The Homecoming: A Christmas Story Page #4

near Coseville.

All passengers, except

for the two trapped men,

have been removed.

No deaths have been reported,

although many injured

have been received

in the University Hospital

in Charlottesville.

Over in Waynesboro,

James Tucker announced

that his store was about...

( clicks off radio )

Oh...

I wish it were spring

of the year again.

Forsythia blooming

by the fence and...

and the crocus

coming up through the snow.

Daughter, we don't know

he was on that bus.

I'd just as soon the children

not know about that accident.

If it's bad news,

we'll tell it when it comes.

A telephone is what we need.

It's the first thing

I'm going to get

when this Depression is over.

Has anybody seen John-Boy?

I heard him go up

to his room.

He closed the door

and locked it again.

What does that boy do up there?

John-Boy?

John-Boy?

Yes, ma'am?

What you doing up there, boy?

Nothing, Mama.

Then what's the door locked for?

Well, I reckon

it just got locked.

A door don't get locked

all by itself.

You come on down.

Grandpa, John usually

likes to get the trees,

but I think maybe you

and John-Boy better

get us one this year.

I know where there's

a real pretty one, Livy.

Mama, can I go with

Grandpa and John-Boy?

Cutting down trees

is men's work.

A girl's place

is in the kitchen.

But I want to go.

I need you to help me

make my applesauce cake.

Oh, let Erin help you.

She's such a prissy-butt.

I am not a prissy-butt!

Would you girls

stop arguing and get busy.

Go!

What were you doing up there

behind locked doors?

Homework.

I don't see why you

have to lock the door

to do homework.

Some-sometimes I like

a little privacy, Mama.

Mm-hmm.

Come on, son,

let's go and get

that Christmas tree.

Grandpa, you ever been away

from Walton's Mountain?

Not if I could help it.

Spent my adored life

right here.

How did we come to get

Walton's Mountain?

Well, it's all there

in the family bible.

See, my granddaddy-- he'd be

your great-great granddaddy--

he come here in 1789

with nothing but an ax,

a plow, a mule and a rifle.

Well, I know where

his old cabin stood.

My daddy showed me

the foundations one time.

Yeah, yeah-- you got

pioneer stock in you.

You can take pride in that.

This is fought-for land.

Battles right here?

Mm, more than one.

Flood, fire,

freezing weather, diphtheria,

scarlet fever, whooping cough,

loneliness, hard times.

No, I thought

you meant wars.

Them, too.

Hey, Grandpa, we got

something to show

we own Walton's Mountain?

You can't own a mountain

any more than you can own

the ocean or piece of the sky.

You hold it in trust,

and you...

you live on it,

you take life from it,

and once you're dead,

you rest in it.

Yeah, I just as soon not

think about that part of it.

Oh, you're not ready

for it yet.

Are you?

Never.

There's your tree, boy.

All righty.

Whoo-hoo!

She's a dandy, Grandpa.

It's one I've watched grow

for all the time of its life.

You sure know

how to pick 'em!

( chopping )

That's the last string.

Can we put

the decorations on now?

Well, you can get them ready.

( all arguing )

Just take it easy,

you're going to break them.

Stop hogging.

Here's a red one.

I wanted to hang that one.

Look at this silver one.

You can see

your face in it.

I got a homemade one.

I wanted to hang one

that was bought in the store.

Look what I found.

( shatters )

Now look

what you've done.

You made me!

You hit my arm!

I did not!

All right, everybody!

Now, just calm down!

Just hold it!

You watch your temper.

Well, they're all

grabbing at once.

You're the oldest.

You make them mind.

Well, I'm tired of

being the oldest.

I feel like an old mother duck.

Can't do a thing

about that now--

you're stuck with it.

All right, next...

next one of you that moves

is going to get a spanking.

We'll be good, John-Boy.

Okay.

All right, just...

you just let me get these on,

and then you can take over.

All right...

now remember,

keep your fingers crossed,

'cause if one bulb has gone bad,

then none of them's

going to work.

Do you want some help,

John-Boy?

You can plug it in now, Jason.

Okay, go to town!

( cheers )

I remember this one.

We bought it

in Charlottesville

that year Erin

got lost over there.

I wasn't lost--

we walked up

both sides of Main

Street two times,

we couldn't find you.

You probably just

walked right past me

and didn't see me.

All I was doing was

looking through the

pretty store windows.

Then how come you cried

when we found you?

I did not...

What's that?

It's a blue jay's nest.

Still got an egg in it.

You can't put that

thing on the tree.

It's full of mites.

That old rotten egg

will smell bad.

The egg is not rotten.

I blew all

the stuff out of it.

Inside, it's clean

as a whistle.

Look at that.

It still got bird poop on it.

Who wants a nasty

thing like that

on a Christmas tree?

I do, and it's not nasty.

You're such a crazy.

Oh, turn blue, Erin.

John-Boy, look

what she's done!

You know, Santa Claus is going

to take one look

at that bird poop

and he's going to head

right back up the chimney.

And I won't get my doll.

What's the matter

with you, crybaby?

Santa Clause won't come

because of you.

( crying )

You ought to be ashamed

of yourself, Mary Ellen.

Oh, you're all

a bunch a pissants.

Mama, Mama, Mama!

Mama, Mama!

OLIVIA:

What's the matter now?

Mary Ellen made Elizabeth cry.

She ruined

the whole Christmas tree

with a smelly old bird's nest,

and now she's calling us names.

What have you got to say

for yourself, Mary Ellen?

My bird's nest

is the pretties thing

on the whole tree.

What about this name calling?

She said we were pissants.

Well, you know better

than that, don't you,

Elizabeth?

I don't feel like a pissant.

There, you see?

Aw, this bird's nest

looks nice there.

Oh, it looks real natural.

( door opens )

Daddy!

He's home!

It's Charlie Snead.

CHARLIE:

Great day in the morning.

Come on in, Charlie.

I usually get

a big welcome around here.

Well, we're pleased

to see you, Charlie,

it's just that, well,

we thought maybe you were John.

Oh, ain't that rascal home yet?

We're mighty

worried, Charlie.

Well, I don't blame you.

Uh, Charlie,

would you like a cup of coffee

or something?

No, I can't stay

but a minute, Olivia.

But I did know that John

wouldn't have a chance

to do much hunting

this Christmas,

so I thought he'd... appreciate

a little meat on the table.

Oh, Charlie...

I-I don't know how to thank you.

You don't have to say

nothing to me, Olivia.

Oh... this is the answer

to my prayer.

GRANDMA:

Fine bird, all right.

Where'd he come from?

Um...

oh, I shot him

up on Wale's Mountain.

Don't appear to be

no wild turkey to me.

Never saw a wild turkey

this clean.

What kind of shot you use?

Didn't.

Got him clean through the head

with a single bullet.

A sitting-still bird?

You shot a sitting-still bird?

At 36 paces, Mrs. Walton.

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