There you go.
You do realize,
we've past half a dozen coffee places to get here?
And some of them
you can actually sit inside where it's warm.
This is the best coffee in town.
Sure.
What's a little frost bite for the sake of good coffee?
I just love this time of year.
Everyone getting ready for the Christmas Festival.
Setting up decorations.
You may have mentioned that once or twice over the years
since we were kids?
Didn't want you to forget.
Hey,
shouldn't they be setting up for that ice sculpture competition?
There's still a couple weeks before the festivals starts.
That's not a lot of time.
I mean, they still have to register the contestants,
approve their designs.
And you wouldn't believe all the ice that has to get trucked in.
I see law school
hasn't put a damper on your passion for ice sculpting.
I've missed working with my Dad.
We haven't got to sculpt together in three years.
Oh.
Yep. I got to go.
Let's do dinner tonight.
I can't tonight.
I promised the folks.
But I'll text you and we'll set up a day.
Say hi to your mom for me. I will.
Uh-huh.
Well, I will speak to the Judge
and see if we can move your hearing.
But we only have a couple weeks 'til Christmas,
I'm afraid it might already be too late.
Sorry. I met Sarah for coffee.
Ms. Kincaid, can you just hold for just a moment please?
Who handles Judge Pettis' schedule over at the courthouse?
Ms. Kincaid needs to push her hearing back and I...
June Whalen. June.
Let me talk to her. Oh, okay.
Ms. Kincaid?
Hi, it's Emma.
Let me see what I can do and I'll get right back to you.
Thanks. Merry Christmas. Bye.
Give me 10 minutes.
Take a look at these,
I red-lined the changes for your approval,
I can have a final draft ready for signatures in the morning.
Great. And Ms. Kincaid?
The Judge had an opening two weeks after the holidays.
We're all set.
Thank you, Emma.
We make a great team.
Yes, we do.
And it's going to get even better
once we get the results of your bar exam.
Assuming I pass.
Half the people fail the first time they take it.
Those people are not Emma Parkers.
And with that resounding vote of confidence,
I'll get back to work.
Oh, dinner tonight at seven. Is that okay?
I'll be there.
Oh, hey... what's going on with the Ice Sculpting Competition?
I don't know. What do you mean?
I was at the park with Sarah,
they haven't started setting up yet.
They put Harvey Norris in charge of the Festival this year.
And it is his first term on Town Council.
So, he's probably just in a little over his head.
You're probably right.
There's a lot to do with the the Festival.
Can I help you?
Oh, hey. Hi.
No, I'm just, you know, browsing.
Uh, what do you think?
It's beautiful.
Yeah? Good choice.
Well, thank you.
See anything you like?
Actually, I do.
This is... beautiful.
Who did this?
Uh, my brother.
You should put it out front,
it'll really help draw in a crowd.
Yeah, you know, he's not really into showing them off.
Oh. Well, I've been ice sculpting since I was little
and this is really good.
I'll tell him you said so.
There used to be a Claiborne Tree Farms outside of town.
Mmm-hmm.
This nice couple ran it and they always gave me this candy cane
every time we did our Christmas tree.
Those were my folks.
No kidding.
Yeah, one and the same.
They, uh, they retired last year and I took over the business.
I'm Nick Claiborne.
Hi. Emma Parkers.
It's nice to meet you.
And the candy cane thing, that was my idea.
Clearly you had a head for business even at a young age.
I just really like candy canes.
Listen, about before...
I don't know, there's just something about these trees
that Christmas smell, I can't resist.
That's not the first time I've heard that.
Browse to your heart's content.
Thanks.
I got to go.
You got to go.
See you around. Yeah.
Oh.
Hey.
Merry Christmas.
I can't believe they cancelled the ice sculpting competition.
They don't call it Christmas Festival of Ice for nothing.
I mean, people in Westford have been sculpting ice here
since practically forever.
It's the reason the whole festival got started in the first place.
You've been gone.
Okay, but I come home every year for Christmas
and there's always ice sculptures in the park.
Well, the last few years
the festival hasn't drawn as well as it used to.
Yeah, and I don't know why
people don't want to come all this way to sit in the cold
and watch your father chip away at big chunks of ice.
Hey.
I love it.
Okay, but those ice sculptures are works of art.
Oh, unfortunately they are becoming a lost art.
I just... I can't believe it.
Oh, did you tell Emma your big news?
The, um, county has officially chosen my design for the new library branch.
Dad! That's great!
Isn't that wonderful?
So once you get the results of your bar exam
we will all have something special to celebrate this Christmas.
To the Parkers.
To a new design, to a new lawyer,
and I get a new partner.
Hear, hear.
I almost finished carving the new model.
What do you think?
Too bad we don't get to see it full-size.
I was looking forward to getting the Parkers family team
back together too.
Why does this bother me so much?
Well.
It's been a part of your life
for as long as you could remember.
When other kids were learning to skate on ice
you were learning to carve it.
Yeah, well...
Mom's right, I should be focused on my career right now.
It's what you said you always wanted.
Be a lawyer.
I know.
You worked very hard to make it happen.
Then how come all I can think about
are some of the best times of my life
were spent carving these sculptures?
That is a good question.
I feel some fatherly advice coming on.
You know me so well.
Dug these out the other day.
Thought you were going to need them.
My tools.
Why don't you take them out?
See if you still got the chops.
You don't mind?
Like I said, it'll give you time to think.
Thanks, Dad.
Hi, I'm here to see Harvey Norris.
Oh, he's not in yet.
Schedule's been pretty crazy, what, with the Christmas Festival and all.
Actually I wanted to talk to him about the ice sculpture competition.
Oh, that's been cancelled.
I know.
Could you just tell him that Emma Parkers stopped by?
Ask him to give me a call? That's my number.
I sure will. Merry Christmas.
You too.
And what I'd like to do is set up some sort of small endowment
or a scholarship at the college.
