The Christmas Contract (2018) Movie Script
1
When you're not here
Some days I wonder
Wonder why I'm blind
Love like we had, girl
- Hey!
- The party's about to start.
This is a no-work zone
for the rest of the night.
Well, it's not work.
It's a gift.
All right, five minutes,
or you're on the naughty list.
Whoo-hoo, babe, um,
what do you spike
the eggnog with?
Rum or Bourbon?
- Either.
- Hmm
First guests!
I'm not a guest?
Girl, no. You're family.
I'm gonna use both.
Never mind,
it's just my brother.
Wow. Let's dial down
the enthusiasm, sis.
Hm.
And careful spiking
that punch, Martin.
This is a Christmas party,
not a frat party.
No, no, Jack, please,
don't get up. I've got it.
And a Merry Christmas
to you too, Jolie.
Enough squabbling, you guys.
Jack gets a pass from helping,
because he showed up.
That's not fair!
We made a deal.
If I came to the party,
I didn't have to help decorate.
A deal's a deal.
Seriously? That is
the standard he's held to?
- Showing up?
- Yep.
I do not want a repeat of
my wedding, where you two were
just fighting all night about
who's giving the last toast.
Yeah, I'm a writer
and her brother,
so it should've been me.
I was the maid of honor.
All right, look, just
be pleasant when
the guests arrive, all right?
OK.
What? Him?
He's always a grump, but you?
Why are you so fussy?
Come on, it's Christmas.
Aren't you excited to go home?
- About that.
- What?
- You're not going home?
- No, I'm going home,
but so is Foster
and his new girlfriend.
- Already?
- Mm-hmm.
I know, I just found out today.
- It's only been six months!
- I know!
I was freaked out knowing that
I was gonna have to see him,
and now, I'm gonna have to
hang out with him and her
the whole time.
Do you have to see him?
Yeah, our dads
are getting this big award,
because they've been putting
on the Christmas Market
for, like, 30 years,
so the mayor's giving
them keys to the city.
And then, our parents
do this big bonfire
right before Christmas Eve
every year, and
they've been doing it
since we were kids.
Any chance of breaking
those traditions?
I mean, I can probably
skip that bonfire, but
No, the market's really
really special to my family.
And me.
What if you bring a date?
Oh, yes, cool, I'll just
go get a date real fast.
Every guy I know
is either married or
or related to me.
All right, it's gonna be OK.
We'll think of something.
Oh, jingle bells,
jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun
it is to ride
All right,
let's find you a date.
Jingle bell, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun
Maybe
Nope!
Here we go.
Oh
But like, it's not as
exciting as it sounds, you know?
In fact, most publishers,
they only wanna sell books
And, bingo.
Hey, big brother,
remind me of
your Christmas plans again.
You know how I'm going to
Colorado with Martin's family,
and Mom and Dad are doing
that Mediterranean cruise?
I feel like you've lectured
me about this already.
Uh, I don't have any plans.
I'm just gonna be writing.
- You should go home with Jolie.
- What?
Yeah, you'll spend Christmas
in Louisiana with the Guidrys.
What?
You're always saying
you wanna travel more.
Yeah. Alone.
You can be alone anytime.
What am I missing?
What Naomi is doing with
the subtlety of a baboon,
I might add, is trying to
get me a date for Christmas,
'cause Foster's bringing home
a new cute girlfriend, so
You don't have to go
with me to Louisiana.
Oh, no, no, no, no.
You should go.
Listen, the food alone
is worth the trip.
Martin!
Exactly. And you can
write from anywhere.
Guys, he'd be, like,
pretending to be my boyfriend.
That's It's weird.
- I'm weird?
- No, I mean, you're not
You're not weird,
but the situation is weird.
See? There you go. You
already sound like a couple.
No, we don't.
OK, what if it's more like
a buffer than a boyfriend?
You know, a plus-one
to make it less awkward.
Oh, less awkward. Cool.
Exactly, but, baby,
what would Jack
be getting out of this?
Yeah, what would Jack
be getting out of this?
The joy of knowing that
you're helping out a friend.
Ooh, hard pass.
Actually, I could use
a website for my novel.
Yes! Perfect.
No. I mean, no offense,
but you're just
not the most reliable guy.
What does that mean?
I'm sorry, do you not remember,
what was that,
like, 5 months ago?
OK, wait, hold on,
what am I missing?
She didn't tell you?
Martin. OK, when I moved here,
like, 6 months ago,
Naomi thought
it would be a great idea
to set me up with her brother,
because I didn't know anybody.
Only, Jack stood me up!
Woop, no. I did not!
I did not stand you up.
I called and cancelled.
There's a very big difference.
Either way, you flaked!
So how do I know
I'm not gonna put all
this work into a website
and you just won't show up
at the airport?
You know, if I was
at the office,
this would be a quick fix.
What do you mean?
Easy.
I'd write a contract.
Oh, come on!
You both could sign,
No!
I I
Let me do this!
They didn't give me that
fancy law degree for nothing.
- No, that's
- Jack
You'd get a website, she'd
get a date, everyone wins!
Look, I'm I'm sorry
but, you know, I was planning
on writing alone this Christmas.
See? There you guys go.
We're good.
All right, Devon,
give me some good news.
I have something,
but you're not gonna like it.
Are you aware you say that
every time we meet?
It's a ghostwriting gig,
and I know how you feel
about ghostwriting.
Yeah, I'm over it. I just
wanna write my own stuff.
I'll tell you what.
If you promise to
get this one done,
I will try and get some real
traction with your manuscript.
A romance? Devon, come on!
What? You can do it.
I don't do romance.
I've never written romance.
Is this one of those
Parker Hollowell novels?
They sell like hotcakes.
Ugh, they're terrible,
and they're all exactly the
same except in a new setting.
Do you want it or not?
You promise to send
my manuscript
to every publisher you know?
I promise.
Is this the outline
I'm supposed to go off of?
"Dance under the stars"?
"Flee from danger together"?
"Teach a skill"?
"Profess love in
a passionate speech"!
That one's original!
This isn't a plot.
This is a terrible to-do list.
He's gotten pretty lazy lately.
You think?
Here.
Read this.
Have your characters do
everything on that list and
follow the same plot
as all his other books,
except this one just has
to be set in Louisiana.
Did you say Louisiana?
- Hello?
- Hey, sis.
I was thinking more
about your offer
to go Louisiana with
Jolie for Christmas.
Hey!
Jolie. Sit down.
You texted me
this was an emergency
and I had to come
over right away.
What's he doing here?
It's nice to see you, too.
It is an emergency.
The two people I care
most about are in trouble,
and they need my help.
My best friend,
my beautiful genius,
my sad, lonely,
broken-hearted bestie
Thank you.
Needs guidance
through her breakup
and a distraction to keep
her Christmas jolly and bright.
And my big brother,
whose professional life is
in a dismal, downward spiral,
desperately needs to
jump-start his career
and rebrand himself as
not a ghostwriter
but a proper novelist.
Are you done?
What I have before me
is the Christmas contract.
Solves both problems.
And all you have to do
is sign on the dotted line.
That was a
beautiful speech, Naomi,
but I'm pretty sure your brother
made it clear last night
that he's not interested.
Actually, I've been
thinking about it
and I think it's a good
deal, for both of us.
So, I'm down if you are.
I mean, I don't
I don't know. It's
I thought you might say that.
Foster posted this on
social media last night.
Where do I sign?
Here you go.
Thank you.
Great! I'll go make copies.
You like
Parker Hollowell novels?
Sure.
You don't think they're
a little bit like
- Sappy? Yeah.
- Yep.
I mean, my mom really likes him.
Hmm.
You do know you're going to have
to talk to my family, right?
I know.
You can't just sit in a corner
and read a book the whole time.
Yeah, I got it.
OK.
OK, so what are
we doing right now?
Is your family here right now?
Oh, my God!
This is gonna be a disaster.
- OK.
- Mm-hmm.
One for you
And one for you.
I love you both.
Have a very Merry Christmas.
Oh!
- I love you.
- Bye, sis.
Don't forget to call me.
Don't kill each other.
Thanks for picking us up, Dad.
Of course. It's so good
to see you, Jo-Jo.
It's good to
have you here, Jack.
Oh, yeah. It's uh, it's
great to be here, sir.
We've had Naomi over here,
uh, a half a dozen times.
We adore her. Smart as a whip.
Good people.
In two days, folks,
make your way to the 30th
- annual Christmas Market at Acadian Village.
- Hey!
Bring your family and friends.
It's gonna be a great
one this year.
So this is the Christmas
Market I was telling you about
that my dad and Foster's, uh
Mr. Rocky have been
running for 30 years.
Yeah. You ready to
check out the maze?
I'm sure Jolie's
told you all about it.
He is so excited.
He just can't stop
talking about it.
You betcha! Yeah, I can't wait.
Home sweet home.
Hello!
Is that my big city girl?
Hi, Momma. I missed you!
Oh, I missed you so much, honey.
This must be Jack.
Hi.
A fun surprise.
Did you hear that?
I'm a fun surprise.
I never used the word fun.
Aunt Jolie!
What's up, honey? You're so big!
And this is Jolie's
sister Breonna.
Hi.
So you're the secret boyfriend
we've heard absolutely
nothin' about.
Bri Hi.
Luc.
Jack. It's good to meet you.
Well, listen now, why don't
you guys go settle in a bit,
and we'll see you
after a while. OK?
Yeah.
Uh, Jack, uh, you're in here.
Great.
"Twas the night
before Christmas,
and all through the house
Did not a thing pass,
not even a mouse.
The children were nuzzled"
- Hi, Momma.
- Hi, sweetie.
Hmm, wow. These are beautiful.
Oh! Flattery'll get
you everywhere, Jack.
Mom's got a booth
at the Christmas Market.
Ornate Noel.
Yes, that's me.
Practically famous.
Practically? She runs it
with Miss Meredith.
They sell out every year.
Who's Miss Meredith?
Uh, Meredith Broussard.
That is Foster's mom.
So, Mr. Rocky's wife.
Yeah.
Enough about Foster.
So, Jack, tell us how
you two got together.
Jolie sort of sprung this on us.
Oh, yeah. That's just 'cause,
you know, it was really new.
Mm-hmm.
So I just wanted
to keep it quiet.
Yeah. Real new.
Yeah.
I'll get that.
Have a seat, Jack.
- Coffee?
- Yes, ma'am.
- Foster!
- Hey!
Hi.
Come in.
Thanks. Uh
Oh, wow, it looks great.
Um, I didn't think you were
gonna be home until tomorrow.
Oh!
- Hi!
- Hi.
- This is Amy.
- It's nice to meet you.
Yeah, you too.
I don't think
I caught your name.
It's Jolie.
Oh, right.
You know, I'm just here
to drop off some stuff
for the market.
Cool! Oh, yeah. Come on through.
Just go with it.
Parrain!
Maximillio!
What did she just call him?
Parrain. That means godfather.
Hey!
Oh, I like your dress!
Oh, hey, man. I'm uh, Foster.
Hey. Jack.
I'd shake your hand,
but she's sitting on mine.
What? Oh, I'm sorry.
Hey.
- Hey, Mr. Tim!
- Foster!
I got those signs and
banners from the printer's,
if you want to take
a look at them.
Oh, that's perfect. Perfect!
We're gonna set them up
first thing tomorrow.
Hey Luc, come help me
load them into the truck.
Oh, I'd give you a hand
if you'd like, Tim.
Uh, no thanks, Jack. We're good.
So, uh, Jack, uh we really
don't know much about you.
- What do you do for a living?
- I'm a writer.
A writer. That's interesting.
- What do you write?
- Usually novels.
Mostly thrillers.
Really? I mean, yeah, usually.
So, who asked who out?
I did.
I mean, you did, but I did also.
At the same time?
Well, no. Actually,
we had both texted,
I mean, that we were interested,
and then she made
the connection.
So yeah, we were
connected simultaneously.
I see I think.
Well, that's a sweet story.
- Mm-hmm.
- Yeah.
So, what did you do
on your first date?
We went out.
Yep.
I picked her up
from her apartment,
and uh, we walked
to Central Park.
From her apartment?
No, uh, he's just forgetting
that we rode the subway uptown.
- Yeah.
- Then we walked.
Obviously, yeah.
Once we got off the subway,
we walked through Central Park
to this great little
restaurant called Girard's.
Yeah. I had the chicken
and he had the salmon.
When I brought up
the crawfish boil,
you said that he had
a seafood allergy.
Yep, I do.
- Did I say salmon?
- You did.
Oh!
I meant to say he had the steak.
Anyways, after dinner,
we walked up Fifth Avenue to
my favorite little jazz spot
and we hung out there
for a couple hours
and then grabbed
a couple of oolong teas
and wandered around
the city and talked.
