"It's snowing again." "Jim-Bob and I had a snowball fight." "You did?" "I never knew anyone who got the joy out of Christmas the way you do." "I want this to be the best Christmas we ever had." "You know all those big old trees over by the north side of the church?" "One of them just fell down, went right through the roof." "Anybody hurt?" "Harley, what are you doing out here?" "Been out in the pond." "Miss Fanny and her little girl's out there." "Car went off the road." "On Walton's Mountain, every Christmas was memorable." "Each new year held some special surprise or delight that set it apart." "But I think the one we all remember most fondly was what was planned to be our mother's best Christmas." "It began with a quickening sense of wonder and astonishment that always accompanied the first snowfall." "Drink up." "Drink up." "Come on, drink!" "What is this?" "Come on, you silly." "Picky, picky, picky." "What is this?" "Are you not thirsty?" "This is the first time you're drinking for a long while." "It's gonna freeze up in a minute." "Now, drink it." "Okay, your choice." "You little varmint!" "You're getting killed, Elizabeth!" "Jim-Bob!" "Do that again, Jim-Bob!" "You're gonna..." "It's snowing again." "Jim-Bob and I had a snowball fight." "You did?" "You should have been shoveling it, not throwing it." "Radio says it's gonna get colder." "Can I have some cookies?" "Not one of those, now." "Your Grandpa and I are taking those to Maude." "I think Maude can spare one." "Just one." "I hate to think of her spending Christmas over in that rest home in Charlottesville." "So do I. But at least she's getting good care, and Curt says she'll be home by New Year's Eve." "Elizabeth, do you know that there are only seven more days until Christmas?" "Where has the year gone to?" "We have to start getting ready." "What do you think we're doing?" "But you're right." "If we're gonna have a white Christmas on the outside, we'd better start fixing up the inside." "Shall I get the decorations down?" "Why don't you wait till your Daddy finds us a tree?" "Only one more week till Christmas." "Livie, the pipes are beginning to freeze up." "Elizabeth, go find your daddy and ask him to please wrap the pipes before they freeze solid." "Sure, Mama." "There's something about snow on the evergreens that brings the whole holiday season to life." "I never knew anyone who got the joy out of Christmas the way you do." "It's the happiest time of year for me." "Family all gathered together." "This time next year, who knows where the children will be?" "They're all growing so fast." "I want this to be the best Christmas we ever had." "It will be." "Ben?" "I wanna show you something." "Here it is." "Look at this." "Look what you got here." "You got, "The hostess served refreshments" ""from a beautiful old tree."" "That should be "tray."" " I think you're getting sloppy, Ben." " What I'm getting is frozen." "Throw some more wood in the stove, then." "My fingers feel like 10 little icicles." "Why don't you put some gloves on?" "I did." "That's how the "tree" got in there." "Ever tried setting type with gloves on?" "We've gonna have to do something about warming this place up." "Excuse me." "Either that or just close down till spring." "I'll tell you something, though." "This Christmas issue is gonna be the biggest and the best yet." "Look." "When'd you take up pipe-smoking?" "This is for Yancy." "It's nice." "You know it's hard to get someone like Yancy a gift." "I know." "He likes to keep his life simple." "Elizabeth, close that door!" "You're letting all the cold air out!" "Do you know that there are only seven more days till Christmas?" "No, I had no idea." "Did you know there are only seven more days till Christmas, Ben?" "No, I never realized it." "My gosh." "Did you get Elizabeth a gift?" "No, I haven't had a chance to get her..." "I haven't gotten anybody anything!" "You know, I have a great idea." "Why don't we give her a free copy of the paper?" " The big one." " The Chronicle." "Yeah!" "It's gonna be a real good edition." "We'll give you a free copy of that, all right?" " Yeah." " That's a good idea." "You think you're so funny." "Well, that's not what I came in here for." " It's about Mama." " What about her?" "I think we'd better make this Christmas real special for Mama." "Every Christmas is special for her." "What's so different about this one?" "While we were talking in the kitchen, she was saying how maybe next year we