This program is rated G
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♪ Shake the snow from your coat ♪
♪ Leave your troubles at the door ♪
♪ Grab a drink and a seat ♪
♪ By the fire nice and warm ♪
♪ Let down your hair
♪ Be sure to wear
♪ Your ugly Christmas sweater
♪ 'Cause the bigger the better ♪
♪ We're all together
♪ The more the merrier!
Do you think we got it?
Oh, yeah.
- Yeah, we got it. - Oh, awesome!
- We got it. - It means I can do this.
Jack, this cake is a miracle.
Mm! Mm-mm.
The rule is you take a photo, I take a photo.
Ooh, except the difference is my photo will be good.
Uh, no.
I'll have my mouth hanging open, or one eye shut.
But, Jen, you look great!
She hates seeing pictures of herself.
It's the visual equivalent of the sound of my own voice.
Okay, thanks for that.
That's good for my ego.
I got to get to the store.
Jack, thank you so much for loaning us your space,
and your Yule log is glorious--
I could post a photo,
maybe it'll drive a little business.
Well, it's my pleasure,
and the least I can do after you decorated the bakery.
It looks amazing in here.
Oh... and for your sister.
Oh, she's gonna be overjoyed.
That cake will be long gone by the time Jen gets to Ali.
Unsupervised, not my fault.
Ah, I don't blame you.
- Bye, Dad! - Bye!
Bye-bye!
You want to do something tonight?
I was thinking pizza and holiday-movie marathon?
As much as I would love to see
the riveting tale of how a postman becomes Santa Claus--
We could watch something else.
You say that, but it never happens.
And I'm gonna be in Portland tonight, anyway.
Oh, okay.
I'm shooting a spread for Buzzyfood.
Ooh!
I know. I know.
You love Buzzyfood.
Judge me all you want.
Whatever.
I just did this quiz to tell me which holiday cookie I am.
Oh! Oh, no, hold on. All right, all right.
Okay, don't tell me...
peanut-butter cookie.
Oh!
Liked by many, but...
...a tad nutty.
It's terrifying that you know that.
How did you know that?
I know you.
You wanna know which one you are?
Yeah, come on.
You're a sugar cookie.
The old reliable standby, really?
Yeah-- Oh...
You're sweet, you smell good,
and everybody loves you.
But when I'm right, I'm right. Right?
You might be--
if I took quizzes to tell me what kind of food I was,
but I don't.
That's really more of
a peanut-butter-cookie personality trait, so...
You're above that, huh?
A little bit.
- Sugar cookies are. - Have a great trip.
Shh, shh, shh!
Sorry.
Reed just fell asleep.
Brad and I were up all night with him--
and I mean...
...all night.
This'll help.
- Ooh, sugar! - Yeah.
Oh, hey, did you see the photos Max took of the bakery?
Yeah, they looked amazing!
Um, I was thinking for a hashtag,
how about #YuleBeSorry?
Aggressively cheesy, but you always get it right.
I'll do the decor stuff.
Pithy hashtags-- all you.
Um, and by pithy hashtags, you mean marketing?
And, what? Financials? And legal? And...
Can we not, like, get in the weeds on--
...inventory? - ...on the-- on our roles?
- Okay then. - Love you.
- I'll post it. - Thanks.
- Oh. my gosh, Jen! - What?
Have you seen what HyggeAtHome posted today?
- No, why? - Come here right now.
Okay.
Happy holidays, Hygges.
- Zoe... - ...and Charlie here.
We're doing something a little different
this holiday season.
We know the HyggeAtHome community
has so many talented designers and decorators,
and we want to see what you've got.
So we're hosting a campaign.
For this first round,
all you have to do
is upload a video
telling us about you
and how you make your family holiday
look perfect.
Then tag it with both @HyggeAtHome
and the hashtag for your holiday.
We'll narrow it down to 20 finalists,
then 10, then three.
With one lucky winner
receiving a brand crossover with us,
a year of monthly spreads in our magazine,
being featured in our social platforms,
and working as a resident designer
for HyggeAtHome.
So post those videos
and let's see your perfect Hygge Holidays.
- Jen, you have to do it! - I'm not doing that.
I belong behind the camera.
Their whole campaign
is, like, the "perfect holiday",
and my entire brand is not perfect.
And, uh, still beautiful.
And that is exactly why they will love you,
because you have a fresh perspective.
