Downloaded from YTS.MX
("Jingle Bells" instrumental) (singer scat singing)
(singer continues scat singing)
Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX
- Didn't think the ER could ever feel so festive.
- Well, just because we're in the ER on Christmas
doesn't mean it can't be festive, right?
Oh, and I have a gift for you.
- For me?
- Here you go.
I heard you like ice skating,
so let's hope that knee heals up soon
so we can get you back on the ice in no time.
- Thank you so much, Asha.
- Do you wanna put it on the tree?
Yeah? - Yeah.
- Okay.
All right.
(phone ringing)
Oh, I'm getting a call, so I'll see you soon, okay?
Put it on the tree. Merry Christmas.
- Merry Christmas. - Hello.
- Merry Christmas, Asha. - Merry Christmas. Asha.
- Merry Christmas mom.
Merry Christmas, dad.
Oh, dad, I heard that congratulations are in order
for winning the Ashford decorating contest again this year?
- Well, I think at this point,
they should spare everyone the effort,
and just to declare me the winner from the start.
- That's like winning a gold medal
without running the race.
What's the fun in that?
Well, I am really sad
I won't be home this year to witness the epic display.
- Oh, Maglu. It's just not going to be the same without you.
You've never missed a single Christmas.
- Yeah. But we understand work is important.
- Yeah, well, seven years of successfully
dodging the Christmas shift.
I guess my luck finally ran out.
- Well, don't work too hard. It's Christmas.
- She works in a hospital, Nirmila.
She can't just slack off because it's Christmas.
- [Nirmila] You know what I mean, Samuel.
- Yeah. Well, speaking of work, I do need to get back to it.
So please say hi to everybody
and have an extra helping of Biryani
for me at Ravi's Christmas party tonight, okay?
- We will. Bye-Bye.
- Bye-Bye. Asha.
Love you, Maglu. Love you.
- Love you.
Mr. Johnson. (people chattering)
- [TV Announcer] Caught the ball.
He's bringing it up to court.
He's going for the layup.
(all cheering)
- Wow, I have never seen so much excitement in an ER before.
Everyone feeling better all of a sudden?
Are you ready to come with me now?
(bright holiday music)
(people cheering)
- Tyler.
Hey, Tyler. Can I grab a quote for the Outlook?
- It's okay. He's one of the good ones.
What do you need, Jake?
- That last shot was insane.
You gotta tell me, what was going through your mind?
- I was thinking about our fans spending Christmas,
watching the game with their loved ones,
and how I can't let them down.
So I asked Santa for a Christmas miracle,
and the big man came through.
Merry Christmas, Chicago.
- Alright man. You're a legend.
And Merry Christmas. Okay?
Hey Dad. Merry Christmas.
- What a game.
- Oh, you watched it? - Of course.
It's the only way I get to spend Christmas with my son.
- Yeah. Sorry I couldn't make it home this year.
- Oh, you're not missing much. - How are you celebrating?
- I got my kung pao chicken, my favorite lager,
and a win for your Titans.
It makes for a pretty merry Christmas.
- Mom's on the other line.
- Go ahead. Take her call.
Merry Christmas, son.
- Merry Christmas, dad.
Merry Christmas, mom.
- Merry Christmas, Jakey.
I'm just finishing up here with the meal service.
How's your day going?
- Well, Titans won, I snagged an exclusive quote
for the Outlook,
and despite not being home for Christmas,
it's been a pretty good day.
- Oh, that's wonderful. - How's the
gingerbread house competition?
- Oh, please. They should just name the trophy after me.
- Nice work. Oh, hold on a sec.
Hey. Hey, let me help you with that.
I got it.
Whoa, these are heavy.
How did you carry these?
(indistinct)
(Jake wailing and thudding)
- Jakey. Are you okay?
(bright holiday music)
- Hello.
Okay. Jake?
- Here.
- Jake O'Brien? - Wait, Asha Singh?
- Yeah. - Wow. I mean, hi.
- Hi.
You should follow me.
- Okay. - Okay. All right.
Yeah. Okay.
The old man versus ice showdown.
- Mm-hmm. - Spoiler alert,
the ice always wins.
- Well, the ice remains undefeated.
- I still can't believe it.
All the ERs in all the towns
in all the world, Jake O'Brien walks into mine.
- I still can't believe you remember me.
- Are you kidding me?
You're like impossible to forget.
- I am? - Huh?
- No-
- I'm not- - I didn't,
I just meant you were all things Ashford High.
Captain of the baseball team,
but you're not really living up
to your most athletic title right now.
- Ouch. That hurt both places.
Tough, tough critic. Okay.
Well, for what it's worth, I do actually remember you.
- You do. - I do.
You're the only chemistry tutor
who could have gotten me through senior year.
- If I remember correctly,
you were always more into Thoreau than covalent bonds.
- Wow. Yes, that's exactly right.
Huh. Well, thank you.
In case I didn't thank you then. Thank you now.
- You're welcome.
So what have you been up to for the last 18 years?
- Gosh, has it been that long?
I got a baseball scholarship to Northwestern.
I double majored in journalism and and literature.
- That's amazing. - Yeah.
- So I take it you're working out here now?
- Yes. I'm a sports writer for the Chicago Outlook.
- Ah, you got both your great loves in one.
- Yeah. Yeah, I guess I did.
So, what about you?
What are you up to these days?
- I'm a nurse practitioner.
- Oh, yes, of course. Wow.
You know, maybe we should check to see if I hit my head
too, because I just...
- I'll add that to your chart.
- Great. - Okay. Let's see.
We're gonna have to amputate this.
- What? Oh gosh. - It's not that bad.
Look, your mobility is great.
I'm guessing it's just a sprain.
But we can order an X-ray just to be sure.
- Thank you.
(machine beeping)
Oh... (both chuckle)
- Well, it was so great to see you again.
- Yes. - And the doctor
will be in shortly.
- Great. Can't wait. - Okay.
- Oh, wait. - Yeah?
- Do you wanna get a drink with me?
We can catch up properly.
There's a bar across- - I'm off at 8:00.
(bright holiday music)
- Okay.
Tell me, what is it about nursing
that made you want to make a career out of it?
- I get to actually connect with the patients, you know,
on a deeper level, being there for them emotionally,
physically, whatever it takes
to make their day a little brighter.
It's really nice.
- Not everyone gets to say they can make a difference
in the world doing what they love.
- Well, thank you. But nursing wasn't always the plan.
- Oh, yeah? - Yeah.
I was on the pre-med track, but then I realized
and chasing my dad's dream, not my dream, you know?
- But he must have come around eventually, right?
- Oh, no. Not at first.
He still made me take the MCATs
and apply to med school anyway.
- Well, then how did you become a nurse practitioner?
- The official story is that my MCAT scores weren't
good enough to get into med school.
- Oh, no way. Nope, I don't believe that for a second.
Not the Asha Singh I remember.
- The truth is I aced the MCATs, obviously.
- Yeah. - But I told my dad
I bombed it.
- What? Asha, why wouldn't you just tell him the truth?
- It was the only way to get him to accept my choice.
My parents sacrificed so much coming to this country
to give my brother and I better life, but I don't know.
With that came this need to protect us
and steer our lives for us.
- And my family's the exact opposite.
My parents threw me in the deep end
of the pool when I was five and told me to swim.
I'm not joking.
- Wow. - Mm-hmm.
- So they took sink or swim pretty literally.
