"This is Chris in the Morning." "From where I'm sitting," "I got a great view of all the yuletide decorations going up all over town." "That's right." "Everywhere I turn my head, I see ebony birds roosting for the holidays." "You know, twinkling, colored lights are nice, and so are plastic Santas and reindeers and manger scenes." "But, tell you something, friends, nothing like the sight of a beautiful, black-as-pitch raven to get you in the Christmas spirit." "Oh, hey, that reminds me." "Congratulations to our own Marilyn Whirlwind, who's landed the part of the Princess Susitna in this year's raven pageant." "Break a wing, Marilyn." "Whoops!" "There stumbles Maggie O'Connell in her usual Christmas mode." "She gets a little accident-prone this time of year, so it's best for your own safety, keep a wide berth." "Hey, this one's for everybody out there." "I understand the suicide rate goes up dramatically around Christmastime." "Yeah, well, you know, it's a stressful time of the year for most people, Maurice." "Yeah." "The thing is, you go through the rest of the year fine." "You've got your friends, you've got your business, you're part of the community." "And then, round the middle of December, if you're alone, you start to feel like an outsider." "Well, you feel alienated." "Here, this is for you, top of your Christmas tree." "Thanks." "You know, it's the nature of a family holiday... to make a single man feel disenfranchised." "You're made to feel like a hungry vagrant with your nose pressed up against a window, staring at somebody else's dinner." "Maurice, there's some people here to see you." "People?" "What the hell do they want?" "Here, have a raven." "Thanks." "I'm Minnifield." "Hello." "I'm Yung Bong Joo." "This is my dad, Yung Duk Won." "And my grandmom, Yung Yong Ja." "We're very happy to meet you." "Likewise, I'm sure." " Who are you?" " He's my dad." " Yeah, I got that part." "And your son." " Hey, Ed." "Dave." " Hello, Dr. Fleischman." " Christmas tree, huh?" " Uh-huh." "Good choice." "Full base. tapering off nicely at the top." "You know, a lot of people go for the Douglas fir, but I'm a spruce man too." " Watch your end, Dave." " Okay." "What a smell." "You know, a Christmas tree is wonderful in and of itself, but it evokes so much." "It's images of snowmen, sleigh rides." " You want us to cut you one?" " Me?" " Uh-huh." " Guys, I'm Jewish." " So?" " Well, I mean, a Christmas tree's a major Christian symbol." "Next to the cross itself, you can't get anything that's more Christian than that." "You know what I mean?" "Traditionally, Jews try to avoid Christian symbols." "Oh, well, you know, Dave's an animist, and, uh," " he has a Christmas tree, right, Dave?" " Right." "Ah, yes." "But Dave wasn't raised by Herb and Nadine Fleischman." "Herb and Nadine Fleischman, who would rather be flayed alive... than allow so much as a candy cane, let alone a full-blown Christmas tree, into their home." " Coming through." " Not that I haven't fantasized about having a tree." " Watch it here." "Hold on." "Hold on." "Hey, Lou, you still owe me." "You know, as a kid, our kitchen window faced the living room of this Irish family, the McGoverns." "I used to watch them decorate their tree." "They'd string popcorn, drape tinsel." "Like a Hallmark card." "I mean, this lovely tableau." "Christmas music on the radio." "So warm." "So inviting." " Watch it." " Actually, you know, I've always liked Christmas." "It's a great holiday for a Jewish kid." " I mean, two weeks off from school and nothing expected of you." " Right here, Ed." "And it's true that I've enjoyed and even embraced other trappings of the holiday season." "The music, the gift-giving." "You don't have to be Republican to celebrate Lincoln's birthday." "So, when you think about it, I'm, uh, I'm probably splitting hairs in denying myself a tree, right?" " Right." " So, you want one?" "Huh." "Let me think about it." "Hey, Fleischman, I got your plaster bandages." "Oh, hey." "Easy." "You all right?" " Why do you put yourself through this?" "There's