Okay, we could submit a video of the store...
or my decor.
They want a face.
They want a story.
You've got a face and a story.
You do it.
Yeah, I've got a face
that tells a story of not having slept in six months
because I have a baby.
I'm not doing it.
I'm not the influencer here.
Jen, look, you've been obsessed with Hygge forever.
I know.
And imagine if you won. It would launch your career.
Ah-hah!
It would be amazing for the store.
And, the bigger we get, the bigger our costs.
We, kind of, need something to keep ahead.
All right.
We've got the big Christmas sale,
and then there's the...
the stand at the market.
And there's two weeks 'til Christmas,
so people still have time to shop.
And our numbers are gonna skyrocket.
I promise.
We need customers.
♪ The snow is falling
♪ Lightly all around
♪ People smiling
♪ Love is all around
♪ There's a feeling in the air ♪
Is that my fairy godmother,
come to make all my wishes come true?
Ah...
maybe.
Ah!
Found a peanut-butter cookie at a bakery in Portland, and...
yeah, I couldn't help myself.
You're lovely, thank you.
My pleasure.
How was the shoot?
- It was good. - Yeah?
It was a "twist on Christmas dinner set-up"?
What was the twist?
Everything was made with microwaveable finger food.
- Oh, no. - Yeah.
A lot of pizza rolls. It was good.
I'm on board. Not proud of it, but on board.
It's okay.
Do want to stay, watch a movie?
Is this hour five of you watching a fireplace?
Okay, never mind.
Uh, I was gonna decorate the baby tree for Reed's room,
give it to Ali and Brad.
Ooh...
baby tree means baby candy canes.
Yeah. Jen, let's do it.
Awesome.
Hey, are you still okay to come to the store on sale day
and take pictures?
Yeah. Yeah, of course.
Thank you.
- That's for you, right there. - Aw, thank you.
Well, there's a sugar cookie in here, too.
Yeah, that one's for you, too.
Thank you.
This is truly the epitome of the Christmas spirit.
It's terrifying.
Oh, you...
you don't have to do that, Reed is with Brad today.
Oh.
Did you get any sleep?
Ah... thank you.
What does it look like?
I mean...
But, uh, being up all night
gave me a lot of time
to think about that Hygge campaign.
Oh, wow.
The deadline to submit a video is tonight.
Then we should submit the video, just not of my face.
Okay?
Okay, new topic.
What do you wanna do for Christmas?
Anything we want,
because Mom's going to be in the Bahamas.
Because you wouldn't commit to plans with her.
I didn't know my schedule.
Jen, every year, you avoid Christmas with Mom.
Sometimes, you don't know your schedule,
sometimes, you go away,
sometimes, you're suddenly sick.
I know, but here--
I'm here, ready for the festivities,
so what do you wanna do?
Honestly,
split some Chinese food on Christmas Eve sounds amazing.
Oh, that sounds magical.
But it's Reed's first Christmas.
Do you wanna have, like, photo regret.
What about the photo ops?
Well, you and Max can do photo ops.
That's not...
That's not a bad idea.
Oh! We are open.
Are you ready
for the biggest sale day of the year?
I hope so.
♪ It's Christmas Day, baby
Thank you very much. Have a great Christmas.
And don't forget to tag us.
Happy Holidays.
Deb... it is so good to see you.
Thank you for being here.
Hey!
Thank goodness, you're here!
- Wow, it's busy. - Yeah!
Do you still want photos,
or do you need help on the floor?
I could really use the help.
I got it.
You're the best.
♪ Merry Christmas, baby
Say "Dada".
Say "Da-da."
Reed, say "Mama". Say "Ma-Ma."
Say "Auntie Jen".
"Auntie Jen". Do it.
Okay, I'm finished.
Verdict?
It was a good day of sales,
it's just not enough to keep us out of the red.
Don't worry, it's your first year.
Second.
Rounding down.
Thank you.
What are we doing wrong?
You guys have a good thing going.
Jen, you're an amazing decorator.
But, it's like Ali's been saying,
you know, brick and mortar-- it's just not enough anymore.
You need more eyeballs on you,
a bigger digital presence.
Well, the store has a page,
it just doesn't have a lot of followers yet.
You know, the HyggeAtHome campaign
would take care of that.
Exactly.
Okay, I see it all the time with clients I consult.