- Sure did. Yep.
But it turns out fear is actually a pretty good swim coach.
- My dad was so protective,
he wouldn't let fear pass the front door of our house.
- Yeah, well, every family has its quirks.
But hey, look at us.
We turned out pretty good, huh?
- I'm still making up my mind about you.
- Oh, you are?
Looks like I got some work to do.
- How's the wrist feeling?
- Ah, better.
After a few of those, were they candy cane martinis?
- Yes. And they were delicious.
- Oh, they were. They did the trick.
(both chuckle and sigh)
- Isn't Christmas just the most magical time of the year?
- Does your family celebrate Christmas?
- Are you kidding?
If Christmas was an Olympic sport,
my family would take home all the gold.
- Yeah. Really? - Yeah.
Well, we're Christians.
So Christmas is really a big deal in my family.
- Huh? - You seem surprised.
- No, it's just, I thought most Indians were Hindu.
- No, you're right.
But my dad's family has been Christian
for gosh, generations, and my mom's side is Hindu,
but she converted after they got married
and fell in love with the faith.
Even my Aji, my grandma,
and my mom's side, she fully embraced Christmas.
It became one of her favorite holidays before she passed.
- That's really beautiful. - What about you?
Is your family? I dunno, big on Christmas.
- Yeah.
Growing up, Christmas was huge in our house.
My mom went all out,
but yeah, my parents got a divorce,
so... - I'm sorry.
When did that happen?
- Right after I went away to college. Yeah.
He told me the first Christmas I came home.
After that, Christmas just kind of, I don't know,
lost its magic.
- Jake. The magic of Christmas is always present.
Sometimes you just, I don't know, need the right spark
to bring it back to life.
- Oh, yeah. The right spark, huh?
Well, you know, it kind of feels like being here
with you right now, maybe,
is that spark?
- This is me.
- Let me guess,
that one is yours.
- What gave it away?
- Yes. (bright music)
Well, who would've thought
being stuck working on Christmas would turn into one of the
best holidays I've had in years?
- I know.
I didn't even bother to make a Christmas wish this year.
- Well, you know,
the best wishes are ones you don't even realize you made.
- I should, I should go in. - Yeah. It's late.
- Thank you for tonight.
- Thank you. Good night.
- Good night.
- Asha? - Yeah.
(gentle music)
- I've been wanting to do that all night.
- Me too.
- Hey, what are you doing tomorrow
and the next day
and every day for the whole year?
(bright music continues)
* There ain't no silent night
* 'cause everybody's been reading and writing on 'em *
* Over the neighborhood
* They got lights up and feeling good *
* With parties and cherry wine
* With all the stockings up by the fire *
* And warm night and family
* And that's what it means to me *
* So Santa, if you're listening tonight *
* I got one wish
* Every day could feel like Christmas *
* All that I need is sleigh bells, reindeer and mistletoe *
* Making angels under the snow
* I got one wish
* Santa gonna have a long list
* All that I need is tree lights *
* And a Jingle Bell, babe
* The way I'm feeling on Christmas Day *
- Oh, thank you.
- The peppermint candy cane tart
from the night we reconnected.
- Mm-hmm. The very one.
I remember how much you loved it.
- It was definitely the best part of that night.
- Mm-hmm. The best part?
- Don't worry. You were a close second.
- All good.
- So, if you had to pick,
what would be your favorite moment from this last year?
- Wow. Okay.
This one might surprise you,
but remember that road trip we took up North?
It was spontaneous.
We didn't have a destination planned.
We just drove and drove and drove until we lost
GPS ran out. - And we ended up
at that tiny little bed and breakfast
with the world's worst coffee.
- The worst. - But the most amazing view.
- That's what I love about you.
You can find the joy in anything.
Happy almost one year anniversary.
- I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us.
Happy almost anniversary.
(glasses clink)
(bright music) (Asha gasps)
- Asha Singh,
you are the single most magical thing that has ever happened
to me on Christmas or any other day.
Your laugh is contagious.
Your heart sees the good in everything.
Your kindness knows no bounds.
When I am with you, I feel like I am the luckiest man
in the world, but more than anything, Asha,
you make me feel at home.
Asha, will you marry me?
- Yes. - Yes?
- Yes. - Yes!
(all clapping) (bright music)
Love you. - Love you too.
- Now that we're engaged, I can't wait
to finally meet your family over Christmas,
especially your dad.
Seems like quite the character.
- Oh, be careful what you wish for.
- Are you kidding? I'm great with parents.
I even got a few dad jokes up my sleeve.
- Well, as impressive as your pun game is,
it's gonna take a lot more than that
to win my dad over, trust me.
Speaking of which, I can't believe we managed
to keep it a secret for so long.
I'm surprised my parents didn't spoil it.
- Your parents? - Yeah.
I mean, you asked my dad for permission first. Right?
- You're joking. - You didn't?
- No, I didn't,
I didn't realize that was still a thing.
Was I supposed to?
- Oh, well... - Well.
- Christmas with the Singhs just got
a whole lot more interesting.
(plane whirring)
- I am so sorry, there just doesn't seem
to be a reservation under that name.
- No, no.
Look, it's Jake O'Brien. Okay.
I have the reservation right here. SUV, sedan, or similar.
- Sir, I'm sorry, but perhaps you didn't
confirm it all the way through.
- I don't even know what that means.
- Ah, bingo. - Yes.
- Oh, no, I didn't find your reservation,
but I did find you a super fun alternative.
- Great. Wonderful.
Thank you.
And Merry Christmas. - Merry Christmas.
(bright music)
(car horn honks) (Asha gasps)
(alarm beeps)
- Okay. Alright.
(doors shut)
Alright.
(intense rock music)
(both giggle)
- I love you. - I love you.
Okay. - Yep.
- Oh, great. Thanks.
(intense music concludes)
- Okay, we need to have a super organized game plan.
If we are going to make it to December 26th in one piece.
This week is jam packed.
- All right. I'll drop the will just in case
we don't make it.
- All right. Ready?
Today we have lunch with my parents,
dinner with your dad, and helping out
at your mom's toy drive.
Tomorrow, lunch with both sets of parents
and the Christmas carnival
and the candlelight service at the church on Christmas Eve.
And of course, our annual Christmas
party at Ravi's Restaurant.
Hey, are you positive your parents are okay with the fact
that you're spending Christmas with my family this year?
- Yeah. Yes.
It's not like I have a childhood home to go back to.
I didn't hear my mom's Christmas
pageant on the itinerary.
- Oh, no. When is that again? - Christmas Eve.
- We're double booked on Christmas Eve.
You better start drafting that will now.
- I'll pull over.
(bright music continues)
(luggage thuds) (Jake sighs)
- Wow. Dad really out did himself this year.
Isn't this stunning?
- Stunning is definitely the word.
- All right, well, this is gonna be great.
We have nothing to worry about.
- Yeah, wait, worry? - Nothing.
Come on. Let's go.
- Wait, what?
- Hello! (bright music)
- Hello. - Hello, mom.
You look so beautiful.
- Oh, thank you.
I had to dress up to celebrate my dear daughter's arrival
with her fiance.
(both giggling)
- Mom, this is Jake.
- Jake, I'm Nirmila.
Welcome to our home.
- Mrs. Singh. It's a pleasure to finally meet you.
(Nirmila laughs)
- Please come in. Come in.
- [All] Hi. (bright string music)
- Hello. - Hi.