Put it in Sam's name.
Kind of a Christmas present for my husband.
Vera, that's a wonderful idea.
- Well, he taught there for almost 30 years. - Sure.
I think he would've liked that.
Emma? Why don't you give the school a call?
Find out who we should talk to to set this up.
I'll call right now.
Great.
Good idea, Vera. That's a really lovely idea.
Hi, this is Emma Parkers.
I was in this morning to see Harvey Norris.
Oh, he's still not in?
No, I understand that he's very busy with the festival
but I just...
Could you let him know that I called? Thanks.
They'll call back.
Emma?
Sam and Vera were clients of mine
from almost the very first day I started this practice.
I remember.
And now that he's gone...
this endowment means a lot to her.
We're a small firm.
We need to give every client 100%.
I couldn't agree more.
You're going to make a great lawyer.
Oh, those are great. We'll take 10 for City Hall please.
Excuse me, Councilman Norris?
Sure, yeah. Call me Harvey.
Hi, Harvey.
Emma Parkers. I'm Carol Parkers' daughter.
Oh, sure. Hi, Emma.
How's your mom? Great.
I was hoping you have a minute.
I don't think it's a good idea to cancel the ice sculpting competition.
I didn't want to.
But we didn't have the budget for it this year.
It was either cancel the competition or lose Santa's Workshop.
And I don't want to get on Santa's naughty list.
No. But you grew up here,
you know how important the festival is
to the people in Westford.
I sure do. I'm a big fan myself.
There must be something you can do.
I'm sorry, Emma.
I'm afraid my hands are tied.
What if I could raise the money?
Excuse me?
To make up for the difference in your budget.
To pay for the competition.
$20,000 in less than two weeks?
$20,000?
I'm afraid so.
Oh. Wow. What if I could raise half?
Well, we can't exactly have half a sculpting competition.
No, I mean, but maybe you could come up with the money somewhere?
Squeeze your budget a little?
You're serious about this?
It's really important to me.
And to the town.
It's been a part of the festival for so many years.
If you could just give me a chance, that's all I ask.
I guess if I squeeze my nickels a little bit.
I could come up with maybe...
$5,000.
But you'd have to raise the rest.
$15,000?
That's the best I can do.
It's a deal.
Good luck, Emma.
I hope you can pull this off.
Me too.
What a beautiful morning.
Hey, what brings you out?
Just going for a walk, grabbing a coffee.
Best coffee in town, worth the walk.
Yeah.
I was just thinking.
My parents used to bring me here every Christmas.
You know, to watch the sculpting.
Yeah? Yeah.
When I was old enough
my dad and I used to compete every Christmas.
You competed? Yeah.
Yeah.
It was a lot of fun.
Wow. So, I probably saw you competing.
Maybe we saw each other.
Maybe.
But it's too bad that they have to cancel it this year.
I heard they didn't have the money for it.
Yeah.
Yeah, I heard that too.
That's why I decided to raise the money myself.
Wait, what?
Yeah. I'm going to...
raise the money, put the competition back on.
And how much money are we talking?
15,000.
Dollars.
You don't think it sounds crazy?
You got to try.
Yeah.
Morning, Nick.
Why, yes, I'd love a cup of coffee. How thoughtful.
Oh. You brought company.
Lonny, Emma. Emma, Lonny Barnes my business partner.
Nice to meet you. Hi.
We try to keep an eye on him but sometimes he wanders off
I hope he hasn't been too exasperating.
Well.
It's so funny, isn't it?
See what I mean? Total Grinch.
Customers.
Oh, okay. I got to go.
Okay. Come by anytime.
Thank you.
We've known each other since we were kids.
You know, he gets a little jolly this time of year.
I'm the same way.
Hey, feel free to sniff around while you're here.
I should get to work.
But thanks for listening.
Hey, I hope it works out.
You could introduce me to your brother.
My brother...
Right. Why?
Well, I was just thinking maybe I could ask him
to use some of his ice sculptures
to help promote the competition.
You know, get people excited again.
Yeah. I don't know about that.
Was he planning to enter the competition?
No. No, he'd never do that.
No? Why?
He's... he's very busy at this time of year.
And, um...
he's, uh...
he's not really great with people.
Well, we're going to need a lot of sculptors.
So, I don't know, maybe I could get in contact with him?
Yeah.
I'm sorry, Emma.
I wish I could help.
What about all the stuff you said about hoping it works out?
Hey, I do hope it works out.
Right. No.
Uh, yeah.
I just, uh...
Emma. You know what?
I got some paperwork I got to file down at the courthouse.
So if I don't see you, Merry Christmas.
Yeah, Merry Christmas.
That's right, we'll be taking the depositions for the Simmons case right here in office.
Yeah, it's a pretty big case
so we'll probably need the stenographer all day.
Um, no, they're driving down from Concord.
I'll confirm the time but we'll be starting early.
Okay. Great. Thanks.
Bye, you too.
Of course.
Nancy, did you know that the ice sculpting competition
has been a part of the Christmas Festival for over 60 years?
That's why it's so important to help keep the tradition alive.
How much do you need to raise?
Um...
Thank you.
And Westford sponsored the first competition over 60 years ago.
Uh-huh. Could you hold this please?
Which is why I'm asking everyone in town
just to give what they can.
So you want a donation?
$20,000?
Okay, I know it's a lot
but I get the five grand from Town Council.
Emma, new snow tires are a lot, this is a fortune.
But I think if I could just get their attention
the whole town will get on board.
What do you have in mind?
Didn't you set up a JumpFunder for the school
to raise money for playground equipment?
You want me to show you how to do that
for the ice sculpting competition?
I'd be your best friend forever.
That's all I needed to hear.
The lunch rush is almost over.
How about I talk you through it tonight on the phone?
You're the best. Thank you.
You know, even if you raise the money,
the town already knows the competition's been cancelled.
How are you going to get anyone to sign up?
I have one idea.
