Ready to decorate your house, Mick? Mike and Peter opted out. Peter has music students and Mike's out shopping.

Little Mick: We're gonna help Daddy! :D

Shelly: Yeah! We're good helpers! :D

Micky: You bet I'm ready. Mike's just chicken.

(We open in the morning a few days after the incident with the trees. Micky carries out a huge box to join others overflowing with lights on the lawn. Little Mick carries the Santa Claus. Shelly has a reindeer. Leigh has a small box. Lauren has two more boxes.)

Lauren: Are you sure you want to do this again this year?

Micky: Of course I am, babe. You know how much I love doing this.

Lauren: Yeah, but it IS an awful lot to do.

Little Mick: Don't worry, Mommy! Daddy has us to help him!

Lauren: Somehow, that doesn't reassure me.

Shelly: We'll be ok.

Micky: *smiles* Babe, trust me.

Lauren: Well, all right. Just be careful. Remember, we have new neighbors. Someone took the big house on our left that used to be empty. I've seen them a couple of times, and something tells me they aren't big fans of Christmas lights.

Micky: *appears taken aback* No way! Christmas lights can even make Scrooge happy. *smirks* Just ask Mike.

Lauren: I don't know about that. He didn't sound that happy when you guys finished the Montgomery House the other day.

Micky: Ehhh.

Little Mick: (He grabs a string of lights and hands it to Micky) Come on, Daddy! Let's put these on the roof!

Micky: Now, that's the spirit, kiddo!

Lauren: Oh no. Ground rules here, kids. First of all, there will be no children on the roof. At all. Daddy will do anything that has to be done on the roof.

Little Mick: Awww!

Micky: *sighs* I wasn't gonna LET them on the roof! Yeesh.

Lauren: If any of you feel like you're getting tired, come inside and have something to eat or drink. You don't have to finish everything today.

Micky: *mutters* That's what she thinks.

Lauren: I don't want you trying to do this while sleeping.

Little Mick: How can you sleep and decorate at the same time?

Micky: *whines* But, babe...

Lauren: (She puts her arms around Micky) I just don't want you to hurt yourself or fall off the roof while you're half-asleep. You'll have time to work on the house tomorrow, too.

Micky: *smiles, hugging her* I won't hurt myself, babe, I promise.

Lauren: Ok. Just keep an eye on the kids (kisses him on the cheek) and have fun. I'll be inside with Leah.

Micky: I will, babe.

(Lauren finally goes back inside with Leah on her arm. Little Mick runs over to his dad and hands him a bunch of tangled lights.)

Little Mick: Let's put up the lights!

Shelly: Can we do the Santa Claus?

Micky: Here, let me take the lights so you can both work on Santa, okay?

Shelly: (Hands Micky her lights) 'Kay.

Little Mick: When am I gonna be big enough to go on the roof?

(Shelly hauls the Santa over to the middle of the yard as well as she can.)

Micky: *ruffles Mick's curls* When you're taller than your mom.

Little Micky: But that'll take forever!

Shelly: Daddy, where do you want Santa Claus?

Micky: Right in front of the bushes, sweetie. *turns back to Mick* Kid, I say you've only got about six years to go.

Little Mick: Uh, ok!

Shelly: Sure! (A car pulls up to the driveway next door as Shelly tugs the Santa near the bushes and Little Mick drags the reindeer over. Two people climb out of an expensive, tasteful foreign car. The woman wears a simple pair of boot-cut flared slacks, Italian leather boots, an elegant sweater, and dark sunglasses. Her hair was expensively done up in feathered layers. He wears a sleek suit.)

Little Mick: (Tugs on his father's sleeve) Hey Daddy, who are those guys? (Points at the man and woman)

Man: (Rolls his eyes) Oh dear. I think he's one of THOSE.

Woman: I was afraid of that.

Shelly: She's pretty!

Little Mick: Why's he wearin' the suit, Daddy?

Micky: Probably because he has to.

Little Mick: How come you never wear a suit?

Micky: Because I don't like to, and I usually don't need to.

Man: I hope they don't keep us awake at night.

Woman: (As they head into their house) Why do people have to go crazy over CHRISTMAS, of all things? They make such a fuss over nothing!

Man: It's so messy.

Woman: (Sniffs) And so very VULGAR.

Little Mick: (As they go into their house) I think they were rude! How could someone not like Christmas?

Shelly: Daddy, what does "vulgar" mean?

Micky: *shakes his head* They obviously have very sad lives. *sighs* Vulgar means they don't like what we're doing. But you know what, *kneels down to the kids* WE like what we're doing, and this is our house, so we can do what we want.

Shelly: Yeah!

Little Mick: 'Cause WE know how to have FUN!

Micky: That's right!

("I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" begins as Micky climbs on the roof and begins doing the lights while the twins play with the Santa Claus and reindeer. The man comes out after a little while, now in jogging gear...and nearly trips over the reindeer in the middle of the sidewalk that the twins are playing with. He finally shoves it out of the way with his toe and jogs off, looking disgusted.)

(Shelly and Little Mick hand their father more lights. Shelly points out the woman, who sprays some kind of substance onto her grass.)