- It's nice to meet you. Oh, thank you.
Oh, oh, okay. Oh, the jacket.
Nice to meet you. Thank you.
Nice of you.
Okay, great. Thank you so much.
- Mom. What's going on?
- Well, when I told the rest of the family that my one
and only daughter is coming home for Christmas
with her new fiance, they all just had to be here too.
Rekha.
- What's happening?
- It's to keep the evil eye away.
- Who's got the evil eye?
- Hey, Ravi. - The man of the hour.
- It's so nice to meet you.
I've heard so much about you.
- Ah, same here.
Hey, you're about to marry a super special lady.
- Don't I know it.
- Michael, don't be shy.
Come say hi. - Hi.
- Hi. I'm Sarah. - Hi, Jake.
- Nice to meet you.
You have no idea how happy I am that you're back.
Last year, I had to fend off Aunty Rekha's blessings
all by myself.
- Isn't that one of the perks of becoming a Singh?
- Merry Christmas, Asha.
Oh, I mean, sis.
- Oh, is it too early to say Merry Christmas?
- No. - Yeah, I don't care.
Merry, Merry Christmas. - Merry Christmas.
- I'm a fellow in-law here.
So consider me your guide
to surviving your first Christmas with the Singhs.
- Surviving?
Is there something I should be worried about?
- Welcome home.
- Oh.
- Hi, dad.
- Did you see the decorations I put outside?
I did all by myself. Your brother helped a little.
- I did. They are stunning.
- Stunning.
Oh, hello, sir. Mr. Singh.
Or should I say dad?
- Sir will be just fine.
- Sir. Mr. Singh, Sir.
Asha told me
that you won the community Christmas decorating competition.
That's great.
- The Singhs win every year.
- Oh, do they?
Well, congratulations on keeping the streak alive.
- Dad, Jake was really
excited to meet you finally.
And Mom.
- Yes, sir. Very excited.
If you were so excited, you could have come
and asked me for my blessing before
so brazenly proposing to my only daughter.
- Oh. - Or,
were you not that excited? - Dad.
- No, I was very excited.
- Is that the car you chose
to drive my daughter in on these treacherous winter roads?
- That car?
No. I mean, yes.
Yes, but no. I didn't choose.
- Oh, so you just took whatever was offered to you?
- Huh? - Samuel,
why don't you go check the oven?
- It's a pleasure meeting you, sir.
Nice.
- Well, that went really well. - Did it?
- It did. - Oh, okay. It did.
- It did. - Yes.
Why don't I show you to your rooms,
and then we can sit and eat.
- Great. Okay.
Let's see here. (bright holiday music)
- Guess what, Maglu,
we're throwing you both a Nischitartham
during the Christmas party at Ravi's Restaurant.
We thought it would be nice to honor Aji and Tata.
- Thank you so much, mom. That means so much to me.
- I have a question. What's a nitshi?
- Nischitartham. - Ah, okay. Nischitartham.
- It's a Hindu engagement ceremony where both
of our families come together
to formally bless our marriage.
- Huh. That's cool. - Jake,
I can't wait to meet your parents tomorrow.
- They're very excited. - Do they like spicy food?
- Ah, well... - Nevermind.
I'll make sure there's less spice.
Oh, it's so nice to have you both for Christmas.
Here you go, sweetheart.
- Wow, most parents convert their kids' bedrooms
into a gym when they leave home.
Yours made you a shrine.
- I wanted a home gym, but Samuel wouldn't hear of it.
You know dad. - Yeah.
- Come on. Let me take you to your room.
- I'm not staying here?
- No. (laughing)
You're not yet married. - Oh.
- Come on. - Yeah. Okay.
- Now that's fine. - Yeah. Yeah.
- Go this way? - Uh huh.
- See you down- - Bye.
- Change fast. - Yeah.
- You sure you don't need help?
- No, no. I, yeah, I got it.
- Oh, you've got a lot of stuff.
- Mm, yes. Asha's shoes.
- Yeah. Oh.
See? Nice and private.
Change fast. Food's ready.
- Oh, okay.
- Hey.
(gentle music)
- What's...
- Oh, my mom's side is particularly superstitious,
and upside down shoes are bad luck.
So just don't flip them next time.
- Okay. Got it. - Yeah.
- Hope everyone is hungry.
- That looks amazing.
Mr. Singh, sir, I heard a little rumor that
you tell the Christmas story at church on Christmas Eve.
You've been doing that long?
- Yes.
- My father's been telling the story
to the children of Ashford for 20 years now.
It's a tradition carried on from his father
and his father's father before that.
- Back in India, Sam's family were the only Christian family
on the block, and the only ones who celebrated Christmas.
His father would invite all the neighborhood children over,
hand them candy canes
and read them the Christmas story,
no matter their background or faith.
He believed that the magic
of Christmas belonged to everyone.
When we immigrated in the eighties, Sam wanted
to carry on the tradition here.
- So every year, Asha will spend the entire week-
- Oh gosh. - Stuffing invitations
into every mailbox she could find.
Snow or shine, she was out there,
and it became an Ashford tradition.
- You know, come to think of it.
I think we might have gotten one of those invites.
- Yet you never cared enough to come?
- No. No.
It, well, actually, in our family,
on Christmas Eve, we bake cookies.
- Oh, so you're saying cookies are more important.
- Dad, that's not what he's saying.
- No. - Jake,
you haven't even had a bite yet.
How are you with spice?
- Oh, well, not to brag,
but I'm basically immune to spice.
After spending a year with Asha's cooking,
she makes the spicy Tandoori.
And at first I couldn't handle it,
but now it basically tastes like ketchup.
(Asha chuckles nervously)
- Ketchup. - Just watch.
I'll show you.
Mm, mm. See, it's delicious.
Not even a tingle.
- That is child's play.
Want to try some real heat?
- Hmm? - Yeah.
- Dad? No.
- Yeah. Come on.
Try your chicken, come.
- Oh. - Jake, no.
- No no no. It's okay.
I've had your Tandoori.
I'm just gonna have one of these.
Okay. - Good. Good.
- All right. (clears throat)
Mm, mm-hmm! (fork clinks)
- Are you okay?
- Yes, um... - Are you sure?
- I'm fine.
It's warm in here?
It feels a little toasty. It's delicious, though.
Now that heat's starting to kick in, kick in a bit,
but it's thing I can...
You know what, I'm just gonna have some-
- [All] No no no no no!
(Jake spits) (family laughs)
- How did that make it spicier?
Oh, oh, oh... (intense string music)
(Jake panting)
- Ma. - What?
- Is it just me, or is dad being particularly hard on Jake?
- Oh, don't worry about it, sweetie.
He just needs to feel that-
- He's good enough for my Asha.
- Ah, he is, he's amazing. And I promise you'll see it too.
Just please try to give him a chance.
- Well, Christmas is the season for miracles, I suppose.
(bright music)
- Dad. (doorbell rings)
- Oh, come in. Come in. (door clicks)
- Dad. This is Asha.
- So nice to meet you, Asha.
- It's so great to finally meet you. Mr. O'Brien.
- Call me Jake. Mr. O'Brien was my dad.
- If it's okay with you, sir, I would love
to stick to Mr. O'Brien.
Jake might just get a little confusing
and awkward.
- Yeah. - Let me just take my-
- Oh, no, no, no. Leave 'em on.
- Oh, no, no. It's okay.