Oolong's my favorite.
I know.
And then, I love
to tell this part,
but she doesn't like it, uh,
she admitted that she had read
everything I'd ever written,
- and was like a huge fan.
- Well
It was almost a little bit
too much, you know,
but it was kind of cute.
I definitely don't
remember it like that.
Oh, that's pretty romantic.
That is Jack. Mr. Romance.
Oh, yes! Absolutely.
Hey, come on, you guys!
Come on, you all.
Come dance with us.
Dance!
Mom!
Come dance with us.
It's your song! Come on!
Come on!
Go, go!
OK.
That all has a strange
way of changin'
OK
FYI, this is my favorite song.
Feels like something
I should know.
Mm-hmm.
Tyler Hilton,
"When I See You, I See Home."
He's actually playing
the Christmas Market this year.
"When I See You, I See Home."
Tyler Hilton. Got it.
Good.
Breonna, do you have
your phone with you?
- Yeah. Oh!
- Let's take a picture of them.
This is their first Christmas.
Mom, we're good.
All right, you two.
Get in close.
Mm-hmm.
Closer.
Oh, look, there's mistletoe.
Oh!
Now you gotta kiss!
- Yeah.
- Come on, kiss!
- Good work.
- Yep.
Naomi, I just don't
think it's gonna work.
Oh, come on, it can't be
that bad already.
My family just tried
to make us kiss!
What did you do?
Well, I faked it.
Baby, is that Jolie?
Hey.
Hey, Jolie. How you doin'?
Ugh!
Apparently, she's
fake-kissing my brother.
Shush!
You know what, I don't
even wanna ask about it.
OK, other than that,
how's it going?
Well, before or after
Foster showed up
with his girlfriend?
Ugh, he would.
I know, right?
He claimed that
they didn't realize
I was gonna be home
or something dumb.
Baby, the cab's here. Let's go.
All right. I'm sorry, Jolie,
I gotta go.
The cab's here to
take us to the airport.
OK. Yeah, I gotta go, too.
I love you. Bye.
It's Naomi.
Ah.
So?
- You and Jack?
- Mm-hmm.
It's a little bit surprising
being that he's
Naomi's brother and all.
Yeah. I mean, I guess so.
And bringing Jack here
has nothing to do with Foster
bringing his girlfriend home?
No, it doesn't.
I mean, Foster can
bring anybody he likes.
I don't care.
Some people might think
it's a little soon.
Right.
But it doesn't bother you.
Mm-mmm. No, not a bit.
It's OK if
you're still a little hurt.
That's not what this is about.
I brought Jack
'cause I like Jack.
- OK, I believe you.
- OK. Good.
But just know I'm on your side.
There's no side!
Yeah, but I'm your sister.
I'm always on your side.
Come on, Bri
OK.
Well, I better get
the kiddo and head home.
- I love you.
- I love you, too.
I'm happy you're here.
I miss you.
- Bye.
- Good night!
Ugh, Breonna caught me
talking to your sister
about our little arrangement.
Do you think she's on to us?
I don't know.
We can't afford
anymore slip-ups though,
so, can we just get
our stories straight?
If this thing goes south,
do I still get my website?
Focus.
You got anymore allergies
I need to know about?
None. You?
Nope, no allergies.
I should probably know
what you do for a living.
Uh, something with websites.
I work for Bravoso Media.
I'm a UX designer.
So yes, websites.
Websites. Let's go with that.
What's your favorite
thing you've ever written?
Probably the first essay
I've had published.
It was just in a small
literary magazine,
but I was really proud of it.
What's your favorite restaurant?
Girard's.
Girard's from the fake date?
Yes, Girard's from
the fake date.
So, how did you know that
oolong tea was my favorite?
'Cause you said so
at Naomi's rehearsal dinner.
It was after the meal, and
everyone was getting coffee,
and you asked the waiter
if they had tea,
and you got really excited
because they had
your favorite, oolong.
It's a little bit weird
that you know that.
It's not weird.
Well, maybe we'll survive
this Christmas after all.
Need any help?
Thanks.
I was downstairs
talking to your boyfriend.!
My boyfriend?
- Jack.
- Oh, right. Yeah.
Yeah.
Anyway, he seems
like a really nice man.
Mm-hmm.
Handsome, too.
Yes.
Seems like you guys
are pretty serious.
It does?
You brought him home
for Christmas.
I mean, yes, of course.
I brought him home.
Oh, this is pretty.
OK, look, I can't believe
that you didn't tell me
that you were seeing someone,
and then you bring Jack home.
You guys are really
good friends with Foster,
so I just I don't know.
Well, honey,
we just want you to be happy.
That's all.
I know.
And it seems like
Jack makes you happy.
Deliriously.
All right, then.
- Good night.
- Good night.
And don't stay up too late.
Finishing touches.
And Merry Christmas, Dad!
Morning, peanut.
Good morning!
Smells good, Daddy. Pancakes?
- You know it.
- Coffee in the pot.
Thank you.
Are you gonna wake up Jack?
Aw, let him sleep in.
Well, he's not gonna
want to miss breakfast.
- Ooh!
- Hey!
- What?
- Go wake him up!
Jack?
Hey.
Did you sleep
like that all night?
Yeah. I guess I did.
Are you OK?
Hmm? Yeah.
Good morning, by the way.
How are you?
I'm good, thank you.
We are all eating pancakes
in the kitchen
if you're interested.
Unless, of course,
you're allergic to those, too.
Are they gluten-free?
What?
No, they're normal pancakes.
Why didn't you say
anything last night?
Are you seriously gluten-free?
Mm, no, I love pancakes.
You're kind of grouchy
in the morning.
There you go, Jack.
Thank you.
Do you want some more, peanut?
- Do you even have to ask?
- That's my girl.
What time do you want
to go to the market, honey?
I'm figuring to leave
in about 10 minutes or so.
All right.
Gonna meet Rocky
and Foster there.
You two wanna tag along?
Tag along with Mr. Rocky
and Foster?
No, thanks.
Actually, I need the kids
to do me a favor.
- Can you?
- Yeah, of course.
Thanks, Jo Bear.
I have a package at
the post office I'm expecting.
- Can you pick it up for me?
- Yeah, we can do that.
Yeah, then you could show
Jack the town a little bit.
Give him a little tour.
I can't wait, Jo Bear.
Eat your pancakes.
Across the street is the
best po' boy shop in the city.
- And over here is like the 15th antique store.
- Ah.
And then right in here
is my favorite coffee shop.
I don't know if you're
into peppermint lattes,
but they are pretty good.
Um, I'm gonna need you
to put your arm
around me, please.
- What?
- Just do it. Be casual.
What are you doing? Stop!
What was that? That was casual?
I'm sorry. I improvised.
Well, warn a girl next time.
- No, it's fine.
- Hey, yeah.
I guess that's what
you were trying to avoid.
Uh-huh, yeah.
She's pretty, right?
Yeah, but has she ever built
a computer from scratch
out of only recycled materials?
Oh, hold on.
Oh, no!
Oh, the driver's gonna be late.
The package isn't gonna get
here for like another hour.
I guess we can go to the
market and we come back.
Yeah.
You know what, come with me.
I can't believe you grew up
with this in your backyard.
Oh, yeah. It's magical, right?
I used to go running
on this trail.
Yeah, it's nice,
but I gotta admit
I miss the snow
back home in Oregon.
Yeah, but does Oregon
have a Christmas smell?
Hmm?
Yeah, every year in December,
the farmers, uh,
they burn the sugar cane
after the harvest.
So these little flecks of ash
fall down from the sky
and it smells like
a really sweet campfire.
So you smell it,
and you know that Christmas
is right around the corner.
And ash literally
falls from the sky?
Yeah, it's like Pompeii.
- Oh!
- What?
Would that be a crocodile?
Um, we're not in Florida, so no.
There are no crocodiles.
Oh, OK.
- Yeah.
- Let's have a look.
I mean, it could be
an alligator.
Are you serious?
Pretty serious.
You're hilarious.
Would you look at him?
He's terrifying!
You gonna be OK?
You know,
when I tell people this story,
I'm going to say
I bravely rescued you
from a crocodile, right?
It's an alligator.
And then we can leave.
OK.
Hello.
Jack, my romantic
man, how's it going?
Good, good.
Wonderful!
How far along are you?
Ah, well, technically,
I haven't started writing yet.
What have you been doing?
I finished reading
Romance in the Valley.
That was awful.
Hello.
Hey, lady. Just
called to check in.
How's everything going?
Getting any better?
Yeah, so far so good.
How's my big flaky brother?
He's actually not bad.
It turns out the buffer
is working, so.
He's a pretty good distraction.
Nice distraction, huh?
Look, Devon, I'm sorry.
I've just been
a little distracted,
and to be honest,
that outline isn't helping any.
I'm just I'm not inspired.
Why don't you just
do some of the things
in the outline?
Like what?
Give me something
from the paper.
Uh flee from danger.
Dance under the stars.
Perfect! Find a date,
take her dancing
under the stars.
Yeah, I can't just find a date.
I'm in Louisiana with
my sister's best friend.
You're in Louisiana?
Yeah.
With a girl.
Uh-huh.
You can literally
live out the plot of this book.
Write what you know. Isn't
that what they always say?
Ah, you creative types
make my life so hard.
I really need to see
some pages soon.
Yep. All good. I'm on it.
- You ready?
- Yeah, you betcha.
Dust off Old St. Nick, there.
This is my favorite part.
A lollipop there,
and a lollipop there.
Aw man, it's just warms
the heart, don't it?
Ho-ho-ho!
Little bit more.
- Hey!
- That's good.
Hey!
Hey.
Hey.
Oh, Jolie!
Oh, Miss Meredith!
Hi, how are you?
I'm good.
Thank you, Jack.
- Good to see you.
- It's so good to see you!
And is this the handsome writer
that we've been gossiping
about all morning?
Um, this is Jack, my boyfriend.
My boyfriend Jack.
Oh, around these parts we hug.
Boyfriend Jack.
Yeah.
Nice to meet you, too.
Will you all come
see what we've done?
Yeah, it looks pretty.
Wait, so this is it?
Just this?
Yeah!
It's really nice, isn't it?
Yeah, yeah. For sure.
I mean, it kinda
looks like Christmas
just threw up all over
this quaint little market,
but it's, you know
You know, I know it's a lot,
but this is the fun part,
you know.
And this isn't even the point.
This is just
Definitely.
I mean, subtlety is overrated,
and, um, taste
is really subjective.
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, I guess.
Hey, let me show you
these ducks I saw earlier.
Don't listen to her.
The place looks incredible.
Your family's done
an awesome job.
Thank you.
Hey, Jolie?
Yes, sir.
You ready?
Uh-huh.
Luc, Breonna, it's time.
Daddy, I know
it is not Christmas yet,
but I have a surprise for you.
So, I have to give you your
Christmas present early, OK?
What?
This year,
for your Christmas present,
I worked with Mr. Rocky
and the city council
to create for you,
not only a brand-new
state-of-the-art website
for the Christmas Market
but an interactive app for all
the locals and tourists alike.
Man, check this out, Mr. Tim.
- Oh!
- Sweetheart!
OK, so if you look
at this on here,
you can find
your favorite vendors
and then you can pay for
merchandise and products,
and you can also find out what time
all your favorite bands are playing.
Oh, and you were in on this?
I never ruin a Christmas
secret there, T-Tim.
You know that, huh?
Here, here,
show him the brochure.
OK, so Mr. Rocky and I
have been publicizing
the website and the app,
and we already have doubled
the estimated number
of downloads.
So it looks like it's gonna
be the biggest year yet.
Jo-Jo, this is just
I don't believe it.
It's amazing. I really don't.
Oh, Merry Christmas, Daddy.
And congrats on 30 years
of the market!
Yeah.
- Thank you, buddy.
- Yeah.
Hey.
Hey.
I'm just getting
a jump on stuff.
Nice, right?
It's beautiful.
It's all Mom.
This one you?
Yeah.
Yeah, that's me,
and then here's Breonna.
Hey, what's the story
with this one?
Um, my mom had breast
cancer a few years ago.
Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know.
It's OK. It's fine.
She's a strong lady.
Is she OK now?
She's in remission, um,
but she's supposed
to get check-ups
which can be stressful.
Yeah. Sounds like a lot.
It is.
Anyway, I moved back home
when she got sick
and I don't know
if you remember,
but that's back when
I was living with Naomi,
and I just left and I came here
because I felt like
it's where I needed to be.
And then Foster was actually
my high school boyfriend,
and he was really
wonderful with my family
during the whole situation,
and so we got back together.
There's a lot of history there.
Yes. You could say that.
Yes. That's the past.
Hey, you don't want any
hot chocolate, do you?
Yeah, sounds nice.
Do you mind if I ask
why you two broke up?