might not be together and how she wanted this Christmas to be the best Christmas that the family ever had." "Well!" "Then we'll make sure it is the best Christmas the family ever had." "Listen, I gotta go pick up Jason and Erin, okay?" "Okay." "And, listen, don't tell Mama I told you." "I'm gonna go in and tell her right now." " I think she ought to know, like you said." " Definitely." "I think I'll go tell her." "I mean..." "Stop it!" "I'm telling you, there's gonna be a deep freeze tonight." "Them twigs on the trees will be a-snapping." "Let's thaw out a little before we unload that truck." "Daddy, think you can get along without me for about an hour or so?" "Got something important to do?" "I told Patsy Brimmer I'd come over." "Yeah, we do our homework together." "She's helping me pass English." "Can't John-Boy help you pass English?" "He could, but it wouldn't be half as much fun." " Is it all right, Daddy?" " All right, go, go." "Esther, there's nothing like a cup of hot coffee to heat up your gullet and your gizzard and to warm your heart." "Must have been cold up on the mountain." "It sure was." "But we found us the prettiest Christmas tree you ever did see." "You didn't cut it, did you?" "No." "Did you want us to?" "No." "No, I'd like to wait a few days." "That way it'll be fresh and fragrant when we put it up." "Sitting right out there smack dab in the middle of a lot of young trees." "They'll be the better off for thinning it out." "I wonder where we should put it this year." "By the stairs, or in front of the front window?" "Wouldn't have to move so much furniture around if we put it there in the stairway." "I think you're right, Pa." "I think I like it better in front of the window." "That way you can see the lights from the driveway." "Liv, we'll put it anywhere you want us to." "I'll think about it." "Half the fun is in the planning." "That's what I enjoy about Christmas." "The way it gets her all fired up." "Just like a girl again." "Yes, Mrs. Salter, I'll ring." "I can't leave till Miss Fanny gets here." "Erin, forgive me." "John-Boy." "I do hope you haven't been unduly inconvenienced." "Not at all, Miss Fanny." "I'll take over now, dear." "Jo Ellen, my sister's little girl?" "She's in the Christmas pageant." "And I promised to take her to rehearsals and drive her home after." "They live all the way out past Drucilla's Pond." "Even though, I would've been here in good time." "But Rosemary Fordwick and Corabeth Godsey got into a disagreement as to how angels should walk." "I thought we never would get finished." "I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Fanny." "Yeah, we got one more stop to make." "Good night." "Night." "Good evening." "Yes." "Corabeth." "Now, I thought your point was well taken, Corabeth, but, of course, never having actually seen an angel," "I'd hesitate to take sides." "It's good to see you." "Come on in." "Everything's kind of a mess here, but maybe we can find a place to sit." "Well, we weren't really planning on staying too long." " Mary Ellen." " Hi, John-Boy." "Cold nose." "This is great." "It's just like home." "Yeah, Mama had some left over." "I'll tell you why we came by." "We were kind of wondering what your plans were for Christmas." "To tell you the truth, John-Boy, we've been thinking about maybe spending the holiday with my family." "I just haven't had the nerve to tell Mama yet." "You know how she feels about us all being together." "What about Curt's folks?" "Seemed like the fair thing would be to trade off." "There'll be other Christmases." "I honestly believe Mama thinks this is gonna be the last holiday with the whole family together." "Maybe it is." "Listen, that's your decision to make." "I don't mean to intrude about it." "I..." "I just wanted to find out." "And I just thought I'd let you know how much it means to Mama if we could all be together this year, that's all." "Hello, everybody!" "Greetings." "Two more for supper." "No, Mama." "I have supper fixed for us at home." "I could be persuaded to stay." "Curt!" "Did I say something wrong?" "We came to talk about Christmas." "I imagine you two want to spend Christmas with Curt's parents." "No." "No, we'll go there next year." "I told you we'd all be together for Christmas." "Then, why are we all standing around?" "Let's have supper and start getting this place ready." "Do you realize there are only seven more days left..." "Let's eat!" "Hurry up, Esther." "Almost forgot the