I don't, I really don't mind. I'm used to it.
- Leave 'em on. - Leave 'em on.
- Yes.
- Are you sure- - It's fine.
- Shoes in the house. Okay, shoes in.
(plates clink)
- Thank you. Sorry I didn't whip up anything homemade.
- Oh, don't worry about it.
This Kung Pao chicken is fantastic.
- That's our favorite dish. - From our favorite place.
- [Both] The Golden Dragon. (all laugh)
- Yeah, I guess getting takeout from here
is kind of becoming a little Christmas tradition, hasn't it?
- Yeah.
- I like what you've done with the place. Yeah.
It's looking a little more festive than usual.
- Nothing can compete
with your mother's holiday spirit, that's for sure.
So Asha, Jake tells me you're an ER nurse practitioner.
I hear the hours are pretty brutal.
- Yeah, definitely. Shifts are 12 hours minimum.
And overtime is common.
- Yeah, well, it was a good thing
you're working last Christmas,
otherwise we might never have reconnected.
- Yeah. So what's the plan when you two have kids?
(Jake coughs)
- I'm sorry, kids? - Mr. O'Brien,
I still think that's a ways away.
- Sure, but with all of Jake's travel for work
and you're demanding schedule, who's gonna stay home
and take care of the kids?
- Oh, I don't think either one of us needs
to sacrifice our-
- But you do want to have kids, right?
- Yes. Yes, of course.
Lots of kids.
- Lots? - Yeah.
Lots of lots of kids.
Growing up, I was an only child at home.
Sometimes it got a little lonely.
- Lonely, you weren't up all night with aunts and kids.
- I can take time.
- I'm at the hospital every day.
- Think about when they're older.
They'll have someone to play with.
- My mom's calling me.
- Yeah. Okay.
You know what?
How about we just put a pin in all this
and we'll circle back?
- Yeah. Okay. - Yes. Okay.
- Hi mom.
(liquid pouring) (plate clinks)
- Dad. What was that about?
- Asha's a wonderful girl. Smart, warm, lighthearted.
She's the whole package.
- Yeah. Well, good.
Thank you. That means, that means a lot.
But hey, can we lay off the life choice
interrogation for a minute?
Alright? And yes, she is.
She is amazing.
- So you are sure about getting married.
- You just told me you liked her.
- I do like her, Jake.
I just wanna make sure you both
have really thought this through.
I mean, you haven't even settled on
how many kids you're gonna have.
Right? - Okay. Okay.
So there are a few things we need
to sort out, but dad, we just got engaged.
- I just don't want you to repeat the mistakes
that your mother and I made.
We loved each other, but balancing our careers
and raising a family, it wasn't easy.
And I just don't want that for you and Asha.
- I'm sorry things didn't work out between you and mom,
but you need to understand that is not going to be us, okay?
I appreciate your concern, but Dad,
can you just be happy for us?
(bright holiday music)
- Ta-dah!
Oh, you guys give it a try.
I've got some very important visitors I wanna attend to.
- Merry Christmas, Mom.
Oh, so good to see you.
Good to see you. - Mom. This is Asha.
- Oh, such a pleasure to meet my soon to be Daughter-in-Law.
- It's wonderful to meet you as well, Mrs. O'Brien.
- Oh, please call me Mom.
Well, we're gonna be family soon.
- Oh, yeah. Okay, mom.
- Oh, you know, I've seen "Eat, Pray, Love,"
I don't know, 30 times now.
It's my favorite movie.
I just know I'd love India.
- Mom. The Christmas festival looks incredible this year.
- Wait till you see the Christmas pageant.
- Mom's the organizer of the whole Christmas festival.
So the Christmas pageant, all of this. That's all her.
- Oh, well...
- I mean, I thought my family was into Christmas,
but seeing all this,
you could give them a run for their money.
- Well, once Jake went off to college,
I had all this extra holiday spirit to share.
So I poured it all into the Winter Festival,
and now I get to share that holiday energy
with the whole community.
- That's really beautiful.
- Oh, everyone.
This is Asha, my future daughter-in-Law.
- [All] Hi.
- So are you two ready to wrap some presents?
- Yes. Consider us your honorary elves for the day.
- Well then let's get started. - Okay.
(bright holiday music) (people chattering)
- Thank you both for helping out today.
- Well, we loved being a part of it.
Thank you for inviting us.
- Oh, you are welcome.
Listen, Asha, I'm so excited
to meet your family tomorrow.
Is there anything I can bring?
- Oh, no, nothing. Just your appetite.
I hope you like Indian food.
- Oh, I love it. It's my favorite food.
- Great. We will see you tomorrow.
- See you tomorrow. - Bye guys.
- Come on. Let's get out of here.
(bright music)
- Hey, Jake.
- Ah, Ethan, Laura, what are you guys doing here?
- Just came to check out
what your mom had cooking this year.
Merry Christmas, man.
We're bummed that you couldn't make it out
for drinks the other night,
but I'm glad we could run into you here.
- Yeah, merry Christmas.
Wow. You're pregnant!
Congratulations!
Asha, this is Ethan and Laura.
You remember from high school?
- You mean the homecoming king and queen?
How could I forget?
- Asha, it's so nice to finally meet you.
- We had AP English together.
- Did we?
- Oh, no.
It's okay. It's okay.
I wasn't as memorable as you in high school.
- Oh, no, no, no.
It's my pregnancy brain.
I can barely even remember
what I had for breakfast this morning. (laughing)
- I still can't get over the fact
that you two ended up together.
- Why? - Well,
because you guys were just so different in high school.
Asha, weren't you the Mathletes captain?
- Yes, I was. I won the state title too.
- Wow. - Well,
you have that in common with Jake.
- That's right. Just two state champs over here.
- Well, it was lovely to bump into the both of you.
Jake, give me a call if you want to do a proper catch up.
- Yeah, absolutely. All right.
You guys have a good one.
- See ya. (bright music continues)
- Day one of Holiday madness in the books.
How do you think it went, babe?
- Fine. - I mean,
I almost died by spice,
but other than that, I think it went all right.
- I heard your dad ask you if you're sure
about us getting married.
- Okay, but before he said that,
he said how wonderful you are
and how lucky I am to have met you.
- But he still expressed concerns to you, right?
- Yeah. Yeah, but not about you, okay?
He's just skeptical about marriage in general.
- Okay. 'cause I really want him to like me.
- He does like you.
All right?
Now your dad, on the other hand.
- Yeah, I know. I am sorry.
My dad can be a bit much.
- That's one way to put it.
Surprised he hasn't challenged me to a duel yet.
- He'll warm up to you eventually.
My dad is like a car defrosting on a winter morning,
and the ice, it will melt.
Just needs some time.
- Wow. That's poetic.
Hey, once our parents meet,
see how happy we are with each other,
it's just gonna be a love fest all around, okay?
That, or we elope.
- Elope? - Mm-hmm.
- My dad will actually challenge you
to a duel if we do that.
- Oh, really? Well, en garde, Mr. Singh, en garde.
(bright music) (match flicks)
- Have you seen Jake?
- Yes. He's beautiful. - No, seriously. Where is he?
- He's fine. - Ravi, where is he?
- You know the lights on the roof that are flickering?
Dad asked for help with those.
(bright holiday music)
- All the way up there, huh?
- Yeah, up the ladder. - Okay.
- We have to check each one to see which one is out.
