"What's going on?" "Here we go." "Lookie, there you go." "What do we have here?" "Oh, my goodness." "Kneel next to Grandpa." "Oh, good." "Hey, boys." "Hey." "Hey, I could use some help here." "I'll do it." "Hey, hey, hey." "Come on over here." "Mark, that one's for you." "All right, you lick and stick, I'll keep writing." "This should look good." "Yeah." "Yeah." "Two, fou" "Look at these dishes." "Hey." "Hey." "Oh, hey, I could use your help." "I could use your help." "This way" " Oh, my, look at that." "That's spectacular." "Well done." "Want the big wing?" "Yeah." "Get right into this." "Thank you, Santa Cruz." "Good night." "You were really jamming, Grandma." "Well, that's high praise coming from you." "I was wicked, though, wasn't I?" "You were money." "Stephen, you're up next." "I wanna finish grading these papers so I can work on my novel." "Family tradition, Stephen." "And since it's my birthday and the Christmas season you can't say no." "Remember when Grandpa was acting out the word "jackass"..." "...when we were playing Guesstures" "Yes, I do." "And to this day, I don't think it was funny." "But I miss him." "Come on, honey." "You know I love your voice." "You don't sing for me anymore." "Sing "Up on the Housetop."" "Your dad sang that for you enough times." "Yeah, every year." "Play it so I can get over to Brittany's before she gets pissed." "Dude, you've been going out with her for a couple of weeks." "Chill." "Look, D-bag, at least I have a girl waiting for me not your secret stash of Girls Gone Wild." "I'll wait till Gramms leaves before I rip your face off." "Nobody's ripping anyone's face off or going to Brittany's, or anything else before...." "Dad, just play." "Okay, I'll play." "Erna, this is for you." "Erna, how I love you How I love you" "My dear young Erna" "You mean the world to me" "That's all I got." "Oh, you don't have to hide it from me." "I've already had five." "Why does my willpower disappear during the holidays?" "I was doing so well." "No mere mortal can resist your special thumbprint cookies." "I look forward to them all year." "You're right." "I'm giving myself a holiday pass." "Are you sure I can't help you with this mess?" "No." "No, no, no, I'm good." "You look tired." "Why don't I just...?" "Mom." "Bye-bye." "I'll be at the shop by 9." "I'm so glad that Bolivian yarn that you love so much came in." "I didn't think it would be here in time for the holiday rush." "Hey, did your mom finally" "Oh, you found your coat." "Yes, I did, thank you." "You're going so soon, Erna?" "Oh, you." "Here, let me help you with that." "Now practice your singing, Stephen." "Christmas is almost here." "Night, you two." "Good night." "Happy birthday." "You are terrible." "But you can't resist me." "Do you think she had a good time?" "How could she not?" "You're the perfect hostess." "Tell me why the perfect hostess lost her mind and promised her son that he could have a party here for his band friends?" "What's this?" "You know, I was gonna talk to you about that later." "A pipe burst at the Ziffs' house so they asked if we could host the English Department party." "I was stuck." "Stephen, you know how swamped I am down at the shop since our biggest competitor closed." "You know how happy I am that it's successful." "Honey, I'm so far behind with Christmas already and to try to fit in a department party...." "l know it's a hectic time of year but you always pull it together." "You think?" "l know." "I can't believe it's our last Christmas before the boys go off to college." "I want it to be really special." "It will be." "Nobody does Christmas like you." "Oh, get a room." "The Niners are up seven-zip, Dad." "How much time's left in the quarter?" "A couple of minutes." "The defense is shutting them down." "Did I tell you I needed cookies for the football banquet?" "No, you didn't." "Niners need this game." "I'm gonna be over at Sharon's." "Don't worry about the mess." "I'll get it later." "Hey, Joy." "Hi." "What's Stephen up to?" "He and Jeremy are watching some game." "Why don't you go join them?" "Yes, please." "Maybe I will." "I'll see you later." "You said you were gonna cut back this season." "I've catered these Christmas parties for five years." "You need to learn how to say no." "Thank you for the advice, Mrs. Pot." "Cookies and wine, Mrs. Kettle, the perfect combination." "I wish you would give me this recipe." "No way." "Family secret." "So you really have no help with any of this?" "From where, exactly?" "And I broke a nail." "Oh, hazard of catering?" "No, I was playing football with Ryan." "Jeremy talked me into playing basketball." "I couldn't walk the next day." "I guess we should feel lucky at this age that they're even talking to us, right?" "Yeah." "Hey, what's going on?" "It's that it's the boys' last Christmas at home before they go to college and there's still so much to do." "Stephen just sprang on me that we're hosting the faculty holiday party on Christmas Eve." "I can understand why you're upset." "I mean, that is a lot of people." "If Keith did that to me at this time of year, I'd kill him." "Yeah, well, you know me, I'm usually so on top of things." "But I'm nowhere near where l usually am at this point." "You love this time of year and you are the most organized person I know." "Yeah." "I just make my list." "You just get her done." "Yeah, for sure." "My house, on the 23rd." "Sweet." "Yeah, this party's gonna rock." "All right." "Later." "Mom, you're gonna talk to the neighbors let them know it might get loud when we start jamming at my party?" "Mark, I just cleaned." "l know, the house looks great." "Yeah, it did." "Why does no one in this house ever use that invention called "the dish"?" "You're funny, Mom." "Wait." "Wait." "I need you to go get the decorations from the garage." "Mom, we love Christmas and all the things you do but don't you think we're getting old for...?" "Or not." "Just don't forget to talk to the neighbors." "Well, you don't forget to be on time." "We're getting the tree at 7:00, sharp." "Dad, haven't you heard of that wonderful invention, the dish?" "Go to school." "Honey, do you have your reminder?" "Oh, I had it somewhere." "That's not funny." "There's still a lot to do especially now with your department party to plan." "Oh, by the way Keith thinks we should invite the graduate assistants." "How many more people is that?" "Well, with significant others, 1 2." "Twelve more?" "With the 40 we already have I'm gonna have to borrow more glasses and cutlery" "Where's Jeremy?" "He's gonna be late." "He's outside. I'll corral him." "All right, I'll see you later." "And please don't be late." "We've postponed getting the tree three times." "Okay." "It's just there's not that much time left." "Three, 95." "Hut, hut!" "Nice defense, Mrs. Robertson." "That