Exposure from a major brand
takes your online presence to the next level.
See?
All you have to do is make a video.
People are gonna love you.
Except that they won't!
Okay...
let's get you cleaned up.
Yeah.
What's the deal?
Why are you so upset?
I'm not upset.
You keep saying they'll like me,
and they won't like me.
This contest is not for people like me.
Except that it's for decorators and designers,
and isn't that you?
Yeah, but there's this whole package thing.
You gotta have all the pieces.
There's...
First, you have to be a runway model.
Then a husband, preferably with a man-bun.
Children you could introduce to royalty
without being horribly embarrassed.
And you need to have 100,000 followers
that HyggeAtHome can turn into subscribers.
Okay, or maybe they want you,
and you just have to believe in yourself.
They don't want Jen.
Have you met me?
They want "Jen T: successful business woman".
They want aspirational,
inspirational...
unobtainable.
Wait a minute.
So, if you don't want to do it as Jen...
do it as "Jen T".
Look, we can still make it our brand.
We can show that even "Jen T" doesn't have it all figured out.
What have you got to lose?
Get a few followers. Make a few sales.
Do it as a joke.
Yeah, but where am I gonna get a husband and a baby?
You're so cute.
- You sure you wanna do this? - Yeah, it's not a big deal.
- Okay. - All right.
Max, just pretend you're really good-looking,
and remember to hit those angles.
How do you know if you're doing that?
Uh, your chest hurts and you feel like an idiot.
Yeah.
Oh, I'm definitely hitting my angles.
All right.
And go.
Hi, I'm Jen T,
owner of "Jen-uine Decor" in Astoria, Oregon.
I am a wife, a mother, a decorator,
but I am not afraid to admit that I'm a complete mess.
Now, I'm very lucky.
I married the man of my dreams,
and our child could double for the Gerber baby,
but it doesn't mean that there aren't sleepless nights,
bickering over dishes,
and 2:00 a.m. doom-spiraling.
There's plenty of doom-spiraling.
The thing is,
I'm not here to pretend
that our life or our holidays are flawless,
because everybody knows that they're not.
Life is not a highlight reel.
Exactly.
And part of the human experience
is being flawed,
and that's what makes it beautiful,
especially during the holidays.
So, we choose to bless this mess
and keep it real,
because over here,
we are "Jen-uine".
Merry Christmas from me, Jen T.
And loving husband me, Max.
And little baby, Leo Ansel, here.
Okay, you can delete that now.
What was that?
That was "Jen T",
and, apparently,
she's a social media babble generator.
Oh. And our son is now Leo?
Excuse me, Leo Ansel.
Leo was inspired by her star chart.
And Ansel's his favorite photographer.
- Oh! - Oh...
His too.
Sweetie.
Okay, that was relatively painless.
I'm gonna go.
All right, and...
posted: @JenuinelyJenT!
@HyggeAtHome @JenuineDecor #XMAS.
Very silly. Luckily, no one will see it.
Bye, hubby.
Later, wife-o.
- Bye, Mama. - Bye.
Love you guys.
How's the campaign going?
I finally let the social team go home,
but submissions keep pouring in.
Oh! Anything stand out?
A few so far,
but mainly people waxing about their perfect families.
But an interesting one just got posted.
A decorator in Oregon.
- Oh, great. - Mm-hmm.
So, are you finishing up?
No, I'm going to be late.
I have to pick the last few finalists.
Then I guess I'll see you at home.
Mm-hmm.
All right, goodnight.
Goodnight.
You're one of the 20 finalists!
No, "Jen T" is one of the 20 finalists!
May I remind you
that we got there
by making a fake video about being real,
which is getting really confusing.
Uh...
Okay, but what is fake and real, really?
Oh...
You wanna know what's really "real"?
The followers of our store's page
quadrupled overnight,
and we made $2000 in sales while we were sleeping.
- Really? - Yeah.
Jen, HyggeAtHome has an incredible reach.
This could be a game changer.
And all we have to do is make one more video.
And the prompt is "Hygge Host".
So, they just wanna know about you...
your background.
I can't make another fake video, it's not right.
I can't do it, nope.
Nope.
Okay...
Well, what if...
What if we make it to the final ten?
Look, we need this.
Without a big push,
this business doesn't last another year.
And, like, not to lay on the guilt even thicker,
but I left a really secure corporate job
to help you build your brand.