an easier way to get out of it." " Put myself through what?" " Come on." "Everyone knows you hate going home for Christmas." " So?" "So, don't break your neck." "Just tell your parents you're busy." "First of all, Fleischman, you know, my clumsiness is not part of a subconscious agenda." " And secondly, tell my parents I'm too busy?" " Yeah." "Fleischman, that is one of your more brainless ideas." "It's Christmas, Fleischman." "Christmas." "You're not too busy." " Aah!" " Hey, go easy on yourself." "I don't wanna have to use these on you." " You like the glasses?" " They're cool." "They're hand painted..." "from Czechoslovakia." "Look at the details." "You can see every feather." "They're really neat." "What's wrong, hon?" "I don't know, Holling." "You seem a little down." "I was watching this Christmas special on TV." "You know that really fat Italian singer..." " and this little boys' choir in this big ol' cathedral." " Yeah?" "Well, it was like I could smell the incense, you know?" "Like I was back at Our Lady of Refuge." "Christmas Eve, they always had a midnight Mass." "And just before 12:00, they used to turn off all the lights." "Then the organ would start to play, and the doors would open, and the choir would come down the aisles carrying candles." "Then the altar boys." "Then Father Perone." "They'd all be singing." "I love the ravens, Holling." "I really do." "But it just doesn't feel like... an old-fashioned, Charlie Brown Christmas." "Hi, Grandpa." "Everything checks out." "Letters, documents, blood tests." "I acknowledge he's my son." "I was very young in Korea." "I was 16." "I forged my father's signature so I could get in the Marine Corps." "I was a boy in a man's body." "I did some foolish things." "Never mind." "What do they want?" "Ask her what she wants." " Pork chops." " No." "Not to eat." "What do you want?" "How much do you want from me?" "Money." "Dinero." "Money." " No, no, no." "No." "No dollar." "No." "No dollar." "No, no, no." " Money, no." "No money." " No?" " No." "No, no dollar." " You don't want money?" " No dollar." "Then what are you doing here?" "What are they doing here?" " My dad just want to meet you." " That's it?" "That's all?" "You just wanna meet me?" " Yeah." " Okay." "How do?" "Pleased to meet you." "Excuse me, Grandpa." "Now, just so we understand each other," "I want you to know that I live up to my obligations." "But I also protect my interests." "If you intend to take me to court, bear in mind that I have a team of lawyers who will eat you for lunch." "That being said, enjoy your stay." "Kids look at holidays materialistically." "I always thought that Hanukkah was a better deal." "I mean, you get eight presents, right?" "They're staggered over a week." "You're forced to savor each one." "Careful, Bong." "With Christmas, you get everything all at once." "It's easy to overload." " Whoa, whoa, whoa!" " We got it." "We got it." "We got it." "There was only one year I envied my neighbor." "Tom McGovern." "He got this autographed Bobby Mercer baseball glove." "God, I loved that glove." "Whoa!" "Whoa!" "All right." "Whoa." "Okay." "Go ahead." "Boy, it's shedding all over the place." "Yep." "Trees'll do that." "You might put a sheet under it." "Where would you like this, Dr. Fleischman?" "Uh, well, over by the fireplace." " That's an appropriate place, right?" " Yeah." "Not too close though." "Okay." "All righty." " On three." "One, two, three." " All right." "Wow." "It's big." "Yeah." " It's immense." " Looks good." " Well, see you later, Dr. Fleischman." " Wait, wait." "Where are you going?" "Bong wants to check out the new sinkhole over by the Kinuk fault." " Yeah." " Hey, it's not going anywhere for a few millennia." " Stick around." "I got sodas and crackers, ice cream and..." " No, thanks, Dr Fleischman." "Wait a sec." "What about the tree?" "I mean, what do I do?" "Oh." "Decorate it." "Bye." "Uh, excuse me." "I'm afraid I owe you an apology." "Your dress got in the hamper." "I didn't see it." "Yeah." "It got in the wash with my cords." "They