apron." "Give our best to Maude, now." "At least she won't be alone the day before Christmas." "Pa, I filled her with gas." "She'll get you to Charlottesville and back." "Don't be late for supper!" "Be home before nightfall!" "Don't worry." "Drive careful, now, Pa." "Ever seen anything like that, John-Boy?" "I never did." "How come you put it all up here?" "I thought it would be nicer out here so everyone could enjoy it." "You know, Corabeth made every one of them decorations herself." "Labor of love." "I assisted Mama." "You certainly did, precious." "You know, Aimee's getting more like her mother every day." "John-Boy, have you ever seen so many presents?" "This is before Santa Claus." "This is a very special Christmas for us because it's our first one with Aimee." "Corabeth just won't settle for anything but the best." "I got to be going." "Don't run away." "Have some hospitality." "Have some more eggnog." "I would purely love to but I've gotta be at Professor Parks' house in a half-hour." "Schoolwork on Christmas Eve?" "No, it's not schoolwork." "The professor has a friend from New York who's a book editor who's coming this way on vacation and the professor wanted me to meet him." "It sounds like it might be a nice Christmas present." "It most certainly could." "Elizabeth, I'm gonna pick you up at 6:00." "We've got supper at 7:00 sharp, all right?" "Merry Christmas, everybody." " Merry Christmas." " Merry Christmas." "Merry Christmas, Aimee." " Bye." " Bye." "I'll bet you're getting all that you asked for." "I suppose so." "Sure is a big tree, Daddy." "Best tree we've had in years." "Come on, let's get it inside." "All right, we're coming in, hon." "Now, close your eyes." "Come on, Son." "Easy." " Close your eyes." "Keep them closed." " It's cold!" "Easy." "Watch the paint." "Close the door." "Close it." "Back." "Back." "Just a minute!" "Here we go." "There!" "Take a look at that." " John, it's beautiful!" " Isn't that a beauty?" " That's a beauty." " Where did you find that?" "Something sure smells good." "Are you sure Patsy's coming for dinner?" "I asked her." "It will be nice to have her with us on Christmas Eve." "I sure hope she doesn't get embarrassed." "I'll be on my best behavior, Son." "It's Ben and Jason I'm worried about." "I hope Ma and Pa get back from Charlottesville in time for me to go into Rockfish." "You did good, John." "Yes, sir, John, did real good." "That's my favorite carol, Jason." "It's most appropriate on this Christmas Eve." "I still haven't got it quite right yet." "It sounds so simple but it's so hard to play." "That's just like the teachings of the Christmas Child." "Nothing could be simpler to read, but to put into practice..." "The decorations look real nice, Reverend." "Thank you." "Although some Baptists might take exception." "Some feel that the bringing of greenery into the church is pagan." "I reckon you can find some Baptist to take exception to almost anything." "What?" "Nothing." "This is a very ancient custom." "Men who worshipped trees, they were called Druids." "Anyway, I think it looks nice." "I don't see any harm in making some druid happy." "Thank you." "I gotta be getting on over to the parsonage." "I'd like to stay and practice a while longer if that's all right." "Stay as long as you like, Jason." "Thanks, Reverend." "Remember, Maude, when I got stuck down the chimney of the First Baptist Church when I was playing Santa Claus?" "And you kept playing louder and louder to cover up the commotion he was making." "I was trying to cover up what he was yelling." "Shouldn't be heard in a bull hall, let alone a church." "They had to hoist me up with a block and a tackle." "I can just see you shouting," ""Ho!" "Ho!" "Ho!"" "And dangling down by the seat of your pants!" ""Ho!" "Ho!" "Ho!" "Help!" "Help!" "Help!"" "I tell you, we've had some great Christmases, haven't we, Maude?" "This wouldn't have been so great if it hadn't been for good friends like you two." "Can't keep a woman like you down for long." "With your grit." "Yeah." "You'll be home soon wearing that new apron and fussing around in the kitchen." "Hip bones don't heal too fast at my age." "But I'm well looked after." "It's just that I hate to be away from home this time of year." "Home." "The next time we come," "I'm gonna bring you some milk from your goat, Myrtle." "That will be nice." "Yes." "But we gotta be getting on home." "Don't go yet." "I don't like to drive much after dark." "We promised