-[Angie grunting] -[Hunter] Oh, yeah.
[Whitney] Previously on My Big Fat Fabulous Life...
Hunter is bringing a date to the premiere.
No one's met her, so she'll be meeting Hunter and all of us...
-Oh. -[Whitney] ...for the first time on the first date.
How do you feel about Karen?
I'm feeling that I don't like all these questions.
This is gonna be the first time
that we actually meet.
I haven't had a serious
girlfriend in a long time.
I've really enjoyed being single.
Everybody, this is Karen.
[all] Hi, Karen!
I usually don't bring my sister and my father
-along on a first date. -[Whitney] On a first date.
I've had weirder first date experiences in this family,
so this is pretty tame.
If Karen can survive this,
then maybe Hunter has found the one.
Ooh, look at the lights. How exciting.
[Hunter] If I pass out and fall on the ground,
just fan me back to life.
This is my first lead role
in a feature film.
This is a beautiful thing.
This is a really big night for me.
It's a big night for my acting career
and my relationship with Karen.
Let's go.
[theme music playing]
[indistinct chatter]
Hey, girl.
Hey, girl. Come here.
She's just Christmas enough.
[Glenn] And she looks good.
[Whitney] Come on, honey.
This is the first time Goosie's come to pick out a tree.
-You okay? -[Glenn] Yeah.
[Whitney] Well, we're gonna try to do
a Christmas to make Mommy proud.
[Glenn] Yeah.
A year ago, we lost my mom on December 7th,
so, clearly we were not in the headspace
to celebrate Christmas.
But if there's one thing that
I think my family can agree on,
it's that my mother would want us
to be celebrating Christmas
and decorating, because that was
such a huge part of her.
Of course, the first step to restarting our Christmas tradition
is to find a tree.
So we've come to our favorite tree lot called Wagoner's.
And the owners have gotten to know us a lot
over the years, and they're really sweet people.
-Goosie girl, do you have a friend? -[Glenn chuckles]
[Whitney] Whose doggie is this?
-[Bruce] How y'all doing? -[Whitney] Good. How are you?
-[Glenn] Good. -[Whitney laughing]
-Good to see you, sir. -Very nice to see you.
-Good to see you. -Good to see you.
-Thank you all for coming. -[woman] Hey, Glenn.
-[Whitney] Of course. -[woman] How are you?
[Glenn] Today was
-the day that Babs passed away a year ago. -[woman] Yeah.
I'm sorry to hear about that. That's tough to lose somebody.
Yeah.
You know, as special as she was.
-Yeah, she really was. -[Bruce] She was, yeah.
Christmas was her favorite thing.
We had people from
all over Greensboro come to just
tour the house during Christmas.
So I told Dad we would try to do
a Christmas to make her proud. I could never do it like her.
I mean, we shop for Christmas ornaments
when we're at the beach in the summertime.
[laughing] Yeah. She was obsessed.
Finding the perfect Christmas tree,
which, by the way, as my mom taught me,
means it has to be perfect on all sides.
You cannot offend the wall
by having a tree that has any imperfections anywhere.
It's not gonna be easy, but I'm determined
to get it done.
[Mandi] Well, let's go shopping.
-Yeah. -[Whitney] Okay.
What you think, Goose?
Now, something maybe this height. How tall is that?
[Bruce] A seven to eight footer.
-Look how full this is. -[Whitney] Oh, that's full.
Ooh.
[Bruce] Oh, I like the wider one.
[Whitney] Do we care about length,
or do we care about girth? And that's the question.
[Bruce chuckles]
[Bruce] That's what they call a concolor fir.
You put 'em in the house, and you put 'em in warm water,
it smells like tangerines.
I like that.
[Glenn] Well, your mom wouldn't stand for that,
-so we're not... -[Whitney] Okay. So we won't do it, Mom.
[all laughing]
[Whitney] That's nice. That's full.
-[Glenn] I think that's it. -[Whitney] Let's do this one.
-Yeah. -[Whitney] Yeah.
[Bruce] This is the one?
-Okay. That's, um... -[Glenn] Yeah.
-[Bruce] No going back, eh. -[Glenn laughs]
If Mom comes to me in a dream and says
it wasn't the right tree, then we'll be back.
-All right. -But I think that one's good.
-[Glenn] Yeah. -All right.
Awesome. I'll get it set up.
-[Whitney] Thank you so much. -[Bruce] Yeah. No problem.
[Whitney sighs]
All right. This is the part where I go sit in the car
and don't do anything else.
[Glenn chuckles]
[Whitney] I'm hoping that we can kind of
rekindle this wonderful, like,
family feeling of togetherness that we've always had
around this time.
Thank you.
We found the perfect tree. That's done. Step one.
There's still a lot to do.
[Todd] It smells so divine.
[Whitney] Uh-huh.
[Todd] Oh, night divine.
It's the smell they were referring to all along.
[Whitney gasps]
Wasn't it just
perfect enough?
-[Todd] Do I pull this off? -Yeah.
Did you see Dad's Christmas sweater? Look.
Mom got it for him 20 years ago.
-He's been wearing it every Christmas since. -[Todd] Oh.
I love his buck teeth.
[Whitney laughs]
Yeah. He looks like a little beaver.
Oh, yeah.
[Todd] It's legit.
How exciting.
[Todd] Well, I don't have much experience, really,
with real Christmas trees 'cause we were always
told that we were allergic growing up.
That was a lie.
But this one looks real.
I mean, it looks beautiful to me.
-It looks like-- -It's big. It's robust.