Is this you not laying on the guilt?
'Cause you're doing it wrong.
Listen...
...we make one more video.
You know, get a few more followers,
make a little bit of a buzz...
that's it.
And then, in a week from now,
this is just a really, really funny story.
What do you say?
Hashtag XMAS!
Come on, honey.
We have to hurry or we're gonna miss the flight.
I'm a wife, a mother, a decorator,
- but I am not afraid... - Oh, my goodness!
to admit that I'm a complete mess.
Now, I'm very lucky.
I married the man of my dreams...
Jen had a baby!
...and have a little baby.
How? I just saw her last year!
Maybe they adopted.
Adopted a baby that looks just like Reed?
The cousins could be twins!
Oh, and she married Max--
not that I didn't see that coming.
But we didn't get an invitation to the wedding!
I'm just playing devil's advocate here,
but, you know,
you didn't invite her to our wedding.
Because we eloped!
And Jen made it very clear,
after the last two,
that she didn't want to attend another one.
Liz, honey, try to calm down.
Or do your thing.
I...
I'm just sure that there's a reasonable explanation here.
Oh, there is a reasonable explanation...
Jen just doesn't like me.
No.
Honey, no, no.
She doesn't not...
not like you,
she's just taking some space.
Enough space to get married
and have a baby without telling me?
How much space is that, Pete?
Outer space?
Honey, you're right.
I just think that you should respect her wishes.
Oh...
you're right.
I will.
I will respect her,
and show her just how valuable I am to her life.
That's not quite what I had in mind.
Oh, but I will.
Because I am her mother,
and Leo is my grandson.
Pete, unpack the swimsuits
and find our boots and mittens,
because we're gonna spend Christmas with my family!
Oh!
- All right. - Okay.
And... action.
Hey, everyone, it's Jen--
and that was awful.
I'm Jen, and...
Hang on. Okay.
Baby. Husband. White-picket--
Could we have a white-picket fence?
- We could, yeah. - Okay.
Hey, everyone. I'm Jen T.
And I'm Max, her hubby/photographer.
It's his job to make me look good.
It's not a hard job, honey.
Well, anyways,
thank you so much for putting us in the top 20.
We're just-- We're so honored.
And, again, a reminder...
please take our videos with a grain of salt, okay?
Nothing is as it seems on social media.
Uh, or in real life.
This little guy was crying ten minutes ago,
and look what a little angel you are right now.
Thank you.
So, let's not compare ourselves to others,
because comparison is the thief of joy.
- Well said. - Oh, thank you.
Come here, big guy.
- Go to Daddy. - Here, come here. Yeah.
I just wanna eat you.
All right, let me show you around.
This is me and my sister Ali's store,
and it is--
it is the light of my life, my dream come true.
I just...
I live to make things beautiful,
and, uh, it's what I've always wanted to do.
I... I went to art school, I studied interior design,
and actually worked
out of a pretty big design firm in Miami,
where I was mostly pairing
leopard-print throw cushions with Grecian columns.
It hurt her soul.
Not a high point.
Uh, so...
a few years later, I moved home to Astoria,
and teamed up
with my powerhouse business-savant sister, Ali.
That's me!
And you know what, folks?
It's not easy.
Ali and I-- we...
we fail, we flail.
We fight. We stress...
constantly. But...
we get to do it together.
And we love each other so much.
And that, my friends,
is what I would call "Jen-unine".
- Cut. - Yeah!
- It's so weird! - I cannot get enough of "Jen T".
Thank you. She's, kind of, like me,
just more bubbles, less self-awareness. Yeah.
Yeah, exactly. She's great.
Photo for photo, I see you!
Hmm.
I almost got away with that.
Really impressive.
Whew! Wow, this contest has a lot of spillover.
What do you mean?
Since you tagged me in that first video,
my followers have doubled.
Awesome.
Oh, I got a DM inquiry this morning
for a House Home shoot.
Oh, I love them. You're gonna do it, right?
I mean, that'd be amazing for my career.
It's in Portland, though.
Which, I'm there a lot.
Maybe I have to move back some day.
Well, you got a wife and a kid now,
you gotta make a decision.
Wait...
you're that couple, aren't you?
I just saw your video for that HyggeAtHome contest.
- Yeah. - Yeah, that's us! Hi!
Oh, you two are the cutest.