was solid." "But it's better if you don't scream at the receiver." "Now do one of you two Tim Bradys wanna help me pick this stuff up?" "Oh, yeah." "I thought the season was over anyway." "Fortunately, it's never over." "lt's never over." "And it's also basketball season." "You're gonna be playing in some college next year." "I know. I can't wait." "Maybe we'll hear from Chapman." "Your dad would love you to play in state." "Maybe. I'm still waiting to hear from that Bowdoin coach." "What's this?" "lt's nothing." "lt's cute." "Shut up, dude." "Okay, okay, all right." "Don't forget to buy the new Christmas lights." "Ours are all worn out." "And be home by 7." "When are we eating?" "After we get back with the tree." "After?" "Mom, I will die of starvation by then." "Okay." "I'll get stuff to make a casserole." "You can heat it up when you get back from school." "Now go to school." "And don't forget to tidy up the family room." "One, two, three, four, no one should be working for." "One, two, three, four, no one should be working for." "One, two, three, four, no one should be working for." "What do we want?" "Fairness!" "When do we want it?" "Now!" "and she'll ring you up." "Honey, we don't have to finish all this restocking today." "Oh, no, I like doing it." "I'm excited that the shop is doing well." "I want this all done for the open house tomorrow." "With all the passion you've put into this place you deserve this success." "I have to send Stephen and the boys a reminder." "Hi, ladies." "Hey, did that bamboo yarn that I ordered come in?" "We've got it right here behind the counter, Sharon." "I have to make it to the grocery store so I can finish off a job." "Oh, you can't go to the Market Place." "They're on strike." "I was there this morning, I had to leave and go to The Pantry." "What, you left?" "The store's still open, right?" "I'm not gonna cross a picket line." "That's a gutsy thing for these workers to do." "Especially during the holidays." "Well, okay, then, Norma Rae." "Thanks." "Are the ladies still dropping by tomorrow afternoon?" "Well, I hope so." "This place should be jumping." "Okay." "Bye." "See you then." "Thank you." "Go, go, go." "Fires it over the middle, it's complete to Mason...." "Cuts to the left, and at the 30 he's knocked out of bounds." "What's this?" "Oh, yeah." "Mom said she was gonna leave us some bites." "Smells good." "We'll eat it later." "Hey." "Thanks." "Of all the times for the server to go down...." "You can't get an extension from your editor?" "I already got one. I gotta e-mail him or I'm gonna miss the deadline." "I just can't stop tweaking." "Where's the it guy?" "I don't know why you write fiction." "You should come back to the dry academic stuff." "It's a lot less stressful." "Believe me, I'm tempted." "These deadlines are killing me." "Go home, e-mail it from there." "You know what?" "That's a good idea." "I think...." "Yeah, I should have just enough time." "Then, come over for a beer." "Oh, can't tonight." "We gotta go get the Christmas tree." "Mark?" "Jeremy?" "How long has this been out?" "Thank God you're home." "How do you reset the wireless air port?" "It's offline." "I need to e-mail my revisions before the deadline." "Why don't you ask one of the boys?" "Mom, I saw you drive up." "I forgot to have you sign the consent form for the basketball trip." "I won't be able to play in the tournament." "Well, you could have asked your dad." "Mom!" "I've got a date with Brittany tonight." "Have you seen my blue shirt?" "lt's in the laundry." "The wireless?" "Mom!" "Mom!" "Mom!" "Mom!" "Okay, enough." "Everybody, calm down." "I gotta hurry." "I'll steam your blue shirt, it should be fine for tonight." "Okay, I'll finish getting ready." "Wireless gets knocked out if there's a power surge." "Joy." "Just disconnect it for one minute, it will reset." "Okay." "Oh, I've gotta head back to work to finish grading the finals." "What about the tree?" "l can't tonight, honey." "Sorry." "The decorations?" "This mess...." "Thanks." "Good night." "Merry Christmas." "Merry Christmas." "Hey, hey, merry Christmas, Mrs. Robertson." "Merry Christmas." "Do you need any help?" "No, not yet, thank you." "Okay." "Where's the family this year?" "Yes, that is a very good question, Mr. Gregory." "Okay, well, if you need anything, you let me know, okay?" "Okay." "Thanks." "You're welcome." "Market Place is unfair." "Yeah." "We want fair pay." "Where did all the money go?" "Market Place is unfair." "We want our benefits back." "Fair wages and benefits." "Fairness." "Fair pay." "Market Place is unfair." "Fair wages." "Thanks for helping me." "Oh, I'm glad to." "But I thought you always went with the whole family to get the tree." "Yeah, well none of them were available." "Why not?" "Oh, girls, basketball, and publishing deadlines." "You shouldn't have gone by yourself." "If I don't do it, it doesn't get done." "What?" "No, it's just that tomorrow is the Knittery's holiday open house and I still have to make muffins." "Well, don't make them." "But it's the holidays and everybody likes having homemade stuff during the holidays." "Yeah." "I don't know if I can make Christmas happen if I don't get some help soon." "What was the score on the Warriors game?" "They upset the Celtics 98-9 7." "Curry hit a three with two seconds left." "Nice." "What are you doing?" "What's the matter?" "Don't you dare." "Chill, Mom." "You ate almost all of these." "There's still some for you." "Didn't you see the note that I put on them?" "What note?" "This note." "We must've missed it." "lt's not funny." "I was up all night baking these for the open house and now I have to go buy them." "I'm still mad at you for blowing me off getting the tree last night." "I had to do that all by myself." "We'll make it up to you today, won't we, guys?" "We will?" "l bend over backwards to make Christmas and everything else for that matter nice for this family." "And none of you seem to care." "I don't think you appreciate how much work goes into this time of year." "You just take it for granted that it will all get done." "Haven't you even noticed how far behind we are?" "Okay, look, all I'm asking for is you guys to help me out a bit, okay?" "So Christmas can be nice." "Sure, honey, whatever you need." "You're right, Mom." "Our bad." "Thanks." "If you'll get the Christmas card address list and staff gift list together...." "Absolutely." "And if you'll go get some new Christmas lights and if you get the decorations for the outside and the tree ornaments out of the garage...." "You got it." "Then we'll decorate it like we used to." "You can count on us, hon." "Good, because I need you guys." "Family hug." "Okay." "Okay, I gotta go. I have things to do." "Bye, Mom." "Bye." "See you, hon." "Bye." "Don't even think