-It fits nicely in the corner. It smells good. -The smell. The fragrance.
-Mm-hmm. -The aroma.
Yeah. Yeah.
[Todd] We need to get this house looking good for your Christmas party.
You having one this year?
[Whitney] Well, we can do a party. That's fine.
You think we should do costumes?
[Todd] Well, I mean, like, with a Christmas costume?
I don't know. Just anything seasonal.
-That could be fun. -[Todd] I was always a shepherd.
[Whitney] Well, Dad, you're just doing it.
How's it feel?
[Glenn] Like old times.
[Whitney] Ooh.
That's looking good.
It was much easier putting this tree in
-than before. -[Whitney] Yeah.
Well, we used to have a huge tree
-at home. -[Glenn] I mean, it covered the whole wall.
-Yeah. -[Glenn] It'd take me, you know,
two or three hours to put all the lights on.
But once I did that,
then I turned the tree over to Babs.
[Whitney] My mom was
amazing at decorating
for the holidays.
Every detail was taken care of.
[young Whitney] This is the Santa Claus display.
And since it's Christmas, we have Father Frost
and whatnot.
Look at his face. Mm.
-And she had themes for every tree. -[Whitney] Yeah.
In the living room, that was the memory tree
where it had ornaments,
things that were significant from, like,
-our lives and stuff like that. -[Glenn] Soccer and...
[young Whitney] This is me when I was, oh, about fifth grade.
You love it. This is the den.
And then in the dining room, she had a fake tree
that was the Father Christmas tree.
-And it was all cream and gold. -[Todd] Oh, yeah.
-I remember that. -[young Whitney] This is the dining room.
Father Frost.
That was a $2,000 or $3,000 tree.
-[Whitney] And that was a beautiful tree. -Oh, my God. Yellow, yeah.
And in the playroom, we had the snowman tree,
where it was all snowman themed.
[young Whitney] This in here is the playroom.
And that's Frosty.
[Babs] Hey, I didn't do that.
Oh, yeah. Young hot girl.
Mm. Who is that?
[Whitney] Christmas Eve was our big thing.
Well, that's when she had the whole neighborhood come over.
[young Whitney] And we'll finish where we started.
Santa Claus display.
Feliz Navidad.
[young Whitney] Lovely. Lovely. Lovely.
[Whitney] Well, I want to make sure that this Christmas,
we have a really nice one,
and we enjoy it, and we do it
in a way that would make Mommy proud.
That's what I want to do this Christmas.
Well, then you'll feel her here
more than the whole rest of the year.
Yeah.
Losing my mom was hard.
And losing her
at one of her favorite times of the year
is a little bit harder.
It was just such a big part of our lives, and...
all those holiday themes and decorations just made...
me feel so special.
And it just
is a way that she showed, you know,
her love for us. And so...
[sniffles] I feel like we owe it to her.
I mean, we'll never be as good as she was,
but I think we need to incorporate
a little bit of holiday cheer into our lives
as a way of remembering Mommy.
Well, you know, I think we need to
try to figure out when we're gonna have the party because,
you know, I really think Hunter would like
for Karen to be here.
Well, if he wants her to come, I'll try to
plan it on a day that she can...
[Glenn] Well, you can talk to her and find out
-when she can come and see if it... -[Whitney] Yeah.
...you know, it corresponds with when you're thinking about
having the party, because she's a really neat girl.
[Whitney laughs]
Okay.
Things between Hunter and Karen
definitely went well the night of the premiere.
And my dad is so excited,
but my brother is too.
And that's the most important thing.
Dad, like, texts Karen on his own.
-Like, they talk. -[Glenn clears throat]
And she seems to be fine with it,
-so I'm like, okay, I guess it's cool. -[Glenn] Yeah.
[Whitney] I think she must really be interested in Hunter.
[Glenn] It was getting a little concerning
that Hunter was getting, you know,
to the point where, um...
he might just decide to be a bachelor
for the rest of his life,
you know, and he even made a comment
he didn't mind being a bachelor.
But the way this relationship
with Karen and Hunter is going,
this could be the start of something special.
[Whitney] I want to be like Mommy,
and I want to decorate like Mommy,
but I don't have a husband. I don't have kids.
I feel like, who am I doing it for, the cats?
You can't have the husband and kids first,
and then do the decorating for them.
You have to do the decorating,
-and that's how you get the husband. -Oh, if you decorate,
then the husband will come?
Well, I mean, you've got to live the life that you want to live.
You've got to do the tree topper 'cause you're tall.
And this is all we've got. Nothing's shining, sparkling, glowing.
That is the tree topper. Let it live.
I'm about to put a light inside of it.
-Let it live. -I dropped it.
[Whitney scoffing] Todd.
[Todd] Goosie girl.
-Goosie girl. -Do not.
That is the tree topper.
-[Todd] Goosie. -No.
-[Todd] Goosie girl. -Goosie, don't.
[Todd] A little lackluster, don't you think?
-[Whitney] No. -[Todd] That looks ridiculous.
[Whitney] Don't talk to the tree that way.
-Thanks. -[Todd] Ta-da.
[Whitney] Oh, yeah.
-[Todd laughs] -Um, well,
-that's all right. -That's beautiful.
What's up?
Dad is in the vicinity.
Dad's here?
Dad is here.
[Hunter] I'm on a date.
This is my second date with Karen.
Definitely hoping it would be my first one-on-one.
Thanks for the warning.
[Whitney] Bye.
[Whitney speaking]
Because it is so right going in,
but it's not always right coming out.
