A Christmas Year (Part 3)

Photo courtesy of pixabay.com

I’ve taken to watching a lot of bad Christmas movies each year, in addition to the classics I love. With full acknowledgment that I have zero training as a screenwriter and that this presentation is all over the place, I give you my take on a Hallmark-schlock-style, made-for-TV Christmas movie, A Christmas Year.

Note: This is part 3 of 4. Check out the last two weeks’ posts to start from the beginning.

Return from commercials on the setting of a small town American bar where Carol and Derrick are having a beer.

Derrick To be honest, I was worried your dad was dead when he hadn’t taken down the Christmas decorations by New Year’s.

Carol: You should have been worried December 26th. I mean, he was religious about not celebrating the holiday a day past when it was over. But I guess it’s what makes him happy now.

She drinks deeply

Carol: Let’s talk about something else. What are you up to these days? Where do you work? Do you have a wife and kids?

Derrick: No kids. No wife. A few close calls, but I guess I never found anyone really special, you know?

Derrick and Carol both reach for their beers at the same time and their fingers touch. They keep their hands there a beat longer and make deep, meaningful eye contact, before Carol pulls away.

Derrick: But work keeps me busy anyway. I run the youth center downtown and we have after school programs most nights, so there’s not much chance to date. It’s good, though. I really love working with kids.

Carol: You were always so good with kids.

Derrick: Well speaking of kids, yours seem great. And you’re some kind of super hero. The career, the single mom gig. I was really sorry to hear about your husband, though.

Carol nods sadly.

Derrick: You mentioned that your boy, Kringle, won’t sing anymore.

Carol: He and his father used to sing all time. Kringle has the voice of an angel, and his father would sit at the piano and start out singing with him, then fall out and let Kringle sing all his own. He could make any song beautiful.

A generic late-1990s boy band-style song starts playing in the background. They both stop.

Derrick: Well speaking of great songs—

Carol: Oh no—

Derrick takes her hand and stands up.

Derrick: As I recall, you made me dance at prom, and declared this our song.

Carol: I did not.

Derrick: You said we’d have to play it at our wedding, Carol. Now the least you can do is dance with me here.

Carol rolls her eyes, but does get up and the two of them dance. Everyone in the bar dances, including a choreographed grapevine into a spin into a box step with Carol and Derrick at the front of the pack, before they spin into something between a slow dance formation and a tender embrace. The song ends and the bar applauds them while they laugh at themselves, each a bit sheepish.

Carol: I should go. Thank you for the beer. And the dance. It was really good to catch up, but I really should take the kids off my mom’s hands and see how Dad’s doing.

Derrick: Of course. Give me a ring before you get out of town, all right? I’d love to see you again.

Carol: We’ll see.

Carol gives him an awkward hug and is on her way.

***

Carol goes back home. The kids are busy making cookies with Mom. Carol and has a tender moment with her father, before he brings up that she really ought to move back home. It’d be good for the kids.

Carol: My whole life is in California. I’m sorry, Dad. But I promise. We’ll come back for Christmas. I’ll try to get a whole two weeks off to be here for everything.