about it." "Market Place is unfair." "All we want is our fair share." "Market Place is unfair." "All we want is our fair share." "I knew it would be busy, but this is crazy." "Yeah." "How late did you guys stay up decorating last night?" "We haven't started." "Oh, look, some of the girls are here." "Mom, can you watch the register?" "Sure." "Thanks." "Hi, girls." "Hi." "So glad you could make it." "I look forward to coming here to escape from my brood for a while." "Especially this time of year." "Oh, but you love Christmas, Debbie." "Well, well, we all do." "But I'm with her." "After the week I've had I am so ready for a break." "Well, now you can relax." "This is beautiful." "Whose is it?" "It's mine. I'm making blankets for the boys to take to college." "That's right, they're seniors now." "I'm so jealous." "You'll finally have your house to yourself." "Hi, ladies." "Hi, Rosemary." "Hi." "l just had to get away for a little while." "We've got a reporter out on maternity leave and I'm running ragged picking up the slack." "So, Joy, you promised to show me how to do that beautiful butterfly stitch..." "...you were using the other day." "lt's easy." "That will add a lot of flair to your work." "I'm all for flair, honey." "That may be the understatement of the year." "That's the way we do it in Texas." "Hi, everyone." "Wow, I thought I was tired." "Thanks, Rosemary." "I didn't mean for it to come out that way." "That's okay." "It's hard when you have little ones, but they do grow up eventually." "How about husbands?" "Do they grow up too?" "I'm serious. I swear Glen truly believes that I am Santa Claus." "That's nice." "Thanks. I'm making eight of them." "Six down, two to go." "Christmas on a budget." "It's hard to come up with affordable gift ideas especially when you have to do your husband's shopping too." "Why do you do that?" "Make him shop for himself." "Believe me, I've tried." "Maybe you just need to try a new tactic." "Sometimes you just have to take a stand." "Did you read my article about the grocery store workers?" "You wrote an article on the strike?" "I missed it." "I'll e-mail you a copy of it." "Well, tactics or not, Christmas still has to get done." "True." "I'm no Scrooge but how's anyone supposed to get get all this holiday stuff done?" "If I didn't have these stolen moments with you guys I'd think I might just crack." "Sometimes it's just so overwhelming." "Yeah, it's not easy." "l know. I hear you." "Maybe you should all just do a little less this year and don't expect so much." "But I want this Christmas to be the best Christmas ever." "Mark." "Mark." "Mark!" "Hey, Mom." "Where are the decoration boxes?" "Sorry, Mom. I was super busy after school today." "I had to finish my thesis outline, I started writing a song." "I lost track of time. lt's super sick." "I think you're gonna love it." "I'll play it for you later when I get home." "No, we're doing the tree tonight and the outside decorations." "About that. I promised Brittany I would take her to the new Bourne movie." "You also kind of promised me that we'd do the tree." "Can I do it later?" "Heads up." "Are you two trying to make me insane?" "Nope, just heading to basketball practice." "Tonight?" "l gotta go, I'm gonna be late." "Peace out." "Coach wants us to learn the new D for the L.A. tournament." "The girls varsity team had the court earlier." "The tree kind of looks small, Mom." "If you'd been there, you could've chosen whatever tree you wanted." "Right." "See you later." "Wait, where's your father?" "He's at the university." "Didn't you see the note I left on the fridge?" "Hi, hon." "Hi, why are you still at work?" "We're doing the decorations." "Oh, I just had some finals to grade." "I thought those were due yesterday." "What's all that noise I hear?" "Look, Keith and some of our colleagues came by for a little celebration for the end of the semester." "Hi, Joy." "Did you at least take care of the list that I gave you?" "Oh, Stephen, how do you expect me to get everything done especially with your party coming up?" "Look, I'll do it tomorrow, hon." "Seriously, I promise." "Tomorrow is gonna be...." "Stephen, you've gotta hear this." "Honey, I'll be home as soon as I can." "I love you." "I love you too." "Joy?" "Joy." "Yeah, I'm down here." "Oh, what happened?" "Are you all right?" "Oh, yeah." "Oh, Lordy." "I just fell off the ladder." "This is dangerous." "I'm just trying to get the decorations up." "You know how I like to be the first on the block with their lights up?" "I'm last." "I have told you, you shouldn't be doing this stuff by yourself." "Yeah." "You're right." "This is ridiculous." "What am I doing?" "Do you have any paint?" "Paint?" "Yeah, I think so." "Why?" "And in local ClF playoff action:" "Boom!" "Down he goes." "That was a freaking awesome hit." "That guy got trucked." "l'm starved." "Where's Mom?" "l don't know." "Up next, number 3." "Watch this one-handed grab by the receiver...." "What's going on out there?" "Way to go, Joy!" "Mom, you can't be serious." "I'm definitely serious." "I'm officially on strike for Christmas." "Hon, what's the point?" "I tried to make the point yesterday, and you all ignored me." "You love Christmas but you take for granted that it gets done." "And it's not fair." "Okay, but isn't this strike thing taking it a little too far?" "How else am I to get your attention?" "You should want to pitch in and stop making me the nagging mom and wife." "Can't we have another chance?" "Sure." "Right after you meet my strike demands." "Which are?" "They're very simple." "One, appreciate all there is to do around here especially at Christmas time." "Two, acknowledge that you each need to do your fair share." "And three, do it, on your own, without any pestering." "Just do it." "Just do what?" "Just do Christmas this year." "Hon, we've all been busy." "And we're sorry." "Yeah." "That's not enough, I'm afraid." "Actions speak louder than words." "What about my Christmas party?" "And my holiday department party?" "I'm sure when you actually put some effort into it, you'll get it all done." "You don't think we can do this, do you?" "I'm quite certain that you can." "I wouldn't do this otherwise." "Excuse me." "Can't we start after my football banquet?" "It's the day after tomorrow." "What about my cookies?" "Sorry. I'm on strike." "Don't worry, we'll take care of the cookies." "Have you ever made a cookie?" "No." "Hey, hon, where's the recipe for your special thumbprint cookies?" "I'm on strike." "Don't worry, guys." "This is just one of your mother's moods." "Everything's gonna be fine." "Put in a little effort and it'll all blow over." "Hopefully before my faculty party." "Sure, Dad." "Should I go buy cookies tomorrow?" "No, you should have a little faith." "We'll find the recipe, we'll go