bleed a little bit." "No, I'll buy you another one." "No, no." "Now, these things cost a pretty penny, and I insist on buying you another one." "No." "Now, I insist." "All right." "That's settled." "Uh, ma'am?" "Gosh, how do I say this?" "Uh," "Clearly, we, you and I, had an intimate relationship." "But I don't remember you." "For the life of me, I can't remember a thing about you." "Don't be offended." "I had a lot of relationships with women in those days." "I was young, unattached, in a strange country." "Maybe you could jog my memory." "There was a place that I used to frequent in Seoul." "There was a gal who worked there named, um," " Kika." " Kika?" " Kija?" " Kija." " Kija?" " Yeah." "Yeah." "She was short and had black hair." " Kija." " Yeah." "Yeah." "She was a particular favorite of my friend Scooter Wilson." " Michael..." "Wilson." " Mike Wilson." "Yeah." "Yeah." "That's Scooter." "Now we're gettin' somewhere." "Are you Kija?" "Kija?" "No." "Ma'am, I didn't wanna say anything in front of the kids, but, if you have any hopes of renewing our relationship in any significant way, that's impossible." "A lot of water's gone under the bridge." "We've gone our separate ways." "Well, if you think about it in the cold light of day, rationally, you'll see that you'd be happier with someone of your own persuasion." "I'm glad we had this chat." "Straightened things out." "Okay, let me get something straight." "The fact that I have you in my living room is meaningless." "I'm not betraying anything." "You're a tree." "Flora, a plant, a nonsentient being." "That's all." "I mean, I know there are people who like to endow you with religious significance, but even at that you're really more of a cultural symbol... like, uh, the Easter bunny, Uncle Sam, Tony the Tiger." "You're something fun." "Something for everybody to enjoy." " Buddhists, Muslims, Rastafarians," " Fleischman?" " What?" "It's open." " I think I've hurt my ankle." " What happened?" " Oh, I slipped and fell off the porch." "Could you take a look at it?" " Yeah, sure." " Good." "Oh." "Watch it, O'Connell." "You're gonna wreck the furniture." " Sorry." " You're not just a menace to yourself." "You're a menace to others as well." " Sorry." " All righty, which one?" "This left one here." " Okay." "Easy, easy." " Nice tree." " What's that supposed to mean?" " Just that." "Nice tree." " Don't be coy with me, O'Connell." "Go ahead, say it." " What?" "I'm Jewish." "What am I doing with a Christmas tree?" "It's inappropriate, right?" "I should have a mezuzah, or menorah, both of which, by the way, I do have, and I display proudly for all the goyim to see." " But, God forbid, a Christmas tree." " Fleischman, what is your problem?" "I'm not the one with a problem." "I'm not the one who, every Christmas, indulges in an orgy of self-destruction." "Well, if you had to face what I face, you wouldn't want to go home either." "All right, I can take a X-ray, but I'm pretty sure this is just a sprain." " Now, tell me what could be so terrible." " My mother, for starters." "I mean, from the minute I walk in the door, it's, "When are you gonna get married?" "When am I gonna have grandchildren?"" "And my father who, of course, agrees with her, tells her to be quiet, and they just start fighting." "And my brother, the iceberg, who thinks any display of emotion is in poor taste, he just retreats to his room and fondles his old swim team trophies." "Well, there has to be something nice about going home." "I mean, sitting around a tree, opening presents." "Oh, the presents." "The presents are the worse part." "I get all these froufrou outfits that I wouldn't wear in a million years." "Come on, O'Connell." "These are your parents." "They raised you." "They love you." " They're doing the best they can do." " I know that." "I mean, of course I know that." "Don't you think I know that?" "That's what makes it so awful." "I'm a horrible, ungrateful child for even having such thoughts." "It's hopeless." "Tomorrow it'll be waiting at Ruth-Anne's." "A letter