You always do.
So, how'd you and Emma meet?
She likes to smell our Christmas trees,
she was hanging around the lot, we started talking.
She's big into Christmas, I knew I liked her.
Yeah, you like everybody this time of year.
Yeah, even my old pal Ebenezer.
So, when are you going to see her again?
How can I see her again
when I haven't seen her for the first time?
Okay. Okay. I'm sorry.
When are you going to see her for the first time?
I'm not.
What? Why not?
Here's this very pleasant, very attractive young woman
who I personally think
would be a good influence on my best friend.
Especially considering the circumstances.
There are no circumstances.
Oh, come on, Nick!
It's been almost a year since you and Tara broke up.
It's time to get back out there.
Oh, yeah. What are you, my social director now?
I'm talking about Christmas. You know, all is merry and bright?
Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do, Lonny.
Okay? And, you know, you're right.
Emma's great.
You should hear the way she talks about...
saving the sculpting competition.
Well, that's something you guys have in common.
I don't know.
It's just...
bad timing.
It's been a year, buddy.
You got to get back in the game.
I know it's asking a lot, Dad, but I could really use the help.
If you wouldn't mind getting the word out?
Maybe asking some of your old buddies,
tell them what's going on.
Absolutely, honey.
Anything I can do.
Thank you.
Saving the competition won't mean a thing
if I don't get anyone to sign up.
I've known these sculpting folks forever, believe me,
they were just as disappointed as we are that it was cancelled.
The thing is though...
The thing is can I really raise that much money in time?
First thing they're going to ask.
When you were teaching me to sculpt
you used to tell me to keep my mind on the big picture
but my eyes on each little cut.
That's what I'm trying to do now.
That works for me.
You got this.
I believe in you.
Thanks, Dad.
Yeah, it went up on JumpFunder this morning, Sarah,
it looks great.
Thank you for all your help last night.
No, not yet.
But there's still time,
I'm sure the contributions start rolling in.
Season's Greetings.
Christmas cookie latte.
Aw, Emma, thank you.
It's the least I could do
after being gone for so long yesterday.
Oh, all is forgiven.
The thing is there's just so much going on right now
I feel like I'm being pulled in 10 different directions.
I know, I have barely started my Christmas shopping.
And with the Christmas Festival coming up and everything...
Well, we'll muddle through somehow.
Speaking of muddling through, you'll appreciate this.
Oh, sorry.
I almost forgot to tell you while you were out yesterday.
They called from Concord about the Simmons case.
Good, I need to confirm the stenographer.
What time are they going to be here for the depositions?
They can't. Opposing counsel slipped on some ice
and has twisted her ankle and, I mean, she'll be fine,
but she's requested that we come there instead.
And, you know, I'd rather not delay this.
So I said, "No problem."
So you're going to drive to the capital next week?
We get to drive to the capital together.
What?!
You've done all the heavy lifting with this case, you know the issues,
you should be the one asking the questions.
I, um...
Wow. I know, right?
It's a big step but I think you're ready.
So we'll be gone for two days next week?
Is that a problem?
No. Um, no, no problem.
I just thought maybe with everything going on here
I should stick around.
Honey, I think Westford can get along without you for two days.
It's not even making a dent.
Emma, these things take time.
Yeah, well I just found out I have less time than I thought.
What do you mean?
My mom wants me to handle the depositions
on one of our cases,
so I'll be in the capital for two days next week.
But that's when the festival starts.
I know.
So I need to make sure
a lot more people know about the campaign and fast.
How are you going to do that?
Go straight to the source.
Sounds like a plan.
Please tell me you're not here for more money,
I've squeezed every penny I can from my budget.
I just have one tiny favour.
What's that?
People all over the country look at Westford's Christmas website.
I think if you linked it to my campaign page
we might have a better chance to raise the money in time.
Emma, when I brought this up with the rest of the council
everybody talked about
all of their fond memories from the competition.
Well, that's great.
But the truth is, they're a little worried too.
What do you mean?
They don't want to get the town's hopes up that we
can bring the competition back and then have it...
well, have it not work out.
It's Christmas time.
The last thing we want to do is disappoint anybody.
You're right, Harvey, it is Christmas.
The time when miracles really do happen.
And who knows, maybe we can make our own little Christmas miracle
happen right here in Westford.
Well, you definitely have a way with words.
Maybe you can come and work with us at the town.
We've got some other miracles that we could use some help with.
Is that a yes?
I never wanted to cancel the competition in the first place.
I'll get you the link.
Thank you, Harvey.
Hi. Emma.
Ms. Baxter, hi.
I didn't know you worked here.
Oh, I volunteer a couple of days a week.
Gets me out of the house since I retired.
Oh, by the way, I have a call in to the college
about setting up the endowment in your husband's name.
I'm sure that they'll love it.
Oh, I hope so.
But, tell me, what brings you here today?
Oh, I saw on the museum's website
you have some old photographs
from past ice sculpting competitions.
Uh huh.
Could I maybe look at them?
Right this way. Oh, great.
I've been watching them carve ice since I was a girl.
Oh, it never ceases to amaze me.
Shame it all has to end.
Actually, that's why I'm here.
To try and keep that from happening.
But I thought Harvey'd already cancelled the competition.
Well, if I can raise the money in time
he'll put it back in the festival.
I thought maybe some of these old photographs
might help remind people of what a great tradition it is.
You're welcome to whatever you need.
Our client, Miss Simmons,
received notice that her car was part of a manufacturer recall.
But when she took it in the dealership said that
they were too busy and asked her to bring it back the next week.
Be sure when you ask that
they specify in their answer what day of the week.
Because Monday was a holiday
and Miss Simmons couldn't come back until Tuesday.
- Good. - Great.
I don't know,
I guess I just feel guilty for not telling her what I'm doing.
Then tell her.
Your mom knows how much you've always loved ice sculpting.
Yeah, well I can love it all I want
as long as the law always comes first.