Livie to be home for supper by 7:00." "Can't you have a cup of hot tea and some of these cookies you brought me before you set out again?" "Those cookies are for you." "I think a cup of hot tea would be nice, Maude." "That's nice." "How about some hot tea, old dears?" "All right." "In the dining room?" "You made this for me?" "Me, special?" "I tried to think of something you'd like." "I like it." "I like it a lot." "Move over, Earl!" "Sets off my corncob real fine, don't it?" "It sure does." "Maybe sometime you'll get more than one." "I'm gonna get five or six of them and fill up the whole rack." "I'm glad you like it." "That's the first Christmas present I've had in years." "I don't recollect how it ended." "I just got out of the habit." "Glad you like it." "I gotta be heading home." "Merry Christmas." "Wait, Ben." "I got something for you." " Yancy, I don't want you to go..." " Now, now, now." "Got it as a consolation prize at a party." "Course, it ain't no consolation to me 'cause I don't shine my shoes." "But I thought you might like it." "A shoe-shine kit." "Yes, I would." "Merry Christmas, Ben." "Thanks, Yancy." "Merry Christmas to you, too." "Now I gotta be heading home." "Wait a minute." "I don't want you walking home in that freezing weather." "I'll drive you in my flivver." "I don't want you to go to any trouble." "Ben, it ain't no trouble." "Tonight was gonna be the loneliest night of the year for me, what with Sissy home visiting her folks." "But you brung back the Christmas spirit to me." "Least I can do is keep you from freezing your little ears off." "Okay." "I guess the icy roads between here and Richmond have got Hank stranded." "I wish he would have telephoned." "I think I ought to be going." "I still got to pick up Erin at the telephone office." "The weather for Christmas will be white and cold." "Below-zero temperatures can be expected in the mountains." "Many roads are badly iced, and all holiday motorists are urged to use extreme caution." " In other parts of the nation..." " I'm gonna go, Professor." "It's Christmas Eve." "I wanted to get you two together." "Maybe next time he's in town, all right?" " Okay, I'll get in touch." " Good." "John." "Merry Christmas." "Merry Christmas." "Merry Christmas." " Thank you very much." " Okay." "Bye-bye." "Jim-Bob?" "Patsy will be with you in just a minute." "She sure takes a long time getting dressed." "But, she wants to look just right being with your family and all." "Mama was counting on all of us sitting down at 7:00." "We're gonna decorate the tree afterwards." "It's so thoughtful of you to include Patsy." "She's done so well, being away from her folks and all, but Christmas is a time when a person misses home and family." "Maybe you better tell her it doesn't matter what she wears." "I don't think anybody will notice in all that confusion." "I don't think that'd be wise, Jim-Bob." "Here." "Have a piece of candy." "Merry Christmas." "Yes, Mrs. Ogilvie, I'll ring." "I don't know where Miss Fanny is." "Merry Christmas." "No, I haven't heard from her, either." "Do you want me to call the sheriff?" "My brother's here." "I'll tell him." "Maybe he'll know what to do." "That was Miss Fanny's sister." "She's worried about her, too?" "Miss Fanny and Jo Ellen left dress rehearsal 45 minutes ago." "She was supposed to take Jo Ellen straight home and then come right back here." "Should I call the sheriff?" "No, no." "Maybe she's got a flat tire or motor trouble or something." "I guess I better go try to find her." "Merry Christmas." "You're sure going slow." "A minute ago you said I was going too fast." "The way the windshield's iced over," "I don't know how you can see where you're going." "Just gonna have to trust your Divine Providence, Esther." "We should have left before dark." "Having that last cup of tea with Maude did her a whole world of good." "Zeb, now, you be careful!" "I just can't see anything ahead." "It isn't safe to go on any further, Esther." "We sure can't stay here all night." "Guess we're gonna have to go back to Charlottesville." "We're not too far out." "You're gonna have to be my eyes, Esther." "They all knew dinner is at 7:00." "Where is everybody?" "Radio says the roads have been turned to ice." "I can understand Grandma and Grandpa and John-Boy being stranded in cars, but what about all the others?" "Maybe I better get down to Ike's and use his phone, find out what's going on." "Good idea." "John." "The ice must've taken