from my parents with a round-trip ticket." "I can't begin to describe to you the sense of dread I feel at the thought of opening that envelope." "There's no escape." " Oh!" " Stay off the ankle." " Good night, Fleischman." "Thanks for nothing." "Attention, Cicelians." "Only two shopping days left till Christmas." "Hey, I see the Minnifields out for a family stroll." "How nice." "Merry Christmas." "This just in from the Cicely Choral Society." "All members are requested to gather at Mel's Guns and Ammo 7:00 tonight for caroling." "Please remember to dress warm." "Also, a reminder to anybody attending tomorrow night's raven pageant." "You're welcome to take pictures, but, please, no flash equipment." "It's hazardous to the performers." "Okay." "Here's one for Maurice." " Mmm." "What smells so good, Ruth-Anne?" " Raven bread." " I make it every Christmas." "Try some." " Okay." "Mmm, pumpernickel." "I'll take a loaf." "Listen, I need some of these Christmas tree decorations." "Ornaments, tinsel, the usual." "Well, we have some raven lights, and, um, raven ornaments." "Do you have anything else, you know, besides Heckle and Jeckle?" " I mean, what do you put on your tree?" " I don't have a tree, Joel." " No?" " It pains me." "The very thought of chopping down a healthy, living thing and displaying it in my living room... until there's nothing left except a brittled, withered shell of its former self." " Well, what about the fake kind?" " To tell you the truth, Joel, I happen to be an atheist." " Huh, you're an atheist?" "No kidding." "I always admired atheists." "I think it takes a lot of faith." "I mean, you know, conviction to deny the existence of a supreme being." "Oh, I believe in a supreme being." "I just don't think that she takes human form." " Interesting, Ruth-Anne." " Okay, Ruth-Anne." "Let's get it over with." "Here's your letter, dear." " That's 11.95, Joel." " They're going to St. Thomas." "Let me take a look at that, O'Connell." ""We hope you forgive us,"" ""but the Morrisons offered us their time-share, and Daddy really needs the vacation."" ""Maybe we'll get together at Easter."" " Congratulations." " You don't have to go home now." " Yeah, O'Connell." "You can stop abusing yourself." " What's the matter?" " Oh, nothing." "I'm just, um..." " What?" " I don't know." "I'm just," " Surprised?" "Yes." "Well, no." "No, no." "I'm just so," " Relieved?" " Yes." "Relieved." "Relieved and," " Happy?" " Right." "I'm relieved and happy and surprised." "I mean, what a fantastic relief." "What a happy surprise." "I'm just so, so... so." " Excuse me." "Uh, could we turn that down?" " Sure." "Oh, no, no, no." "No, thank you." "No, I'm fine." "Oh, yeah." "Dad?" "Look, I don't have a clue here." " Bong, what's he saying?" " Dad say he's happy you're his dad." "Oh, well, that's fine." "What?" "Music." "Music." "Here is my gift for Baby Jesus." "Mm-mm-mm-mm." "Chris, are you planning on some kind of special service for Christmas this year?" "No." "Nothing special." "I mean," "I thought I'd have a post-raven question-and-answer with some of the pageant participants." " Hmm." " What?" "I was thinking of something a little more traditional." "Yeah, well, yeah, we could sing some Christmas songs, Holling." "Well, something more along the lines of a Mass." "Shelly's Catholic." "She misses her Christmas Mass." "Oh, yeah." "Well, you know, that's some serious codified ritual, Holling." " You know, that's way out of my league, man." " You know a little Latin, don't you?" "In vino veritas." "Tempus fugit." "That kind of stuff." "Oh, hey, I got a Latin copy of the Aeneid laying around somewhere." "You know, I could read Shelly a couple of lines from that." "No, I don't think that'd do it." "But thanks anyway, Chris." " Hi, Shelly." " Hey, Maggie." "Congratulations." "I heard you aren't going home." " Oh, yeah." "It's great." "It's an incredible relief." " Dave made eggnog." "Oh, wonderful." "You know, I really look forward to Christmas Eve... 