And that's why you went to school for three years
to become a lawyer, isn't it?
That was the plan.
You okay?
Yeah. No. I just, um...
the whole thing with raising money for the competition.
Actually, I should check to see if...
No, what you should do
is stop checking contributions every two minutes.
I brought you along to help me with my Christmas shopping, remember?
You're right.
Sarah, you said we were going Christmas shopping.
We are. We're shopping for a Christmas tree.
Who's Nick?
Some guy I met in town, he has a Christmas tree lot and I asked...
You know what? Never mind.
Can we just go somewhere else please?
No way. Look at this place.
I came here to get a tree and that's what I intend to do.
Good choice.
Excuse me?
The Fraser Fir is our most popular tree this time of year.
Do you, uh, have someone to help you carry it to the car?
I was just admiring it, it's way too big for my apartment.
Where I live alone.
So this is where your brother hides out.
Gotcha.
Excuse me.
Hello? Nick's brother?
Sorry, I don't know your name.
Hello?
Nick?
Hi.
Let me guess, you don't have a brother.
Uh...
No.
And the sculptures outside and in town, those are yours?
Uh huh.
Unbelievable.
Hey, Emma, wait.
Emma, just... can you just wait a second?
I'm sorry I told you about my fictitious brother.
But it's a reflex.
It's what I tell everybody.
What? Why?
It's a...
it's a long and very predictable story.
And having an antisocial brother
just saves everybody a lot of time.
But your work is amazing.
And people should know that you're the artist.
You think I'm an artist?
Yes, of course.
I mean, anybody could see that if you would let them.
But, I mean,
that doesn't make it okay that you wouldn't help me
when I asked for you to save the competition with me.
I'm sorry about that too,
but when I heard you talking about the JumpFunder page
I knew I had to do something to help.
I didn't... I didn't tell you about that.
Well, actually, you were getting coffee, that place in the park,
I was in line just right behind you.
Oh, you were eavesdropping?
Yeah, now, see, when you say it like that...
Okay, you know what?
Never mind. I've got way too much on my plate right now
to be doing this.
So.
So do I.
Great. So we're done.
We are so done.
Except...
you might want this.
Frank Duvall?
He's a friend of mine, he owns an ice company,
he's a big fan of ice sculpting from way back.
I talked to him about what you're doing.
You did?
I thought maybe he could help.
Throw it away if you want.
Thank you for this.
I really do think you're very talented.
I don't know.
Seriously. You shouldn't hide it.
There you are.
Hey.
Check out the perfect little tree Lonny cut down for me.
Oh. I'll meet you at the car.
Ready? Yeah.
You okay?
I don't get it.
If he likes ice sculpting so much, why keep it a secret?
I don't know.
I get the feeling it's about more than just sculpting.
You two seemed to hit it off.
Yeah, right.
No, I saw the way he looked at you.
And I definitely picked up on a vibe.
What?
Yeah, right. There was no vibe.
Okay, keep telling yourself that.
No vibe!
There was a vibe.
You know what?
Good luck with that.
Emma! See ya.
Get back here and help me!
Emma!
Nick told me you were coming by
and that I should listen to what you have to say
because saving this competition's important to you.
He said all that?
But what he didn't say is why.
My dad started teaching me how to sculpt when I was a little girl.
He and I were in the competition for as long as I can remember.
The truth is, as important as the tradition is to the town
I think it's just as important to my family.
Let me think about it.
Great.
Thank you. I really appreciate it, Frank.
And Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas.
Dad, I didn't know you were coming by today.
I thought I'd surprise your mother.
Take her out to lunch.
Well, she's in the office on a phone call,
I'm sure she'll be out in a minute.
In that case I shall share some good news.
I reached out to some old friends,
we got six teams standing by,
just say the word, they'll be here to compete.
You're amazing, Dad.
Thanks.
What's up?
Nothing.
The festival's tomorrow and I still haven't raised the money.
Keep the faith.
You never know.
You never know what?
I never know where I'm going to take my beautiful wife to lunch.
Hm.
I'll get my coat.
It ain't over 'til it's over.
You know I had coffee with Emma's friend Sarah,
remember she was out at the farm the other day.
Coffee, huh? That sounds promising.
Yeah.
Kind of hit it off.
I mean, with the trees and all.
Way to go, Lonny!
Anyway, she was telling me about
how Emma works just a couple of blocks from here.
At her mom's law office over there on Riverton.
Oh, yeah?
Yeah.
She seems real nice.
Maybe you should, uh, stop by, say hi.
Yeah, I don't think so.
Well, what are you going to do
just give up on Christmas for good because of what Tara did?
Let's not go there, all right?
Whatever happened to the old Nick?
The guy who used to like to have fun?
And spent every night in his barn carving little ice statues
instead of getting on with his life.
Look, I'm sorry, I just...
I miss my friend.
You're missing Christmas.
I don't know.
See? This is a nice change...
from our frostbit toes on our way to get coffee.
Thought I'd give you a break for Christmas on your first day off.
Speaking of. You don't look very festive.
I don't feel very festive.
I didn't raise the money for the competition
and today's the first day of the festival,
so we're out of time.
Oh, no. How close did you get?
It doesn't matter, it's all or nothing.
I mean, you know,
you don't raise your goal then you don't get any of the money.
What are you doing?
I'd still like to know.
Sarah, come on.
When was the last time you checked?
Does it matter?
Emma.
Yes?
Look.
An anonymous donor?
For almost $10,000!
He did it.
Frank Duvall did it!
You did it!
We did it!
Little more volume please.
Um, Merry Christmas and God bless us, everyone.
Testing, one, two, testing.
One, two.
Harvey! Harvey, we got the money!
We did it!
15?!
$15,000?
I know, it's unbelievable!
It sounds like you got your miracle!
We have to get ready, tell everybody to set it up.
Absolutely.
But where are we going to find teams at the last minute?