Just like Zoe and Charlie.
A true inspiration.
Oh, thank you. You're very kind.
It seems like you have it all.
Oh!
No, our whole thing is that no one has it all.
Oh, seems like you do, though.
Okay, we gotta stop. This is wrong.
Jen! Jen!
Excuse me. Sorry.
Jen, check your phone. Check your phone!
Whoa!
And here she is!
Jen Taylor from Jenuine Decor,
you are one of our top-ten finalists!
Congratulations!
Hi.
We'll send out the theme for the next post,
and then we'll select
three finalists for the last round.
I-- I can't believe it.
And we just wanna say
how much we're enjoying your videos.
Keep up the hard work.
Thank you?
Bye, everyone!
You wanna cut-- cut the live? Thanks.
Do you wanna get lunch?
No, I'm going to answer emails.
I'll see you at home.
Thank you.
I'm not making any more videos.
Ah, Jen, you have 50,000 followers now.
And I just came from the store, sales have doubled.
This is the dream, Jen.
Yeah, but it's a lie!
The husband and the baby are debatable,
but the rest is true.
And, okay, so imagine this.
One day, you get married, you have a kid.
But I won't.
But if you change your mind.
That's a large "if".
Okay, well let's just imagine that you do.
Then this becomes less of a fib
and more of an exercise in manifestation.
Say yes.
Come on, Jen, you've come this far.
Sixty...
60,000 followers now.
Why do I feel like this is going to spiral out of control
to my detriment?
Because you feel that way about everything?
A certain amount of existential dread is healthy.
Okay, true, but this-- this...
this is good.
It's good for us.
We're not hurting anybody.
All we're doing is driving people's attention to us.
They are buying our products on their own.
All right, but I can't help wondering
how it's gonna get worse.
Guess who's home for Christmas?
You got married and had a baby
without telling me?
- Hey, Max. - Hi, Liz.
Let's just take this outside.
You could have sent an email. You could've called, written.
Okay, mom, mom, mom.
Look, Jen isn't married,
she doesn't have a baby.
It was all just sort of a joke gone awry.
Deeply, deeply awry.
We made a joke video to enter a contest,
and didn't expect anything to come of it,
but now we're top-10 finalists.
So, you're thinking this is all, sort of, like theater?
Yes! Exactly...
theater.
Oh, see? You are more like me.
Don't forget that I was in theater.
In high school.
Once a thespian, always a thespian.
Okay, we know.
Oh, they just sent the other prompt in.
♪HyggeHolidayTraditions.
Ooh, we could do a video of a holiday activity.
Oh, we could bake gingerbread houses.
Or make wreaths.
Oh, "we"?
Yes. Why not "we"?
This is an opportunity
for us all to spend Christmas holidays together.
Can we stop pretending
that you don't just want your 15 minutes?
No, I just want my 15 minutes with you.
Just one Christmas activity.
That's all I ask,
then I'll give you your space.
All right, 10:00 a.m., back here.
We're making wreaths.
Oh, this is going to be so much fun!
Ah-ha-ha-ha!
Okay.
And... action.
Hi, all, it's Jen T again.
With a Jen-uinely special guest--
me, Jen's Mom...
Liz Taylor.
No, not that Liz Taylor,
although I have had almost as many husbands.
Anyway, today, my Mom and I are making wreaths.
They're DIY.
They are breathtaking, but they're also simple.
And have a lot of sentimental value,
because Jen used to love making wreaths with her father.
Isn't that just perfect?
Anyway, folks,
today is going to be a short video,
but just to say,
if you have struggled with making wreaths in the past,
please know, you are not alone.
Wreaths, like life, holidays, and family,
can be tricky--
difficult, even--
and never quite turn out
exactly like you thought they would.
And yet, they're always just beautiful
exactly as they are.
And cut.
Wasn't it was a great way to button the scene?
- Mm. - Okay.
Hey, Mom, do you wanna go outside?
Do you wanna go find baby Reed?
I do! Is he saying "Mama" yet?
No.
- Hey, thank you, again. - Yeah, sure.
How did the framing look?
I think it looked good.
You look great.
As always.
Thank you.
Can I help you ladies with anything?
Thank you.
I come bearing pie!
Oh, we each get our own pizza? Yeah.
Yeah, I spent the day with Mom.
I'm surprised we don't have three, then.
- Yeah. - Here, try this.