'cause it'll be the first time in my life I get to spend it entirely alone." "There'll be nobody bothering me, placing demands on me, expectations." " It'll just be quiet and peaceful." " Holy." "Hmm, that's an interesting way of looking at it." "I mean, I don't have to deal with my mother or my brother." " Our Father..." " Oh, well, my father." "He's impossible at Christmas." "There's just no talking to him." "No..." " Communion." "Exactly." "You know, when my parents told me they weren't going to have Christmas, in a way that was the best gift they could have given me." "Maggie, uh, you've never met my parents before." "They're just in from Barrow." "Mom, Dad, this is Maggie O'Connell." "Oh, man." "Maurice, I tell you." "I hear those carolers, you know, all those human voices ascending up to heaven... in a harmonic pyramid of sound." "I get very zoned." "I get very light in my galoshes, you know?" "Does that happen to you?" " Uh-uh." " No?" " Hey, uh, where's the Kinder at?" " At the house." "At my house, which no longer feels like my house." "I had to get out and get some fresh air." "Hear some English." " Yeah, well." " You know, Chris, all my life I've dreamed of having a son." "A little towheaded tyke I could bounce on my knee," " teach to ride, hunt, fish." " Yeah, a little mini Maurice, right?" "Yeah, and what do I get?" "A middle-aged Chinaman." " I thought Duk Won's Korean." " It's all the same difference." "Well, Maurice, a lot to be said for having grown kids." "You know, they're out of the house." "You don't have to worry about car insurance, you know, tuition." "It's not the age, Chris." "I could handle that." "Hell, I can handle anything." "Physical impairment, low I.Q. I could handle that." "I could even handle if he was a bookworm." "I'd find some way to accept him." "But, if he was only," "White?" "Yeah." "White." "I understand this thing about you and your brother Bernard and your decision to be a person of color." "I even respect it." "Hell, everybody's got a right to make their own mistakes." "But this, this is my own flesh and blood." "This cuts a little close to the bone." "You know what I mean?" " It's the other." " Other what?" "Maurice, think of concentric circles." "The inner circle is ourselves, then the family, then the tribe, then the neighboring tribe, so on and so on." "The further you get away from the center, the more foreign things become." "The people in the outer circles, they become the "other"." " What's your point?" " Well, with sex, the other's good." "I mean, you were probably very attracted to Duk Won's mother way back when." "But, you take the other from the outer and make it part of the inner, sometimes it doesn't work out." "Chris, no matter how you explain this thing, it's a nightmare." "This man is my son." "I don't like the way he looks." "I don't like the way he talks." "I don't like what he eats." "Well, if it's any consolation, Maurice, you know, your feelings aren't instinctual." " No?" " No." "It's cultural." " Well, how the hell could that be a consolation?" " It's learned behavior." " So?" " So, you can unlearn it." "Hi, Marilyn." "On your way to rehearsal?" " Run-through." " You nervous?" "About performing in front of people?" " No." " You know, Marilyn, I'm familiar with parts of the New Testament." "I also know about the winter solstice tie-in." "Well, this might seem like a shocking display of ignorance, but I seem to be the only one in town who doesn't know." " I mean, what exactly is this thing with the raven?" " Thing?" "Well, I don't understand what it has to do with Christmas." "A long time ago, the raven looked down from the sky... and saw that the people of the world were living in darkness." "The ball of light was kept hidden by a selfish, old chief." "So, the raven turned himself into a spruce needle... and floated on the river where the chief's daughter came for water." "She drank the spruce needle." "She became pregnant and gave birth to a boy, which was the raven in disguise." "The baby cried and cried until the chief gave him the ball of light to play with." "As soon as he had the