Wow!
Uh, well, Foster thought
we wanted different things.
And I thought he was wrong.
You know, I thought it
was one of those things
that you say when you break up,
"Oh no, it's not you, it's me."
But now that a little bit
of time has passed,
I think he was probably right.
You know, it's possible
to really care about somebody
and not be compatible.
You still love him?
I don't know.
I hope not.
That's an honest answer.
Yeah. Pretty invasive question.
It's not lost on me that you
are a really good listener.
Oh, thanks.
It turns out that, um, you are
pretty interesting to listen to.
What's your story?
How much hot chocolate you got?
Tons!
Really, what's your deal,
Mr. Romance?
You have like lots of damsels
in distress that you've saved?
Uh, no.
Actually there's not a whole
lot to write home about.
I'm not buying it.
- No?
- Mm-mmm.
Wanna play some cards?
- Nice segue.
- Mm-hmm.
Yeah, I'll play you in cards.
Rummy.
When I win,
you'll tell me stories.
OK. And when I win
You won't.
Where's your mom at?
Speaking of moms,
what's your mom's story?
She seems she seems
You're gonna need some help.
Merry Christmas, everybody.
Thank you.
Hey, guys!
Santa!
Next.
Come on up. Merry Christmas.
Ho-ho-ho. Merry Christmas!
So, what can I bring you
for Christmas this year?
Uh, a doll.
A doll. Okey-dokey.
We have plenty of them
up at the North Pole,
don't you know.
Merry Christmas!
- OK.
- Next.
The shack up here
with all of the animals
is where we have
the gumbo cookoff.
Naturally.
And back there,
the pavilion is where
Tyler Hilton
is playing tomorrow.
What's that?
That's the jam booth.
The jam booth?
- Jolie!
- How you doin', Bud?
Why don't you play somethin'?
No, no, no.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Jolie, play something for us.
Yeah. All right.
I'll give you one.
- Can I borrow this?
- Yeah.
Thank you, sir. OK.
Count me in.
All right.
Get it, Jolie!
Ah
Hey, thanks!
Wow!
That's fun!
I'll see you guys around.
Have fun.
What was that?
That was nothing.
Well, I had zero idea
that you played the fiddle.
I don't play the fiddle,
but I did learn a thing or two
from my father as a child.
Well, that's just impressive.
Thank you, very much.
Speaking of impressive,
over there is the very famous
Christmas tree maze
invented by yours truly.
- Really?
- Mm-hmm.
The Christmas Market
used to just be shops
and arts and crafts over there,
but over the years,
we added fun stuff like this.
And it was your brainchild?
Sure was.
You feelin' adventurous?
Yeah.
Race ya!
This way. Hold on.
Ooh, left or right?
- I'm thinking right.
- Probably left.
Friendly wager?
Whoever gets out first wins?
You're on.
Hey, Jo.
Hi. Hey.
Hey.
Uh, um, I've just been
meaning to talk to you.
I, uh
I miss you.
Foster, you have a girlfriend.
Yeah, I, I know, I know.
I was just hoping we can
get some coffee if you're free.
Just, just coffee.
I just miss talkin' to you
every day, that's all.
All right, but that's what
happens when you break up.
You don't get to talk to
the person every day anymore.
Yeah, I know.
I was just hopin', I guess,
that there's a part of you
that just missed me,
just a little bit.
Come on. It's my treat.
Peppermint lattes.
Like old times.
But you have an Amy
and I have a Jack.
Come on, Jo-Jo.
Don't call me that. OK?
Wha
It took you long enough.
Huh, sorry. I got distracted.
That's all good.
I got you cider.
Mmm, that's hot. What?
I'm happy you're here.
Come on.
Well, Maxie's out like a light.
Really? It's early.
Maybe it's because
of all the cookies
that somebody was
sneaking to her earlier.
Ha ha.
Don't think we didn't notice.
It's Christmas!
Let her have the cookies.
Uh, it's tradition.
Can't mess with tradition.
OK. Well, she's crashed
now from all that sugar,
but when she wakes up
at 4:00 a.m.,
I am callin' her Memaw
to come hang out with her.
All right, all right!
Let the punishment
fit the crime.
So, what did you think
of the market today?
I thought it was great.
Yeah, the town has
a lot of cool history to it.
And you guys have a lot
of interesting traditions.
Yeah, the first Christmas
I spent with these guys,
I couldn't believe how many
traditions they have here.
Well, you brought
some of your own.
That's right.
We bake gingerbread houses now,
just like when he was a kid.
Every year.
And it was a great addition.
So, Jack,
does your family have
any Christmas traditions?
None quite as extensive,
uh, but we do play this fun game
every year, Christmas Fishbowl.
- Fishbowl?
- It's basically like charades
but with a few added challenges.
Oh, you wanna teach us?
Yeah, let's play!
Let's play it!
Yeah, we like games.
OK. Sure.
Great!
All right. Fishbowl.
We have three rounds.
First round is like catchphrase.
Second round is like charades,
and the third round,
you can only use one word
to describe
what's on the piece of paper.
And we'll reuse
all the same pieces of paper
for all three rounds.
Uh, we'll figure it out
as we play.
I'll go first, OK?
Got the timer?
Ready and go!
OK.
Um, all right.
I'm mean and green.
Grinch!
Yes, and now this happened
to a specific part of my body.
Well, uh, heart, heart!
The Grinch's small heart
grew three sizes that day.
Yes, yeah!
I already got one!
Good one!
- Uhh.
- Impressive.
All right.
I'm uh, Santa's helper.
- An elf.
- Yes, but I'm a recent thing
that families have
in their home.
- Uh, Elf on a Shelf.
- Yes!
- Time.
- Good work, Dad.
Nice!
Time, time, time.
Well. All right.
Luc's up.
OK. Kermit.
Oh, oh.
The Muppets, A Christmas Carol.
Yes! OK. All right.
Nice, nice!
Ohh.
Hey, he's cheating.
How did he get that? Huh?
OK, OK. Um
Uh, aortic?
What? Aortic?
Yeah.
Aortic?
15 seconds.
Aortic. Which ones we have left?
10 seconds.
Come on, come on.
Oh! And the Grinch's small
heart grew two sizes that day!
Oh, yes, yes!
I was gonna say Whoville,
but I thought you would think
it was the Cindy Lulu
thing from earlier.
No, that was a really good clue.
- It was?
- Yes!
OK. OK.
Ah, good one, good one.
Thank you for teaching us.
A great game, Jack. Great game.
- That was real fun.
- It was fun.
Come in.
Hi.
Hey.
I just wanna say good night.
Good night.
Thanks for doing this.
I really do appreciate it.
Of course. A deal's a deal.
OK. Good night.
I'm about to tell ya
the Cajun
Night Before Christmas.
"Twas the night before Christmas
and all through the house,
they don't let things pass
not even the mouse.
The children be nestled
good snug on the floor
and Momma passed a paper
through a crack in the door
their momma in the fireplace
there roasted up the ham
stirred up the gumbo
and made baked the yams"
Well, Jolie Bear, I believe
we've got everything covered.
Yeah.
Why don't you go get
yourself some fun, too, huh?
Where's Jack?
- He's with Momma.
- Mm-hmm.
You sure you don't
need anything else?
Oh, I'm sure.
You're, uh, officially relieved
of your volunteer duties.
It looks really pretty, Daddy.
Yeah.
Another year, another success.
Yeah.
So you grew up in Oregon.
Yep. Born and raised in Eugene.
Well, we know Naomi, of course,
but do you have other siblings?
No, just the two of us.
- So, you're the oldest.
- I am.
How long have your folks
been married?
Pardon me, ladies.
May I borrow the very handsome
writer for a moment?
You know, that nickname's
really starting to grow on me.
Now don't forget to give
us your parents' address.
Oh, right.
We want to personalize
some of our nicest
ornaments for them.
Oh, yes, ma'am.
Bye.
- Bye.
- Bye.
- See ya.
- How was that?
It was good. They just
asked all sorts of questions
about my job and family.
Yeah, they were grilling you.
Yeah, but with gifts.
The Southern way.
Hey, Merry Christmas.
Oh, Merry Christmas.
It's gonna be fun!
You're gonna love it.
I'm hungry.
Oh, why don't you take a break
and go get some gumbo?
Did you say it was vegan?
Oh, no, no.
I thought you were kidding.
No, it's it's definitely,
definitely not vegan.
I can't wait to get back home.
Joyeux Noel.
This year's Golden
Gumbo Pot goes to
Luc Doucette for the second
time in a row, don't ya know.
- Wow, Luc won!
- Yeah, he did.
Daddy taught him
the Guidry family recipe,
which is clearly a fan favorite.
You want some?
Yeah.
Thank you.
Can you handle spicy?
Ha! Can I handle spicy!
This doesn't look like much.
Oh! Oh, my God,
that's like lava.
You'll be OK.
Oh!
- Good job, Luc.
- Thank you very much.
You're not allowed
to drink milk with that.
You gotta keep the hot.
Hey, let me ask you something.
Shoot.
- When we get back to New York.
- Mm-hmm.
You know, after the holidays,
once everything's settled down.
Um
will you
will you, uh
will you teach me
how to make this gumbo?
Yeah, of course I will.
How's everybody doing?
This is the 30th year that we've
had this Christmas Market.
I'd like to bring out
the two people
responsible for this,
Tim Guidry, Rocky Broussard.
For your hard work and
dedication to our city,
I'd like for each of you
to receive a key to the city.
Thank you, Mayor Robideaux.
And we just wanna thank
our amazing volunteers, yeah,
and let's give them
a round of applause.
What you say?
Merci beaucoup!
Merci beaucoup!
All right, Dad!
I just want to take a moment
to thank my beautiful
wife and daughters
for all their hard work
on this market.
I love you.
So now, ladies and gentlemen,
I want to introduce our
special guest,
Tyler Hilton.
How you guys doin'?
You wanna do some dancin'?
Yeah!
One, two, three, four.
Well there's
one true nature
Then the fever gets ya
Don't ya eat that apple
'Cause ain't no pill
gonna save ya
Got my own desires
Got my demon way, now
I feel that tension fallin'
Somethin' goin' be breakin'
Get down
Yeah get down
Yeah get down
Yeah get down
Get down
Jolie?
Hey, Lilly!
So good to see you.
I know! I'm happy to be home.
Um, Jack,
this is my cousin Lilly.
Hey, Jack. Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
Have you seen
Foster's new girlfriend?
I have.
Oh! Is this your new boyfriend?
Well, uh
He should be.
- Oh, my God
- Stop it.
All right, how you guys doin'?
Man, thank you guys so much
for comin' out and
hangin' out with us.
I love Lafayette.
I wanna let you guys know
I've got a new record
called City on Fire out,
so go ahead and check it out.
We're gonna slow it
down for you guys
and do a little slow dancin'.
Grab a partner. Here we go.
One, two, three.
Blow out the candles
Throw out the wine
Callin' off Christmas baby
Until you're mine
I don't feel the spirit
I don't feel no cheer
Do you wanna go get
a drink or something?
No, come on. Dance with me.
Are you serious?
Yeah, I got a
reputation to uphold.
I'm Mr. Romance now.
Oh, OK.
Some days I wonder
Wonder why I'm blind
I'm really glad I'm here.
Me too.
And your family's
been great to me.
Well, they like you all right.
Even Breonna's come around.
Oh I don't feel no cheer
It's weird.
I feel like I've known
about you for a real long time,
but then I get here,
and I realize,
I didn't know
the first thing about you.
Same.
I'm sorry, by the way.
Why are you sorry?
I bailed on our date.
Oh, stop, Jack!
No, look
Jolie, I remember you
and Foster at the wedding.
You know, I'm not some
super successful guy.
I live in a five-story
walk-up with three roommates.
That's cool.
No, it's, it's not what
I'm getting at, it's like
I bailed, because
I felt like, you know,
maybe I wasn't
good enough for you.
You know, and now, we're here,
and I feel like I missed
a really amazing opportunity.
Maybe this is how it was
always supposed to go.
I hope so.
Oh it finally feel
like Christmas darling
Girl when you're here
Oh 'cause it
don't feel like Christmas
'Cause you're not here
All right.
Would you rather have Santa's
magical time abilities
Magical time abilities?
Yeah, how he can go around
the whole world in one night?
Oh, sure.
Or get to keep a reindeer?
I mean, it depends
on the reindeer.
- Really?
- No!
Magical time abilities.
I'm not going to take
some poor little reindeer
away from his family.
Yeah, it's a good answer.
Give me a tougher one.
OK.
Would you rather spend Christmas
with your best friend's brother
or with one of Santa's elves,
but not just any old elf?
The most handsome elf
in the entire workshop?
That guy?
Him!
Ooh.
Handsome's overrated.
My family is spying on us.