Let me take this.
Thank you.
Oh, it's so pretty.
Mm...
it's really good.
What's wrong?
Yeah, I've said it before.
I think fighting with your mom's a waste of time.
It's not fighting, though, at this point,
it's self-preservation.
She meddles in my life,
she makes a mess, I have to clean up.
It's always about her.
You know, like,
there's not really room for me there.
And even when Dad died,
we weren't even allowed to grieve.
It was just her grief that mattered.
That's how some people mourn.
I know.
But then she remarried three times,
and moved Ali and I three times,
and we were little children,
and we needed our mom.
And she was chasing love
when she could've just been loving us.
I get it.
I just know that when my mom passed,
my grievances didn't feel so important anymore.
I wish I would've just loved and appreciated her
for who she was.
You know you were really good to her, right?
Right.
Oh.
Oh, Ali must have made another post.
I tagged you in another one.
Yeah, it's been helpful.
I've actually got
a few more messages about job inquiries already.
- Oh, great. - Thank you.
- Oh... - What? What is it?
My Mom just commented:
"@HyggeAtHome, come make wreaths with me and Jen."
Ugh, you know what,
that's taking up way too much mental bandwidth.
I'm on digital hiatus until noon.
Ah. Well, good luck with that.
In the meantime, eat pizza.
Oh, thank you.
Are you gonna eat a whole one?
Because I might be eating my feelings this evening
and just get--
I was gonna eat both of those.
I'm heading home.
Think maybe you could finish early tonight?
Mm-mm.
I'll make us pasta carbonara.
I have a ton left to do.
But...
I just had a wild idea.
We're going to be working with whoever wins for an entire year.
What if we visited them?
Visited?
Yeah.
The point of this campaign is to engage our community
and have us step out of our ivory tower.
Mm-hmm.
We could spend
a little of their holidays with them
and get a real sense of who they are.
That's a lot of planning
that would have to happen immediately.
Yeah, you're right.
And we probably couldn't get all the staff to travel.
So, no work, no staff, no late nights, or meetings?
Mm-mm.
It'd just be you and me?
Yeah, I suppose so.
Then let's do it.
- Let's do it? - Yeah.
Where have you been?
I tried calling you a million times!
Digital sabbatical 'til noon.
What's so important?
Thank you.
Oh, only just this...
Hello, everyone!
We're excited to announce our final three decorators!
And even more excited to announce
that we'll be spending
a portion of the holidays with each one.
We'll be celebrating Happy Holidays
with @DwellbyDell,
Chanukah with @HousebyHadassah...
...and Christmas with @JenuineDecor!
It's you! It's you!
We'll let you know how it goes!
Until next time,
it's Zoe and Charlie!
Oh... no.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
No. No, no, no.
No, they-- they can't--
they can't just show up here, right?
They've gotta ask permission.
They can't just come here.
Oh, you gave them permission, didn't you?
- You didn't answer your phone! - Ali!
It's only for four days.
They are arriving in four days.
Ahh! You... You're joking.
You... You're joking.
- You're joking. - And...
just so you can get all the rage out beforehand...
- You're not joking. - ...um...
so they told me that the idea
came from a comment Mom left on your post.
"Come make wreaths with me and Jen."
That's the one.
Okay.
Okay, is there anything else you haven't told me
about this absolute, hot garbage fire
that you've dropped us in?
Could you just please lay it on me right now?
Tell me now-- now.
Okay, so it's so funny that you ask,
because, um... ha-ha...
So, when they called me and they--
they asked about where they could stay,
I said that we would be delighted to host them,
of course.
You done?
Okay, I won't touch you.
All right, so Zoe and Charlie
are staying with you and me and little baby Leo Ansel
for four days.
And how are we pulling this off?
Excellent question.
I'm sorry! We'll figure it out.
I know this throws a little wrench in things.
It's not a wrench, it's a wrecking ball,
because I live in a very small,
one-human-habitant apartment,
and I like it that way.
And my bathroom doubles as a darkroom.
That a little awkward?
Well, we're gonna have to use your joint.
Ugh, I'd love to,
but, uh, Brad's family is staying for the holidays.
I'm so sorry.
Well, where are gonna find
a picture-perfect house to do the--
Oh...
Well, well, well...
you need something from me.
You have full access
to this home that we rented for the holidays,
as long as I can be involved in everything.