out a power line." "Here's a match." "Here's another one right here." "I hope the power won't stay out for dinner." "I'll go get those kerosene lamps." "Jason, where in the world have you been?" "You know all those big old trees over by the north side of the church?" "One of them just fell down, went right through the roof." "Anybody hurt?" "No." "But we're gonna have to fix the roof and get that tree out of there or there isn't gonna be any Christmas service in the morning." " I'll be right with you." " Will you need my help?" "Better stay here in case the others come." "Harley, what are you doing out here?" "Been out in the pond." "Miss Fanny and her little girl's out there." "Car went off the road." "I can't get them out." " Come on, you gotta help me." " Get on." "Miss Fanny?" "John-Boy!" "Please, help us." "Hurry!" "Miss Fanny, can't you get the door open?" "I already tried, John." "The door's jammed." "Listen maybe if both of us tried it." "Why don't you..." "You grab on to the door." "Grab on to the side and I'll get the handlebar." "Watch out." "Watch out." "You all right?" " Okay, ready?" " Yeah." "Let's go." "Roll the window down!" "I can't!" "Curt!" "That's right." "Curt, they're gonna be waiting." "Hold your horses!" "No, no, no, no." "Not you, Mrs. Tolliver." "I'm awful sorry that you feel so bad on Christmas Eve, Mrs. Tolliver." "But if you'll do what I told you to, I think you'll feel fine by morning." "And if you don't, you just give me a call." "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Tolliver." "Merry Christmas." "Mama expected us half an hour ago." "Your mother will understand." "She knows Mrs. Tolliver." "No." "Do we have to answer it?" "We do." "15 seconds later and we wouldn't have even heard it." "Let me answer it." "I get less involved." "Hello?" "Hello, Mary Ellen, am I glad to hear your voice." "Erin?" "Where are you?" "Still on the switchboard." "Verdie Foster just called." "Miss Fanny and Jo Ellen were in a car accident near Verdie's house." "John-Boy's there right now trying to get them out." "They need you and Curt right away." "I've got the crowbar!" "I've got some blankets!" "Here, John-Boy." "Here." "Hurry up and get her out of that water." "The door is jammed." "Harley, I think this crowbar ought to help." "We're coming, Miss Fanny!" "We'll have you out of there!" "I can't rouse Jo Ellen." "Listen, Harley, we gotta take it easy." "If this thing slips into one of those deep places, we've lost them for sure." "Just easy." "The water's getting higher!" "You got a rope in your car?" "Yeah, I got a rope in the rumble seat." " All right." "You try and open it." " Okay." "Please, hurry." "Hurry!" "We're working on it, Miss Fanny." "We're working on it." "We'll have you out of there in just a minute." "Ike?" "Corabeth?" "Corabeth?" "Heaven help us, Olivia, if this isn't the strangest Christmas Eve ever." "Have you heard anything from my family?" "No, I haven't heard anything." "Except that a tree fell over on the church and Ike went over there to help." "John and Jason are over there now." "I have no idea where Grandma and Grandpa are." "Ben's disappeared." "Curt and Mary Ellen never arrived for supper." "The snow and the ice have made driving almost impossible, it says on the radio." "I guess I better take Elizabeth home now." "She and Aimee are enjoying themselves." "Why don't you at least take off your coat and come back and warm up before you go, Olivia?" "Just for a minute." "Why is the house all dark?" "We're so late everybody's probably gone to bed." "They couldn't have gone to bed this early." "Why aren't there any lights?" "I don't know." "You stay close to me." "I'm scared of a dark house." "Okay, come on." "Lights don't work." "Mama?" "Daddy?" "Nobody's here." "Where'd they go?" "They wouldn't just run off on Christmas Eve." "Not unless something's gone wrong." "Whatever happened, somebody'd be here." "Mama's left the food on the stove." "This is scary." "Take me home to my aunt's house." "Where could they have gone?" " How're you doing?" " It's coming." " Curt's here." " Thank God you're here, Doctor." "They're gonna need you." "Looks like they could use me right now." " Be careful." " Here, let me spell you, Harley." "I think it's coming." "Pray it's not too late!" " You got her, Harley?" " Yeah." "Okay, I got her." "Okay, Miss Fanny." "Just hang on now." " Where's the nearest house?" " Mine." "All right." "They're probably frostbitten." "We got