I think they're ready to go.
What?
Nothing.
We should, uh, we should
go catch up with them.
Oh, honey, are you
coming to bed?
I'll be in a minute, darlin'.
Let me get a couple
of boxes outta here.
Jack, give me a hand, will you?
Yes, sir.
Sweetheart, come
sit down for a second.
What is it?
There's something I want
to tell you. I wanna
So, you know that I've been
in remission for five years.
Yeah.
Dr. Lewis called and he said
that I am technically
and officially
cancer-free.
Really?
Like really?
- Really!
- Momma! Oh, my God!
This is like
the best present ever.
Merry Christmas, Momma.
Merry Christmas, sweet girl.
I can see that, uh,
you make Jolie very happy.
Thank you.
And I, I think you're pretty
brave comin' here.
See, um
Foster and Jolie
have a long history.
I like him very much.
But he's never looked
at her quite like you do.
She's special.
I have a feelin' that
well, you'll let her shine.
Thanks.
Hm.
Dance under the stars.
Hey.
You got my text.
I did.
What you got there?
A little something for you.
Did you make me a present?
I did.
What, are these pages
from your journal?
They are.
Good eye.
When you're rich and famous,
this will be worth
so much money.
Oh, yeah.
You're going to be able
to retire on that flower.
What did you want to talk about?
Just wanted to see
how you're doing.
How you thought
all of this was going.
Just checkin' in.
Just checkin' in, huh?
Yeah. I don't know.
How am I doin'?
Are you happy?
Yes. I'm really happy.
Good.
Yeah, me too.
Good.
When we get back home
How would you feel
about us trying this for real?
I would like to take you
out on a real date.
No contract.
Oh, yeah. I mean,
I could be into that.
- Yeah?
- Mm-hmm.
You're not gonna flake
out on me again, OK?
Mm-mmm.
'Mornin' sleepy head.
'Mornin'.
Well, you and Jolie
are two peas in a pod.
She's our night owl.
Yeah, that's me, too.
Did I hear my name?
Yes. Hi, Jo Bear.
Oh, looks good.
- It's almost 11.
- Yeah, I know.
Hi, Maxie.
Gingerbread house time now.
I know. I could smell it
from all the way upstairs.
- Hi.
- Hey.
Moment of truth.
Are you ready for this?
Yeah.
Ta-da!
Oh, you put the review
of my essay up.
Yeah, and I built it with Wix
so if you ever want
to change anything
or add more glowing reviews,
it's really simple.
I'll show you how.
Jolie, this is incredible.
Well, now
It's live.
- Really?
- Mm-hmm!
Hey, I'm going to go
for a run. You wanna go?
No. No, I don't
wanna go for a run.
I've actually got
some writing to do.
OK. Have fun.
All right.
I just feel like you were
lying to me the whole time.
No, I wasn't lying.
It's not true at all.
I think your parents hate me.
- They don't.
- They hate me!
No! Just look,
you don't have to leave, Amy.
You can stay. OK?
Where you gonna go?
You gonna go home? Don't.
Look, Amy Amy I'm sorry.
Look, just, listen to me.
Hey.
Hey. You OK?
What happened?
We uh
We broke up, and
she didn't wanna stay.
Oh, Foster, I'm really sorry.
That's
No, no. It's OK. I mean
I don't know what I was
thinkin' bringin' her here.
I we'd only been dating
for a little while,
and I just
I didn't wanna be
alone on Christmas.
I've really missed you, Jo-Jo,
and I brought Amy here
as a distraction, and
And now you're with, with Jack.
Well, I'm full disclosure,
I brought Jack here
for the same reason.
What?
Yeah, I mean, I wasn't
gonna bring anybody
until I found out that you were.
Really?
Yeah.
I mean, I'm, I'm not with Amy
and you're not really with
Jack. I mean, it should be
No, no, no.
Oh, come on.
I mean, you know we're
not good together, Foster.
You're right.
I'm really sorry about Amy.
Hey, I'm really sorry
I made you bring Jack.
Don't be.
I mean, maybe things turned out
this way for a reason, right?
Yeah.
I'll see you later.
- Yeah.
- Behave yourself.
Oh, no promises.
Hey, Daddy.
Hey. Just come back from a run?
Yes, sir. What you doin'?
Stop it.
Don't bend over.
Let me help you.
Well, sure, darlin'.
I do love havin' you home
for Christmas, peanut.
Well, I love bein'
home with you.
You know, uh, your mom
and I are very proud of you.
Honey, you're in a good place.
I can see that,
and the shine on your face
and contentment in your heart.
Every parent longs for that.
That brain of yours can
bring you a lot of success
and impressive accomplishments,
but, it's that heart you got
that's your greatest gift.
Well, thanks, Dad.
Ah, you get it from your momma.
Yeah, I get it from you, too.
Hello?
Hi.
Hi.
Why are we whispering?
I'm hiding out.
If Martin's Aunt Barb finds me,
she's gonna put me on the yams
then berate me for why
we don't have children yet.
OK, but why am I whispering?
I didn't say you
needed to whisper.
You just started whispering.
Oh, OK.
Hey. Merry Christmas.
- Merry Christmas.
- Naomi?
Listen, I can't talk long.
I'm just calling
for some updates.
- Give me the full details.
- Naomi?
Yeah, yeah. The Christmas
Market was really good.
Uh, your brother is
a pretty incredible dancer.
And Foster is Foster.
Did something happen?
Oh, he broke up
with his girlfriend.
- Oh, no way!
- Yes, way.
It has definitely been
different than I expected.
How so?
Well, would you be,
like, weirded-out at all
if your brother and I
Yeah?
Were maybe more than friends?
Oh, my gosh!
Baby, there you go.
I've been lookin'
for you everywhere.
Naomi?
Shoot! Martin just found me.
Listen, baby, I need backup.
My parents, they're harassing
me about having babies again.
Listen, I gotta go.
Okay. Well, I love you two.
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas,
and I want full details.
Yeah, sure.
Not full details,
because it's my brother.
- What?
- My God!
You're with my brother!
OK. Bye, Naomi.
This is Devon. Leave a message.
Hey, Devon, it's Jack.
Uh, listen, I'm not going to be
able to write this book for you.
Things have gotten
kind of complicated,
and it um, just doesn't
feel right anymore.
All right?
I will talk to you
after the holidays.
Merry Christmas.
Wow!
You look beautiful.
Thanks, Jack.
Come on.
Foster?
Foster!
Yeah, oh. All right. Sorry.
I mean, do you think
we have a chance
of maybe getting a bowl
game this year or what?
Yeah. Yeah, I, I, I don't know.
Hey, what do you guys
know about Jack?
He's Naomi's brother.
I don't know. He's a writer.
She said they hooked up
in New York.
Oh, she said that?
Yeah.
- OK. Bye.
- Bye.
Hi guys. How are you?
Excuse me.
- Hey, Jo-Jo. Jo-Jo.
- What?
Uh, sorry, Dan.
Can I talk to you for a second?
- Yeah.
- OK.
Hey, everybody.
You guys wanna play
a little Christmas song?
- Yeah.
- All right, all right.
Deck the halls
with boughs of holly
What's up?
I've been thinking a lot
about what you said earlier.
About us.
I think you're wrong.
And I want you
to stay here with me.
Foster, come on.
It's always been you and me.
No, it hasn't.
Troll the ancient
Christmas carol
I'll move to New York.
I think we owe it to ourselves
to give this another shot.
I mean, we're good together.
Fa-la-la-la-la la-la-la-la
What do you think?
What's my favorite tea?
Is this a test?
No, just answer the question.
All right. It's, uh
It's Chai. Right?
What?
Fa-la-la-la-la la-la-la-la
See the flowing bowl
before us
It's not Chai.
What, it's
I don't remember
your favorite tea
and now you think we're not
Foster, you don't listen to me.
You don't.
I'm with Jack now.
Yeah, but you only
brought Jack here
- to make me jealous.
- I did, at first.
But, it's different.
Look, I know you think
we're not right for each other,
but I can't help but think
that you're wrong about this.
I'm so sorry, but I really think
I have something
very special with him.
Yeah, but you and Jack
are in a fake relationship!
Come in.
Hi. Can I come in?
Yeah. Quite a car ride, huh?
You think?
I mean, I feel so stupid.
I'm sorry.!
I shouldn't have said
anything to Foster about you.
No, you don't have anything
to be sorry for.
No, now, it's super
uncomfortable.
Yeah, it is.
I don't wanna go back out there.
I mean, I don't know how
to spin this with my family.
Well, maybe
there's nothing to spin.
I like you, and
you like me, so
What is this?
Oh, just some work stuff.
"Dance under the stars.
Flee from danger together.
Teach a game.
Give her a flower.
First kiss in a special place."
Yeah, it's for this book
that I'm ghostwriting.
Just a lot of things the
characters are supposed to do.
But we did all these things.
Yeah, I mean, but most
of that is just a coincidence.
No.
No, you didn't stumble
on a flower.
You made that for me.
You made this happen.
OK, I'm realizing that
this sounds bad,
but I, it's not
what it looks like.
Is this
"make her fall in love"?
Yeah, but that's not about you.
So what is it?
Is it just like a checklist
that you're trying to get done
- while you're here?
- No.
Is this why you came here?
I feel really stupid.
Why? No, why do you feel stupid?
Like last night,
that was real to me.
Yeah, it was real to me, too.
No, just save it, all right?
Hey, Jolie,
would you just slow down?
You should stay
at my sister's house.
There's a flight out tomorrow.
Hey, Jolie
Oh, Jack, I don't want to talk.
Jo Bear, it's me.
Hi, baby. Breonna
told me what happened.
They're gonna take Jack up to
their house to stay the night.
Momma, I'm really sorry.
Oh, don't be sorry.
No, I lied to you,
and I ruined Christmas,
and I just
I don't even know
what I was thinking.
You didn't ruin anything,
and you were thinking
that you wanted to get away
from all that drama.
That backfired a little bit.
Yeah, it kinda did, didn't it?
I want you to listen
to your momma.
I know you.
I know your heart, Jolie.
This was just somethin'
you had to do.
And you don't have
to be sorry about anything.
I thought I could trust him.
Like he seemed really different.
Let me ask you a question,
if this wasn't supposed
to be anything serious,
why are you so upset?
I don't know.
Oh, sweetie.
- Hot chocolate?
- Hm?
Oh, thanks, Daddy.
Careful. Careful.
Thank you, sweetheart.
Ah!
Thanks for comin' by, Jack.
Yeah, of course.
You didn't have to.
Well, sulkin' around your house
until my flight leaves
didn't sound
especially productive.
Well, if it helps,
I've never seen Jolie
so happy as she was with you.
True that.
Thanks.
I wish I could have
explained myself better.
I, I quit this book
that I'm working on.
I swear that it was just a coincidence
some of these things happened.
I believe you.
And it's not so bad, you know,
if you have feelings for her.
Don't you?
I need her to know.
I might have a plan,
but I'm going
to need you guys' help.
Anything.
Your parents, too.
Hey, Mom?
We're gonna need your help.
- Shh
- Hey!
Where is everybody?
Sweetheart, I want you
to go right back upstairs,
get all cleaned up,
and put on that really
pretty red dress.
Your dad's gonna bring you.
Yeah.
Bring me where?
Dad?
Go!
Daddy, what are we doing here?
Jo-Jo.
You deserve to be happy.
To be with someone
who truly loves you
and cherishes you,
and listens to you.
So, hear him out, OK?
Hear who out?
Come on.
"Flee from danger.
So, we didn't really have to
flee from an alligator that day,
but listening to you speak
about your passion
for where you came from,
this is when I fell in love
with your home."
"Teach a skill or game.
Sharing my family's
traditions with yours,
and seeing the love and support
from the people who raised you
and made you the woman
you are today,
I fell in love
with your family."
"Dance under the stars.
When I held you in my arms
that night,
I knew I never
wanted to let you go."
"Give her a flower,
first kiss in a special place.
Jolie, I meant everything
I said to you.
And if getting romantic advice
from a Parker Hollowell novel
led me to fall in love with you,
well, I'd do it over
and over again."
"Profess love
in a passionate speech.
The last thing on my list
I have left to do,
if you'll let me.
I would have missed out on a lot
if my sister hadn't
drafted that contract.
I never would have gotten
to experience
a Guidry Christmas,
or hear you play the fiddle,
or try gumbo so hot
that I actually forgot
who I was for 10 minutes.
But more than anything,
I wouldn't have
gotten to know you.
You're all
the good things, Jolie.
And, I love you, and I know
that you asked me to leave,
- but I
- Jack.
I love you too.
Hey, listen,
I called my agent yesterday,
and I'm not writing that book.
Oh, stop it. You have to.
What?
You can say it
was based on a true story.
Come on.