Don't worry, my dad's got six teams standing by,
seven including us.
You did it, Emma.
You did it.
Yes.
The ice sculpting competition is back!
Merry Christmas.
Wow.
Nick!
We did it.
We raised the money and the competition's back on.
Oh.
Sorry.
Wow. That's... that's amazing.
Yeah.
Yeah. Way to go, Emma.
Congratulations. I owe it all to Nick.
What?
Yeah. I mean, you sent me to Frank Duvall,
I told him what we needed
and he made a donation for the rest of the money.
Wow. Yeah.
Whoa. I always knew Frank was a good guy but...
No, you are the great guy.
None of this would've happened without your help.
Honestly, thank you.
I'm glad it worked out.
Well, um...
you know, there are seven teams lined up.
Which means there's still room for one more.
Yeah, no, Emma, it gets really busy around here
around Christmas. You know?
What I do I know about big sculptures?
Anyway, you have fun.
And, uh, congratulations.
Thanks. Excuse me.
Hey. I'll see you later.
Yeah.
Look, Nick should be talking to you about this, not me,
but I know him.
And I can tell how much he likes you.
Hm. He's got a funny way of showing it.
Yeah, well that's what people do
when they get their heart ripped out by someone they care about,
especially when it happens at Christmas.
What?
Just, uh...
Hang in there.
Hi, it's Emma Parkers.
Is Frank in?
Oh, no. Could I leave a message?
Yeah. Could you just let him know
I called to thank him for his generous contribution?
No, he'll know what I mean.
Thanks. You too.
Merry Christmas.
Hello.
Thought I might find you here.
You know, it helps me think.
Same here.
I thought about what you said about the competition
and how it's different because of the size.
Yeah.
But it's not.
You shouldn't let it stop you from competing
if it's something you really want to do.
Emma, look, it's not...
I mean, you shouldn't let anything stop you,
really, from anything you care about.
When you find something that you can really put your heart into,
something that you really love,
you should hang on to it as tight as you can.
Sometimes you got to know when to let go.
What do you mean?
Okay. Um...
it's kind of like you.
I started doing this when I was pretty young.
And it was like, uh...
I could do it. You know?
The tools just fit in my hand.
I started entering some smaller competitions
and...
it's never about winning, you know.
It's just because... just because it was fun.
Anyway, after a while you start running into the same people
and kind of get to know 'em.
I met this girl.
She was really nice.
And, uh, she could work with ice too.
You two started sculpting together?
She's more competitive than I was.
And started entering us in these bigger competitions.
We even talked about doing this one in Westford.
You know, tackling the big sculptures.
Why didn't you?
Tara and I had been dating three years
and all of a sudden...
right before Christmas
she decided it's not working for her.
She already had a plane ticket to Los Angeles.
Never saw it coming.
Sorry.
I haven't had much interest in competing ever since.
My heart's just not into it.
Maybe you just need to find somebody to make it fun again.
Maybe.
I got a "V" chisel if you want to take a shot at that corner.
I think a scoop chisel might be the way to go.
Huh.
Well, I got one of those too.
Hi. Hey there.
Almost finished.
How was your day?
Oh, just trying to get everything together
for this deposition.
Have... have you heard from Emma?
No. Why?
Oh, it's just she wasn't in the office this afternoon
and I left a few messages, I just haven't heard back.
This is an important case.
I'm sure she's on top of it.
I don't know.
Her head seems to be somewhere else half the time.
We barely seem to talk anymore.
Well...
two of you have a lot on your plate right now.
My advice is for the both of you to throttle back a little.
Yeah. Maybe you're right.
Christmas Festival starts tonight.
We'll meet Emma there, enjoy the festivities...
together.
And everything will be fine.
Oh.
Yeah.
We make a pretty good team.
Oh.
Oh no.
I got to go.
What's wrong?
No, nothing, I just...
I should be at work, we've got this big case coming up
and I haven't even finished.
And my parents want me
to meet them at the Christmas Festival tonight.
Maybe I'll see you there.
Not if I don't get my work done.
Well then, get out of here, get to work.
All right. Thanks for...
thanks for letting me chip.
It's my pleasure.
All right. I'm out.
Beautiful!
Oh, my gosh. This is gorgeous.
Oh, look at these.
Very nice.
I'm going to get one of these for you.
Yes, you are.
Can you see her? No.
Good evening, everyone!
Welcome to the first night
of Westford's annual Christmas Festival!
I'm going to give her a call. Sounds good, yeah.
Hi, Mom.
Hey. What...
Oh, Emma, you don't have to be working
on the first night of the Christmas Festival.
I...
Okay. Five minutes. We'll be here.
She's at the office.
I'm especially excited to remind everyone
that because of the donations from you
the ice sculpting competition is part of our festival again.
All right!
That's great!
It certainly is.
Do you know what? If I know Emma,
that five minutes is going to take an hour.
So I'm just... I'm just going to go get here and...
Well, don't... You wait here.
I'm going to go get her.
Okay. Carol!
Hey, I was just headed over.
I'm sorry. Nick!
Hi.
Hi. Welcome.
Yeah, Lonny told me you worked on Riverton Street,
your mom's law office, and I figured, "What are the odds?"
Right? More than one lawyer named Parkers on the street.
You found me.
Yeah. Look, if you're busy I'll come back.
No, no, no. Come in, come in.
It's very lawyerish.
Uh, this seemed like a good idea a little while ago.
What did?
All right.
The thing is...
I've been thinking about what you said.
And maybe you're right.
Maybe it would be good for me to take another shot at competing.
And not to win, 'cause, you know, that was never the the point of it all.
I just want to feel the way it used to feel
before things got all jumbled up.
When it was fun.
I think that's a great idea.
So, like you said,
I just need to find the right partner.
Someone who knows big sculptures.
Someone...
Like you.
I...
You already have a partner.
My dad and I have been sculpting together since I was a kid.