to treat them right away." "Watch your step, Doctor." "It's slippery." "Take her to the van." "Get her out of those wet clothes and wrap her in anything you can find that's dry." "Hurry, come here and give us a hand, will you?" " I got you." " We got you." "Watch your other leg." "Careful." "Careful." "Careful." "Watch your foot." "You'll be all right." " Can you walk?" " I think so." " Can you walk?" " I'm sorry." "Here, get her over to the road." "It's terrible to take you away from your warm homes and families on this Christmas Eve, but if there's any way to save the Christmas services..." "Reverend, you sure would be welcome to have the services at Godsey's Hall." "That's very generous of you." " Reverend?" " Ike, unfortunately, there are certain associations attached to the hall that might work against the reverent Christmas spirit." "You know what, Reverend?" "I just thought of something." "If we were druids, we would have been saved all this work." "Druids?" "What on earth are druids?" "They were these fellows that lived a long time ago." "They worshipped trees." "We're not druids, Jason." "We're Baptists." "Any chance of you Baptists getting some work done down there?" "Okay." "Sorry about the old flivver being froze up, there, Ben." "But I say we should count our blessings." "We got us a nice, warm cabin, a snug place for the livestock and us to stay out of the cold." "Yancy, some way or another, I got to get home." "Home?" "No place like home, Ben." "No place!" "Don't you never forget it." "You forget that and you got Yancy Tucker to deal with." "Yancy, Mama was counting on all the family being together for the best Christmas ever." "And that's what it is, Ben." "The best Christmas ever." "And thanks to my good friend Ben Walton." ""'Tis the season to be jolly." That's what the song says." "Let me tell you something, old friend." "'Tis the season to be lonesome." "Leastwise for me, with Sissy gone." "Some way or another, Yancy, I gotta get home." "I'll walk." "Ben, the bottom's dropped out of the thermometer." "You'll freeze to death out there." "I don't care!" "I have to go home." "You're right, Ben." "This party's over." "If I can't drive you home, I can walk you home." "John-Boy?" "Erin?" "Nobody's home." "There's no one at home, Grandpa." "Except maybe Jim-Bob and Ben." "Doggone." "Your mother had such high hopes for this Christmas." "It seems like everything that could go wrong, did." "You must be wore out, Erin." "I made some hot lemonade, and I have plenty of cough drops." "I just hope Miss Fanny and Jo Ellen will be all right." "You tell your mother that your Grandma and I'll be back home soon as daylight makes driving a mite safer." "Merry Christmas, Grandpa." "Merry, merry." "Livie's upset, the power's all out." "We're not the only ones playing hooky." "Go away for a few hours and everything goes wrong." "Stop trying to shoulder the blame of the whole world." "Or take credit for it, either." " Let's just go to our room." " There are no rooms." "What's that?" "The clerk tells me he's been turning away people by the dozen, stranded, same as we are." "There isn't an empty hotel room in all of Charlottesville." "Now!" "It's too cold to sleep in the truck, even with you, Esther." "Yeah." "We're gonna sleep right here in this hotel lobby." "They wouldn't turn us away on a Christmas Eve." "I've saved the best two seats with my coat." "Which one do you want?" "Esther." "Come along with me." "I will not!" "Now, the clerk said..." "We are going to the Jefferson Arms." "Zeb, there are no rooms at the Jefferson Arms." "And if there were, we couldn't afford it." "That's the fanciest hotel this side of Richmond." "If we're gonna have to spend Christmas Eve in a hotel lobby, it might as well be the best one in town." " Come along." "Come along, now." " Zeb, no!" " Come on." " I'm trying to tell you that we're not..." " Toodle-oo, toodle-oo." " Zeb..." "Excuse me." "Warm enough in here, John-Boy?" "Curt says it's all right." "He says he doesn't want them to get warmed up too fast." "No danger in this house." "Harley's overalls don't fit you too smart, John-Boy." "Well, maybe not." "But they're a lot more comfortable than the clothes I just took off." "Thank you very much." "Watch your coffee, John-Boy." "Watch your coffee." "Thank you, Harley." "How're you feeling?" "Fine, fine." "Harley." "Thank you." "What about Curt and Mary Ellen?" "They work pretty well together, don't they?" "They sure