light, the raven turned back into himself and carried the light into the sky." "From then on, we no longer lived in darkness." "Wow, that's a great story." " Hello, Dad." " Maurice." " Hi, Grandpop." "Yeah." "Uh, I just came in for some coffee." " Uh, no, No." "No tea." "Thank you." "Uh, no, no." "I'll just," "Would you tell her that I've got some desk work that I've got to clean up." " So, I'll just take this and go in there." "Um, Grandpop?" "Dad wants to know if you'd like to go on a hike with him." " Hike?" " Up the mountains." " Oh, uh, yeah." "Yeah." "I'd like to take a hike, but I don't think I'm gonna have time today." " Excuse me." "It's open." " Grandma wants to talk to you." " Grandmom say you're not happy." " No, no." "I'm just," " She said let her finish." " All right." "All these years, Grandma was afraid to tell you that you had a son." "She knew it would be a big shock." "Grandmom didn't want to come here." "But my daddy said it's time to meet his father." "It was a mistake." "She's sorry we came." ""Ghastly grim and ancient raven wandering from the nightly shore"" ""Tell me what thy lordly name is on the night's Plutonian shore."" ""Quoth the raven, 'Nevermore."" "Well, that's how Mr. Poe saw the raven." "You know, lots of references in Western literature do tend toward the negative." "Like most things in life, when it comes to transcendental symbols, one man's savior is another man's pair of lead boots." " Here you go." " Thank you." "You're very welcome." "Listen, Duk, your mom is upset with me." "There's probably some justification for it." "I mean, I sometimes give the impression that, uh," "I'm a little bit insensitive." "But I never meant to hurt her feelings." "I don't know how much of this is getting through the static, but I'm gonna be straight with you." "You are not the son that I bargained for." "Not by a long shot." "But, you are my progeny." "I am your father." " Father?" " Yeah." "Yeah, father." "So, I think we should make a good-faith effort to understand each other, get to know each other a little bit." "Uh, anyway, cheers." "You like sour mash, huh?" "Uh, Dave, bring Duk here another round." "Coming up." "Pretty good there." "So, uh, what do you, uh, what do you do?" " Do?" " Do." "You know, job?" "Work?" "Do for a living?" "Okay, look." "Truck driver?" "No." "Musician?" "How about barber?" "Haircut?" "Okay, look." "Me." "Me." "Astronaut." "Astronaut." " Yeah, yeah." "Right." " Astronaut." "Yeah, that's right." "Now, you." "Gisa." " Gisa." " Gisa." "No." "I don't understand." "Yeah, sure." "Uh-huh." "That's a diode." " A capacitor." " Capacitor." "Yeah." "Capacitor." " Yeah." "Let me see that." " Thank you." "A transistor." "This is a circuit." " Circuit." " Yeah, circuit." "Yeah." "You're an engineer." "Engineer." "Gisa." " An electrical engineer." " Hey." "Hey, guys." "He's an engineer." "You know, I know my way around a slide rule pretty well too." "That's all right." "An engineer, huh?" " Engineer." " Yeah." "Well, cheers." " Ch'ukpae." " Yeah." "Choopay?" " Ch'ukpae." " Choopay." "Yeah." "You're no, You're no wimp, are you?" "Strong too." "Yeah." "You, uh, you lift?" "Uh, pump iron." " Oh." "Yo key." " Yo key." " Yo key." " Yeah." "Arnold?" " "Ahnulda"?" " Arnold." "Movie." "Movie." "Arnold." "Oh, Arnold." "Yeah, Arnold." "Okay." " One." " Huh." " Two." " Two." " Three." "No, no." "It's fine." "Hey, that's not bad." "Now, wait here." "We're gonna do this right." "Huh?" "Huh?" "Is this great?" "I got some chestnuts." "I can put 'em in the oven." " What?" " Well, where are the lights?" " Right here." " Fleischman, you gotta put the lights on before the ornaments." "Aha!" "See, that's why I brought you here." "I needed an expert." " You're gonna have to take all the ornaments off." " Okay." "No problem." "We can do that." "See, what you do is you string the lights." "But test them first to see if they work." "Then you put the little ornaments at the top and you work your way down, and you put the heavier, bigger ornaments on the lower branches." "See?" "I'm