I always love going to Elm Street.
Dad?
I mean, you know, you go to any other restaurant
-and you get a server. -[Whitney] Yeah.
And they're polite.
-I mean, this is like going... -Dad.
...to some place that's family.
[chuckles] I'm surprised you didn't say
I have to invite Ravi to the Christmas party.
-[Glenn chuckles] -[Whitney] Ask Ravi's wife
-if you can be in a throuple. -[Glenn chuckles]
Because Hunter and Karen are not gonna let you in.
My dad, you know, became a widower last year.
And I know that he's really lonely without my mom,
but he has made some connections with other people,
I think, to lessen that.
And I'm really glad that he's done that.
For example, there's Ravi.
Ravi owns his favorite restaurant.
I don't know what
the feelings are there, but they're strong.
And then, of course, his daughter, Angie.
Now the newest is Karen,
my brother's new...
Person he's dating.
But if it makes him happy, I'm all for it.
I want to take you to a place, get you some dessert.
-[Whitney] Now? -[Glenn] Yeah.
-Stay to your right here. -Okay.
I do like downtown at Christmas.
I've got a lot of decorating to do before the party,
so if you could
make yourself scarce the day of,
I can get all my decorating done.
So what time do I need to be there?
Everybody's coming about 6:00.
Well, the parking lots I sleep in
-all close about 4:00. -Dad.
[laughs]
[Glenn] I was kidding you about the dessert shop.
I'm taking you to a skating rink.
I wanted to surprise you.
Isn't that something you do at Christmas time in the winter?
I mean, I don't...
-[Glenn] Right here. -...do that.
[Glenn] Well, I don't know. We can just watch
people having a good time skating around.
[Whitney] Okay. Oh.
Rolled up on this curb.
Okay. We made it.
Maybe my dad has been
possessed by the Christmas spirit.
We've never been ice skating,
and I don't think my ankles are equipped,
but I'm gonna go with it, because,
you know, who can say no to Glenn Thore?
-[Glenn] Looks pretty, doesn't it? -[Whitney] Yeah.
We've never been ice skating as a family.
Well, we went once up in New York.
[Whitney] Dad?
What?
Can someone take me off the planet?
I knew something was shady, okay?
And right in front of me, I can see my brother
and the new girl he's dating, Karen,
and we should not be here.
-Dad. -We're just gonna kind of
stay out in the background and watch them skate.
How did you even know they were gonna be here?
[Glenn] Well, Karen told me that
they were coming to go skating and--
[Whitney] When did Karen tell you?
Well, she texted me.
[Whitney] Dad, this is not right.
This is a sabotage.
Dad, I'm not having no part of it.
-I'm not doing it. -[Glenn] Yes, you--
[Whitney] No, I'm not doing it.
[Glenn] Ah, well...
[Whitney] I will not be a part of this,
because I know what's happening here.
Dad has come here to spy on Hunter and Karen.
I knew it was unhealthy, and now it's confirmed.
If we want Hunter and Karen
to, like,
have a successful relationship and get married,
this is not the way to ensure that.
What's up?
Dad is in the vicinity.
[Hunter] Dad's here?
Dad is here.
[Hunter] I'm on a date.
[Whitney] Well, I'm just trying to warn you.
Okay? I'm going back to the car.
Okay. Well, thanks for the warning.
[Whitney] Bye.
[Hunter] This is my second date with Karen.
And I was definitely hoping it would be my first
one-on-one with her.
But that doesn't seem like it's gonna happen.
Uh, yeah.
Apparently, uh, my dad is
-in the vicinity. -[Karen] What's he doing?
[Hunter] I think he's spying on us.
-Romantic, I know. -[Karen chuckles]
Just the most awkward thing imaginable.
That's it.
[Karen] All right. So he's somewhere here.
-[Hunter] He's... Yeah. -[Karen] Okay.
-I'm just gonna ignore him. -[laughs]
[Whitney] Yeah?
[Glenn] Come on down.
I got some hot chocolate for you.
[Glenn] Come on. Hunter's starting to get
where he can skate a little bit here.
Karen's holding him up, though.
[laughs]
Bring my camera.
[Whitney] What camera?
[Glenn] I put my camera in the back seat.
Bring it with you.
So not only does he want to
insert himself
into Hunter and Karen's date,
he wants photographic evidence of it?
He's unhinged.
There's nothing about this
that's right.
You are not taking photos of them.
[Glenn] Just sit down and have your hot chocolate,
and let me take care of this.
Boundaries have never
been a big thing in the Thore household,
but it is time
to make some.
-Dad? -[Glenn] What?
Daddy, don't.
-Oh! -[Glenn laughing]
[whooping]
-Ooh, I love to get a stretch. -[Glenn laughs]
[Whitney] Oh!
[Glenn] Some people could call this spying,
but I think this is more of a documentary.
As a photographer, you've got certain license to go
and get photographs that you think
are gonna be important in the future.
And over the years,
it has been my place as
the father of the Thore family
to document everything.
I want Hunter and Karen
to have something to look back on
in case this moves on to something more serious.
[laughs]
[Whitney] Hunter, three o'clock!
[Hunter] What? What? What?
-Hey, Karen, how are you? Good to see you. -[Karen] Good to see you.
[Whitney] He's got the camera
with the lens.
Look over your shoulder
that way. Three o'clock.
Glenn's lens is ready to go.
I told him that you knew he was here, that you were not happy,
and he still refused to concede.
-I'm sorry. -[Karen chuckles]
-This is a first. -I'm dying, Karen. I'm so sorry.