to the store we'll get the ingredients." "I mean, how hard can it be?" "Where did you find this recipe?" "l found it online." "Why are there five chef hats?" "Because it's the best recipe." "It says "highest degree of difficulty."" "Okay, well, that doesn't matter." "All right, what's first?" "Okay, it says we have to preheat the oven to 350 and line the baking sheet with parchment paper." "Parchment paper?" "I didn't see that at the store." "It's probably to make sure that cookies don't stick." "Here we go, wax paper." "It's the same thing." "That's good." "All right." "Next." "It says we have to do the wet ingredients and separate the eggs." "Separate the eggs?" "What does that mean?" "Separate means keep the ingredients apart from the other ingredients." "Didn't you guys learn anything at school?" "It says we're gonna need the whites for one part and yolk for the other." "Okay, then." "You've seen Mom do this?" "No." "Just use your fingers." "Don't worry." "Okay." "All right, so get the...." "This?" "Yeah, use the spoon." "Just get the yellow out of there." "Yeah, yeah." "Just take the yolk out." "Just scoop it." "Okay." "Mark, help him." "Pick it up, you've just gotta scoop it, it's right there." "You got it!" "You got it!" "You got it!" "Nicely done, all star. I thought you were good with your hands." "Footballs and basketballs, yes." "Eggs, not so much." "Look, don't worry about it." "Ten-second rule." "Just don't tell Mom." "Okay." "All right." "Give me that." "You guys mix the wet ingredients, the eggs and the butter and I'll take care of the dry, the sugar, the salt and the flour." "Why are we using fake butter?" "Because it's healthier than real butter." "Let's go, boys." "We can do this." "All right, I'm ready to mix." "You know how to use that thing?" "Of course I know how to use it." "Plug it in." "All right." "I think there's a speed control, Dad." "All right." "Hey, I thought you were on strike." "I am at home but I'm not on strike against Christmas." "You think this'll actually work?" "lt has to." "I've been thinking that Keith and Ryan they just have had it too easy for too long." "It's no wonder I get so stressed out during the holidays." "Why should all of this rest on my shoulders?" "Absolutely." "They should be pitching in not just assume that you're gonna take care of everything." "And I agree, which is why I'm joining this strike." "Well, welcome aboard." "Thank you." "We just have to get their attention and then things will change for the better." "You'll see." "I didn't say add all the flour at once." "I'm not a mind reader." "Who knew you'd spaz and turn the mixer on too high, again, I might add?" "Your Mom is gonna be home right after the shop closes and we still haven't toasted our nuts." "Dad, don't ever say that again." "You're so weird." "To roll the cookies in after we dip them in egg whites you smart asses." "You got the wrong flour." "I don't know what gluten-free is." "It's healthier." "We're not gonna make cookies as good as Mom's." "They're gonna be better." "All right?" "You guys roll and dip, I'll take care of the nuts." "Then we get these suckers in the oven." "No." "Mom's gonna be shocked when she sees what we did." "Yes, she will." "You two are looking exceptionally perky today." "Yes, and I've been meaning to tell you." "I'm on strike." "Me too." "Strike?" "What kind of strike?" "Christmas strike." "I got tired of doing all holiday preparations by myself with no support from my family." "So I've left it all to Stephen, Mark and Jeremy." "The strike is the only way I could think of to get their attention." "It's the same at my house." "I thought maybe they would help if they saw that no one's doing it." "This sounds interesting." "It's downright ball" " Courageous." "Hey, I just came by for some of that Alpaca Marled yarn you guys have." "Came at a good time." "Joy and Sharon are on strike." "They are?" "So, what are your strike demands?" "Well, it's not all that different from the grocery-store workers." "It's about fairness." "Appreciate all there is to do, especially at Christmas time acknowledge that they need to help, and cooperate." "Doing their part in the true spirit of Christmas?" "Exactly." "Family helping each other." "Amen to that." "Pete must truly believe in Christmas fairies, because he doesn't lift a finger." "I'm lucky if I can get him to haul the tree into the house." "The kids are focused on what they're putting on Christmas gift lists." "Everything you guys are talking about needs to change in my house." "Glen thinks because I'm a stay-at-home I must have time to do all the decorating and cooking as if raising two children and taking care of a house weren't enough." "l hear you." "Not to mention taking the kids to see Santa Claus then you have to get their pictures made with Santa Claus put them on cards, take those cards and give them to people who don't even open those cards." "Who wants to do that?" "I think you ladies have something here." "Definitely do." "Count me in." "Do you think it'll work?" "Because I've never been much of a rabble-rouser." "Sometimes you just need to let them notice the injustice." "Then things will change." "This is the time for action." "l'm on strike too." "Ladies, this is just the beginning." "Our lives are gonna change." "We are gonna make Christmas fun again, instead of a burden." "For all women." "By the time our message gets out this whole town will be on strike for Christmas." "Yeah, it will." "Dad." "Dad." "Dad!" "What the...?" "What did you guys do?" "The fire extinguisher's in the closet." "We need to open the door and get rid of this smoke." "Dad, I think that wax paper was a bad idea." "And I think" "Hey!" "If you two want to live to see your next birthdays you'll get another cookie sheet, and start baking another batch now!" "Okay." "Whatever you say, Dad." "They don't look bad, actually." "We haven't even added the jam to the thumbprint." "Well, let's try one first." "Careful, they're hot." "Jeremy, stop, you're splashing water everywhere." "Dad, those cookies are foul." "I don't know what happened, I thought it would be so easy." "Clearly we need a plan B." "Yeah?" "And we've got 20 minutes to get this kitchen cleaned up." "This is Mom, she's on her way home." "Hey." "I've got an idea." "Hey, no snooping." "Was the shop busy today, Mom?" "How's Gramms?" "Yeah, it was busy, and since when do you two ask about the shop and Grandma?" "Just interested, I guess." "Yeah." "Why is your hair wet?" "Well, we finished with the cookies and we went out back and shot some hoops." "What happened to your hand, honey?" "Oh, Mark, he hacked me when I was driving down the lane." "I don't know what that means but it sure smells good in here." "How did the baking go?" "I'd love to try a cookie." "No previews." "You're