A Very Merry Christmas : The Donna Reed Show

It's time for some 'true meaning of Christmas' wrapped in a neat, Donna Reed package

via giphy

Donna's getting the Stone house all ready for Christmas the next day, hanging up the Christmas cards and decorating the house without any help from her children (who each have their own problems they're dealing with) and her husband (who's at work). 

Her daughter Mary's problem is that her best friend Kathy may have bought her a present and she doesn't have anything for her. She's overthinking whether to buy a present for her and wants Donna's opinion. Donna tells her that Kathy's probably having the same problem at her house and to not worry about it. 

Her son Jeff's problem is that he's a cheapskate who's also counting how much money his friends have spent on his presents. 

And then the doorbell rings and it's Jimmy the paperboy. Donna gives him a present, "it's fruitcake!" she says. He's not excited. Donna wonders if he was disappointed by the fruitcake and Jeff tells her that she should've slipped him cash. 

Just then, Alex shows up and says that they forgot to buy a present for Miss Clark at the hospital, and that if they're emptyhanded, she'll make his life miserable. 

And then Joe the dry cleaner shows up with freshly pressed garments. Donna presents him with a present for his help, "it's fruitcake!" He's also not happy about it, but he disguises it a little better than Jimmy did, but the wind is leaving Donna's sails. 

Donna asks Alex if Christmas has always been like this, or if it used to be better when there wasn't a frenzy. She says she wants to see a return to it. 

And finally, Mr. Larkin shows up with the mail and Donna gives him a present. "It's fruitcake," she says, wearily, and Mr. Larkin says that it's okay, his wife likes fruitcake. 

In the delivery, she finds out that some friends bought them a present and she doesn't have anything for them. 

Donna: Oh, honey, the Martin's sent us a Christmas present!

Alex: Why the panic? Is it a timebomb?

Donna: Well, it might as well be - I didn't get them anything. You see, I wasn't sure they were going to get anything for us and I was afraid if we gave them something and they didn't get... Oh, honey, Christmas should be warm and friendly and peaceful.

Alex: I agree with you, darling, and if you want mine to be peaceful, don't forget Miss Clark's present.

So Donna heads to the department store to get a blouse (Alex had jokingly suggested that the perfect gift would've been a husband, but Donna says they need to get something realistic), and it's a shark tank. Women screaming, pulling, tossing and badgering the saleswoman to get the leftover blouses in the odd sizes and weird colours that are left over on Christmas Eve Day. 

She arrives at the hospital, gift for Miss Clark in hand. "A blouse, I think," she tells Alex. They talk about the Christmases of their childhoods, and how Donna hates the way it's all so frenzied and commercial nowadays. 

Just then, Charlie the janitor (played by Buster Keaton) shows up with Dr. Stone's stethoscope. He says that he loves Christmas but hates that it's been "taken away" from children these days. Donna agrees with him, and then tells him that she's going to visit Frankie. 

Frankie is a young boy she knows who's in the hospital. He was devastated that he couldn't go home for Christmas, but he's in bright spirits as he introduces her to his friends. His first friend is Eric who's in for a skin graft after getting too close to a box of matches. "I'm lucky," he says. "It could've been my pitching arm." 

Then she meets Mike in the next bed, with a compound fracture, and signs his cast. 

Finally, she meets Lisa "Queen of the Ball," according to Frankie. She's been in all week for a surgery, but she came in alone and no family has stopped by to visit her. This news upsets Donna, and she notices that there isn't even a Christmas tree in the room for the children. 

She asks one of the nurses about a Christmas party for the children, but she's unaware of anything planned. She tells Donna to ask around to find out who's hosting it. After she's probed, she goes back to Alex's office and laments that nothing's been planned. So she goes to the hospital's superintendent to ask. 

He tells her that of course they'll organize something, but when he calls around to the nurses, none of them have any idea about it until Mrs. Rhine tells him that it's Charlie who organizes it. 

So Donna goes to visit Charlie in his... office space? He says he's only a helper, he's not Santa Claus, when she asks. He admits that he's the one who gets a tree for the children, at a discount at the tree lot across the street, he just hasn't had a chance yet. He tells her that he's been organizing the party ever since he came to the hospital 32 years ago and that the people who help must have families of their own.

"If I had a family, I wouldn't be here either," he tells her. There's always someone in the ward that he can share at Christmas, he says.

Donna says she'll look after getting the decorations and helping him organize the party, but she asks who'll play Santa. He tells her it's usually Doctor Hefter, but he's not working there anymore, and to maybe ask an intern. 

She tells Charlie that he should dress up this year, but he tries to talk her out of it. "I've never done it. I wouldn't be any good. The head nurse would be a better Santa Claus. I'm not big enough," he tries, but she tells him it's okay, and before he can protest any further, she takes off to get everything ready and shuts the door in his face. 

At home, Mary and Jeff are upset that Donna's not going to be home on Christmas Eve. It's tradition that they open their presents on Christmas Eve, and they're put out that they can't celebrate tonight. Alex comes home and agrees with her plan to go help out at the party. 

At the hospital, Donna decorates the tree and fields questions from the children. How's Santa going to get into the hospital without a chimney? Does she really believe in Santa? And then, when everything's ready... 

...Santa shows up with presents. 

Lisa's going to love that doll once she opens it. Charlie's bumbling around, you can tell that he's putting serious effort into making a good impression as Santa and that he takes it seriously. 

Santa: Don't I know you from some place? 
Donna: Yes, you used to bring me presents when I was a little girl. 

Then the rest of Donna's family shows up, along with the hospital superintendent, to give out more presents for the children. Mary spent the money she was going to use for Kathy's present to buy for the children; Jeff decided not to be so stingy and help out as well. 

Donna gives Charlie a Christmas present as well, saying that he's given her what she really wanted for Christmas: a return to the Christmas of the past. "I'll get you a new robe next week," she tells Alex after Charlie wanders off. 

Alex asks if she's found the meaning of Christmas again, and when she confirms that she has, they begin singing Christmas Carols with the children.

And the true meaning of Christmas is restored. 

THE END!