-I swear to you we're not weird. -Okay.
[Whitney] I'm so sorry. How about this?
Do one lap. When you get there,
let him get his shot,
and then I will get him out.
-All right. -[Whitney] I promise I will get him out.
-[Hunter] Okay. -Karen, I'm so sorry.
[Karen] What a journey.
[Hunter] You know, my dad can be
real funny about his excitement
about Karen and I.
And I think my father wants what every father wants.
He wants to see his kids
happy and get married.
And he's got grandbaby fever. Like, it's,
you know, it's ridiculous.
He's just on overload right now.
He just can't help himself. He can't contain
all the emotions building up inside of him.
There's a part of me that's like, "Yo, leave me alone.
Let me be a grown-ass man on a date with this woman."
Well, hey, guys.
-[Karen] Hi, Glenn. -[Hunter] Hey.
-How's it going? -Fancy meeting you here.
-[Hunter] Oh, yeah. -[Glenn laughing]
-[Hunter] What a coincidence. -[Karen] What's up?
[Glenn] Just thought we'd
stop by and see you guys having a good time.
-[Hunter] Yeah. Very appropriate. -[Glenn laughs]
[Hunter] Get your shot,
-and then get out of here. -[Glenn] Okay, right here.
[Hunter] Come here.
-[Whitney] Oh, God. -[Glenn laughs]
[Hunter] All right.
-[Karen] Bye. -[Hunter] Bye.
[Karen] See you.
[Glenn] Well, we got a nice picture, so, should we leave?
Yes, yes, yes, Dad. We should leave.
-[Glenn] Okay. -'Cause I don't feel good about myself.
And I'll just... We're leaving.
Bye, we're leaving.
-[Hunter] Goodbye. -[Karen] Bye.
-[Glenn] See you guys. -[Hunter] Bye.
Karen, are you still coming to the Christmas party?
-[Karen] Absolutely. -Costumes.
Dad.
Karen is great.
She, like, doesn't think this is weird.
She and Hunter, like, I can feel a vibe between them.
Like, I'm very hopeful about this.
I was afraid you were gonna jump on the next flight home.
[Karen chuckles]
-After, you know... -Gonna take more than that.
...Papa Duke showed up.
Date two, almost a disaster.
Almost, but not.
-Not. Not. Still good. -Yeah.
[Hunter] I'm glad to hear that.
I've only been on two dates with Karen,
and you and Dad have been on both of them.
[Whitney] I have begged
my dad to exercise some chill
when it comes to Karen.
You know they text.
Oh, my God.
I like her. I really don't want to run her off.
[Whitney] Goosie girl.
Let's go see Uncle Tal, Goosie girl.
Ooh. Ooh.
Tal and I have a tradition of doing
a little Christmas drive
through Greensboro to see the balls.
Uh, Greensboro is kind of nationally famous, actually,
for our balls.
Um, and they're iconic.
They're lighted up and beautiful.
And there's, like, a whole neighborhood
that does it really extensively, so,
Tal and I love to drive through
and see those balls and just catch up on life.
It gets us in the Christmas spirit.
I'm so happy to see you.
Happy to see you.
It's been an eternity too long.
I know. Look, I brought you hot chocolate.
-Oh, my gosh. Thank you. -I know.
And we haven't actually done this in a couple of years.
I know. Our tradition has been...
-It's been lapsing. -...thrown off.
You were a bit busy last year.
-How are you doing? -A little bit, yeah.
Well, you know, we just
passed the year anniversary since Mommy died.
[Tal] Y'all have been on my mind and on my heart.
[Whitney] Yeah. So where is most of the balls at?
-Straight? Okay. -[Tal] Straight through here.
-[Tal] I see lights ahead. -[Whitney] Yeah.
-Where are the most of the balls at in this town? -[laughs]
That's what we want to know. [laughs]
[Whitney] They're also starting to do the balls in my parents' neighborhood.
[Tal] Just balls in your face,
-everywhere you look? -[Whitney] Balls everywhere.
Oh, my God. This is my... [gasps]
My mama grew up on this street. I didn't even think about it.
[Tal] Aww.
The holidays are tough with grief, too.
And especially, I know,
-as much as your mom loved Christmas. -[Whitney sniffles]
I think the holidays just feel a little emptier.
[Whitney] One of the most common things that people keep saying is, like,
she's with you and you can feel her.
But I don't.
I don't believe that I'm gonna be reunited with my mother.
-I wish I did. -[Tal] Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
[Whitney] My mother and I were extremely close,
like dozens-of-past lifetimes-intertwined close,
and...
[exhales] I miss her,
especially around Christmas.
And I'm craving some sort of connection.
You know, there's nothing that can fill that void.
I mean, like, if she were able to connect, in fact, you know,
I have that video of her
where I said, "Are we gonna be together forever?"
And she said, "I hope so."
-Aww. -And I said, "Are you gonna be with me forever?"
And she said, "I'll try. I'll try."
You know? And so, like, I know if there were a way...
Whoo.
-You made me cry. -[cries]
Oh, but that doesn't mean that she's not trying.
No, I know. And I know
if there were a way, like, she would do it.
So I'm like, is it me?
Like, is there something wrong with me?
-No, there's nothing wrong with you. -Oh.
See, you're grieving. You miss her.
It's just hard to, I mean,
you can't just, like, live in that every single day.
But you feel it.
[Whitney sniffles] Hmm.
-[Tal] Do you have a tissue or a napkin with you? -[Whitney] Um, I don't know.