Sort of a tradition.
I'm sorry.
Hey, don't be sorry.
I, uh, I'll be there to cheer you on.
100%.
Go, Emma!
So, I should go.
I'll walk you out.
I'll see you then.
Okay.
Emma.
What are you doing out here so early?
Well, if the Parkers family team wants to win this year
we better busy.
Yeah, I've been, uh...
I've been thinking about that.
Good. We don't have much time.
As much as I have loved doing this with you, kiddo.
I am... snowed under with work.
I think you're going to have to find a new partner this year.
Really?
But, um...
this is our tradition.
And I have... I've loved every minute of it.
And I want you to carry on that tradition with someone else,
someone who loves this as much as we do.
But I've never done it without you.
Well, that's why...
this time around you can make it your own.
That's my girl.
Hey, Nick!
Hey! Hey.
Isn't this crazy?
When I was a kid I used to think
this must be what Santa's toy shop was like.
So much to do before Christmas.
So, you and your dad all set?
Mm, he can't do it this year.
Work.
So. Oh.
I'm sorry.
Yeah, me too.
So you don't have a partner?
Did you?
Did you find someone?
That's a lot of work. Yeah.
Not much time to prepare.
On the other hand...
It could be fun.
Partners?
Partners.
All right, we don't have much time so I'm going to give you
the CliffsNotes version of the rules.
Each team has two members, we're given six blocks of ice.
Sculptures have to be at least five feet tall
but no more than 10 feet.
And we can only use the ice we're given.
How do you remember all that?
Cute.
Competition lasts three days, 72 hours,
during that time each team member is only permitted
a total carving time of up to 36 hours.
That's to make sure nobody gets too tired.
And that's it.
Got it. Got it.
Got it.
Wow. That's some serious hardware.
Thank you.
So, where are your power tools?
I don't use 'em.
Okay. Well, uh, then we'll work on that first.
Why?
Nick, these aren't little sculptures
you put on a table at a wedding.
These are huge.
If we just use hand tools we'll never finish in time.
You're smiling.
Why are you smiling? I'm not.
You are smiling. I'm not.
Seriously, we don't have time for this.
It's just, okay, look, all of a sudden I...
I could see this gangly little girl
all serious about this stuff
who had no idea that she'd grow up to be someone so amazing.
Come on, we have work to do.
See?
You can't get a cut like that with a power tool.
Yeah.
It's nice.
And who knows? Maybe we could finish by next Christmas.
Is that sarcasm?
What? Whoa.
Okay. Now, just remember nice and easy.
Oh, boy.
Wow.
All right.
I guess we'll start again.
Sorry.
Now, that's eight feet.
So that's how tall our sculpture should be.
Wow, that's big.
We still have to come up with a design.
Look, we can't just settle on one thing.
Right? We have to...
I don't know, think of something that tells a story
with one image.
Okay. What do you suggest?
That's the thing, I don't know.
What we need right now is some serious inspiration.
Well, we'd better get inspired soon
or we're going to have the only sculpture in town history
called the block of ice.
All right. It's been a long day.
Why don't we just call it a night
and we'll come up with something tomorrow?
Sure.
Great.
This was good.
Yeah.
Yeah? Yeah.
Okay, then.
Nick, it's Emma.
Remember what you said about town history?
Trust me.
Emma, welcome back.
Hi, Vera, this is Nick Claiborne.
He and I are partnering up for the ice sculpting competition.
Nice to meet you.
But shouldn't you two be sharpening your chisels?
Well, we have to decide what to sculpt first.
Do you mind if we look at those pictures again?
I'll go get them. Oh, take a look at the new display.
I can't believe they made all these with just hand tools.
Pretty amazing, right?
No kidding. But...
I'm still not sure how this is going to help us.
Well.
All these sculptures are special in some way
and just want whatever we do to mean something too.
It's not about the town, is it?
It's about you.
My mother doesn't even know I'm doing this.
I, uh, I didn't tell her because she would just say
it's a distraction from my legal career.
I thought you said you weren't a lawyer.
Oh, I said not yet.
I took the bar exam, I'm waiting for the results.
And when you do?
When I do I hang out my shingle and go to work with my mother.
In the meantime, I'm supposed to be soaking everything in
so I can hit the ground running.
You don't sound very happy about it.
This isn't helping us decide what to sculpt.
Hi, Frank?
Yeah, thanks for calling me back.
I just wanted to thank you for helping us with the...
Oh, uh.
Okay. Uh...
Yeah. Yeah. No. Okay.
Thanks for telling me.
Merry Christmas.
Huh.
What was that about?
That was Frank Duvall,
he said he got my call about the donation.
He said it wasn't him.
He didn't donate the money.
Who did?
Why would someone give all that money
and want to keep it a secret?
Maybe because that's the definition of anonymous.
Okay. Well, I'd like to at least thank them.
It's Nick.
Says he has an idea for our sculpture.
And how's that going?
Good.
If we could just come up with a design.
That's not what I meant.
Nick is a great guy.
Sounds like it.
But I just have so much going on right now with the competition
and work and...
I just really need to stay focused.
Focused is good.
Don't give me that.
Don't even.
Okay. I admit I had my doubts about the museum
and getting inspired and all that stuff.
But when you left it was like, boom, there it was.
Keep in mind I can't draw for beans.
Nick, just show me.
So.
What do you think?
I love it.
Then let's get to work.
Come on, put your back into it.
Wow, it's late.
Yeah, we've been at this a while.
Thank you.
None of this would've happened without you.
No, you made this happen, Emma.
I'm just...
just lucky to be here when you did.
Hi, Mom?
Hey, honey, I just wanted to remind you
that we need to get an early start in the morning
if we're going to make it on time for the depositions.
The depositions.
You didn't forget, did you?
No, no, of course not.
I'm just, I'm a little tired.
Oh, well get some rest. I'll meet you at the office.
Big day tomorrow.