gonna have to wait to try them at the banquet just like everyone else." "All right." "Wait, are you still on strike?" "We made the cookies." "Nice start." "She's not budging, Dad." "Who's gonna help me with my party?" "Gift shopping?" "The Christmas cards?" "Decorations?" "Guys, we just have to get through the football banquet and then we're gonna negotiate a truce." "So when do you think they'll get to the decorations?" "I hope soon." "l always like it when they're up." "Yeah." "Well, I for one am relishing the fact that I don't have so much to do." "l'm loving this strike so far." "Me too." "Oh, what's Rosemary doing here?" "She's here to interview me." "She wants to do an article about the strike." "Hey, you guys." "Hi." "l'm just gonna grab my stuff." "Okay." "This is a good idea." "I pitched it to my boss as a great human-interest story." "It'll be good for the women in town to see what we're doing." "And you can mention my support for the strike in your article." "Thank you. I'm gonna get quotes from Debbie and Laura too." "This strike's about to catch fire." "Should be heading out shortly." "So football's done Ryan's already obsessing about basketball season." "Yeah, Jeremy said he and Ryan were going to light it up." "So how do you like the cookies?" "These are actually delicious." "Yeah, you might not think so after you hear this." "I've been trying to get you all night." "I overheard Keith and Ryan talking before we left." "Jeremy found your secret recipe." "That's all right." "I wasn't really hiding it from them." "No, no, he found it and they gave it to Hansen's Bakery." "That's who made the cookies." "Hey, Mom." "Yeah?" "We've got to get going." "Last day of school tomorrow." "I've got a Spanish final." "Okay, Joy, we'll talk." "Good luck with that." "Good night, guys." "Good night." "So did you like the cookies, hon?" "Actually, I did." "They're amazing." "You guys did a fantastic job." "l knew you could do it." "Well." "Yeah." "So you found my recipe?" "I remembered where you kept it." "And the recipe was followed exactly." "You see what we can do when we put our minds together?" "We're pitching in and trying to meet your strike demands." "I see that." "Hey!" "Coats in the coat closet, or in your room." "I'm just gonna put it right back on tomorrow." "Jeremy...." "Remember...." "l'll be up in a bit." "Okay, hon." "Hello, Rosemary?" "Hi, it's Joy." "I'm sorry to call you so late." "I was just wondering if there was time to add something to that article for tomorrow." "Good." "Have you guys seen the newspaper today?" "It's not outside." "Jeremy must've grabbed it." "Hey, so, hon since we made a good-faith gesture with the cookies I was thinking that maybe we could you know, negotiate a truce to this strike?" "Yeah, Mom, we're really sorry and this cereal sucks." "We worked hard on those cookies." "You must've." "They certainly were delicious." "Have you guys seen this?" "How could we?" "You took it." "Anything interesting in the news today?" "I haven't finished it yet, but it's all about us." "Everything in that article is the truth including your little cookie scam." "How'd you find out?" "I know all, and see all." "You're one scary dude, Mom." "So did you even make any cookies?" "Yeah." "You kidding?" "Yeah." "They just tasted more like biological weapons." "Will you call off the strike now, please?" "Remember my strike demands?" "Yeah, they're in the article, in bold print." "Yeah, well, taking a family recipe and giving it to a bakery to make the cookies for you isn't exactly in the spirit of meeting those demands." "You know, I was so proud when I thought you had actually made those cookies." "Now, I know you were just trying to dupe me into ending the strike." "Have you actually read this article?" "Of course I have." ""My husband and sons need to learn that Christmas doesn't just magically appear and their selfish ways need to change."" "You said that?" "That's a little out of context." "That article makes us look bad, Mom." "And you told them about the cookies?" "She makes us look like idiots." "And that's my fault how exactly?" "In case you forgot, you betrayed me." "And now the whole town knows." "And I see you gave them a great picture to go with the article." "You're very handsome in that picture." "Honey, the way she wrote this article, we're marked men now." "And you should be after what you did." "Hey, you ready to head to work?" "Or are you busy displaying the arrogance and laziness of a man who doesn't appreciate his wife?" "You're quite the role model, Stephen." "Those weren't my exact words, Keith." "l've had calls from other professors." "I think you're in for quite a bit of razzing today." "Why are you spared?" "Isn't your wife on strike too?" "Yes, and I'm not happy about it." "But the article isn't about me." "You know, this isn't what I wanted." "My strike demands are right here." "They're simple." "Well, it may not be what you wanted, but it's what you got." "So I'm guessing you're not calling off the strike." "That's the loser from the article." "What a jerk." "Yeah." "Are you going now?" "Yeah." "Okay, I'll bring the book." "Yeah, nice article." "How can he show his face?" "Hey." "Hey." "Rosemary's article was great." "I loved her clever use of "Cookiegate."" "So underhanded by the guys, and a prize recipe too." "What are you doing here early?" "l wanted to get some stuff before my day got crazy." "What's going on?" "l don't know." "But let's go see." "l'll grab the door." "Mom, what is going on?" "Seems your strike demands have touched a chord in the women in this town." "The Christmas strike has generated quite a bit of interest." "I'm sure your article had something to do with that." "I realized after I read the article that the only way to truly make a difference is with numbers." "I need to teach my husband a lesson before it's too late and before he infects the kids with that lazy-ass attitude of his." "And in order to do that, we need to unite." "She posted a link to Rosemary's article online." "I did too and we created a page for it." "This strike is going viral." "You mean you are now organizing the Christmas strike, Laura?" "There's a little activist in me after all." "Look at these comments of support from women all over town." ""l'm with you 1 00 percent." "It's about time we took a stand." "Way to go, girls."" "It looks the whole community is behind your cause now, Joy." "Right, girls?" "We're tired of being undervalued and underappreciated." "Right?" "We're boycotting until our families cooperate and pitch in." "Right." "So do you have any comment, Joy?" "Yes." "Yes, I do. lt really means a lot that you all are here." "I realize that this strike isn't just about me." "It's about all of us." "And now that we are united the days of women