enjoying this already." "And then, people put tinsel, but I usually don't." " Yeah, me neither." "It's," " Tacky." " My sentiments exactly." " Okay." "Well, look, Fleischman, you know, it's really easy decorating a Christmas tree." "It's common sense." " You don't need me." "So, um, I'll see you later." " Wait a minute." "Where are you going?" " Well, I have to get things organized." " Things?" "What things?" " Well, my taxes, for one." " Your taxes?" "O'Connell, it's Christmas Eve." "They're not due till April." "Come on." "I'm gonna string some popcorn." "Mull some wine." "I'm really not in the mood." ""I, 'said the cow, all white and red." "'I gave him my manger for his bed."" ""I gave him my hay to pillow his head."" ""I, 'said the cow, all white and red."" ""So every beast by some good spell in the stable dark was glad to tell..."" ""of the gift he gave Immanuel."" ""The gift he gave Immanuel."" "It's an old legend that on Christmas Eve at midnight, all the animals fall to their knees and speak, praising the newborn Jesus." "Back in the winter of '69, my dad was serving a short time for a D.U.I., and I don't know where my mom was." "Anyway, I was home alone Christmas Eve, and I stayed up extra kind of late to see if my dog Buddy would talk." "And he did." "I don't remember his exact words, but that's not important." "What matters is that a seven-year-old boy... experienced his own personal epiphany." "What's my point?" "Well, it's that Christmas reveals itself to us each in a personal way, be it secular or sacred." "Whatever Christmas is, and it's many things to many people, we all own a piece of it." "It's like, well, it's kind of like Santa's bag." "Inside there's a gift for everybody." "My Christmas wish for you tonight?" "May your dog talk." "Good night, Cicely." "Merry Christmas." " Dave, where's Holling?" " He said he had an errand to run." " Well, I'm gonna stop by church, so tell him I'll meet him at the pageant." " Okay." "Just a second." " Hey, O'Connell." " Hey, Fleischman." " What, you're not going to the raven pageant?" " Um..." "You know, I tried." "I really did." "I gave it my best shot." "It just didn't work." "Scratch the plum pudding, there's a matzo ball underneath." " I'm a Jew." "That's all there is to it." " What are you talking about?" "I have something that I think belongs to you." "Close your eyes." "Come on." "Just close 'em." "Step out here." "Oh, come on." "Come on." "Just close your eyes one sec." "One sec, that's all." "Hold on." "Hold on." "All righty." "One sec." "Keep 'em closed." "Open 'em." "Wow." "Merry Christmas, O'Connell." " Thanks, Fleischman." " Yeah." "Belongs here." "Excuse me." " I didn't mean to intrude." "Listen, uh, I just wanna tell you that you did a good job." "It couldn't have been easy without a husband, without a father figure." "But you should be very proud." "Duk Won, he's a fine man." " Yeah." "Yeah." "He's smart." "And strong." "Very, very strong." "Geonjang hada." ""Kunjong"," " Say that again." " Geonjang hada." "You geonjang hada." "Geonjang hada." "Geonjang hada." "That's "strong and big"." "Yeah." "That's what you used to call me." "I remember now." "You had beautiful, long hair." "It reached all the way to the small of your back." "And you were so petite that I could put my two hands around your waist." "And you loved maraschino cherries." " Yong Ja." " Yes." "So, how are you?" "A long time ago, the raven looked down from the sky... and saw that the people of the world were living in darkness." "The ball of light was kept hidden by a selfish, old chief." "So the raven turned himself into a spruce needle... and floated on the river where the chiefs daughter came for water." "She drank the spruce needle." "She became pregnant and gave birth to a boy, who was the raven in disguise." "The baby cried and cried... until the chief gave him the ball oflight to play with." "As soon as he had the light, the raven turned back into himself." "The raven carried the light into the sky." "From then on, we no longer lived in darkness."