- Yeah, it's a good thing I'm not afraid of heights.
- Are you afraid of heights, Jake?
- No.
Listen, sir, I just wanted to apologize.
Oh, I'm still alive.
For not thinking
to ask your permission for Asha's hand.
It was an oversight,
And it will not happen again.
- What's done is done.
I mean, I know you kids think it's a antiquated tradition,
but it's a matter of respect.
Yeah, green one, twist it.
- Ah, I got it.
- You know, Asha's last boyfriend
at least had the courtesy to ask me first.
- Wait, what? (ladder clatters)
(Jake wails and thuds)
- Jake? Jake!
Dad, what happened? Jake, are you okay?
- Jake, you have to be more careful.
We need you in one piece for Christmas.
- Dad.
What were you doing on that ladder?
- What was I doing? What were you doing?
Not telling me you were engaged.
- I was not engaged.
Look, he asked my dad for permission, and my dad said yes,
but I said no.
- Oh, wow. That's better.
- He's a family friend.
And my dad really liked the idea of us together,
but he never really felt like the one.
And when we reconnected, I knew I made the right decision.
- I love that.
How'd it make your dad feel?
- He wasn't thrilled.
- Oh, surprise, surprise.
- But at the end of the day,
it's my permission that matters, right?
- Yeah, it is.
So why didn't you tell me this before?
- I'm sorry. I should have.
I was just afraid of upsetting you.
- Asha, come on.
I want you feeling comfortable telling me anything,
even the hard truths, okay?
So from now on, promise, no more secrets.
I don't think my body can take another fall off a ladder.
- Oh, gosh.
Okay, I promise. No more secrets.
- No more secrets.
Wait, what?
- Hmm? - Hmm?
What? What was that?
- Okay, fine. In the interest of being honest.
- Yes. - You know
that spicy tandoori I've been making for you?
- Delicious.
- It's actually totally mild.
- What?
- I've been adding ketchup to cut down on the spice.
- Asha Singh, you little sneak.
That's why we keep running out of ketchup.
- Sorry. (both laughing)
- You're in so much trouble.
(gentle music)
- I love you. - I love you too.
(car humming) (gentle music)
- Oh. - Molly.
Here. - Oh, thank you.
Thanks.
Hold on. I've got a- - You need a hand?
- No, I got fruit cake. It's okay.
Getting heavier.
It must be more nuts or something. Whoa.
- Looks like you finally found your match
in Christmas spirit.
- Yeah. Looks like I have.
(doorbell rings)
- They're here early.
- Mom. They're right on time.
Not everyone operates on IST.
- What's IST?
- It's Indian Standard Time.
Everyone's always 30 minutes late.
Okay.
- Hello. - Hello.
Welcome to our home.
- Thank you. - Thanks for having us.
- Hi. - Mom.
What are you wearing?
- Oh, well, I wanted to show Asha's family
that I appreciate their culture.
- Oh, that's, that's nice. - You look so beautiful.
- Well, thank you.
- Please, come on in.
- Oh...
- It's for good luck.
- Well, you can never have too much of that.
(all chuckle)
Please. I'm Molly.
I brought you fruit cake.
- Oh, thank you.
I'm Nirmila.
- Namala.
- Hmm...
Nirmila.
- Yeah, Narmala!
- That's close enough. (laughing)
Please.
Oh, would you be more comfortable with your shoes off?
- No. - We're good. Thanks.
- We have slippers. - No, I'm good.
- I am so sorry.
I didn't realize we were going to start on time.
- Mr. Singh. Sir, this is my mom.
- Hi, I'm Molly. - Molly, Samuel.
- And this is my dad.
- Jake. - Jake, Samuel.
Nice to meet you.
Well, please come, come in.
- Okay.
- Hello.
- Sorry.
(gentle Indian music)
- I just love Indian food.
- I'm so glad you're enjoying it.
- Yes. Hope it's not too spicy.
Hey, Jake.
- I'm sticking to the rice. Yeah.
- Please help yourself to seconds.
- Don't have to twist my arm.
- Samuel, your Christmas decorations are just incredible.
- Ah, it's just a little holiday amusement for the children.
- Now, now, mom, Mr. Singh is being modest.
He's won the Ashford Community Christmas competition for,
how many years now?
- Oh, I don't keep track of these things.
15 years.
- Molly, didn't you win a few of those back in the day?
- Oh God. Who can remember, Jake?
But well, yes, I did sweep the early 2000s.
- Wait a minute, are you Margaret O'Brien?
- Oh yeah, mm-hmm.
I prefer Molly now,
but I haven't been Margaret O'Brien in years.
- Am I missing something?
- For years, dad would come in second to a Margaret O'Brien.
I can't believe we're only connecting the dots now.
- Well, I'm happy to see you carried on the torch, Samuel.
These days, I channel all
of my holiday spirit into the Winter festival.
It's amazing what you can do with a bigger canvas.
- Well, dad, you can see some
of Molly's work tonight at the Christmas carnival.
- Oh, I can't wait.
- Jake, Molly, we were thinking,
and we'd love to throw the kids an engagement party.
- Oh, you read my mind, Normal.
In fact, I put a hold on the community center for
that exact purpose.
- That will not be necessary.
We've already booked Ravi's restaurant.
It's where we hold our annual Christmas party.
- You went ahead and booked a venue without consulting us?
- Isn't that what you just did as well?
- Molly, we appreciate your initiative,
but we were hoping
to have an engagement ceremony called Nischitartham,
that's deeply meaningful to our family.
- Oh, that's very nice. But this is too sudden.
- Christmas is so soon and we, we have no time to prepare.
- We've got everything under control.
All all you have to do is show up.
- Then what's the rush?
- Well, had your son taken the proper steps to discuss
with us his intention to propose,
rather than just impulsively popping the question,
we would not be scrambling now to prepare for an event
befitting of this milestone.
- Dad.
- So, how about them Coyotes, huh?
Who else here loves basketball?
- Yeah, basketball. - Oh, I love basketball.
But nothing beats the beauty of a baseball game.
- Yes, baseball. - Baseball is but
a cheap imitation of the true sport Cricket.
- You're kidding, right?
- Cricket's been around since the end
of the 16th century.
- And it should have stayed there.
- Who's ready for some carols?
- Yeah. Let's, yeah- - Let's go sing.
- Sure.
(steady tabla music)
- Oh, that was amazing. What was that?
- That's a Tabla.
My uncle's a genius with it.
- You guys do this every year?
- Yeah, it's one of my favorite traditions
since I was a little girl.
Lots of singing through the holidays.
- Come on, dad. - Nope. Not this year.
- What's happening?
What's wrong? Does he not like to play in front of people?
- He rarely plays anymore,
but Dad, at Christmas, please?
- For you one song.
(all clapping)
- Alright, let's see it.
(steady Tabla music)
* Silent night, holy night
* All is calm, all is bright
* Round yon virgin, mother and child *
* Holy infant, so tender and mild *
* Sleep in heavenly peace
(all clapping)
(bright holiday music)
- Welcome. Welcome.
- Wow, Molly, I must say I am very impressed.
- Oh, well, thank you, Samuel.
But I can't take all the credit.
I've got a great crew
and they really knocked it out of the park this year.
- Mommy, daddy, can we go play some games now?
- Of course, buddy. - Yeah, let's go.
(bright holiday music continues)
- Well, shall we join the fun? - Yeah, let's do it.
- Get into teams, everybody.