making the holidays happen alone will soon be over and this strike will succeed." "So in the words of Gloria Steinem or somebody:" ""Solidarity now and solidarity forever."" "Yeah." "Strike." "Strike." "Strike." "Strike." "We're so screwed, Dad." "This is gonna be the worst Christmas ever." "You hear about the rally yesterday?" "Mom's got the whole town behind her now." "That's a lot of estrogen." "Jeremy, I get it." "I also get that my holiday party happens to be taking place in this house in two days and I have nothing prepared for it." "Not to mention that we have also done absolutely nothing for Christmas." "So yes, right now, we're screwed." "You seem stressed." "You think?" "Don't you have school?" "We're out for winter break, remember?" "Well, good, because we need to start getting ready for Christmas." "I thought your Mom was gonna cave, but that's not gonna happen now." "Maybe that's because she has a point." "Yes, she's got a point." "The holidays are a full-time job that she made look easy even when it wasn't. I get it." "She's thrown down the gauntlet with this newspaper article." "This is war now." "But we can do this." "Here's the list." "That's a lot of stuff." "Yes, it is." "We need to get started." "Where's your brother?" "Went to beg Brittany to help him with the party." "We need the tree up and the house decorated before my party." "We need to find a caterer fast." "We need to go gift shopping." "This close to Christmas?" "This place is a nightmare." "The women sneering and yelling." "Jackass." "And the guys?" "All pissed. I thought that guy Ted was your friend." "Santa told you to go-- -l heard what Santa said." "Let's go to the car." "I knew that picture of us was gonna be trouble." "It's all over the Internet." "Someone posted a video from Mom's shop." "Now we'll have to find somewhere else to shop." "Hey, Keith, don't go in there." "It's not safe." "I have to, thanks to you." "lsn't that Mom's friend, the reporter?" "Yes, it is." "Mr. Robertson?" "Hi." "Rosemary Channing, Joy's friend from the Herald." "I know who you are, Rosemary." "That's quite the hatchet job you did on us." "I'd like to interview you to get the male perspective on the Christmas strike." "I'm here talking to other men but I'd really like to talk to you." "How can I trust you're gonna be objective?" "Mr. Robertson, I'm a journalist." "I don't let my personal viewpoints interfere with my work." "Okay, I'll do it." "You will?" "Yeah." "Meet us at our house at 4:00." "Great." "Great, I'll see you then." "Thank you." "Sure you know what you're doing?" "Call your brother and tell him to meet us at the house." "We're gonna get our side of the story out there." "It's time to turn the tide on this strike." "Looks all right, Dad." "Thanks, Mark." "Where's Mom's angel ornament and the ornaments we made with her when we were little?" "Well, I couldn't find space for it, so I went for a simpler theme." "Did you find that gift-buying website?" "Mission accomplished." "Take care of Christmas cards?" "I downloaded the e-mails from the list and I sent them e-cards." "Good." "What did it say?" "I'm sure it's fine." "Get this place cleaned up." "That reporter's gonna be here." "Why do the interview?" "That reporter was wack." "Because it's time we took a stand and show that we're committed." "All right?" "We're not arrogant or lazy." "We can do this." "Our way." "So why are we doing another article on the Christmas strike?" "Evenhanded reporting." "That's good then, because I thought your last article sold us short." "I do believe men are capable of doing more to help out during the holidays." "And they should." "Who knew you were so enlightened?" "Hey, you know I was wondering do you wanna go to a concert with me on Christmas Eve?" "Was everything you said a ploy to get me to go on a date?" "I figured it couldn't hurt." "I should have known." "Yes, but will you go?" "Right on time." "Hi." "This is my photographer, Rick Daniels." "This is Mr. Robertson." "Nice to meet you." "You ready to give us your side of this story?" "Yes, I am." "Come right in." "Very good." "That's her." "God." "I can't remember the last time I went shopping for fun." "l mean, even after work." "Me either." "Oh, look, a new striker for the cause." "Good." "Yeah." "I don't think I remember this many men down here, ever." "Yeah, don't look too close, they don't look too happy." "Good." "Maybe they're starting to appreciate us more." "Look, that dress is beautiful." "Well, let's get in there, girl." "I was thinking I'd like to buy a dress for Stephen's faculty party." "Well, you should do it then." "Oh, you said this strike was gonna light a fire in town." "Feel the heat, honey." "On strike." "On strike." "Call off the strike?" "No." "No, I'm afraid not." "Please, Mom." "We need you." "Did you see the decorations outside?" "Jeremy and I forgot how much fun it was to put them up." "But we really missed you." "Jeremy tried to tell Dad to put our old ornaments the angel one you love, on the tree." "It still looks nice." "Hey, why don't you play me that song that you're writing?" "I'd love to Mom, but I can't." "Why not?" "Brittany won't help me with my Christmas party because she joined your strike." "I gotta go do all the stuff for the party." "I thought about canceling it but I figure it's one of the last Christmases all of my friends will be together." "I've played with those guys a lot of years." "Well, you'll stay in touch when you're at Oberlin." "Yeah, but it will never be the same." "I'll see you later, Mom." "Well, hello there." "I didn't expect to see you back here tonight." "What's wrong?" "Mom, I know that you don't agree with the strike, but...." "l never said that." "You're like me." "Or I'm like you." "Whatever." "You don't hide your feelings well and I can tell." "Anyway, I hope you understand that all the women who are on strike we just want our families to appreciate how hard we work for everything to be nice on the holidays." "And sometimes we just need some help from them." "You can understand that, right?" "Yes, I can." "I just want Christmas to be perfect for the boys like it was for us when Dad was alive." "It wasn't perfect then, honey." "Sure it was." "We were always so happy." "I can still hear Dad singing "Up on the Housetop."" "We were happy because we were always together at that time of year with family members and friends around." "But it certainly wasn't perfect." "Don't you remember the year that I burned the turkey to a crisp?" "Actually, I do remember that." "And the year that your father forgot to get me a present and wrote that silly poem on a paper towel to apologize?" "You loved that poem. I remember you cried when you read it." "And it hangs in my kitchen every Christmas." "Your father was definitely unique and I loved