uh, uh, remember,
Christmas Eve service
is at 7:00.
If I'm finished, sir.
Ok, Cody. But try, huh?
It's a beautiful service.
Yeah.
Yes, ma'am. I'll try.
In hills where they
lay keeping their sheep
on a cold winter's night
that was so deep
Noel, Noel
Noel, Noel
born is the king of Israel
they looked up
and saw a star
shining in the east
beyond them far
and to the earth
it gave great light
you're still here.
You're a lucky man, Paul.
Love, not luck, had
a big part in my good fortune.
I need you to know
I'm in love with faith,
but I know she loves you,
and I hope you're doing this
for all the right reasons.
Understood.
In every heart
prepare him room
and heaven and nature sing
- oh, I saved you a seat.
- Come on.
And heaven and nature sing
he rules the world
with truth and grace
and makes
the nations prove
"As the glory of the lord
shone all around,
"and they were
very much afraid.
"The angel said to them,
do not be afraid.
"I am bringing you good news
of great joy
for all the people."
The image of the holy family
puts me in mind of
our own Nevada city
and the families here.
Jesus came for the world,
yet like all of us,
he was a small town kid who never
strayed far from his loving family.
He was surrounded by people
who loved each other
and had as his example Joseph,
who by choosing
to stand by Mary
set the standard
for doing the right thing.
For making the kinds
of choices that call upon us
to set aside out own desires
for another's welfare.
Is there any greater gift
we can give
or larger goodness
we can do?
I don't think so, friends.
I just want
to remind everybody
to be sure to say a prayer
for our brave men and women
in the armed services
who are overseas in harm's way
on this holiday season.
All right.
Now that
your candles are lit,
let's all sing silent night.
Something wrong?
Holy night
all is calm
all is bright
Paul. Paul!
I'm so sorry.
- Ho ho ho!
- Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas, Richard.
Here let me help you
with this.
I didn't see Cody's bike
out front.
Know where he went?
No. You?
- I don't like this.
- His bed's made up.
Looks like all of his stuff
is gone.
Oh, look, look,
look, look, look!
Look, he left the card
and... and a map or something.
- What?
- Um, "dear Rosie,
"faith, Luke, and Richard.
"The last couple of weeks
have meant the world to me.
"You invited me
into your home
"and for that, I will
be eternally grateful.
"I've lived a lifetime
here in Nevada city
and will cherish
every memory, every image.
"I wish you all a lifetime
of love, happiness, and peace.
"Merry Christmas...
Cody Cullen.
"P.S. If you follow this map,
you'll find
your Christmas present."
Look.
Let's go.
Well...
When are we gonna open
our Christmas presents?
Aw, boy.
Easy does it.
Come on.
Oh, look at this.
- Beautiful!
- Oh, I'll be darned!
"Where the magic begins."
The time Cody must've
spent on this.
This is what you two
were working on
until the wee hours.
Guilty as charged.
Oh, Richard. Thank you.
- Don't thank me.
- Thank Cody.
It was all his doing.
I just showed him
how to hold a hammer
and nail a nail
and work the table saw.
Well. Hmm.
"Dear faith,
"I've fallen in love
with you twice now.
"Once when
this beautiful woman
swiped some
of my crispy curly fries..."
Hmm.
"And then the first time,
"when a thoughtful,
tender woman sent me this card.
"I want to thank you
for showing me
"how amazing love
can make me feel.
"I hope all your dreams
come true.
Cody."
So...
This card brought him
to Nevada city?
No.
You did.
Dad, I have to find him.
I have an idea.
Sergeant Cullen?
You forgot something.
Chicken salad sandwich
on rye with curly fries?
Extra crispy.
No hot chocolate?
You'll have to come back
to Nevada city for that.
How'd you find me?
Dad knew you'd never
leave town
without visiting
the Vietnam memorial.
If you ever,
ever leave town
without saying
good-bye again,
I swear, I'll...
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