Yeah. Got it. Thanks, Mom.
Everything okay?
I should go.
Okay.
Go. Get some rest. We got a bid day tomorrow.
Yeah.
Yeah, big day.
Big day.
Mom?
All set.
Oh.
I meant to ask you
to pick up some of that great coffee on your way.
But never mind, we'll stop.
I need to talk to you.
Can we talk in the car?
Mom.
Oh. All right. What is it?
I know how important this case it to you,
and I know how much you want me...
Parkers Law Office.
Speaking.
Yes, yes, I did.
Oh, really?
Well, that's great.
I hope so too. Merry Christmas.
That was the endowment office at the college.
They want to talk about the scholarship Vera wants to set up in her husband's name.
That's wonderful.
But today's the last day before the holiday
and they need to meet this morning.
So.
And one of us has to be there, of course.
Mom, you don't need me there for these depositions.
Yeah, but you've worked so hard on this
and it seems like such a shame to not have...
And to tell you the truth, I was looking forward to the drive.
Just me and you.
I miss spending time with you.
I know, Mom, me too.
All right, well, keep me posted.
I'll be back tomorrow.
All right.
Hey. Hey, where you been?
We got to get ready. We're starting soon.
Yeah, I know. I'm sorry, I just had to stop by the office.
But I just have one other thing I need to do.
Wait! No, no. What?
Don't worry! Emma!
I'll be back in time!
All right, Vera.
The Samuel R. Baxter Scholarship will be awarded every September.
Great. That's exactly what I wanted.
Hey, how's it going?
Sarah.
You must be Nick.
Yeah?
I'm, uh, Dan Parkers.
Oh, nice to meet you. Emma's dad.
Uh, where is she?
Don't worry, she'll be here.
Oh, yeah, that's what everyone keeps telling me.
Good morning, everyone.
Welcome to the Westford Christmas Festival
ice sculpting competition!
I'm here, I'm here.
Talk about timing. Sorry I'm late.
Good luck, you two.
Thanks, Dad.
Each team member is permitted a total carving time of...
You okay?
Yeah. Yeah. We're doing this.
Ice blocks that are in their area.
Sculptures must be five feet tall but no more than 10 feet.
And then on Christmas Eve day, the judges will pick a winner.
Is everybody ready?
I said, "Is everybody ready?"
On your marks.
Get set.
Go!
Let's do this.
We just need to make sure
we have enough clearance for the lights. Right?
Let's get started. Just like that, huh?
Do you know what they're sculpting?
I have no idea.
They said it was a surprise.
Come on, Emma!
Yeah, then we'll just stack it on top.
Double the check the measurements, right?
We're good to drop?
Okay, perfect. Got it.
Thanks. We got it!
You have no idea how enchanting you look with a saw in your hand.
Wow.
Is... is that what I think it is?
I caught her before she closed.
Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you.
I forgot how cold it gets.
Yeah. So, have you had a chance to check out the competition?
Unh-unh.
You know?
I think we're holding our own.
Yeah? Yeah.
So, you know, if you want to, um, get warm, go home,
rest up for a couple hours.
I'm okay.
You really love this.
This.
This always meant Christmas to me.
I love all the rest, the trees and the...
lights, and the music.
But this... this is what made it special.
Ice sculpting has always been a part of who I am.
And now I needed it to help me decide who I want to be.
I like who you are right now.
Yeah. But there's always been this plan.
And I'm just... I'm not sure about that anymore.
So we'll make a new plan.
Oh.
They sent the results.
The results?
For the bar exam.
I passed.
You passed the bar exam!
Oh, my gosh! That's amazing!
Congratulations.
Yeah. No, than... thank you.
Yeah. Okay. I'm not an expert.
But, uh, it's supposed to be a good thing, right?
Yeah, no. I'm... I'm really excited.
Okay, well you don't seem like it.
Don't you want to be a lawyer?
I do.
Of course. I mean, why else would I...
go to school and knock myself off for three years.
I don't know.
Maybe it's because a part of that big plan,
the one you worked your whole life for.
It is a great plan.
It makes a lot of sense.
I mean, my mom and I are going to be partners now.
So, what, you don't want your name on the door?
You know what? I...
I should take a break.
Emma.
Remember what you told me about being an artist?
I don't hold a candle to you.
Thanks.
Thanks for the coffee.
That looks like a big block of ice.
Hi, Mom.
Hi, honey. I'm just checking in.
How did everything go at the school with Vera?
Yeah. Um... great.
Great. They're all ready to go.
And she's really excited.
Wonderful.
Thank you for taking care of that.
Of course. Um...
How did the depositions go?
It went really well.
In fact, we finished early and I'm leaving now.
I'll tell you all about it when I get home.
Sounds good.
You know, I just... I just wanted to ask you something.
Sure.
I was thinking about what we said
about not spending enough time together.
And I was really hoping
we might have dinner at home tonight just the three of us.
I mean, I don't know, maybe turn on the tree lights.
And put on the music.
And maybe watch an old Christmas movie like we used to.
How does that sound?
Uh, tonight?
Oh, unless of course you have other plans.
No, you know what?
Mom, tonight sounds great.
Okay, good.
I'll call your dad
and I'll tell him there'll be three of us for dinner.
Great. I'll see you then.
Okay. Bye, sweetheart.
Sorry, I fell asleep.
That's okay. I thought that was the point.
That's...
Yeah. Did you get some rest?
Yeah, I got a couple hours. I'm good to go.
Great.
You tell your parents the good news?
Uh, not yet.
When are you going to tell 'em?
Tonight at dinner.
Tonight?
Yeah. No, don't worry.
I won't be gone long. We'll finish in time still.
Yeah, right. I'm sure they're going to be really excited
to hear the big news.
Emma.
Emma! Emma! Wait!
I was...
If you hadn't... It's okay.
We can fix it. Stopped me.
Look. Lonny and Sarah brought some cider.
