Charlie's Christmas Wish

Star light, star bright,

wish I had a home tonight.

Is anyone out there?

Please, God, I need a rescue!

It is so cold in here.

I'm always right here, Charlie.

I'm always right here.

There's so many.

Yeah, there's a lot of them and they all need a home.

Yeah.

Oh, this one's cute.

Hmm, I wish we could find them all homes.

Oh, Michael!

Bring him in here.

I need a rescue right about now.

My time is getting short here.

You know...

I've got a really special dog in the other room.

I think you're really going to like him.

- You want to take a look? - Yeah.

Yeah, let's go, come on. This way.

Charlie, here's your rescue.

Scoot out over now and give Jimmy a high five.

- Jimmy, meet Charlie. - Wow.

This is the one. He's so cute.

Your "him" is actually a "her", I think.

Still named Charlie, though.

He's all yours, Charlie.

He'll have a challenge or two that I will need your help with,

but you will be warm tonight.

- Thank you, God. - My greatest pleasure.

Can I pick her up?

Yeah, she's all yours.

Easy! Easy, guy!

Why don't you go introduce Charlie

to the rest of your family, huh?

- Yeah, of course. - Ah, he'll get the hang of it.

Mom, you should have seen it.

We won, and I scored the last goal!

It was awesome!

That is great news, Jimmy! Hey, Emily?

Can I get a couple of hot chocolates down here to celebrate?

Of course!

Over here!

Don't forget the cookie!

Don't worry, Charlie. I won't forget about you.

Mom, I'm so excited. I can't wait for Dad to see our soccer team.

You know, your dad is coming home in January for good this time,

and he's not going back ever again.

- Really?! - Yes!

You know, I played horrible last time he was here.

Wait until he sees me play now.

I know. And that's why I picked up so many extra Christmas parties,

so that we can get help with the bills

and spend quality time with your dad when he returns.

Awesome.

Which reminds me, I have four parties tonight,

and the last party I am serving,

which means that I won't get home until really late.

So, can you get yourself home, homework done,

- dinner for you and Charlie? - Sure, Mom.

- Two hot chocolates to celebrate? - Thank you.

- Of course. - Whoo!

- To the winning goal. - Yes.

Congratulations.

Delish. Listen, I've got to get back to work.

- Mm-hmm. - Enjoy your hot chocolate.

Get home safe and sound with Charlie.

- Yes, Mom. - Okay, watch for the cars.

- I will. Love you. - Love you.

And because of the incident last week,

I'm ordering the enforcement of our leash law.

We have been way too lax about penalties for dogs without a leash,

collar or tags for way too long.

We will have hundreds of people downtown

for our parade and for Christmas shopping.

So, we don't want anyone

stepping into any "presents" left by our furry friends.

What is the penalty for having no leash,

and who is enforcing?

Well, officers Vic and Don here

will be enforcing the leash law.

I guess things are going to be different now, Charlie.

The fine is $100 for the first offence.

I guess our plans have changed.

Got to go to the pet store before we get our Christmas tree.

Every time after that, we'll add another $100.

- It's going to be a killer for mom. -

We need to get out of here before someone sees us.

All fines have to be paid before your pooch is picked up.

Any other questions?

Thank you, thank you. Let's go.

Hi, there, Jill's Cakes and Bakes. Can I help you?

Jill, it's for you. It's John's commanding officer.

Jill Frost. Can I help you?

Yes.

Yes.

I understand.

Bring a pen and paper.

1400 hours.

Okay.

Uh-huh, 57 Fairfield. Yes, sir.

I will be there to pick him up.

Yes, thank you.

- Everything okay? - Yeah.

- John's coming home tomorrow! -

- That's great news, right? - Yeah, I should be thrilled.

But it's five weeks early. Five weeks early.

And I'm so overbooked, I can't even think straight.

Kate, Emily, can you take over my calendar tomorrow?

- Of course! Of course. - Please.

I've got to pick him up at 2:00. I'm so sorry.

- It's okay, we've got this. - Don't worry about it.

- Wow. - Yeah.

Hi, Will. Thank you so much.

Jill's Cakes and Bakes!

Merry Christmas.

- Merry Christmas. - Merry Christmas.

Hello, Pam.

You'll never guess where I'm off to.

Probably not.

I'm on my way to pick up John at the airfield.

Why so early? I thought he was coming home in January.

I know, it was supposed to be in January,

but there was an incident in the barracks so they released him early.

His gain, my pain.

I remember what it was like when Ronnie came home from Afghanistan.

He was barking orders at Mom constantly.

Still does it sometimes.

How is Ronnie doing anyway?

Is he still there with Mom at the house?

Yes, he's still there.

He has good days and bad days,

but she says he's turning the corner.

Well, Hank said he saw him down at the Moose Lodge,

and at Veteran's Park.

Oh, thank goodness for Hank Wentworth.

I see him riding around town with Jimmy every once in awhile.

Hank has been a godsend to both of us.

I mean, he's been like a grandfather to Jimmy,

and he helps me with all the errands that'd have fallen through the cracks

- if he wasn't there. - I wish I could help more,

but since Daddy died, I have been overwhelmed

helping Mom get Ronnie back on his feet again.

You know, Jimmy and Charlie love to visit.

Maybe we'll have them do that this week.

Of course! Mom would love to see them.

Charlie seems to brighten Ronnie's mood when she visits.

I'm almost there. I'm a bit nervous.

Actually, I'm a lot nervous. I mean, I'm excited to see him,

I'm just worried that he'll be disappointed, you know?

You'll be fine.

What John needs most is time to adjust.

It'll be wonderful for Jimmy

to have his dad home for Christmas after all.

Yeah, thanks, sis.

It'll be a holiday to remember, one way or the other.

["Santa is Mine Ho Ho" by Janyse Jaud playing]

John!

["Santa Is Mine Ho Ho" continues playing]

- Hi. - Hi!

Oh, my gosh!

- Good to see you. - So good to see you.

So, how did you manage to get home five weeks early?

That's kind of a long and unpleasant story.

But it won't affect my honorable discharge.

Or my retirement benefits.

That's a good thing, right?

Yeah, it's a good thing.

Good. Let's get you home.

Okay?

Nice wheels.

- Whose car did you borrow? - It's mine.

Well, ours. I've been doing pretty good down at Jill's Cakes and Bakes.

- Jimmy know I'm coming home? - Nah.

I thought we'd surprise him.

Also, I hate to be the practical one in this moment,

but did you ever get your driver's license renewed?

Nope. I thought I could do it when I got home.

It's not as easy as it used to be.

Things have changed since you were last a civilian.

Well, I like the new car.

Can't wait to see what else is new.

So, this is where we live now.

Yes.

I've been doing so good down at the bakery,

I was able to buy us this fixer-upper.

- I see where I fit in already. -

Can you give it a chance, John?

Trust me, this is going to be a Christmas to remember.

You just have to stay flexible.

My husband's early homecoming is not an acceptable excuse for my clients.

They just want their parties to be "buzz-worthy."