The 5-Year Christmas Party

Hey!!! -Hi!

Everyone friends, revelers.

Fellow theater kids and cater-waiters.

May I present the director of Burton College's stunning

and deeply weird production of A Christmas Carol?

The smartest person...

Always wearing the smartest outfit.

A woman who doesn't like parties,

but is always, the most fun at those parties.

I think this is only true to you.

Our dearest friend.

And my favorite roommate,

- Alice Mitchell. -

Hey Max!

How are you?

Max is here. Who invited Max?

He saw the show tonight.

And we cater together sometimes.

I told him you've had a huge crush on him

for three years now.

No, you didn't? No, you didn't.

He did not. I was there.

You just told him where the cast party was.

How many times do you think he's going to mention

he's playing Hamlet next semester?

So many.

Yes.

I'll go find out.

So, are you, uh... gonna go talk to him?

Max? No.

Why not?

Why should I?

He chose that side of the room. He made his choice.

Do you think people liked it?

The show?

-Yeah. -Of course.

Alice, people loved it.

You made the Ghost of Christmas past a lobster, So...

Mabel!

Solid work, buddy.

I am really proud of that.

As well you should be.

Lisa, hi. I didn't know you were here.

Well, I usually try to come to cast parties.

As faculty, you know, we usually only stay a few minutes.

And with that, I'm off.

Lisa, Lisa, sorry.

I just wanted to tell you I learned so much from you

during this experience. Thank you.

And I will be sure to come and talk to you about assisting

after graduation.

Alice... you are at a Christmas party

your senior year of college after a smashing success.

Enjoy it. It's a gift not everyone gets.

Sure.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Merry Christmas.

Good night, Lisa.

Oh. Good night.

I love her.

There you are.

Hey, Max. Hi.

Hey.

Uh, is the party still going on?

It's dying down.

I just... I could not get out of here

without telling you how great your show was.

-Really? -Yeah, yeah.

A Christmas Carol, that's an indictment on capitalism.

Come on, and that's also funny and smart.

Oh, thank you, thank you, Max. That's incredibly kind.

I wish I would have auditioned now, you know.

Yeah, well...

I wouldn't have been able to anyway, you know,

I'm doing-- I'm playing Hamlet in,

uh, the main stage production next semester, so just the--

I've got so much to memorize, so many monologues to--

Yeah, yeah. You know, you really don't owe me

any kind of explanation. Don't even worry about it.

Right.

Do you, um, plan on staging it again, A Christmas Carol?

Yes. Yeah, I would like to. I think, um--

I mean, I'd love to get it up as soon as possible.

I'm really eager to sort of have some more space

to explore the idea of whether he's actually dreaming

or if it's sort of a critique

of post-industrial London and how it,

you know, comparatively, it's, um--

Comparatively, it's--

No, I just... I am actively geeking out

over A Christmas Carol,

and then I'm hearing myself doing that

and it's coming out of my mouth.

No, no, no. You're actively geeking over smart things.

It's... it's nice.

You know, I might go and just help them clean up inside.

-Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. -There's a lot.

-I gotta go. -Make some rounds anyway.

Talk to the beautiful people, your subjects.

I don't know what royalty does.

Can I ask you a question?

How is this the most that you've talked to me

over the course of an entire three-year program?

This is not the most I've spoken to you--

Max, it absolutely is the most, like...

We had classes together.

We did that one really horrible scene in freshman year,

and then you just, uh, ignored me from then on,

and now... and now you're here.

I just...

I really like your show.

Do you really?

I do.

I thought you should know.

Um...

I'm-- I don't know if this is the thing.

Ooh.

I don't think that-- I wasn't.

I'm so sorry.

I fully... I must have misread it entirely.

No, no, but not sort of-- not all the way.

But... but listen, I... I am sure it's fine.

I'm sure it works on tons of girls

and that... that didn't come out right. I'm...

Yeah. I'm just going to--

This conversation? Let's call it, let's call it.

We don't even have to have it.

-Um... -Great show.

Thank you. Thank you so much.

Thank you for...

Hi Alice.

Hey, what's going on? Are you okay?

I'm fine. I've been busy.

Tell me how the play went.

Mom, no. Come on.

You canceled your flight last minute.

You sounded really stressed. Just tell me what's going on.

Oh shoot, Alice. I don't want to.

Mom, you're going to tell me anyway, so just tell me now.

Peanut, the bookstore closed. It's over.

Mom, I'm so sorry.

What happened?

I lost a business... again. I'm still breathing.

Oh, Mom, I wish I could give you a hug.

I'm sorry I didn't tell you.

I didn't want to mess up your show.

I canceled the flight so that I could work

right up until Christmas and see if I could save it, anyway.

Well, what do you... what do you need?

Do you want me to come there and help out or--

No, no.

You're going to need that money.

For my last semester.

I'm sorry, Alice.

I'm not going to be able to help with the rent for a while.

No, it's okay, Mom, I've got it.

I can do it, I promise.

I love you.

Yeah. I love you too.

Bye.

Oh, boy. Okay.

Be careful it's hot.

I mean, it's not like it's new, right?

She's been like this my entire life.

It's one of my favorite things about her.

She'll be this huge success, and then poof,

it all goes up in smoke

and she'll just start something new.

So your Mom will be fine, will you?

I'll figure it out.

Okay. Here's what you should do.

You should ask Pam.

We are always looking for extra help around here.

I don't know, you guys are always talking about

how difficult catering is.

Yeah, but in a fun way.

Yeah, you'll love it.

You got to go to a million different parties

that basically feel like one long party, huh?

Plus the pay. Oh, it's really good.

First of all, I hate parties anyway,

so that's kind of a wash,

but I have a couple of other options

that I would like to explore I feel quite positive about.

So I'm going to do that. You have a wonderful shift.

You should still most definitely tell him about her.

Good call.

Yeah.

Knock, knock.

Keep away from the ghost lights.

You break that thing and we'll have all kinds of curses

dropping in here.

Hello. Hi.

I actually came by to see if you're hiring.

I think that I may need

to find something faster than graduation.