Sorry, I didn't mean to drive us into crisis.
No, that's okay. I, uh...
I got Cake Bites.
-I like the sound of the that. -Do you like...
[both laugh]
I mean, Whitney is a young person
to have lost a parent.
And there's just so much life yet for,
you know, her to live and for her dad to live
that her mom won't be around for.
I really hope that Whitney can find a way
to feel connected with her mother
so that she can feel more strength and support
and not just sadness when she thinks about her.
Let's think about some positives.
Should we? [laughs]
-Yes. -[Whitney] Dude, we need to get it together.
We need to do something.
-'Cause I don't want to live like this. [laughs] -Oh.
And you're going into a new decade.
On 4-14-84 in 2024, I'm gonna be 40.
What is the symbolism of four?
-[Whitney] I don't know. -'Cause we need to find out.
[Whitney] I don't like it.
I would love to go see a psychic.
Look, I want a palm reading. I want a tarot card reading.
I want a psychic. I want a Reiki.
I want a sound bath.
I want silent meditation. I want all of it.
We need to get our [bleep] together.
Yes, we do.
I do believe that
there are people in this world that have, like, a gift.
So I think going with Tal,
um, I would be interested just to see,
you know, if there's any way I can connect to her at all.
And possibly just give me some
affirmative things to focus on
as we go into the new year, because I'm really trying to
get my life back on track.
Well, I'm excited about the holiday party.
-That would be really fun. -Yeah, me too.
Well, if I can bring anything, let me know.
[Whitney] The only thing you need to bring is a present
for the gift exchange game.
And I'll email you who your person is.
Um, and it is a costume party.
Winter, Christmas, whatever,
like, so just keep that in mind.
Maybe I'll be a candy cane
'cause I'm long and thin and sweet.
I like that.
[Tal] Most of the time.
[both laugh]
[Hunter] Well, even Goosie has ears.
[Whitney] You said you didn't want to wear ears.
[Hunter] I don't want to wear ears.
[Glenn] Okay.
It's Abbotts, girl.
[Todd] She just wants to run up to that door.
Just as we passed the one-year anniversary of my mom's death,
I thought about
coping with our grief
in a way that also gives back to the community.
Abbotswood is a senior living community that
my mother and father lived in
for the last 11 months of her life.
And we were so grateful to have Abbotswood
to provide her the kind of care and attention
that was impossible for us to do at home.
Hi, good morning.
She's gonna have to be just prop.
And I thought that visiting Abbotswood again
would be therapeutic for us as a family
to brighten some other residents' day
in the form of donuts and coffee.
-Hi. -[woman] One, please.
Okay. This one's already ready
-for you. -[woman] Thank you.
[Hunter] There you go.
-[Glenn] Okay, and one more orange juice. -[man] Thank you.
-You want top on it? -You want the pink one?
Okay.
My mom enjoyed her life here every single day.
So it feels like it's a little bit of grief,
but a whole lot of love, too.
You made a good choice,
and it's the last chocolate one...
-[Glenn chuckles] -...in this box.
-[Hunter] I got to go. -Okay. Love you.
[Hunter] So I'll see you at the Christmas party.
[indistinct chatter]
So I'm a little nervous about the Christmas party.
[Whitney] Why?
Well, it'll be Karen and I's
second date, realistically,
-and both you and Dad will be there again. -Third.
It's the third.
And, yes, Dad and I will be there for three for three.
Come talk to me.
[woman] How long were you married?
Forty-five years.
Forty-five. We hit 62 in April.
Oh. I thought 45 was good, but... [laughs]
I've only been on two dates with Karen,
and you and Dad have been on both of them.
-Okay-- -So this will be number three.
I should probably see her by myself at some point.
Now, you know they text.
Do you know that?
Uh, I think I was aware that they had texted.
I didn't know it was a regular thing.
I told him he needed to chill.
I said, "Daddy,
they're not even officially boyfriend, girlfriend yet.
The last thing we want to do
is run her off,"
-'cause I know Daddy's not... -Or run me off.
Well, I know that we're not weird...
-Yeah. -...like, as a family.
-Uh-huh. -But if you zoom out and look at this,
if I were Karen...
-It's strange. -Right?
He was like, "I just want her to know that
we're really excited and we're supportive of her, and we really..."
I said, "Daddy, she knows that."
I was like, "She knows we like her."
Like, yeah.
I told him, I said, "You got to chill."
-Chill. -"Chill out."
Oh, my God.
[laughs]
I have begged
my dad to exercise some chill
when it comes to Karen, but I can't control the man.
Um...
I think Hunter might have a valid point, you know,
that the third date is also going to be
a family date.
And I am slightly concerned
about what Karen will think.
I like her. I really don't want to run her off.
Okay, I'm not saying we won't come on any more dates,
but we won't crash them.
-Goodbye. -I won't let him.
[Hunter] Go serve some donuts.
-I love you. Bye. -Love you, too.
Bye.
I know you told me that you were
a licensed marriage and family counselor,
but does this not make you nervous?
-Me? -[Whitney] Well, she knows
all the red flags to look for,
and she's not gonna put up with any [bleep].
Whitney, you told us not to ruin this tonight,
and here you are.
[Whitney] It's Christmas party.
Yeah.
Lilo. You sweet thing.
What are you gonna be, Todd?
-A Christmas miracle. -[chuckles]
-[woman] Hello. -[Whitney] Hello.
-[gasps] Merry Christmas. -[Whitney exclaiming]
-Oh, my God. -[Whitney] Oh, my God, the dress, I love that.