Not manipulative at all.
I think it's lovely
that you want to participate in this charade.
That's not helping.
But I don't see it as a charade,
I see it as a chance for us all to be together for Christmas
for the first time in years.
Okay, so in this farce, who do you play?
I'm the shockingly-young live-in Grandma,
acting as the glue
to this totally functional, multi-generational family.
- Okey-dokey. - So...
do we have a deal?
Oh, Mom, no. What happened?
Who did you let in here to do that?
Well, you know, it was so last-minute coming here,
we kinda had to take whatever we could get.
Well, it's got great bones.
Um...
just zero Christmas decorations.
I mean, least of our concerns,
- but I could bring some over. - Okay.
I have a couple special things.
Complete redesign
and decorating for social media-level Christmas.
Lift and lift. Okay.
That's heavy.
Oh, thank you, guys.
Make sure you give that thing a proper burial.
Put it down. Just wait a second.
Oh, here!
Great job, everyone!
Jen...
uh, I gotta get back to the store
to meet Brad's niece--
she's covering for you.
That's right, kind of hug the space.
It's Dad's.
And that's not all.
Oh...
The tree topper...
...from the woodworking phase that lasted five minutes.
Yeah, it works in the right light.
I didn't even know you still had these.
I thought you got rid of them. I haven't seen them for decades.
Well, of course, I still kept them.
And now it's time for you and Ali to keep them.
Thank you.
Yeah.
I present to you...
freshman year Halloween.
I see that.
I raise you...
oh, graduation,
and you and bright-pink hair.
Oh, no!
It was a happy accident and I made it work.
Kinda weird, huh?
Like, I know it's fake, and everything, but...
Mm.
...you know-- you know, it feels kinda real, in a way.
Yeah.
If we're gonna convince anyone we're actually married,
we need rings.
I didn't even think of that.
Yeah.
I can borrow my dad's, but with you...
...the old switcharoo.
Pete's our hero.
He cut down a tree!
But he's thrown his back out, though.
I did not throw out my back.
Help me.
Oh...
♪ I don't need another present ♪
♪ I don't even have a tree... ♪
Can you say "Da-da"?
Say, "Da-Da". Say, "Daa... daa".
"Da-da."
Honey?
I birthed that baby for 14 hours,
so you'd better pray night and day
his first word is "Mama".
Say "Ma-Ma".
Holy! Jen!
What?
We just reached 100,000 followers!
Oh... great.
Have you ever read the comments on those things?
Like, you get ten good ones,
and then the one bad one,
and that's the one you remember.
Forget all of it.
- Eyes on the prize. - Okay.
Okay, everyone, I think the tree is done.
What do you wanna put up top?
Ooh! I brought a couple options.
Wasn't quite sure what your vibe would be.
Mom gave me something.
Okay.
You remember?
Dad.
Yeah.
You want me to put it up for you?
Yes, please.
And...
done.
Thank you.
- I love you. - I love you.
And I love you both.
Thank you very much.
Thank you. Have a great night.
Thanks.
- Mm. - Mm.
Thank you for coming for a walk.
I really needed to get out of there.
Of course.
Are you ready?
Tomorrow, the madness begins.
Can you pretend to be in love with me?
I mean, yeah, I could probably manage.
Hey, what's wrong?
What's wrong?
I'm scared.
The more I think about being "Jen T",
the more I know people are...
they're gonna love her.
And I'm the exact opposite of her.
No, Jen... Jen, come on.
What makes you so sure you're unlovable?
Come on,
I'll walk you back "home".
I thought we agreed
that this trip would be just for us.
I just want one videographer
to get behind-the-scenes footage.
Brad, I see you. Don't you do it!
Straighten up the mantel.
Cookies-- table. Eggnog-- pitcher.
Oh!
Oh...
...they're here!
- Places, everyone! - I'll get the baby!
Zoe...
...do you think we should talk a minute
before we go in there?
Let's just keep it together through this final visit,
and then we'll deal with everything when we get back?
So, more sweeping it under the rug?
No, just try to enjoy.
Just smile and try to enjoy.
Hmm?
Okay.
Out the front door.
Unbelievably, yeah.
All right.
Mom, just here.
Wave and smile, everyone.
Everybody, smile and try to enjoy ourselves.
Welcome!
Of course, you know my husband, Max.
Howdy?
And this is baby Leo Ansel.