Let's take a break and then we'll fix it.
I wasn't even paying attention.
If you hadn't stopped me
I could've ruined the whole sculpture.
But you didn't.
It's all right.
It's not all right.
Nothing's all right.
I keep trying to figure out the right thing to do
but I just keep doing everything wrong.
The sculpture, my parents, my career.
You.
Look around.
Here.
Look at all these people
doing something that they thought they lost.
You did this.
You made Christmas a little more special for all of them.
And a lot more special for me.
Really?
Yeah, I was...
I was ready to give up on all this.
But you changed my mind.
And... I'm not letting you give up on what you really want.
What I want...
it's not part of that plan.
Oh, yeah?
Then it's time for a new plan.
Okay?
Look inside your heart, Emma.
Find the thing that you really love.
And that's how you know you found the right choice.
Oh, Emma, that's wonderful news.
Congratulations, honey, on passing the bar.
We are so proud of you.
Thanks, guys.
It's still kind of sinking in.
Well, I never had any doubt.
But this makes it official.
So, to Emma Parkers, attorney at law.
To Emma!
Oh, can I give it to her now?
It's supposed to be for Christmas.
Close enough.
Give me what?
Your mother.
What is it?
Open it and see.
Partners.
Just like we planned.
Emma?
What is it, honey? What's wrong?
I need to show you something.
Do... do you know what this is all about?
Maybe we'll just let Emma explain it.
Mom. Nick Claiborne.
Nick, my mother.
It's nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Parkers.
Hello. Hi.
Hey, Dan.
Hey, Nick. Looks great.
Yeah. It's coming along.
Um, excuse me, I'm sorry.
Maybe because I'm freezing, but, uh,
I'd really like to know exactly what's going on here.
I should told you before mom, but I decided to enter the ice sculpting competition.
Nick and I are partners and this is our sculpture.
Honey.
You didn't need to keep that a secret,
I think it's good for you to have hobbies.
And, I mean,
especially ones you can schedule around a busy law practice.
That's the thing, I'm not sure I want to do that.
Wait? What do you mean?
Look, Mom.
I don't think I want to be a lawyer.
I'm not sure I ever really did.
But...
I mean, this has been our plan since...
since you were a little girl.
It was your plan, Mom.
And it was a good one.
It was. It just...
Not the right one.
Not for me.
Are you sure you want to
walk away from everything you've worked so hard for?
Dan.
Tell her. What...
Oh, honey.
We always said that the most important thing we wanted
is for Emma to be happy.
And this is what I love.
But a career in law has a future.
And...
Mrs. Parkers.
It's not more than just a future, it's about passion.
I mean, this whole ice sculpting competition
would've been cancelled this year.
Yes. I know.
Well, if it wasn't for Emma none of this would've happened.
She raised all the money.
Is that true?
Well, yeah. But I... I mean, I had a lot of help
with Sarah and Nick and Dad even made a few phone calls.
Oh, so...
Oh, you did know?
Well, I made a couple of calls.
Emma, sculpting ice isn't exactly a career.
I know. But...
It felt right.
Working for a good cause,
bringing people together to help make it happen.
Seeing how happy it made everyone.
I mean, I know I still have to figure out the rest of my life
but I like the way this felt.
And I'm just...
I'm not sure I'm ready to make up my mind about being a lawyer.
But whatever I choose...
right now?
This is what I want.
This is my Christmas.
Well.
Your father's right.
The most important thing is your happiness.
But, oh, my dear, you could be one powerful good lawyer.
So, you're not disappointed?
Honey, we would never be disappointed in you.
And let's face it, it's not exactly a surprise.
What?
Well, every Christmas for all these years
you and your father have been completely loopy
about this competition.
I mean, it wasn't like you were just going to give it up.
So, you knew I had second thoughts about being a lawyer?
Well, I mean, I had hope that once you did the bar
you'd be ready to, you know, give it a chance.
But then I thought what you really needed
was the chance to finally decide for yourself.
Am I missing something here?
You and me both.
How was she going to decide what she really wanted
if the competition was cancelled?
Wait.
You donated the $10,000?
I...
I just wanted you to have the choice...
to do the thing you love the most.
Mom.
Thank you.
And besides, you were right, it was for a very good cause.
My daughter's Christmas.
Promise you guys will both be here tomorrow
when they announce the winner?
Wouldn't miss it for the world.
Oh.
But now, you two better get busy
because you've a lot of work to do.
Yeah, we got a long night ahead of us.
I'm going to enjoy every minute of it.
How much time?
It's almost there.
All right, ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for the sculptors.
They've been working hard for three days.
Send them some energy. Come on, ladies and gentlemen!
Give it to them! Give it to them!
Send them some energy!
I don't know about you,
but I think this has been the best ice sculpting competition
we've ever had.
Look at those beautiful sculptures!
How much time?
Oh, it's getting close.
Hey! Focus.
We're on the last few minutes here, folks.
What do you think? Aren't they beautiful?
We're getting down to the wire.
In five...
Four, three,
two, one!
And that's it, time's up, tools down!
Hands up.
Can I get the judges to the stage
with their score cards please?
I just want you to know that no matter what happens
you made every Christmas wish I had come true.
Emma, you are my Christmas wish.
Okay, folks, the judges have made their decisions.
And...
it's unanimous.
Unanimous?
Folks, I'm pleased to announce
that the winner of the Westford ice sculpting competition...
is Emma Parkers and Nick Claiborne!
For their sculpture called "Memories of Westford".
We did it.
We did.
Oh, congratulations.
It's beautiful.
Well done, Nick.
We did it.
I knew you could do it.
Way to go, Nick.
Oh, my gosh.
Congrats. Wow.
Congratulations.
And, listen, I meant what I said.
If you ever want to test your talents outside of law
we can certainly use you at the town.
Oh.
Well, I just might take you up on that.
What are you doing?
Da da dun nah!
Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas, Nick.