I was so afraid nobody was gonna dress.
[Jessica] Oh, my God.
[Whitney] My mother loved to entertain at Christmas,
so this is a whole re-imagination,
if you will,
of my mother's very famous Christmas parties
of yesteryear, in which she would entertain
family and friends and members of the community.
Uh, I will have not come close
to achieving
what Babs achieved,
but hopefully, we'll have a good time.
-Do you have any idea what I am? -[Jessica] You look regal.
-Some kind of queen. -Statue of Liberty.
[Jessica] Like an Ice Queen.
Close. I'm black ice.
-Oh. Ooh. -[Isaiah] Oh.
-Yes. Yeah, you are. I love that. -[Isaiah] What's up, girl?
-How are you? -[Whitney] Hey.
Well, where should we put these?
Um, we can put 'em in there, like, near the tree.
[Jessica] I'm so excited.
[Isaiah] I like the setup, Whit.
[Whitney] We do have on the menu, burritos.
-[Jessica] Perfect. -[Isaiah] That's reindeer food right there.
[Whitney] I've got eggnog.
I've got apple cider.
-You want anything? -[Jessica] Okay.
I don't think I've ever had eggnog.
Why don't you have some? It doesn't have alcohol in it.
-Okay, I'll try it. -[Whitney] Okay.
-[gasps] -[Lennie] Hello.
-Oh, my God. -[Jessica gasps]
-Oh. -[Whitney] Is it?
No, it's not.
Oh, my God. Get in here.
-[Jessica] Whitney. -[gasps]
Oh, my.
-[Jessica] Hey, y'all. -Stop it.
Is this a snowman family?
[Isaiah chuckles] Yeah.
[Whitney] Oh, my God.
Hey, baby.
Happy holidays.
-[Jessica] Oh. Oh, my God. -Oh, hi.
[all laughing]
This is my favorite thing I've ever worn.
[all laughing]
[Tal] It's pajamas.
It's comfortable. It's fashion.
-It's candy cane. -[Jessica] Tal, you look good enough to eat.
-Wait-- -[Tal] Are you the Statue of Liberty?
Okay, that is...
[laughs]
Is that what everyone...
-I am black ice. -[Tal] It's beautiful.
-I'm seasonal. -[Tal] I love it.
-Your house looks fantastic. -[Whitney] Thanks.
I got some stuff from mom's.
I got her best sticks.
-[Tal] Mom's sticks. -Her best sticks.
You're carrying on the tradition of hosting
-a holiday party. -[Whitney] Yeah.
Actually, yeah. I'm about to cry again.
-[chuckles] I need to quit. -[Tal] She'd be so proud.
[Whitney] I thought she would be happy.
[Tal] Babs left some
pretty huge shoes to fill
as far as carrying on the holiday decorations
and festivities.
So I'm really proud that Whitney is
upholding that by having us all here
in style and costume, no less.
I feel like Babs would be really happy about this.
[Whitney] Oh, Karen is coming.
So this is Hunter's not-yet-girlfriend,
-but we hope. -[Jessica] What?
-Yes. -We get to meet her?
[Whitney] Yes, she's here.
-She's in town. -I haven't even heard of her.
He met her in Atlanta when we went to his premiere.
Then she came up a couple of days ago.
They were going ice skating.
Dad decided we were gonna crash their ice skating date.
So again, we had a family date.
And now she's coming for the family and all the friends.
Dad is obsessed.
Dad literally, like, he texts her,
-and, like, he's obsessed with her. -[Jessica] Stop it.
-[Whitney] Uh, so, everybody, don't ruin it. -Okay.
Obviously, we're all thrilled for Hunter.
I've never seen him with a girl.
You know, I've known him for a while now.
But I can't imagine what it would be like for a parent,
you know, like Glenn,
to see his kid finally settle down
and get excited about somebody.
-[Hunter] Hello. -[Whitney] Oh, hello.
-[Jessica] Hey. -Well, you look beautiful.
-[Karen] Thank you. -[Jessica] Glenn, you're Santa.
-[Whitney] It's for me. -Santa has arrived.
[all laughing]
It's a party now.
[both laughing]
You look great.
So you're Santa,
-and you're a present, right? -A present. Yes.
[Whitney] Okay, I get that.
I'm Dad's sack.
[all laughing]
-[Glenn] With my gifts. -[Hunter] Sack full of presents.
-[Jessica] A present sack. -Oh, okay.
-Okay. -[Hunter] And, everybody, this is Karen.
-This is Karen. -[Jessica] Hi, Karen.
[Whitney] I was just telling everyone about you.
And Todd is upstairs.
We're hoping he'll come down.
And Buddy and Courtney are coming a little bit late.
But now that y'all are here,
I think we should go ahead and eat.
I am serving burritos.
And I don't want to hear anything about it.
[Glenn laughs]
I don't have the gumption
or the wherewithal
to attempt to cook anything.
And I didn't ask anyone to bring anything.
So even though it may not seem
like the most traditional Christmas meal,
we're about to throw down on these burritos.
[Hunter] Need a little guac.
It's not Christmas without guacamole.
How's massage school going?
It's great. I'm already third of the way through.
-Oh, awesome. -[Lennie] Yep.
[Jessica] That's cool.
Hunter, I give you zero for effort. [laughs]
But 100 on creativity.
-[Tal] And nastiness. -[laughs]
Look at the one in his back. Like his little humpback.
[laughs]
[Hunter] Yeah.
Karen just patted his sack. [chuckles]
Well, so what do you think about, um, Greensboro?