(holiday music continues)
- Time.
(people clapping)
- Ah, come on. (people clapping)
(crowd exclaims)
- Mr. Singh wins. (people clapping)
(holiday music continues)
(Jake Sr. grunts)
- Time! - Oh!
- The winner is Molly O'Brien!
- Who, me? Oh my goodness. (all clapping)
Thank you. (laughing)
- Molly. That was amazing.
You sure know how to decorate a house.
- Oh. (all laughing)
No hard feelings, right?
It's all in good fun, Samuel.
- Of course not, Molly. And congratulations on the win.
Well deserved.
- It was a lovely evening. Thank you for having us.
- We would love it if you could join us
for our Christmas story reading
at our church on Christmas Eve.
It's a holiday Ian that's been in our family
for generations.
- Oh, that sounds wonderful.
But I may still be tied up here with the Christmas pageant,
but we'll definitely try and make it, right?
- I was not aware that you were going to be here instead of
with us on Christmas Eve, Asha.
- Oh no, dad.
The Christmas pageant ends at 4:00.
That gives us plenty of time to make it
to the church for the candlelight service.
I mean, we were always gonna attend both,
so we didn't think it was worth
bringing up and worrying you.
- I see.
Well, as long as you can make it, we know
how important this tradition is to our family.
- Yes, dad. We will.
We will be there.
- Good night.
(gentle music)
What's wrong?
Still sour over losing that silly competition?
- Let's just say my talents are more suited to building
real houses, not gingerbread ones.
I just, I just can't shake this feeling.
Are our families too different?
How can we blend our traditions?
When the foundations are so far apart.
- Samuel, remember how everyone doubted us?
A Christian and a Hindu?
No one thought it would work,
but when I fell in love with your faith
and made it my own,
my whole family embraced you, us.
And we found a way
to make all our traditions work together.
Jake and Asha will make their own way.
- You're right.
As always.
- Thanks for the ride.
- Oh, no trouble. - What a day, huh?
- Yeah. - Asha's got
a really nice family,
but that's Samuel's a real handful.
- Well, you're gonna have to tolerate him
for the sake of our son, you know?
- Fine. I'll tolerate him.
But if he thinks he's converting me the Cricket,
he's got another thing coming.
- Jake, - What?
- Where are your Christmas decorations?
- Who's got the energy?
- Well, I'm coming by tomorrow. Just a few things.
- No, no. That's not necessary.
Christmas season's almost over. Why bother?
- Because Christmas is a time
of bringing a little magic into our lives.
And it's never too late for a little magic.
- A little magic, huh?
(gentle music)
Good night, Molly.
- That's my favorite Bollywood movie.
- Oh yeah? There's a lot of dancing.
- I'm surprised the VCR still works.
- I haven't seen one of these since I had an AOL account.
- Yeah. My dad never throws anything away.
There's probably a rotary phone around here somewhere.
- Yep. Back corner.
What's wrong?
- Is this what our future's gonna be like?
Family gatherings where they either argue about Cricket
or compete over who has more Christmas spirit?
- I just wish I could figure out a way to win over your dad.
- Just keep being the Jake I fell in love with.
Soon he'll love you exactly like I do.
- I miss this. Just me and you.
Let's say we do it tomorrow. Hm?
Just the two of us. No family.
- It's another packed day.
- Come on. It's even more reason why we need a break.
Come on, please.
- You're right. I'll make time.
- Good. You wanna finish the rest of the movie with me?
- Sure, but we need to remember
to rewind the tape at the end,
or we won't hear the end of it from my dad, okay?
- Got it. Be kind, rewind.
(bright gentle music)
- Sorry, Jake. I just have to put a few things away.
(box thuds) (both gasp)
What is going on here?
- I lost my contact. My contact.
- Nothing to see here.
- Oh...
(bright music concludes)
(spoons clinking)
- Sir. About last night.
I don't want you to- - How do you like
your eggs, Jake?
- Scrambled. - Like your judgment
last night.
- Exactly. Because I wasn't actually-
- Jake, ready to go? - Yes, very ready to go.
- Okay. - Where are you two going?
- Out.
Just the two of us. No chaperones.
- Wear your coat, it's cold. - Dad, what, am I five?
- And don't do anything dangerous.
- Well, don't worry, dad.
We're just gonna go sledding off a cliff.
Alright, let's go before he decides
to follow us in his car, let's go.
- I guess you can have his eggs, then.
(plate clinks)
- This is absolutely divine.
- You have something. Don't move.
Got it. (both smooch)
I miss this. I miss us.
- I know.
It just feels like it's been forever since we had
a moment alone together, hasn't it?
But today's been nice.
I mean, I feel like we're finally getting our rhythm back.
- Yeah, we are. Hey, you want to go ice skating?
- Oh, no. - No?
- I never learned how.
- How on earth does the Princess of Christmas grow up
without learning how to ice skate?
- Stop. You saw how worried my dad was just now.
I mean, if there was a risk of a broken neck,
it's off the table.
- You know, it is sort of cute
how protective he is over you.
- Cute? - Yeah.
- It wasn't that cute when he gave me a curfew in college.
I wish I had the kind of freedom you had growing up.
- I had a lot of freedom, but my parents also dragged me
into a lot of their issues.
I even ended up playing mediator
to their fights sometimes.
- I'm sorry.
- Yeah. - That was probably
really tough. - Yeah.
But hey, I know your family can be a bit
overwhelming at times,
but they're there for you when it matters.
And that counts for a lot.
- Yeah. Yeah, you're right.
I guess I am pretty lucky.
But you don't be too hard on your parents either.
I mean, their way of doing things shaped you into
the independent and fearless man you are today.
(cell phone ringing)
Speaking of which, my mom is calling.
- Huh? Mine is too.
- Hi, mom. - Hi.
- Oh, oh, the engagement shopping?
- Yeah, sure, I'll be right-
- I'm so sorry. I just, I completely lost track of time.
Okay. I'll be right here. - Okay, great.
- I forgot.
I promised my mom and aunts
I'd go engagement shopping today, I am so sorry.
- My mom wants me to come over
and help her bring my dad a Christmas tree for some reason.
- Well, at least we had a couple hours of freedom today.
- Yeah. You want to come over after you're done?
- Yeah. That sounds good.
- Bye. - Bye.
(doorbell rings)
(door clicks open) (bright holiday music)
- Did someone order a Christmas tree?
- What in the world?
- I told you I'd stop by today
with a little Christmas spirit.
- Come on in.
- How about here?
- No, no, no. Jake, they're too clustered.
You gotta spread them out more. Hold on.
- Yes, ma'am. How about this?
- Perfect.
Now that's what I call Christmas spirit.
- Thank you.
I didn't realize how much I needed this.
- Well, that's what the season's all about, isn't it?
Bringing a little warmth where it's needed.
- Didn't even notice that the details.
- Oh, take a look at this one.
- Okay.
- Oh, Maglu. You look absolutely stunning.
- I think this might be the one.
- No, Asha!
Picking a Sari is like dating.
You gotta shop around a little before you commit.
- Sarah. (laughing)
- We've got plenty of options.
Look at the detailing on this one.
- This could also work for Christmas. What do you think?
Don't worry about what we like.
You choose what makes you happiest.
- Thanks, mom.
I just wish dad felt that way when it came to Jake.
- Don't worry about your father.
He just wants you to be happy. Jake is a sweet boy.