do." "They know what to do and they do it." "That's just about the best thing you can say about anybody, isn't it?" "Doctor, do you still want cold water?" "I think we can warm it up a little now." "All right." "Mary Ellen?" "You think they're gonna do all right?" "The little girl has frostbite on her legs and feet, but she seems to be picking up." "Thing is Miss Fanny's right hand and arm got the worst of it." "That's probably 'cause she was trying to hold Jo Ellen up out of the water for all that time." " Doctor?" " Yeah." "Yeah, that's fine." "How do you feel?" "Who, me?" "I'm all right." "Wading around in the water all that time, it's a wonder you didn't catch pneumonia." "Did you get word to Mama?" "No, but I spoke to Erin." "From what I can tell, there's nobody home at all." "Merry Christmas." "Ho, ho, ho." "Miss Elizabeth, you said we'd be together for a lot of Christmases and here we are." "The Godseys had such a pretty tree." "All the ribbons, and presents." "Wait till you see our tree." "We're not gonna sit here wringing our hands and feeling sorry for ourselves." "We're gonna have the tree all decorated by the time the others get back." "Let's start with the lights." "Here, why don't you hang on to this end of the string..." "Elizabeth?" "Elizabeth." "All secure up above?" "Near as I can tell, Daddy." "And barring a hurricane, that tarp should hold till we can replace the rafters." "There's gonna be a lot of cold air blowing under that tarp." "Folks can keep their coats and gloves on to keep warm." "All but the organist." "The important thing is, we can have our Christmas services tomorrow." "When I first saw that tree, I thought it'd be impossible." "It's always nice to take on the impossible now and again." "You know, the Christmases since I've been in the Lord's service," "I've received some wonderful presents." "But I can tell you there is nothing to compare with the gift of friendship and dedication you've all made here tonight." "Reverend, you better get some sleep." "Yeah." "Come morning, you'll be too tired to preach." "I will find the strength." "Good night, Ike." "Thank you, Jason, John." "Merry Christmas, Reverend." "See you later." "You have a nice Christmas." " All right, Ike." " Good night." "Ike, do you want your lanterns?" "I got a light." "Leave them lit, Jason." "We can light our way home." "Verdie?" "These clothes look better now than they did before I went into the pond." "I've had a little experience doing washing and ironing, John-Boy." "What time is it, you reckon?" "It's a little past 11:00." "It's almost Christmas." "I feel like we ought to be doing something to help them." "I'm sure they're doing everything that can be done." "Can you feel that?" "It tickles." "That's great." "It stings." " Tingles." " Sure." "You're gonna feel some pain, but that's the best possible sign." " Jo Ellen?" " She'll make it." "I'm so sorry." "Causing all this commotion on Christmas Eve." "You just take it easy." "Mary Ellen and I are going to hang around for a while." "John-Boy!" "Is he still here?" "And Harley?" "Right here, Miss Fanny." "Thank you." "Thank you both." "Merry Christmas." "Everybody in that should be in?" "All except Grandma and Grandpa." "You were gonna have the whole family together this Christmas." "We tried." "They weren't all here with me, but I never felt closer to them, or to you." "Come here." "Your feet are cold." "Liv?" " Merry Christmas." " Merry Christmas." "Where is everybody?" "They must be inside." "Hope they haven't opened the presents." "Elizabeth!" " Elizabeth!" " Livie!" "Wait for us!" "We're home!" "Livie?" "Now, where is everybody?" "Surprise!" "Surprise!" "Merry Christmas!" "Hello, Grandpa!" "Merry Christmas, Grandma!" "You taken the presents?" "What've you done?" "You've been into the presents already." "Come on!" "We're in it too far, Elizabeth!" "We didn't get to open our presents." "I don't think that's fair at all." "Let's have us a carol." "A little Christmas carol, Jason!" "A little Longfellow." "What do you want to hear, Grandpa?" "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." "That's a good one." "That's a good one." "Next morning, the Waltons were all together again, in reality as well as in spirit." "Only a few years later, when circumstances kept some of us in the hedgerows of Normandy, or on Christmas duty in the emergency ward of a big hospital, our memories of Mama's best Christmas helped to comfort and sustain us." "English"