When you're not here
Some days I wonder
Wonder why I'm blind
Love like we had, girl
- Hey!
- The party's about to start.
This is a no-work zone
for the rest of the night.
Well, it's not work.
It's a gift.
All right, five minutes,
or you're on the naughty list.
Whoo-hoo, babe, um,
what do you spike
the eggnog with?
Rum or Bourbon?
- Either.
- Hmm
First guests!
I'm not a guest?
Girl, no. You're family.
I'm gonna use both.
Never mind,
it's just my brother.
Wow. Let's dial down
the enthusiasm, sis.
Hm.
And careful spiking
that punch, Martin.
This is a Christmas party,
not a frat party.
No, no, Jack, please,
don't get up. I've got it.
And a Merry Christmas
to you too, Jolie.
Enough squabbling, you guys.
Jack gets a pass from helping,
because he showed up.
That's not fair!
We made a deal.
If I came to the party,
I didn't have to help decorate.
A deal's a deal.
Seriously? That is
the standard he's held to?
- Showing up?
- Yep.
I do not want a repeat of
my wedding, where you two were
just fighting all night about
who's giving the last toast.
Yeah, I'm a writer
and her brother,
so it should've been me.
I was the maid of honor.
All right, look, just
be pleasant when
the guests arrive, all right?
OK.
What? Him?
He's always a grump, but you?
Why are you so fussy?
Come on, it's Christmas.
Aren't you excited to go home?
- About that.
- What?
- You're not going home?
- No, I'm going home,
but so is Foster
and his new girlfriend.
- Already?
- Mm-hmm.
I know, I just found out today.
- It's only been six months!
- I know!
I was freaked out knowing that
I was gonna have to see him,
and now, I'm gonna have to
hang out with him and her
the whole time.
Do you have to see him?
Yeah, our dads
are getting this big award,
because they've been putting
on the Christmas Market
for, like, 30 years,
so the mayor's giving
them keys to the city.
And then, our parents
do this big bonfire
right before Christmas Eve
every year, and
they've been doing it
since we were kids.
Any chance of breaking
those traditions?
I mean, I can probably
skip that bonfire, but
No, the market's really
really special to my family.
And me.
What if you bring a date?
Oh, yes, cool, I'll just
go get a date real fast.
Every guy I know
is either married or
or related to me.
All right, it's gonna be OK.
We'll think of something.
Oh, jingle bells,
jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun
it is to ride
All right,
let's find you a date.
Jingle bell, jingle bells
Jingle all the way
Oh, what fun
Maybe
Nope!
Here we go.
Oh
But like, it's not as
exciting as it sounds, you know?
In fact, most publishers,
they only wanna sell books
And, bingo.
Hey, big brother,
remind me of
your Christmas plans again.
You know how I'm going to
Colorado with Martin's family,
and Mom and Dad are doing
that Mediterranean cruise?
I feel like you've lectured
me about this already.
Uh, I don't have any plans.
I'm just gonna be writing.
- You should go home with Jolie.
- What?
Yeah, you'll spend Christmas
in Louisiana with the Guidrys.
What?
You're always saying
you wanna travel more.
Yeah. Alone.
You can be alone anytime.
What am I missing?
What Naomi is doing with
the subtlety of a baboon,
I might add, is trying to
get me a date for Christmas,
'cause Foster's bringing home
a new cute girlfriend, so
You don't have to go
with me to Louisiana.
Oh, no, no, no, no.
You should go.
Listen, the food alone
is worth the trip.
Martin!
Exactly. And you can
write from anywhere.
Guys, he'd be, like,
pretending to be my boyfriend.
That's It's weird.
- I'm weird?
- No, I mean, you're not
You're not weird,
but the situation is weird.
See? There you go. You
already sound like a couple.
No, we don't.
OK, what if it's more like
a buffer than a boyfriend?
You know, a plus-one
to make it less awkward.
Oh, less awkward. Cool.
Exactly, but, baby,
what would Jack
be getting out of this?
Yeah, what would Jack
be getting out of this?
The joy of knowing that
you're helping out a friend.
Ooh, hard pass.
Actually, I could use
a website for my novel.
Yes! Perfect.
No. I mean, no offense,
but you're just
not the most reliable guy.
What does that mean?
I'm sorry, do you not remember,
what was that,
like, 5 months ago?
OK, wait, hold on,
what am I missing?
She didn't tell you?
Martin. OK, when I moved here,
like, 6 months ago,
Naomi thought
it would be a great idea
to set me up with her brother,
because I didn't know anybody.
Only, Jack stood me up!
Woop, no. I did not!
I did not stand you up.
I called and cancelled.
There's a very big difference.
Either way, you flaked!
So how do I know
I'm not gonna put all
this work into a website
and you just won't show up
at the airport?
You know, if I was
at the office,
this would be a quick fix.
What do you mean?
Easy.
I'd write a contract.
Oh, come on!
You both could sign,
No!
I I
Let me do this!
They didn't give me that
fancy law degree for nothing.
- No, that's
- Jack
You'd get a website, she'd
get a date, everyone wins!
Look, I'm I'm sorry
but, you know, I was planning
on writing alone this Christmas.
See? There you guys go.
We're good.
All right, Devon,
give me some good news.
I have something,
but you're not gonna like it.
Are you aware you say that
every time we meet?
It's a ghostwriting gig,
and I know how you feel
about ghostwriting.
Yeah, I'm over it. I just
wanna write my own stuff.
I'll tell you what.
If you promise to
get this one done,
I will try and get some real
traction with your manuscript.
A romance? Devon, come on!
What? You can do it.
I don't do romance.
I've never written romance.
Is this one of those
Parker Hollowell novels?
They sell like hotcakes.
Ugh, they're terrible,
and they're all exactly the
same except in a new setting.
Do you want it or not?
You promise to send
my manuscript
to every publisher you know?
I promise.
Is this the outline
I'm supposed to go off of?
"Dance under the stars"?
"Flee from danger together"?
"Teach a skill"?
"Profess love in
a passionate speech"!
That one's original!
This isn't a plot.
This is a terrible to-do list.
He's gotten pretty lazy lately.
You think?
Here.
Read this.
Have your characters do
everything on that list and
follow the same plot
as all his other books,
except this one just has
to be set in Louisiana.
Did you say Louisiana?
- Hello?
- Hey, sis.
I was thinking more
about your offer
to go Louisiana with
Jolie for Christmas.
Hey!
Jolie. Sit down.
You texted me
this was an emergency
and I had to come
over right away.
What's he doing here?
It's nice to see you, too.
It is an emergency.
The two people I care
most about are in trouble,
and they need my help.
My best friend,
my beautiful genius,
my sad, lonely,
broken-hearted bestie
Thank you.
Needs guidance
through her breakup
and a distraction to keep
her Christmas jolly and bright.
And my big brother,
whose professional life is
in a dismal, downward spiral,
desperately needs to
jump-start his career
and rebrand himself as
not a ghostwriter
but a proper novelist.
Are you done?
What I have before me
is the Christmas contract.
Solves both problems.
And all you have to do
is sign on the dotted line.
That was a
beautiful speech, Naomi,
but I'm pretty sure your brother
made it clear last night
that he's not interested.
Actually, I've been
thinking about it
and I think it's a good
deal, for both of us.
So, I'm down if you are.
I mean, I don't
I don't know. It's
I thought you might say that.
Foster posted this on
social media last night.
Where do I sign?
Here you go.
Thank you.
Great! I'll go make copies.
You like
Parker Hollowell novels?
Sure.
You don't think they're
a little bit like
- Sappy? Yeah.
- Yep.
I mean, my mom really likes him.
Hmm.
You do know you're going to have
to talk to my family, right?
I know.
You can't just sit in a corner
and read a book the whole time.
Yeah, I got it.
OK.
OK, so what are
we doing right now?
Is your family here right now?
Oh, my God!
This is gonna be a disaster.
- OK.
- Mm-hmm.
One for you
And one for you.
I love you both.
Have a very Merry Christmas.
Oh!
- I love you.
- Bye, sis.
Don't forget to call me.
Don't kill each other.
Thanks for picking us up, Dad.
Of course. It's so good
to see you, Jo-Jo.
It's good to
have you here, Jack.
Oh, yeah. It's uh, it's
great to be here, sir.
We've had Naomi over here,
uh, a half a dozen times.
We adore her. Smart as a whip.
Good people.
In two days, folks,
make your way to the 30th
- annual Christmas Market at Acadian Village.
- Hey!
Bring your family and friends.
It's gonna be a great
one this year.
So this is the Christmas
Market I was telling you about
that my dad and Foster's, uh
Mr. Rocky have been
running for 30 years.
Yeah. You ready to
check out the maze?
I'm sure Jolie's
told you all about it.
He is so excited.
He just can't stop
talking about it.
You betcha! Yeah, I can't wait.
Home sweet home.
Hello!
Is that my big city girl?
Hi, Momma. I missed you!
Oh, I missed you so much, honey.
This must be Jack.
Hi.
A fun surprise.
Did you hear that?
I'm a fun surprise.
I never used the word fun.
Aunt Jolie!
What's up, honey? You're so big!
And this is Jolie's
sister Breonna.
Hi.
So you're the secret boyfriend
we've heard absolutely
nothin' about.
Bri Hi.
Luc.
Jack. It's good to meet you.
Well, listen now, why don't
you guys go settle in a bit,
and we'll see you
after a while. OK?
Yeah.
Uh, Jack, uh, you're in here.
Great.
"Twas the night
before Christmas,
and all through the house
Did not a thing pass,
not even a mouse.
The children were nuzzled"
- Hi, Momma.
- Hi, sweetie.
Hmm, wow. These are beautiful.
Oh! Flattery'll get
you everywhere, Jack.
Mom's got a booth
at the Christmas Market.
Ornate Noel.
Yes, that's me.
Practically famous.
Practically? She runs it
with Miss Meredith.
They sell out every year.
Who's Miss Meredith?
Uh, Meredith Broussard.
That is Foster's mom.
So, Mr. Rocky's wife.
Yeah.
Enough about Foster.
So, Jack, tell us how
you two got together.
Jolie sort of sprung this on us.
Oh, yeah. That's just 'cause,
you know, it was really new.
Mm-hmm.
So I just wanted
to keep it quiet.
Yeah. Real new.
Yeah.
I'll get that.
Have a seat, Jack.
- Coffee?
- Yes, ma'am.
- Foster!
- Hey!
Hi.
Come in.
Thanks. Uh
Oh, wow, it looks great.
Um, I didn't think you were
gonna be home until tomorrow.
Oh!
- Hi!
- Hi.
- This is Amy.
- It's nice to meet you.
Yeah, you too.
I don't think
I caught your name.
It's Jolie.
Oh, right.
You know, I'm just here
to drop off some stuff
for the market.
Cool! Oh, yeah. Come on through.
Just go with it.
Parrain!
Maximillio!
What did she just call him?
Parrain. That means godfather.
Hey!
Oh, I like your dress!
Oh, hey, man. I'm uh, Foster.
Hey. Jack.
I'd shake your hand,
but she's sitting on mine.
What? Oh, I'm sorry.
Hey.
- Hey, Mr. Tim!
- Foster!
I got those signs and
banners from the printer's,
if you want to take
a look at them.
Oh, that's perfect. Perfect!
We're gonna set them up
first thing tomorrow.
Hey Luc, come help me
load them into the truck.
Oh, I'd give you a hand
if you'd like, Tim.
Uh, no thanks, Jack. We're good.
So, uh, Jack, uh we really
don't know much about you.
- What do you do for a living?
- I'm a writer.
A writer. That's interesting.
- What do you write?
- Usually novels.
Mostly thrillers.
Really? I mean, yeah, usually.
So, who asked who out?
I did.
I mean, you did, but I did also.
At the same time?
Well, no. Actually,
we had both texted,
I mean, that we were interested,
and then she made
the connection.
So yeah, we were
connected simultaneously.
I see I think.
Well, that's a sweet story.
- Mm-hmm.
- Yeah.
So, what did you do
on your first date?
We went out.
Yep.
I picked her up
from her apartment,
and uh, we walked
to Central Park.
From her apartment?
No, uh, he's just forgetting
that we rode the subway uptown.
- Yeah.
- Then we walked.
Obviously, yeah.
Once we got off the subway,
we walked through Central Park
to this great little
restaurant called Girard's.
Yeah. I had the chicken
and he had the salmon.
When I brought up
the crawfish boil,
you said that he had
a seafood allergy.
Yep, I do.
- Did I say salmon?
- You did.
Oh!
I meant to say he had the steak.
Anyways, after dinner,
we walked up Fifth Avenue to
my favorite little jazz spot
and we hung out there
for a couple hours
and then grabbed
a couple of oolong teas
and wandered around
the city and talked.