If you are sure, we are sure.
- I'm sure. - Good.
(both chuckle)
Speaking of Jake, we need to find him a Sherwani.
- Yes. - Ooh!
- Okay, come on. I wanna see how you look in this.
Oh...
- That's nice.
- So, what do you think?
- You've never looked more handsome, honey.
- That fits you perfectly, son.
- Right? - Yeah.
- Oh, that must be Asha. (doorbell rings)
(door clicks open)
My lady.
- Wow. You look amazing. - I cleaned up nice, huh?
- Yeah. - Come on in.
- Oh, Asha.
- Hi. - Wow. Look at this place.
- Yeah, mom wanted to bring a little
Christmas spirit to dad, so-
- Molly, your talents never cease to amaze me.
- Oh, thank you, Asha. You're too sweet.
- So what's the vest for?
- It's the vest I wore to my engagement party.
It's a family heirloom handed down from my father.
- Oh. - We thought it would be
meaningful if Jake wore it to his engagement party.
- Oh, but we already got Jake a Sherwani
for the engagement party.
- A she what?
- Oh, that's- - Oh, it's
a traditional Indian outfit worn by men
on special occasions.
- Listen, we really respect your traditions,
but don't we get to represent ours too?
- It's our son's engagement party as well.
- I have an idea.
How about we find a way to incorporate
both traditions into the ceremony, hmm?
- Okay, that should work. - Yes.
(gentle music)
- I feel so bad about the Sherwani.
- No, don't worry about it. It's just a misunderstanding.
- Why didn't you say something when they mentioned the suit?
- Honestly, I didn't think it was gonna be
such a big deal for me
to wear something that's meaningful,
especially since your family has been super involved in
planning the whole engagement party.
- Super involved? What's that supposed to mean?
- That came out wrong. All right?
What I meant is my parents, they just,
they want to feel like they're a part of this too.
You know, not just guests at an Indian engagement party.
- Jake, this is supposed to be our engagement party.
I didn't know you saw my traditions as something
separate or something foreign.
- Asha, no. Okay, I'm sorry.
- That's fine.
We're both under a lot of pressure right now.
(bright holiday music)
Oh, it's so pretty.
- I know.
- How can I ever thank you. - You've supported me
through everything, Asha.
This is the least I could do.
Jake didn't come with you?
- No. He went on a jog with a friend.
- So you gonna tell me what's going on with you and Jake?
- Hmm. That obvious, huh?
- Come on, dude. I've known you literally my whole life.
I know when something's up.
- Ever since we got home,
it's been one thing after the other.
Look, I knew that blending our
families was gonna be difficult.
I didn't think it was gonna be this hard.
Maybe some things aren't meant to go together.
- Asha, it's not about blending two families from
opposite worlds.
It's about complementing each other
and learning to live alongside the differences.
- Yes, but what if the differences are just
too incompatible?
Like ketchup and Tandoori.
I mean, good intentions, but just don't belong together.
- Okay, first of all, ketchup and Tandoori?
What kind of blasphemy is that?
- I know, it's a long story.
Can we focus on what I'm talking about?
- How did he not notice?
- Ravi? - Okay.
Look, even a pairing as unusual as ketchup and Tandoori
can work surprisingly well, you just have
to find the right balance.
You and Jake have something special, right?
Don't let the family drama make you forget why you fell in
love in the first place.
- How are you my baby brother?
- Well, I had a good role model. Hello, my queen.
- How did you two do it? Blending the families together.
- Asha, as someone who was initiated into the Singh family,
let me tell you, it wasn't always easy,
but you gotta remember,
it's not about squeezing Jake into your world.
It's about building a new one together.
- Thank you, Sarah.
She's seriously the sister
I didn't know I needed.
- Aw, hear that?
- Okay. I did literally just give that same advice though.
- Yeah, but I said it better right?
(both laughing)
(both panting)
- This trip, man, it's been way more
challenging than I expected.
- How so?
- Ever since we got here,
our families have been pulling us in opposite directions.
And no matter what we do, someone always ends up upset.
- You still love her?
- Yes, of course I still love her.
- That's all that matters.
- It's her dad.
That guy is impossible to please.
- The only people who need to be okay
with your relationship are you and Asha.
Who cares what her father thinks?
- That's just it, Ethan. She does.
She cares very, very deeply what he thinks.
- If her family is that important to her, you need
to find a way to coexist.
All right, nothing good ever came from getting
between your wife and her family.
- How are you so good at this?
- Years of practice, my friend.
Laura's parents have taught me a lot about
the art of patience.
All right, let's go.
- Okay. Hey, wait up!
(bright music)
Hey, Asha.
- Hi. - How is Ravi's?
- Oh yeah, it's good.
Yeah, everything's looking good for tomorrow.
- Good. I'm glad.
Hey, listen, about last night, I'm sorry,
I should have been more understanding about
how important it's to honor your grandparents.
- I'm sorry too.
I should have been more
considerate of your culture as well.
- So we good? - Yeah, we're good.
- Okay. (bright music continues)
- Right. Make sure they're right side up.
Aunty Rekha's gonna kill you. - Yes. Of course.
- Hi, dad. Headed to the church already?
- Yeah, we have to get there early to help set up.
- Okay, well, we are gonna hit Molly's Christmas pageant
and then we'll meet you at the church after.
- Don't be late. - We won't.
- Promise. - Okay.
- Good luck.
(bright holiday music)
- What are you guys still doing here?
You should be out on stage.
Oh, come on. Come on, go, oh.
- We just came to wish you good luck before the show.
- Oh, thank goodness you're here.
I've lost my Mary and Joseph.
Food poisoning from a bad batch of eggnog.
- Oh, no! - That'll do it.
- Can you two fill in?
I know it's last minute, but you're my only hope.
Please tell me you'll do it.
- Oh, I don't know. - I guess today
is the day I make my big stage debut.
- Oh, you're lifesavers.
Okay. Here are the costumes.
- Costumes? - Here are the co-
Yes. - We're wearing costumes.
- Oh yes, scripts.
- Scripts. - You're on in 15 minutes.
- Okay, alright alright alright.
- Oh, what did I get myself into?
- How did the preparations go?
- Good. Has Asha arrived yet? - Not yet.
- The service is about to start.
- She'll come.
- As we gather tonight on this most blessed of evenings,
let us reflect on the true spirit of Christmas, the spirit
of giving, of forgiving, and of hope.
And now please welcome our dear friend,
Mr. Samuel Singh, to come up for a reading.
- Come on.
Are there any children here who would like
to hear the Christmas story?
(children exclaiming)
Well then why don't you come up here and join us.
(children chattering)
Have any of you heard the Christmas story before?
I think I was about your age when I first heard it.
Many, many years ago.
Once upon a time in a town called Bethlehem,
there was a special night,
a young couple named Mary and Joseph were traveling
to Bethlehem for a census ordered by the emperor.
- Just look. - My dad's gonna kill me.
- That's okay. (bright music)
- I'm sorry. Hi.
Please continue.
(children chuckle)
(gentle music)
- [Samuel] Where was I? Mary was going to have a baby.
- Samuel. That was beautiful.
- Where were you? - Dad, I am so sorry.
- And why are you dressed like this?
You trying to make a mockery out of me?
- No, no, no. Not at all.
We were actually just helping with Molly's pageant.
- It's kind of a funny story.
You see, the actors playing Mary and Joseph
came down with food poisoning.