*Micky shakes his head and rolls his eyes.*

(Shelly and Little Mick chase each other around the lawn, throwing a ball at each other. The ball accidentally lands on the lawn next door. The woman picks it up between the tips of her perfectly manicured fingers, making "ew" noises, and drops it on their lawn, then returns to spraying hers. :p )

*Micky lugs a huge plastic Frosty The Snowman to the roof and attaches it to the chimney.*

(The woman rolls her eyes and goes inside. We can see her turning smooth jazz on a fancy, space-age, top-of-the-line stereo system. She sits down at a desk and appears to go through papers and do some writing.)

(Shelly and Micky try to climb on the reindeer and ride them.)

(Little Mick and Shelly roll out what looks like a mini-Ferris wheel with Santa and reindeer riding it. )

(The woman looks out her window, groans, and returns to her desk.)

(The twins sit the Ferris Wheel on the ground. They can't lift that all the way to get it up. They start to hang lights on the bushes instead.)

(Shelly tugs at Mick. Hey, where's Daddy? They look around the house for their father, including under places no one could fit, like rocks and the Santa Claus.)

(Little Mick sees the end of a string of lights and tugs on it. Daddy? Ooohhh Daaaddddyyy!)

(The woman makes a face at the noise the kids are making.)

*Micky is fighting with a massively tangled ball of lights.*

(The twins tug on the ends of the lights, trying to help untangle it.)

(Davy pulls into the driveway as the music ends. He heads over to the twins.)

Davy: Hello, you two! I was all alone at my house, and I thought I'd give Mick a hand. My girls went shopping.

Shelly: Daddy's got a buncha lights up there that's real tangled!

Little Mick: An' we're helpin' him get them out!

Davy: I'm assumin' your dad is up there, then. (Calls up to the roof) Hey there! Mick, are you ok?

Micky: *appears* Hey, Dave!

Davy: Hey, Mick! How's the air up there?

Micky: Just fine! Wanna find out for yourself?

Davy: Sure! (He climbs up the ladder)

Little Mick: That's not fair! Unca Davy's not that much taller than Mommy, and HE gets to go up!

Shelly: I think it's 'cause he's friends with Daddy, and they like to fight.

Davy: (As he gets on the roof) Need any help, Mick...whoa! (He takes a moment to get his balance)

Micky: Careful, Dave!

Davy: How's it coming? Are you gonna cover the whole house again?

(The twins now try to make what they think sounds like reindeer noises and "pull" Santa's sleigh themselves.)

Micky: I think I'll do most of the house.

Davy: The back, too?

Micky: Of course!

Davy: (Looks left and right) There has to be a quicker way to straighten these cords.

Micky: Yeah, there is. Lauren made me promise not to use it.

Davy: Damn. I guess the neighbors can see us.

Micky: Unfortunately.

Davy: (He takes the ball of cord) Why don't I do this, and you do the stapling?

Micky: *nods* Works for me.

Davy: (As he untangles the cord) Are you going to do a design on your house, like you did with the Montgomery House?

Micky: Think a wreath would work?

Davy: Yeah! With a really big bow!

Micky: Let’s do it!

Davy: Yeah! (He continues untangling cord as we hear Lauren's voice calling the twins in)

Lauren: Micky? Mick! Davy? I know I heard you out here!

Micky: *calls down* We're on the roof, babe!

Lauren: (Looks up) I'm taking the twins inside for lunch and their rest time. Want me to bring your lunch out on the veranda?

Micky: Sure, that'd be great, babe, thanks!

Lauren: Want anything, Dave?

Davy: No thanks, Lauren. I had a lunch at home.

Lauren: Ok. Just be careful up there. Don't start a fight, and don't try to kill each other.

Davy: (Grins at Micky) Now, would we ever start a fight?

Micky: Who, us?

Lauren: (Rolls her eyes) Just don't fall off the roof.

Davy: We'll be fine.

Micky: That's right.

Lauren: All right. (She goes back in as the man who went out jogging before now comes jogging back, sweaty and red-faced)

Davy: (Looks up from his cord) Who's he?

Micky: The snotty neighbor.

Davy: Those new people you were talkin' about? The ones who moved out of the city 'cause their neighborhood deteriorated?

Micky: Yeah. They're a real drag.

Davy: What, too good for us?

Micky: Apparently.

Davy: We should do somethin' about that. (He throws down the lights) Damn it!

Micky: Don't you think I've been wanting to?

Davy: What's with these darn things? How's it coming with the stapling?

Micky: Pretty good, so far, except the cords are bunching up on me.

Davy: Let me give you a hand with that. (He grabs the cords and tries to tug them out)

Micky: They just keep twisting back up.

Davy: Maybe I could hold them or try to twist them... (He starts yanking at the cords.)

Micky: Careful, Dave...

(Davy finally yanks too hard and pulls out several cords, almost pushing himself off the roof!)

Micky: Dave!

Davy: MICK! (He grabs Micky...knocking them BOTH over!)

(They both slide to the edge of the roof and grab hold of it.)

Davy: Uh, well, I guess tellin' you to hang in there wouldn't sound right.

Micky: Uh, no, not right now.

Davy: Should we try to pull ourselves up, or just drop in the bushes and hope for the best?

Micky: Well...how lucky are you feeling right now?

Davy: (The gutter creaks) I don't think we have much of a choice.

Micky: On the count of three?

Davy: Yeah.

Micky: One...two... *The gutter creaks loudly and finally breaks. Both boys fall into the bushes*

Davy: (We see the boys barely raise their eyes over the bushes; groans) Three. (They fall back into the bushes as we fade out.)