him for that." "Always will." "Remember, Joy, the holidays are not about the trappings." "And families evolve and change as we get older." "I've never been a big fan of change." "And that has been true ever since you were a little girl." "Don't most strikes end when they find a middle ground?" "Rosemary told me they settled the grocery strike.." "They did?" "How?" "Each side gave a little." "Try looking at it from your family's perspective." "And think about what it is that you really care about." "I love you, Mom." "I love you too." "And I am proud of you." "Hey, good morning." "Hi." "What was that for?" "Just thinking about something my mom said last night." "What's so interesting that you're reading?" "Nothing." "Wait." "Where were we?" "What?" "Hey, what is this?" "Why don't you want me to see it?" "is this what I think it is?" "Well, they wanted another perspective on the strike." "See?" "We didn't do such a bad job decorating the tree there." "You ordered gifts off some impersonal website?" "They guarantee delivery by Christmas." "It's not impersonal." "Mark said you fill out a checklist and the online shopper" "Ordered a prepackaged Christmas dinner?" "It's one of those services they offered." "It's gourmet." "We ordered those candied yams you love." "I love the ones my mother makes." "You called me "Yulezilla"?" "Well, that was actually her idea." "All I said was that sometimes you can be a little intense." "Somebody has to be intense with all these parties that you're throwing." "That you're throwing in my face." "Mark's party, faculty party." "We got the cookies for the banquet" "Honey, honey, look, I get it." "But you asked us to help, and now we're helping." "And it may not be exactly the way you would do it, but it is nice." "I mean, maybe you need to think about what it is you really want." "Hey, we just got your Christmas card." "We need to get the girls together." "You got our card?" "Can I see it?" "Sure. it's over here on my computer." "On your computer?" "Mark's song." "It's kind of fun, huh?" "Can you play that again?" "So why do you wanna get the girls together?" "Hey, guys. I think this strike is getting out of hand." "I could have killed my editor when I saw that "Yulezilla" reference that he added to my article." ""Sound bites sell papers," he says." "You know, Stephen never said that." "It's chaos at my house, but that doesn't ruffle my feathers as long as my husband gives me respect..." "...and cooperation in the process." "Exactly." "lsn't that what this strike was about?" "ls it worth it?" "Glen's helping but it seems all we do is argue anymore." "I want the strike to succeed, but I don't wanna ruin Christmas." "No, no one does." "So I was thinking" "All right ladies, look." "There is a galvanized community of women who are depending on us now." "When the going gets tough, we have to raise the stakes." "What if--?" "l completely agree..." "...but how do we do that?" "l know how." "We use a different kind of media that will reach a wider audience." "Great idea." "Keep the pressure on." "Exactly." "What type of media?" "Bigger." "Internet." "Open house. I could cater it." "And I have a friend at Channel Eight." "Mom barely said a word when she got home." "She's usually so happy this time of year." "It kind of sucks to see her this way." "Well, I'm not feeling so chipper myself." "The tree doesn't look so bad." "It's not how Mom would've done it" "Mark!" "Please, enough. I get it." "I'm gonna go down to the office and work." "Okay, Dad." "Merry Christmas to you too." "Not the same night." "Mom, it's official." "I just got the notice online." "I'm in early decision, and the coach is holding a spot for me." "I'm gonna play D-3 ball at Bowdoin." "This is so freaking awesome." "Oh, gosh, honey, I'm so proud of you." "l can't wait to tell Dad." "I'm gonna go tell Ryan now." "This is gonna be the best Christmas ever!" "I had a feeling you'd call." "I just heard." "I'm so happy for him, I really am." "It's just that Bowdoin is so far away." "I was hoping he would get a scholarship closer." "With Mark going to Oberlin I was thinking maybe even Chapman, so one of them could...." "Oh, baby." "He said this is gonna be the best Christmas ever." "Jeremy's really happy." "Yeah, he deserves to be." "Yes, he does." "But it's sure gonna be empty around here when he and Mark leave." "I just hope between girls and music that Mark actually finds time to make it to college." "Yeah, our son, the rocker heartthrob." "Yeah." "So how are party preparations going?" "Not bad, actually." "Who's cooking?" "Not you, I hope." "No." "No." "Yeah, I found a caterer." "Good." "Yeah." "Yeah." "All right, well, good night." "Good night." "All right." "Well, just please hurry." "Thank you." "Dad, did you see the e-mail I forwarded you?" "What?" "Gifts have been delayed until after Christmas." "What?" "I can't deal with that now." "The caterers are late. I've gotta get this wine out." "Mark, what is that stuff?" "Wow, Mom." "You look amazing." "Thank you, honey." "Mark, whatever that is, put that stuff away." "The party's about to start." "I know it is." "Oh, the galleys for your new book." "Yeah. I promised the department they'd get the first copies." "But after you, of course." "I'm sure it's wonderful." "Always is." "Oh, Stephen." "Oh, there's the caterers." "Hi." "Hi." "Come in, come in." "Thank God you're here." "Oh, it's down the hall on the left." "You're using these caterers?" "They're Sharon's biggest competitor." "What was I to do?" "I had to hire somebody." "Your chairman's here." "Hey, hey, Betty." "Hi." "Welcome." "Raymond, good to see you." "Stephen." "Come on in." "Oh, it's so lovely." "We're still kind of getting set up here, but...." "Very Christmassy." "Hello." "Hey, Grandma." "Didn't know you'd be here for my party." "You didn't have to dress up." "Your party?" "I thought that was last night." "Some guys had a gig, so we moved it to tonight." "Mind helping me get ready?" "They're going to be here any minute." "But your dad's faculty party is right now." "I need to speak to you." "There's food right there." "There's something that you need to know." "What are they doing here?" "Mrs." "Johnson." "Hi." "Hi, dudes." "Hey." "Who are all these people?" "Mark." "Hey, what's going on?" "lt's my party, Dad." "Tonight?" "Yeah." "What's the team doing here?" "You know them all." "I figured you had all the food...." "You didn't think to ask if I minded if you crashed my party?" "Cool your jets. lt's not a big deal." "It is a big deal." "You didn't think to tell me you're having your party on the same night I'm having my party?" "I put it on the calendar on the fridge." "All you had to do was check." "That fridge is so covered up, I couldn't find my mother..." "...if she was pinned on it." "Funny, Dad." "lt's