- And then we stepped in to help with the roles.
But then- - That's enough.
You know this is your family's most cherished
Christmas tradition.
But because you were too busy helping your new family,
you completely disregarded your own.
- Dad, it's not like that at all.
- Sir, I know how much this means to you
and I'm sorry we're late.
But it is not Asha's fault.
You don't need to talk to her like that.
- This is a family discussion.
And the last time I checked you,
were not yet a member of this family, Jake.
- Excuse me. That's no way to speak to my son.
- Yes, we missed one tradition,
but we've been doing our best to respect
and honor your customs every step of the way.
- And we haven't been trying?
Asha just dropped everything to help out
with Molly's pageant.
From day one, I knew our families will never fit.
And if the families don't fit, the marriage will never work.
- Sir, you can give me a hard time all you want,
but please keep my family out of it.
They have gone out of their way to welcome Asha,
which is more than I can say about
the way you've treated me.
So I think you need to take a hard look at who's
really causing the divide.
- Jake, please stop.
Not like this. Okay?
- Are you gonna take his side?
- Why do I have to take a side?
- Asha. - Jake.
(somber music)
I don't think this is gonna work.
- What?
- If we have to constantly choose
between our families and each other,
then look at what happened this week.
This was supposed to be a time of pure joy
and it's turned into a complete disaster.
Jake, I do not want to put you through a lifetime of stress.
It's not fair to you.
I know that and I know my family can be a lot,
but they mean so much to me, just like yours does to you.
And I don't know, somehow I thought we could come together
and it would work out,
but right now I just, I don't think it can.
- Maglu. - I need some space.
Please, from both of you.
(gentle music)
- May I join you? - Oh, please.
I'm really sorry, Jake. I was way out of line.
- I'm sorry too.
We are both just looking out
for our families in our own way.
You know, Samuel, you and I aren't as different
as you might think.
- No?
- My mom passed away when I was just a boy,
and my dad uprooted us from Ireland to America
for a better life.
Just the same as well you did by coming here.
It may seem like we're from different worlds,
but there is something we have in common.
We both want the best for our children.
We want them to be happy.
We love our kids, Samuel.
- Yeah. - And they love each other.
- Yeah. - How about
we put our differences aside and support them together?
- I would love that more than anything else.
Can you tell me where I can find Jake? I owe him an apology.
- Yeah, I can take you to him.
- Hey, how about we watch a baseball game together sometime.
- Oh, how about we make it a Cricket match?
- Oh, Christmas really is a time for miracles.
(both laughing)
(bright music settles)
- Forget about the shoes.
- Mr. Singh. - Please sit.
- No, I'll just leave you two to it.
- Can we talk? - Yeah. Yeah, of course.
- Look, Asha is my little girl
and I'm always going to want to protect her,
but she's all grown up now
and I don't wanna stand in the way of your happiness,
especially when I see how much joy you bring her.
- Sir, all I want to do is make your daughter happy.
- Can you forgive an overprotective father
and accept my blessing to marry my daughter?
- Mr. Singh, are you proposing to me?
- Don't make me ask again.
- Then the answer is yes.
- Thank you, Jake.
Now come on. - What?
- There's something you have to do.
- What?
(gentle music)
- Asha, can I come in?
Maglu, I'm so sorry about Jake.
- Well, you got your wish. So.
- Asha, the only thing we want is our children's happiness.
I'm sorry if I never always made that clear.
- You know, I've spent my whole life
terrified of disappointing you, right?
You and mom sacrificed so much for us
and came from another country with no friends and no family.
And I know that.
But because of that,
I felt so much pressure to live the life
that you envisioned for me.
- [Samuel] What's this?
- I aced my MCATs.
- I don't understand.
- I told you I failed
because I knew you wouldn't allow me
to pursue nursing otherwise.
- It breaks my heart to realize that you went to these steps
to hide who you truly are.
- Well, now you know what it's like
to live under your impossible expectations
and I can't do it anymore, Dad.
I love Jake.
I love him so much
and I'm going to marry him,
assuming he'll still even have me.
But I'm going to do it with or without your blessing.
- That is why I am here. You have my full blessing.
Jake is a wonderful young man. I see it now.
Especially after I saw how he stood up
for his family tonight.
I was wrong
and I'm so sorry
for not giving him a fair chance.
- Really?
- And for making him eat all that spicy curry.
(both laugh)
- That was so mean. It was kind of funny though.
- Sorry.
- What is that? (Bollywood music)
- Go outside and see for yourself.
- Jake?
- There's that smile.
(Bollywood music)
- What are you doing?
- It's from the movie you watch. Remember?
Your dad thought it might cheer you up a little bit.
Pretty good, right?
- This was your idea?
Thank you.
(Bollywood music continues)
- Go.
(Bollywood music continues)
- Jake.
- You are everything to me.
I know our families meeting have been an adventure,
but you, your family, your traditions, your culture,
they're all part of what make you who you are.
And I love every part of you.
- Jake. I'm so sorry I ever doubted us.
And I know, I know the road ahead is gonna be challenging,
but we can make it work
because you are the best thing that's ever happened to me
and I cannot imagine my life without you.
- I love you so much, Asha. - I love you too.
(bright upbeat music)
(people chattering)
- Merry Christmas. Hey.
Congratulations. - Thank you so much
for doing all of this.
- Anything for my favorite sister.
- I'm so lucky to have you as a brother.
- Yes you are.
Hold that thought. Not yet.
That's for later.
- Hey, hey. - This party is incredible.
- Thank you so much for including us, both of you.
- Are you kidding? Thanks for coming.
It means a lot to both of us.
- Please enjoy the party.
- Merry Christmas. - Merry Christmas.
- I know you two still haven't eaten. Here.
Have some spiced eggnog.
(aunt smooching)
Drink. Drink.
- Oh, here.
(people chattering)
- Ah, toughen up. O'Brien.
A blessed marriage is worth a little pain.
- Wow. Aunty Rekha speaks, and she means business.
- Thank you.
- Congratulations to you. Hi.
- Hey, big guy. Merry Christmas.
- Merry Christmas.
- Welcome to the family, son.
- Does that mean I finally get to call you Dad?
- Let's not get ahead of ourselves.
How about we start with Samuel?
- Sounds good, Samuel.
(whistling) Looking extra sharp tonight, pops.
Any reason?
- No, it's a big day.
Of course I'm gonna dress up.
Two right here.
- Any other reason? - It's just a date,
but you never know, huh?
- Pretty cute.
- Thank you for joining us today
to celebrate not only Asha and Jake's engagement,
but to also celebrate the joy
and spirit of this wonderful holiday, Christmas.
- Christmas is a time to bring people together,
to set aside our differences and embrace the love
and joy we share.
And it's fitting that we celebrate their
engagement on this day.
Because just like Christmas, Asha and Jake
brought our two families and traditions together.
- Now, please exchange your engagement rings.
In the Hindu tradition of the Nischitartham,
fathers formally give their permission
for the Children's Union.
It is my honor to give my blessing to Asha
and Jake's engagement.
- And it is with great joy that I give my blessing
to Asha and Jake.
- It is our great pleasure
to formally announce the engagement
of our daughter, Asha Singh.
- And our son, Jake O'Brien.
(all clapping) (bright music)
(upbeat Indian music)
(romantic music)
- Merry Christmas, Asha.
- Merry Christmas.
(people cheering) (bright music concludes)