Oolong's my favorite.
I know.
And then, I love
to tell this part,
but she doesn't like it, uh,
she admitted that she had read
everything I'd ever written,
- and was like a huge fan.
- Well
It was almost a little bit
too much, you know,
but it was kind of cute.
I definitely don't
remember it like that.
Oh, that's pretty romantic.
That is Jack. Mr. Romance.
Oh, yes! Absolutely.
Hey, come on, you guys!
Come on, you all.
Come dance with us.
Dance!
Mom!
Come dance with us.
It's your song! Come on!
Come on!
Go, go!
OK.
That all has a strange
way of changin'
OK
FYI, this is my favorite song.
Feels like something
I should know.
Mm-hmm.
Tyler Hilton,
"When I See You, I See Home."
He's actually playing
the Christmas Market this year.
"When I See You, I See Home."
Tyler Hilton. Got it.
Good.
Breonna, do you have
your phone with you?
- Yeah. Oh!
- Let's take a picture of them.
This is their first Christmas.
Mom, we're good.
All right, you two.
Get in close.
Mm-hmm.
Closer.
Oh, look, there's mistletoe.
Oh!
Now you gotta kiss!
- Yeah.
- Come on, kiss!
- Good work.
- Yep.
Naomi, I just don't
think it's gonna work.
Oh, come on, it can't be
that bad already.
My family just tried
to make us kiss!
What did you do?
Well, I faked it.
Baby, is that Jolie?
Hey.
Hey, Jolie. How you doin'?
Ugh!
Apparently, she's
fake-kissing my brother.
Shush!
You know what, I don't
even wanna ask about it.
OK, other than that,
how's it going?
Well, before or after
Foster showed up
with his girlfriend?
Ugh, he would.
I know, right?
He claimed that
they didn't realize
I was gonna be home
or something dumb.
Baby, the cab's here. Let's go.
All right. I'm sorry, Jolie,
I gotta go.
The cab's here to
take us to the airport.
OK. Yeah, I gotta go, too.
I love you. Bye.
It's Naomi.
Ah.
So?
- You and Jack?
- Mm-hmm.
It's a little bit surprising
being that he's
Naomi's brother and all.
Yeah. I mean, I guess so.
And bringing Jack here
has nothing to do with Foster
bringing his girlfriend home?
No, it doesn't.
I mean, Foster can
bring anybody he likes.
I don't care.
Some people might think
it's a little soon.
Right.
But it doesn't bother you.
Mm-mmm. No, not a bit.
It's OK if
you're still a little hurt.
That's not what this is about.
I brought Jack
'cause I like Jack.
- OK, I believe you.
- OK. Good.
But just know I'm on your side.
There's no side!
Yeah, but I'm your sister.
I'm always on your side.
Come on, Bri
OK.
Well, I better get
the kiddo and head home.
- I love you.
- I love you, too.
I'm happy you're here.
I miss you.
- Bye.
- Good night!
Ugh, Breonna caught me
talking to your sister
about our little arrangement.
Do you think she's on to us?
I don't know.
We can't afford
anymore slip-ups though,
so, can we just get
our stories straight?
If this thing goes south,
do I still get my website?
Focus.
You got anymore allergies
I need to know about?
None. You?
Nope, no allergies.
I should probably know
what you do for a living.
Uh, something with websites.
I work for Bravoso Media.
I'm a UX designer.
So yes, websites.
Websites. Let's go with that.
What's your favorite
thing you've ever written?
Probably the first essay
I've had published.
It was just in a small
literary magazine,
but I was really proud of it.
What's your favorite restaurant?
Girard's.
Girard's from the fake date?
Yes, Girard's from
the fake date.
So, how did you know that
oolong tea was my favorite?
'Cause you said so
at Naomi's rehearsal dinner.
It was after the meal, and
everyone was getting coffee,
and you asked the waiter
if they had tea,
and you got really excited
because they had
your favorite, oolong.
It's a little bit weird
that you know that.
It's not weird.
Well, maybe we'll survive
this Christmas after all.
Need any help?
Thanks.
I was downstairs
talking to your boyfriend.!
My boyfriend?
- Jack.
- Oh, right. Yeah.
Yeah.
Anyway, he seems
like a really nice man.
Mm-hmm.
Handsome, too.
Yes.
Seems like you guys
are pretty serious.
It does?
You brought him home
for Christmas.
I mean, yes, of course.
I brought him home.
Oh, this is pretty.
OK, look, I can't believe
that you didn't tell me
that you were seeing someone,
and then you bring Jack home.
You guys are really
good friends with Foster,
so I just I don't know.
Well, honey,
we just want you to be happy.
That's all.
I know.
And it seems like
Jack makes you happy.
Deliriously.
All right, then.
- Good night.
- Good night.
And don't stay up too late.
Finishing touches.
And Merry Christmas, Dad!
Morning, peanut.
Good morning!
Smells good, Daddy. Pancakes?
- You know it.
- Coffee in the pot.
Thank you.
Are you gonna wake up Jack?
Aw, let him sleep in.
Well, he's not gonna
want to miss breakfast.
- Ooh!
- Hey!
- What?
- Go wake him up!
Jack?
Hey.
Did you sleep
like that all night?
Yeah. I guess I did.
Are you OK?
Hmm? Yeah.
Good morning, by the way.
How are you?
I'm good, thank you.
We are all eating pancakes
in the kitchen
if you're interested.
Unless, of course,
you're allergic to those, too.
Are they gluten-free?
What?
No, they're normal pancakes.
Why didn't you say
anything last night?
Are you seriously gluten-free?
Mm, no, I love pancakes.
You're kind of grouchy
in the morning.
There you go, Jack.
Thank you.
Do you want some more, peanut?
- Do you even have to ask?
- That's my girl.
What time do you want
to go to the market, honey?
I'm figuring to leave
in about 10 minutes or so.
All right.
Gonna meet Rocky
and Foster there.
You two wanna tag along?
Tag along with Mr. Rocky
and Foster?
No, thanks.
Actually, I need the kids
to do me a favor.
- Can you?
- Yeah, of course.
Thanks, Jo Bear.
I have a package at
the post office I'm expecting.
- Can you pick it up for me?
- Yeah, we can do that.
Yeah, then you could show
Jack the town a little bit.
Give him a little tour.
I can't wait, Jo Bear.
Eat your pancakes.
Across the street is the
best po' boy shop in the city.
- And over here is like the 15th antique store.
- Ah.
And then right in here
is my favorite coffee shop.
I don't know if you're
into peppermint lattes,
but they are pretty good.
Um, I'm gonna need you
to put your arm
around me, please.
- What?
- Just do it. Be casual.
What are you doing? Stop!
What was that? That was casual?
I'm sorry. I improvised.
Well, warn a girl next time.
- No, it's fine.
- Hey, yeah.
I guess that's what
you were trying to avoid.
Uh-huh, yeah.
She's pretty, right?
Yeah, but has she ever built
a computer from scratch
out of only recycled materials?
Oh, hold on.
Oh, no!
Oh, the driver's gonna be late.
The package isn't gonna get
here for like another hour.
I guess we can go to the
market and we come back.
Yeah.
You know what, come with me.
I can't believe you grew up
with this in your backyard.
Oh, yeah. It's magical, right?
I used to go running
on this trail.
Yeah, it's nice,
but I gotta admit
I miss the snow
back home in Oregon.
Yeah, but does Oregon
have a Christmas smell?
Hmm?
Yeah, every year in December,
the farmers, uh,
they burn the sugar cane
after the harvest.
So these little flecks of ash
fall down from the sky
and it smells like
a really sweet campfire.
So you smell it,
and you know that Christmas
is right around the corner.
And ash literally
falls from the sky?
Yeah, it's like Pompeii.
- Oh!
- What?
Would that be a crocodile?
Um, we're not in Florida, so no.
There are no crocodiles.
Oh, OK.
- Yeah.
- Let's have a look.
I mean, it could be
an alligator.
Are you serious?
Pretty serious.
You're hilarious.
Would you look at him?
He's terrifying!
You gonna be OK?
You know,
when I tell people this story,
I'm going to say
I bravely rescued you
from a crocodile, right?
It's an alligator.
And then we can leave.
OK.
Hello.
Jack, my romantic
man, how's it going?
Good, good.
Wonderful!
How far along are you?
Ah, well, technically,
I haven't started writing yet.
What have you been doing?
I finished reading
Romance in the Valley.
That was awful.
Hello.
Hey, lady. Just
called to check in.
How's everything going?
Getting any better?
Yeah, so far so good.
How's my big flaky brother?
He's actually not bad.
It turns out the buffer
is working, so.
He's a pretty good distraction.
Nice distraction, huh?
Look, Devon, I'm sorry.
I've just been
a little distracted,
and to be honest,
that outline isn't helping any.
I'm just I'm not inspired.
Why don't you just
do some of the things
in the outline?
Like what?
Give me something
from the paper.
Uh flee from danger.
Dance under the stars.
Perfect! Find a date,
take her dancing
under the stars.
Yeah, I can't just find a date.
I'm in Louisiana with
my sister's best friend.
You're in Louisiana?
Yeah.
With a girl.
Uh-huh.
You can literally
live out the plot of this book.
Write what you know. Isn't
that what they always say?
Ah, you creative types
make my life so hard.
I really need to see
some pages soon.
Yep. All good. I'm on it.
- You ready?
- Yeah, you betcha.
Dust off Old St. Nick, there.
This is my favorite part.
A lollipop there,
and a lollipop there.
Aw man, it's just warms
the heart, don't it?
Ho-ho-ho!
Little bit more.
- Hey!
- That's good.
Hey!
Hey.
Hey.
Oh, Jolie!
Oh, Miss Meredith!
Hi, how are you?
I'm good.
Thank you, Jack.
- Good to see you.
- It's so good to see you!
And is this the handsome writer
that we've been gossiping
about all morning?
Um, this is Jack, my boyfriend.
My boyfriend Jack.
Oh, around these parts we hug.
Boyfriend Jack.
Yeah.
Nice to meet you, too.
Will you all come
see what we've done?
Yeah, it looks pretty.
Wait, so this is it?
Just this?
Yeah!
It's really nice, isn't it?
Yeah, yeah. For sure.
I mean, it kinda
looks like Christmas
just threw up all over
this quaint little market,
but it's, you know
You know, I know it's a lot,
but this is the fun part,
you know.
And this isn't even the point.
This is just
Definitely.
I mean, subtlety is overrated,
and, um, taste
is really subjective.
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, I guess.
Hey, let me show you
these ducks I saw earlier.
Don't listen to her.
The place looks incredible.
Your family's done
an awesome job.
Thank you.
Hey, Jolie?
Yes, sir.
You ready?
Uh-huh.
Luc, Breonna, it's time.
Daddy, I know
it is not Christmas yet,
but I have a surprise for you.
So, I have to give you your
Christmas present early, OK?
What?
This year,
for your Christmas present,
I worked with Mr. Rocky
and the city council
to create for you,
not only a brand-new
state-of-the-art website
for the Christmas Market
but an interactive app for all
the locals and tourists alike.
Man, check this out, Mr. Tim.
- Oh!
- Sweetheart!
OK, so if you look
at this on here,
you can find
your favorite vendors
and then you can pay for
merchandise and products,
and you can also find out what time
all your favorite bands are playing.
Oh, and you were in on this?
I never ruin a Christmas
secret there, T-Tim.
You know that, huh?
Here, here,
show him the brochure.
OK, so Mr. Rocky and I
have been publicizing
the website and the app,
and we already have doubled
the estimated number
of downloads.
So it looks like it's gonna
be the biggest year yet.
Jo-Jo, this is just
I don't believe it.
It's amazing. I really don't.
Oh, Merry Christmas, Daddy.
And congrats on 30 years
of the market!
Yeah.
- Thank you, buddy.
- Yeah.
Hey.
Hey.
I'm just getting
a jump on stuff.
Nice, right?
It's beautiful.
It's all Mom.
This one you?
Yeah.
Yeah, that's me,
and then here's Breonna.
Hey, what's the story
with this one?
Um, my mom had breast
cancer a few years ago.
Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know.
It's OK. It's fine.
She's a strong lady.
Is she OK now?
She's in remission, um,
but she's supposed
to get check-ups
which can be stressful.
Yeah. Sounds like a lot.
It is.
Anyway, I moved back home
when she got sick
and I don't know
if you remember,
but that's back when
I was living with Naomi,
and I just left and I came here
because I felt like
it's where I needed to be.
And then Foster was actually
my high school boyfriend,
and he was really
wonderful with my family
during the whole situation,
and so we got back together.
There's a lot of history there.
Yes. You could say that.
Yes. That's the past.
Hey, you don't want any
hot chocolate, do you?
Yeah, sounds nice.
Do you mind if I ask
why you two broke up?