not funny." "l knew when I first heard about it this Christmas strike was going to be trouble." "Trouble?" "is that what you think this is?" "You're lucky l even came with you to this party." "You've had it easy so far I'm about to drop the strike hammer on you, Raymond." "Excuse me." "But sweetie...." "Excuse me." "Stephen, sorry, we'll have to be going." "Honey, honey, let me handle this." "Raymond, Betty." "Betty." "It's so nice to have you here, really." "Come on in here, please." "We're having an issue with our sons." "But you know what it's like with teenage boys, right?" "Of course." "Have a nice drink." "Hello, everyone." "You know each other." "Hey, that's not for you." "Give me that." "Just hold on one second." "Hey, party's in the other room." "Excuse me for one moment." "Mark, in the family room." "We're going to the family room." "l've got this." "Thanks, Mom." "Sorry, bro." "head to the family room, okay." "Meet you in there." "Donald, family room, okay?" "Right through here." "Hi." "Come on in." "Plate, plate, plate!" "Okay, okay." "Mom, we got it." "We got this, okay?" "Let's go, bro." "Yeah." "Okay." "Merry Christmas." "Right in there." "Merry Christmas." "This isn't our party, we're in here." "Come on." "Sorry about that." "Yeah, you know how kids are." "And the food's in the dining room." "Hello." "Yeah." "Thank you so much." "Okay, you guys have fun but keep it down to a dull roar, okay?" "is that all?" "The galleys of Stephen's new book, everybody." "Here you go." "Mr." "Ziff?" "Thank you." "l'm sure you're gonna love it." "Thank you." "Hey, baby." "You are amazing." "Love you." "Oh, look who's here." "Hi." "Hi." "I'm sorry we're late, but I have something important to tell you." "Oh, my God." "He used them?" "Sharon, I know, it's okay." "Sharon, what's the important thing you have to tell me?" "The TV news truck is here." "They're setting up to interview you." "Channel Eight." "Like now." "Strike, strike, strike!" "There she is." "Okay." "Hi, guys." "This way." "We're so happy that you came out." "This is great." "Hi." "So tell me, Mrs. Robertson, what does this strike mean to you and all these women gathered here?" "Well I started my Christmas strike because I wanted my family to appreciate all that there is to do around this house, especially at Christmas time." "And for them to acknowledge that I can't do it all myself. I need help." "And I was amazed to see how this resonated with so many women in this community." "Jeremy, turn to channel eight real quick." "Mom's on TV." "Channel eight." "Channel eight." "And I still believe in my strike demands I mean, goals." "is that our house?" "I still believe in my strike goals, they just weren't met." "My strike goals weren't met my way." "I thought Christmas had to be perfect especially this year." "So I put a lot of pressure on myself and my family in the process." "Why did you do that?" "Because I was afraid that with my children growing up I was becoming obsolete and I needed to find a way to slow life down and to make my family appreciate what I do and what we have." "But what makes Christmas perfect isn't what we do it's our love for each other." "And it should bring us closer and not split us apart." "I was hanging on so tightly and now I realize that it's really about letting go and becoming even closer in the process." "Letting each other grow and change." "But what about the strike?" "Where do you go from here?" "Look, I know my family loves me, and I love them." "And they've made me understand that Christmas doesn't have to be done my way to be wonderful and it's not about the trappings, it's about.... lt's about being together, real and imperfect." "And I bet if you asked my guys right now they'd agree that it's really important to help and support each other." "At Christmas time and all year round." "So really, my strike demands have been met." "The message has been heard." "So I'm here to announce that my Christmas strike is officially over." "And I ask everyone else, on this Christmas Eve that in the true spirit of Christmas, you end yours too." "I guess mine is over too." "Yeah, she's right." "Thank you, Mrs. Robertson." "I work so hard every year." "Merry Christmas." "Merry Christmas." "l love you." "I love you so much." "Merry Christmas." "Merry Christmas." "These are delicious." "You must have a very good recipe." "I do, but it's a secret." "A close friend just gave me the recipe and, well, I can't share it." "You know, it's not exactly as I would have done it but I really like it." "Mom?" "Mom." "Joy?" "Mom." "Mom." "I'm in the family room." "We have a surprise for you." "Yeah, I already saw it." "You guys did a great job. I love it." "Well, there's more." "Jeremy." "So we all listened to what you said last night." "And I just want you to know that even when I'm at college, you'll always be my number one..." "...in here." "ln here." "Love you, Mom." "Love you too." "Mom, you do so much for us and not just at Christmas." "And we really need to tell you more and how much we appreciate it." "So thank you." "Joy, we know how important Christmas is to you because we're so important to you." "And you mean so much to us." "You don't have to worry about this being our last, best Christmas." "Because we have made the Robertson family demands and we have all signed it." "On a paper towel." ""The Robertson family Christmas demands." "We pledge to be together and help each other every Christmas and it doesn't have to be perfect because being together as a family is all that really matters." "Stephen, Mark and Jeremy."" "Okay." "Joy." "Oh, it's my editor." "Oh, I'm fine, honey." "Go get it." "These turned out beautifully." "Oh, they did, didn't they?" "I don't know how you got that Internet company to deliver all the gifts on time." "It was easy." "I had Rosemary call and pretend that she was doing a story on consumer complaints about companies that failed to live up to their pledges at the holidays and ruin them." "Now I know where l get my militant streak." "And I actually liked the gifts." "I actually liked the candied yams, better than mine." "I mean, not that I want to do this every year, but...." "My daughter, the micromanager would actually consider doing something another way." "Well, yes, if it encourages the participation of the guys, I'm in." "And besides, I will always micromanage you at the store." "Lucky me." "So, what did he want?" "He said he wants my next book to be about a modern family dealing with the stresses of Christmas." "I think that one's been done already." "What did you say?" "I told him I write fiction." "Hey, are we ready?" "All set." "ls what ready?" "Oh, you'll find out." "All right, we'd like to dedicate this Christmas song to Joy Robertson." "Rocking wife, mother, and daughter." "Hit it."