-It's cute. I like it. -[Whitney] Yeah.
And tell Tal about what you do.
Um, I'm a licensed marriage and family therapist.
-Oh, my gosh, no way. -Um... Yeah.
I'm a clinical mental health counselor.
-[Karen] Oh, nice. Okay. Wow. -Yeah.
That's amazing.
-Well, we won't be diagnosing you this evening. -[Karen] Yeah.
-[laughs] -She'll have to observe
over the longer term to really get
-a thorough assessment. -[Karen] Take some good notes.
I mean, I'll talk to Tal, and we'll discuss.
Um, so I just put this together.
I know you told me that before,
but this is my concern.
I know you told me that you were
a licensed marriage and family counselor,
but now that I'm thinking about it,
does this not make you nervous?
-Me? -[chuckles]
[Karen] Doesn't make me nervous.
Well, she knows all the red flags to look for,
and she's not gonna put up with any [bleep].
I don't plan on giving any [bleep].
That's a great answer.
Have you come up with any diagnoses for our family
since you've spent so much time with us?
Other than just a blanket crazy.
Now, Whitney, you told us not to ruin this tonight,
and here you are...
-[all laughing] -[Tal] Jeez.
-This is fine. This is fine. -[Whitney] I'm just trying to help. Look,
I'm just trying to help facilitate...
[indistinct chatter]
...the getting to know you process.
Y'all don't do it. I got this.
I'm sorry. I'll step out.
No, Tal, I needed you to step in on that one.
[Tal] Whitney told all of us not to act crazy.
And now she's here
telling Karen how crazy her whole family is.
Like, you're gonna scare her off.
We're all a little crazy, right?
-Yes, but that's-- -No.
-Okay, I'm glad-- -You guys have been wonderful.
I'm glad you feel confident.
Dad's sack.
-[chuckles] -I feel great.
I think everybody wants to know if I'm nervous
that I'm dating a marriage and family therapist.
Well, I'm not married, and I don't have a family.
So I have zero nervousness.
I might get nervous if she tries to start diagnosing me.
That might make me a little nervous.
But that hasn't happened yet.
-You know how hard it was-- -It looks like you have boobs, Hunter.
[laughs]
I want Karen to just walk around and pop your...
You know how hard it was to get these balloons
-to stay in here? -Pop Dad's sack.
Every time you say something stupid,
-I'll just pop one one of these. -[laughs]
You're gonna be popping balloons all night.
So we'll all just make some guesses.
I came up with a game called the seasonal superlatives,
where we all have to guess, like,
ooh, who would that gift belong to?
"The person
most likely to touch a naked stranger."
[Jessica] Is it Whitney?
-Bitch! -[all laughing]
I'm wondering, like, obviously.
[all laughing]
[Whitney gasps] Todd!
-Goosie! -[Jessica] Oh, my goodness.
[all cheering]
[Jessica] I love it.
-Did you design it yourself? -[Todd] See, look, it's exactly the same. We're twins.
That, yes. [laughs]
Oh!
-Hello! -[Jessica] Hello!
You're so festive.
-[Buddy] Oh, you know. -[Tal] Y'all look very good.
[Whitney] Y'all look great.
Your tights, dude.
-[Isaiah] Right? -[all laughing]
[Isaiah] I'm Rudolph number one.
[Buddy] Hey.
[Whitney] Okay, so, your cards are numbered.
So the person should tell the superlative,
and then we all get to speculate on who it is.
So we'll all just make some guesses.
So I came up with a game
called the seasonal superlatives,
where basically everybody
was assigned to buy a gift
for another person in the group,
and it was a secret.
So then I wrote a clue and said,
this is for the person who,
you know, has great buns or whatever.
Uh, and then we all have to guess, like,
ooh, who would that gift belong to?
Ultimately, it's just gonna bring us together
and make us feel closer, which, in my mind,
is the point of the holiday spirit.
Uh, okay, so who has envelope number one?
Jess? Okay, you go ahead.
[Jessica] This is "To the person
most likely to talk about spirits."
Like booze or ghosts?
-Like, guess. -[Todd] It doesn't specify.
Therapists could get deep in some spirits.
-[all laughing] -They're all scared.
In this family.
[all laughing]
[Whitney] This would not be the first intervention
that I've been involved in. Lord knows that.
[all laughing]
It's probably me, since I bartend.
It's Hunter.
[Whitney] Okay. And, Hunter,
-you get to get your gift and open it. -All right.
Oh, wow. Oh, that's so nice.
So it's a whiskey glass and what?
-[Hunter] And a shaker. -[Karen] A shaker.
-Yeah, yeah. Thank you. -[Whitney] For the bartender.
-[Jessica] Of the spirits. -[Whitney] Yay.
-Thank you. -[Whitney] Okay.
-Who's number two? -[Todd] Me.
Mine is "To the person most likely
to incur grievous bodily harm
and require medical intervention
after a night of adult entertainment."
-[Whitney] Tal. [laughs] -[all laughing]
Tal, go ahead and admit what you did.
Well, we all had the most wonderful trip to Alaska
several years ago.
And we invited
an adult entertainer to the home.
A stripper, and his name was Wolf.
An Alaskan stripper named Wolf.
I got up and gave the stripper a lap dance.
[Todd whooping]
-[Tal] That didn't-- -[all laughing]
I didn't do that.
-[Todd] It's okay. He's insured. -[Whitney laughing]
On the dismount,
I felt my foot
roll underneath itself
in a way that I was like,
"Oh, something terrible just happened."