Wow!
Uh, well, Foster thought
we wanted different things.
And I thought he was wrong.
You know, I thought it
was one of those things
that you say when you break up,
"Oh no, it's not you, it's me."
But now that a little bit
of time has passed,
I think he was probably right.
You know, it's possible
to really care about somebody
and not be compatible.
You still love him?
I don't know.
I hope not.
That's an honest answer.
Yeah. Pretty invasive question.
It's not lost on me that you
are a really good listener.
Oh, thanks.
It turns out that, um, you are
pretty interesting to listen to.
What's your story?
How much hot chocolate you got?
Tons!
Really, what's your deal,
Mr. Romance?
You have like lots of damsels
in distress that you've saved?
Uh, no.
Actually there's not a whole
lot to write home about.
I'm not buying it.
- No?
- Mm-mmm.
Wanna play some cards?
- Nice segue.
- Mm-hmm.
Yeah, I'll play you in cards.
Rummy.
When I win,
you'll tell me stories.
OK. And when I win
You won't.
Where's your mom at?
Speaking of moms,
what's your mom's story?
She seems she seems
You're gonna need some help.
Merry Christmas, everybody.
Thank you.
Hey, guys!
Santa!
Next.
Come on up. Merry Christmas.
Ho-ho-ho. Merry Christmas!
So, what can I bring you
for Christmas this year?
Uh, a doll.
A doll. Okey-dokey.
We have plenty of them
up at the North Pole,
don't you know.
Merry Christmas!
- OK.
- Next.
The shack up here
with all of the animals
is where we have
the gumbo cookoff.
Naturally.
And back there,
the pavilion is where
Tyler Hilton
is playing tomorrow.
What's that?
That's the jam booth.
The jam booth?
- Jolie!
- How you doin', Bud?
Why don't you play somethin'?
No, no, no.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Jolie, play something for us.
Yeah. All right.
I'll give you one.
- Can I borrow this?
- Yeah.
Thank you, sir. OK.
Count me in.
All right.
Get it, Jolie!
Ah
Hey, thanks!
Wow!
That's fun!
I'll see you guys around.
Have fun.
What was that?
That was nothing.
Well, I had zero idea
that you played the fiddle.
I don't play the fiddle,
but I did learn a thing or two
from my father as a child.
Well, that's just impressive.
Thank you, very much.
Speaking of impressive,
over there is the very famous
Christmas tree maze
invented by yours truly.
- Really?
- Mm-hmm.
The Christmas Market
used to just be shops
and arts and crafts over there,
but over the years,
we added fun stuff like this.
And it was your brainchild?
Sure was.
You feelin' adventurous?
Yeah.
Race ya!
This way. Hold on.
Ooh, left or right?
- I'm thinking right.
- Probably left.
Friendly wager?
Whoever gets out first wins?
You're on.
Hey, Jo.
Hi. Hey.
Hey.
Uh, um, I've just been
meaning to talk to you.
I, uh
I miss you.
Foster, you have a girlfriend.
Yeah, I, I know, I know.
I was just hoping we can
get some coffee if you're free.
Just, just coffee.
I just miss talkin' to you
every day, that's all.
All right, but that's what
happens when you break up.
You don't get to talk to
the person every day anymore.
Yeah, I know.
I was just hopin', I guess,
that there's a part of you
that just missed me,
just a little bit.
Come on. It's my treat.
Peppermint lattes.
Like old times.
But you have an Amy
and I have a Jack.
Come on, Jo-Jo.
Don't call me that. OK?
Wha
It took you long enough.
Huh, sorry. I got distracted.
That's all good.
I got you cider.
Mmm, that's hot. What?
I'm happy you're here.
Come on.
Well, Maxie's out like a light.
Really? It's early.
Maybe it's because
of all the cookies
that somebody was
sneaking to her earlier.
Ha ha.
Don't think we didn't notice.
It's Christmas!
Let her have the cookies.
Uh, it's tradition.
Can't mess with tradition.
OK. Well, she's crashed
now from all that sugar,
but when she wakes up
at 4:00 a.m.,
I am callin' her Memaw
to come hang out with her.
All right, all right!
Let the punishment
fit the crime.
So, what did you think
of the market today?
I thought it was great.
Yeah, the town has
a lot of cool history to it.
And you guys have a lot
of interesting traditions.
Yeah, the first Christmas
I spent with these guys,
I couldn't believe how many
traditions they have here.
Well, you brought
some of your own.
That's right.
We bake gingerbread houses now,
just like when he was a kid.
Every year.
And it was a great addition.
So, Jack,
does your family have
any Christmas traditions?
None quite as extensive,
uh, but we do play this fun game
every year, Christmas Fishbowl.
- Fishbowl?
- It's basically like charades
but with a few added challenges.
Oh, you wanna teach us?
Yeah, let's play!
Let's play it!
Yeah, we like games.
OK. Sure.
Great!
All right. Fishbowl.
We have three rounds.
First round is like catchphrase.
Second round is like charades,
and the third round,
you can only use one word
to describe
what's on the piece of paper.
And we'll reuse
all the same pieces of paper
for all three rounds.
Uh, we'll figure it out
as we play.
I'll go first, OK?
Got the timer?
Ready and go!
OK.
Um, all right.
I'm mean and green.
Grinch!
Yes, and now this happened
to a specific part of my body.
Well, uh, heart, heart!
The Grinch's small heart
grew three sizes that day.
Yes, yeah!
I already got one!
Good one!
- Uhh.
- Impressive.
All right.
I'm uh, Santa's helper.
- An elf.
- Yes, but I'm a recent thing
that families have
in their home.
- Uh, Elf on a Shelf.
- Yes!
- Time.
- Good work, Dad.
Nice!
Time, time, time.
Well. All right.
Luc's up.
OK. Kermit.
Oh, oh.
The Muppets, A Christmas Carol.
Yes! OK. All right.
Nice, nice!
Ohh.
Hey, he's cheating.
How did he get that? Huh?
OK, OK. Um
Uh, aortic?
What? Aortic?
Yeah.
Aortic?
15 seconds.
Aortic. Which ones we have left?
10 seconds.
Come on, come on.
Oh! And the Grinch's small
heart grew two sizes that day!
Oh, yes, yes!
I was gonna say Whoville,
but I thought you would think
it was the Cindy Lulu
thing from earlier.
No, that was a really good clue.
- It was?
- Yes!
OK. OK.
Ah, good one, good one.
Thank you for teaching us.
A great game, Jack. Great game.
- That was real fun.
- It was fun.
Come in.
Hi.
Hey.
I just wanna say good night.
Good night.
Thanks for doing this.
I really do appreciate it.
Of course. A deal's a deal.
OK. Good night.
I'm about to tell ya
the Cajun
Night Before Christmas.
"Twas the night before Christmas
and all through the house,
they don't let things pass
not even the mouse.
The children be nestled
good snug on the floor
and Momma passed a paper
through a crack in the door
their momma in the fireplace
there roasted up the ham
stirred up the gumbo
and made baked the yams"
Well, Jolie Bear, I believe
we've got everything covered.
Yeah.
Why don't you go get
yourself some fun, too, huh?
Where's Jack?
- He's with Momma.
- Mm-hmm.
You sure you don't
need anything else?
Oh, I'm sure.
You're, uh, officially relieved
of your volunteer duties.
It looks really pretty, Daddy.
Yeah.
Another year, another success.
Yeah.
So you grew up in Oregon.
Yep. Born and raised in Eugene.
Well, we know Naomi, of course,
but do you have other siblings?
No, just the two of us.
- So, you're the oldest.
- I am.
How long have your folks
been married?
Pardon me, ladies.
May I borrow the very handsome
writer for a moment?
You know, that nickname's
really starting to grow on me.
Now don't forget to give
us your parents' address.
Oh, right.
We want to personalize
some of our nicest
ornaments for them.
Oh, yes, ma'am.
Bye.
- Bye.
- Bye.
- See ya.
- How was that?
It was good. They just
asked all sorts of questions
about my job and family.
Yeah, they were grilling you.
Yeah, but with gifts.
The Southern way.
Hey, Merry Christmas.
Oh, Merry Christmas.
It's gonna be fun!
You're gonna love it.
I'm hungry.
Oh, why don't you take a break
and go get some gumbo?
Did you say it was vegan?
Oh, no, no.
I thought you were kidding.
No, it's it's definitely,
definitely not vegan.
I can't wait to get back home.
Joyeux Noel.
This year's Golden
Gumbo Pot goes to
Luc Doucette for the second
time in a row, don't ya know.
- Wow, Luc won!
- Yeah, he did.
Daddy taught him
the Guidry family recipe,
which is clearly a fan favorite.
You want some?
Yeah.
Thank you.
Can you handle spicy?
Ha! Can I handle spicy!
This doesn't look like much.
Oh! Oh, my God,
that's like lava.
You'll be OK.
Oh!
- Good job, Luc.
- Thank you very much.
You're not allowed
to drink milk with that.
You gotta keep the hot.
Hey, let me ask you something.
Shoot.
- When we get back to New York.
- Mm-hmm.
You know, after the holidays,
once everything's settled down.
Um
will you
will you, uh
will you teach me
how to make this gumbo?
Yeah, of course I will.
How's everybody doing?
This is the 30th year that we've
had this Christmas Market.
I'd like to bring out
the two people
responsible for this,
Tim Guidry, Rocky Broussard.
For your hard work and
dedication to our city,
I'd like for each of you
to receive a key to the city.
Thank you, Mayor Robideaux.
And we just wanna thank
our amazing volunteers, yeah,
and let's give them
a round of applause.
What you say?
Merci beaucoup!
Merci beaucoup!
All right, Dad!
I just want to take a moment
to thank my beautiful
wife and daughters
for all their hard work
on this market.
I love you.
So now, ladies and gentlemen,
I want to introduce our
special guest,
Tyler Hilton.
How you guys doin'?
You wanna do some dancin'?
Yeah!
One, two, three, four.
Well there's
one true nature
Then the fever gets ya
Don't ya eat that apple
'Cause ain't no pill
gonna save ya
Got my own desires
Got my demon way, now
I feel that tension fallin'
Somethin' goin' be breakin'
Get down
Yeah get down
Yeah get down
Yeah get down
Get down
Jolie?
Hey, Lilly!
So good to see you.
I know! I'm happy to be home.
Um, Jack,
this is my cousin Lilly.
Hey, Jack. Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you.
Have you seen
Foster's new girlfriend?
I have.
Oh! Is this your new boyfriend?
Well, uh
He should be.
- Oh, my God
- Stop it.
All right, how you guys doin'?
Man, thank you guys so much
for comin' out and
hangin' out with us.
I love Lafayette.
I wanna let you guys know
I've got a new record
called City on Fire out,
so go ahead and check it out.
We're gonna slow it
down for you guys
and do a little slow dancin'.
Grab a partner. Here we go.
One, two, three.
Blow out the candles
Throw out the wine
Callin' off Christmas baby
Until you're mine
I don't feel the spirit
I don't feel no cheer
Do you wanna go get
a drink or something?
No, come on. Dance with me.
Are you serious?
Yeah, I got a
reputation to uphold.
I'm Mr. Romance now.
Oh, OK.
Some days I wonder
Wonder why I'm blind
I'm really glad I'm here.
Me too.
And your family's
been great to me.
Well, they like you all right.
Even Breonna's come around.
Oh I don't feel no cheer
It's weird.
I feel like I've known
about you for a real long time,
but then I get here,
and I realize,
I didn't know
the first thing about you.
Same.
I'm sorry, by the way.
Why are you sorry?
I bailed on our date.
Oh, stop, Jack!
No, look
Jolie, I remember you
and Foster at the wedding.
You know, I'm not some
super successful guy.
I live in a five-story
walk-up with three roommates.
That's cool.
No, it's, it's not what
I'm getting at, it's like
I bailed, because
I felt like, you know,
maybe I wasn't
good enough for you.
You know, and now, we're here,
and I feel like I missed
a really amazing opportunity.
Maybe this is how it was
always supposed to go.
I hope so.
Oh it finally feel
like Christmas darling
Girl when you're here
Oh 'cause it
don't feel like Christmas
'Cause you're not here
All right.
Would you rather have Santa's
magical time abilities
Magical time abilities?
Yeah, how he can go around
the whole world in one night?
Oh, sure.
Or get to keep a reindeer?
I mean, it depends
on the reindeer.
- Really?
- No!
Magical time abilities.
I'm not going to take
some poor little reindeer
away from his family.
Yeah, it's a good answer.
Give me a tougher one.
OK.
Would you rather spend Christmas
with your best friend's brother
or with one of Santa's elves,
but not just any old elf?
The most handsome elf
in the entire workshop?
That guy?
Him!
Ooh.
Handsome's overrated.
My family is spying on us.