Did you guys have fun?
-[Tal] Oh, yes. So much fun. -[Whitney] Yes. Thank you.
I just need people to know that I really lived, you know?
-And the way that that's phrased, like... -[all laughing]
"The person
most likely to touch a naked stranger."
[Jessica] Is it Whitney?
Bitch! [laughs]
-I'm wondering, like, obviously. -[all laughing]
-I think it's Allison. -I think it's Allison, too.
-Yeah. -She's heard touching a stranger.
Allison.
-Thank you. -[Isaiah] You're welcome.
-[Whitney] All right, let's see what it is. -It's heavy.
[Whitney] It feels so fun to have this Christmas party
and have everybody laughing and just, like,
enjoying each other.
[Courtney] Ooh.
-Oh, a little baking pan. -It's so nice.
Even newer members of the friend group,
like Allison, seems to be getting along with everybody so well.
And so does Karen.
And it's just so fun to enjoy this time together.
[Glenn] "To the person most likely to spend their free time
doing an activity that includes the word 'pot.'"
All right, Dad. Who is it?
-[Glenn] Karen. -Of course,
Dad got his Secret Santa as Karen.
I throw pottery.
Oh, cool. All right.
-Well, there you go. -That's cool.
-[Jessica] Ooh. -[Whitney] Look, pottery.
-That's cute. -[Karen] Okay.
-[Whitney] Very cute. -[Karen] Thank you.
[Glenn] I'm happy that I'm the one that's
giving Karen a gift.
I'm obviously very excited about this relationship.
Seeing Hunter in a romantic relationship
for the first time in a while
has made me as happy as I can be.
I only wish Babs could be here to see it.
"To the person most likely
to have a daughter no one knows about."
[all laughing]
[Jessica] Hmm. I wonder who that one would be.
[all laughing]
Why are y'all looking at Lennie? What about Dad?
-Oh. -Oh [bleep].
[Jessica] Oh, yeah.
-[Whitney] But that's old news now. -[Todd] We know now.
It's Lennie.
[Jessica] Oh.
"To the person most likely to enter into a civil union
with his or her cat."
-[Hunter] It's got to be Whitney. -It's got to be me.
For sure.
[Buddy] Anybody that says that
Christmas isn't their favorite time of year, they're lying.
This is the best time. You get together with your friends.
Glenn's here. We got new lovebirds.
We got a new baby.
Newlyweds, you know.
A lot's changed.
A lot's changed this year.
We're good. We're having a great time.
Oh, a cat ring.
[Jessica] Aww. [laughs]
-That's really cute. -[Whitney] Cute.
[Jessica] It's actually perfect.
[Tal] With this ring...
-Very cute. -[Jessica] That's really cute.
I really did set myself up
for being the person
most likely to, like, die alone with her cat.
But this is the last Christmas of my 30s. And who knows?
Maybe my first Christmas in my 40s, by that time,
I will have changed that.
I have one more gift
that I wanted to give to Daddy.
And, Dad, you see there?
That's the mommy tree.
-[Glenn] Mm-hmm. -And I thought this would be perfect,
um,
for you so we can remember Mommy.
[Jessica] Aww.
-[Glenn] The cardinal. -[Whitney] Yeah.
While she was alive, she told me that she would come visit me
as a red cardinal. So,
every time I see one, you know, it's special.
But I think I've survived this year
maybe better than I thought I would.
But I miss her.
Um...
You know, more than...
There are no words
to describe how much I miss my mommy.
[Glenn] That is a beautiful cardinal.
[Jessica] It is.
Yeah.
[Todd] Starin' right at ya.
[Glenn] Love you, Babs.
[Jessica] Aww.
[Whitney] I'm so grateful for everyone in my life.
And it really is so beautiful,
even a year after her death,
to see that my dad is still so, so
in love with my mother. And, um, it makes me feel like,
you know, real, eternal love
does exist.
And it's really nice to be here at Christmas
forging, you know, newer relationships,
like, with Karen and Allison.
And while I'm genuinely
so thrilled for my friends
who are experiencing these wonderful milestones,
it obviously makes me think about,
you know, next year at Christmas,
I think it would be amazing if I had a partner
to join our Christmas party.
Um, and if my mom were here,
I know exactly what she would tell me.
"You never know what's just around the corner."
And I think that's really good advice.
Well, Mommy would be very happy
about her cardinal and her decorations
gone to good use and all of us together.
And thanks for coming.
Now get the hell out.
[all laughing]
No, Mom would say...
[all] Enjoy it.
Oh, my gosh, look at all this.
[Whitney] Next time on My Big Fat Fabulous Life...
-Look, Heath. -[Whitney laughs]
My niece Jamie's bachelorette party
is this weekend, and Angie has flown in from Alabama.
[both laughing]
I got back on the apps yesterday.
Do you want to see the messages that I've got?
I don't think I do, but...
-"Looking juicy, Whitney." -[Jessica laughing] Oh, my God.
Part of me, like, feels
pessimistic about finding a partner.
You think about going out with somebody from a dating app or something,
you gotta go to a bar, or, like, where do you meet people?
Are your standards like so high
-that... -[Whitney sighs]
I don't feel like my standards are that high.
[Angie] Oh, my gosh, Whitney.
[Glenn] That is a ride.
Angie and I are on the way to the Charlotte airport
to pick up the girls.
[Angie] I'll do one shot, that's it.
[Whitney] I'm excited about everything we're doing.
I just hope I can keep up.
[women screaming excitedly]
[all laughing]