I think they're ready to go.
What?
Nothing.
We should, uh, we should
go catch up with them.
Oh, honey, are you
coming to bed?
I'll be in a minute, darlin'.
Let me get a couple
of boxes outta here.
Jack, give me a hand, will you?
Yes, sir.
Sweetheart, come
sit down for a second.
What is it?
There's something I want
to tell you. I wanna
So, you know that I've been
in remission for five years.
Yeah.
Dr. Lewis called and he said
that I am technically
and officially
cancer-free.
Really?
Like really?
- Really!
- Momma! Oh, my God!
This is like
the best present ever.
Merry Christmas, Momma.
Merry Christmas, sweet girl.
I can see that, uh,
you make Jolie very happy.
Thank you.
And I, I think you're pretty
brave comin' here.
See, um
Foster and Jolie
have a long history.
I like him very much.
But he's never looked
at her quite like you do.
She's special.
I have a feelin' that
well, you'll let her shine.
Thanks.
Hm.
Dance under the stars.
Hey.
You got my text.
I did.
What you got there?
A little something for you.
Did you make me a present?
I did.
What, are these pages
from your journal?
They are.
Good eye.
When you're rich and famous,
this will be worth
so much money.
Oh, yeah.
You're going to be able
to retire on that flower.
What did you want to talk about?
Just wanted to see
how you're doing.
How you thought
all of this was going.
Just checkin' in.
Just checkin' in, huh?
Yeah. I don't know.
How am I doin'?
Are you happy?
Yes. I'm really happy.
Good.
Yeah, me too.
Good.
When we get back home
How would you feel
about us trying this for real?
I would like to take you
out on a real date.
No contract.
Oh, yeah. I mean,
I could be into that.
- Yeah?
- Mm-hmm.
You're not gonna flake
out on me again, OK?
Mm-mmm.
'Mornin' sleepy head.
'Mornin'.
Well, you and Jolie
are two peas in a pod.
She's our night owl.
Yeah, that's me, too.
Did I hear my name?
Yes. Hi, Jo Bear.
Oh, looks good.
- It's almost 11.
- Yeah, I know.
Hi, Maxie.
Gingerbread house time now.
I know. I could smell it
from all the way upstairs.
- Hi.
- Hey.
Moment of truth.
Are you ready for this?
Yeah.
Ta-da!
Oh, you put the review
of my essay up.
Yeah, and I built it with Wix
so if you ever want
to change anything
or add more glowing reviews,
it's really simple.
I'll show you how.
Jolie, this is incredible.
Well, now
It's live.
- Really?
- Mm-hmm!
Hey, I'm going to go
for a run. You wanna go?
No. No, I don't
wanna go for a run.
I've actually got
some writing to do.
OK. Have fun.
All right.
I just feel like you were
lying to me the whole time.
No, I wasn't lying.
It's not true at all.
I think your parents hate me.
- They don't.
- They hate me!
No! Just look,
you don't have to leave, Amy.
You can stay. OK?
Where you gonna go?
You gonna go home? Don't.
Look, Amy Amy I'm sorry.
Look, just, listen to me.
Hey.
Hey. You OK?
What happened?
We uh
We broke up, and
she didn't wanna stay.
Oh, Foster, I'm really sorry.
That's
No, no. It's OK. I mean
I don't know what I was
thinkin' bringin' her here.
I we'd only been dating
for a little while,
and I just
I didn't wanna be
alone on Christmas.
I've really missed you, Jo-Jo,
and I brought Amy here
as a distraction, and
And now you're with, with Jack.
Well, I'm full disclosure,
I brought Jack here
for the same reason.
What?
Yeah, I mean, I wasn't
gonna bring anybody
until I found out that you were.
Really?
Yeah.
I mean, I'm, I'm not with Amy
and you're not really with
Jack. I mean, it should be
No, no, no.
Oh, come on.
I mean, you know we're
not good together, Foster.
You're right.
I'm really sorry about Amy.
Hey, I'm really sorry
I made you bring Jack.
Don't be.
I mean, maybe things turned out
this way for a reason, right?
Yeah.
I'll see you later.
- Yeah.
- Behave yourself.
Oh, no promises.
Hey, Daddy.
Hey. Just come back from a run?
Yes, sir. What you doin'?
Stop it.
Don't bend over.
Let me help you.
Well, sure, darlin'.
I do love havin' you home
for Christmas, peanut.
Well, I love bein'
home with you.
You know, uh, your mom
and I are very proud of you.
Honey, you're in a good place.
I can see that,
and the shine on your face
and contentment in your heart.
Every parent longs for that.
That brain of yours can
bring you a lot of success
and impressive accomplishments,
but, it's that heart you got
that's your greatest gift.
Well, thanks, Dad.
Ah, you get it from your momma.
Yeah, I get it from you, too.
Hello?
Hi.
Hi.
Why are we whispering?
I'm hiding out.
If Martin's Aunt Barb finds me,
she's gonna put me on the yams
then berate me for why
we don't have children yet.
OK, but why am I whispering?
I didn't say you
needed to whisper.
You just started whispering.
Oh, OK.
Hey. Merry Christmas.
- Merry Christmas.
- Naomi?
Listen, I can't talk long.
I'm just calling
for some updates.
- Give me the full details.
- Naomi?
Yeah, yeah. The Christmas
Market was really good.
Uh, your brother is
a pretty incredible dancer.
And Foster is Foster.
Did something happen?
Oh, he broke up
with his girlfriend.
- Oh, no way!
- Yes, way.
It has definitely been
different than I expected.
How so?
Well, would you be,
like, weirded-out at all
if your brother and I
Yeah?
Were maybe more than friends?
Oh, my gosh!
Baby, there you go.
I've been lookin'
for you everywhere.
Naomi?
Shoot! Martin just found me.
Listen, baby, I need backup.
My parents, they're harassing
me about having babies again.
Listen, I gotta go.
Okay. Well, I love you two.
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas,
and I want full details.
Yeah, sure.
Not full details,
because it's my brother.
- What?
- My God!
You're with my brother!
OK. Bye, Naomi.
This is Devon. Leave a message.
Hey, Devon, it's Jack.
Uh, listen, I'm not going to be
able to write this book for you.
Things have gotten
kind of complicated,
and it um, just doesn't
feel right anymore.
All right?
I will talk to you
after the holidays.
Merry Christmas.
Wow!
You look beautiful.
Thanks, Jack.
Come on.
Foster?
Foster!
Yeah, oh. All right. Sorry.
I mean, do you think
we have a chance
of maybe getting a bowl
game this year or what?
Yeah. Yeah, I, I, I don't know.
Hey, what do you guys
know about Jack?
He's Naomi's brother.
I don't know. He's a writer.
She said they hooked up
in New York.
Oh, she said that?
Yeah.
- OK. Bye.
- Bye.
Hi guys. How are you?
Excuse me.
- Hey, Jo-Jo. Jo-Jo.
- What?
Uh, sorry, Dan.
Can I talk to you for a second?
- Yeah.
- OK.
Hey, everybody.
You guys wanna play
a little Christmas song?
- Yeah.
- All right, all right.
Deck the halls
with boughs of holly
What's up?
I've been thinking a lot
about what you said earlier.
About us.
I think you're wrong.
And I want you
to stay here with me.
Foster, come on.
It's always been you and me.
No, it hasn't.
Troll the ancient
Christmas carol
I'll move to New York.
I think we owe it to ourselves
to give this another shot.
I mean, we're good together.
Fa-la-la-la-la la-la-la-la
What do you think?
What's my favorite tea?
Is this a test?
No, just answer the question.
All right. It's, uh
It's Chai. Right?
What?
Fa-la-la-la-la la-la-la-la
See the flowing bowl
before us
It's not Chai.
What, it's
I don't remember
your favorite tea
and now you think we're not
Foster, you don't listen to me.
You don't.
I'm with Jack now.
Yeah, but you only
brought Jack here
- to make me jealous.
- I did, at first.
But, it's different.
Look, I know you think
we're not right for each other,
but I can't help but think
that you're wrong about this.
I'm so sorry, but I really think
I have something
very special with him.
Yeah, but you and Jack
are in a fake relationship!
Come in.
Hi. Can I come in?
Yeah. Quite a car ride, huh?
You think?
I mean, I feel so stupid.
I'm sorry.!
I shouldn't have said
anything to Foster about you.
No, you don't have anything
to be sorry for.
No, now, it's super
uncomfortable.
Yeah, it is.
I don't wanna go back out there.
I mean, I don't know how
to spin this with my family.
Well, maybe
there's nothing to spin.
I like you, and
you like me, so
What is this?
Oh, just some work stuff.
"Dance under the stars.
Flee from danger together.
Teach a game.
Give her a flower.
First kiss in a special place."
Yeah, it's for this book
that I'm ghostwriting.
Just a lot of things the
characters are supposed to do.
But we did all these things.
Yeah, I mean, but most
of that is just a coincidence.
No.
No, you didn't stumble
on a flower.
You made that for me.
You made this happen.
OK, I'm realizing that
this sounds bad,
but I, it's not
what it looks like.
Is this
"make her fall in love"?
Yeah, but that's not about you.
So what is it?
Is it just like a checklist
that you're trying to get done
- while you're here?
- No.
Is this why you came here?
I feel really stupid.
Why? No, why do you feel stupid?
Like last night,
that was real to me.
Yeah, it was real to me, too.
No, just save it, all right?
Hey, Jolie,
would you just slow down?
You should stay
at my sister's house.
There's a flight out tomorrow.
Hey, Jolie
Oh, Jack, I don't want to talk.
Jo Bear, it's me.
Hi, baby. Breonna
told me what happened.
They're gonna take Jack up to
their house to stay the night.
Momma, I'm really sorry.
Oh, don't be sorry.
No, I lied to you,
and I ruined Christmas,
and I just
I don't even know
what I was thinking.
You didn't ruin anything,
and you were thinking
that you wanted to get away
from all that drama.
That backfired a little bit.
Yeah, it kinda did, didn't it?
I want you to listen
to your momma.
I know you.
I know your heart, Jolie.
This was just somethin'
you had to do.
And you don't have
to be sorry about anything.
I thought I could trust him.
Like he seemed really different.
Let me ask you a question,
if this wasn't supposed
to be anything serious,
why are you so upset?
I don't know.
Oh, sweetie.
- Hot chocolate?
- Hm?
Oh, thanks, Daddy.
Careful. Careful.
Thank you, sweetheart.
Ah!
Thanks for comin' by, Jack.
Yeah, of course.
You didn't have to.
Well, sulkin' around your house
until my flight leaves
didn't sound
especially productive.
Well, if it helps,
I've never seen Jolie
so happy as she was with you.
True that.
Thanks.
I wish I could have
explained myself better.
I, I quit this book
that I'm working on.
I swear that it was just a coincidence
some of these things happened.
I believe you.
And it's not so bad, you know,
if you have feelings for her.
Don't you?
I need her to know.
I might have a plan,
but I'm going
to need you guys' help.
Anything.
Your parents, too.
Hey, Mom?
We're gonna need your help.
- Shh
- Hey!
Where is everybody?
Sweetheart, I want you
to go right back upstairs,
get all cleaned up,
and put on that really
pretty red dress.
Your dad's gonna bring you.
Yeah.
Bring me where?
Dad?
Go!
Daddy, what are we doing here?
Jo-Jo.
You deserve to be happy.
To be with someone
who truly loves you
and cherishes you,
and listens to you.
So, hear him out, OK?
Hear who out?
Come on.
"Flee from danger.
So, we didn't really have to
flee from an alligator that day,
but listening to you speak
about your passion
for where you came from,
this is when I fell in love
with your home."
"Teach a skill or game.
Sharing my family's
traditions with yours,
and seeing the love and support
from the people who raised you
and made you the woman
you are today,
I fell in love
with your family."
"Dance under the stars.
When I held you in my arms
that night,
I knew I never
wanted to let you go."
"Give her a flower,
first kiss in a special place.
Jolie, I meant everything
I said to you.
And if getting romantic advice
from a Parker Hollowell novel
led me to fall in love with you,
well, I'd do it over
and over again."
"Profess love
in a passionate speech.
The last thing on my list
I have left to do,
if you'll let me.
I would have missed out on a lot
if my sister hadn't
drafted that contract.
I never would have gotten
to experience
a Guidry Christmas,
or hear you play the fiddle,
or try gumbo so hot
that I actually forgot
who I was for 10 minutes.
But more than anything,
I wouldn't have
gotten to know you.
You're all
the good things, Jolie.
And, I love you, and I know
that you asked me to leave,
- but I
- Jack.
I love you too.
Hey, listen,
I called my agent yesterday,
and I'm not writing that book.
Oh, stop it. You have to.
What?
You can say it
was based on a true story.
Come on.