And this is my sister, Ali, and her husband, Brad.
Huge fan.
And you may recognize my mom, Liz, from our videos.
We're honored to have you here.
Thank you.
And I'm the butler.
- Oh. - Or am I?
He's not.
He's my Mom's husband.
But please, come inside.
Right? Come on!
Your house is absolutely perfect.
We could shoot every room as is.
We actually just finished redecorating.
I'm really drawn to the mantelpiece.
Oh... look.
This piece really stands out.
Is it yours, Max?
Oh, that... that was my dad's.
Oh, Reed, what's wrong?
"Reed"?
Uh... Yeah, it's our nickname for him.
My... my father's name was Reed.
That's his stocking you're looking at.
Why didn't you just name the baby "Reed"?
It's one of his middle names.
Leo Ansel Hudson Reed.
...Faison-Taylor.
Taylor-Faison, but yeah.
Oh, sweetie.
Buddy.
What's going on? What's happening?
What's... What's happening?
Um...
I think maybe he's tired.
Probably, it's been a long day.
Oh, honey.
Brad and I should be going, so...
Okay, bye.
I'm gonna get, uh, Ansel to bed.
Oh, we would love to see the nursery.
You know, we don't actually
have a quintessential nursery, so to speak.
Oh.
Um, we-- we, kind of, try to let him stay in a...
in a decorative-neutral place.
Thank you.
It's a-- It's a...
It's better for his cognitive baby brain.
- Oh. - Science.
Yeah, right.
Make yourselves comfortable. I will be right back.
Goodnight, son.
Oh, you think this is funny?
It's hilarious, yes.
Come here, bubba.
All right.
Hi, little boy.
Oh...
Okay, just-- just to note,
where we officially crossed the line
is where we passed your baby through this window.
Yeah, I don't love my parenting style
right now either,
but hey, Reed is back with his real mom and dad now.
Let's go.
I'm obsessed with this decor.
Liz, I cannot stop eating these cookies you baked.
You baked? Mom, you've never baked--
oh, since earlier this afternoon.
So, Max, how did you meet?
Uh, we met in college, at art school.
I just remember thinking
she was both the most normal
and the most extraordinary person I'd ever met.
If that makes sense.
Yeah, it makes sense.
We dated briefly in our senior year.
Not so briefly.
Six months is an eternity when you're 22.
Right. We just decided we'd be better off as friends.
So, when did you get back together?
Uh, we lost touch for a few years,
and then Max's parents
moved from Portland back to here,
where I grew up.
And then, when my Mom got sick,
I came home to help,
and Jen and I reconnected.
The rest is history.
It's a sweet story.
And I'd love to see wedding photos.
Oh, me too.
We'll just, uh...
You know what?
We'll dig those up for you--
Do you remember where those are?
I couldn't put my hand on them right now,
but I can look for them.
In the meantime, you should have
some more of my Mom's delicious cookies
that she baked all by herself.
Cookies.
Thank you so much.
We wanted to briefly reiterate why we're here.
Of course, we wanna get to know you...
...but we're also looking for some cross-branding posts
between us
centered around the Hygge Holidays.
And we're hoping for more than just crafting and baking.
We want food, fun, philanthropy, family.
We believe
a Hygge ambassador should be able to do it all.
Like, for example,
@HousebyHadassah threw a latke-making party,
then a dreidel-off,
then a four-generation family reunion
that raised money for a local preschool.
Wow, talk about sleeping on the job!
Well, we are so excited
about the events that we have planned for you,
but we should probably call it a night.
The baby wakes up early.
Let's go to our room.
Yes, where we both sleep, as husbands and wives do.
Let us show you to your room.
Ooh...
I'm the most awkward creature on the planet!
Thank you so much.
Okay, now we're safe.
I can't believe you got roped into this.
I can't believe I got roped into this.
Is it weird that I'm kind of enjoying it?
Yup.
I thought so.
This is exhausting.
But it's kind of fun, though, right?
There is something about it that's liberating.
Like, I don't have to worry
about what my life is gonna be anymore,
'cause it kinda just suddenly is.
I think-- I think it's more for me, though.
There are times
where I actually forget this is fake.
Like, I-- I feel like
I'm looking at a version of my life
that I could actually have some day.
You still want all that, don't you?
You know, find "the one", get married, have babies.
Yeah, I do.
That's nice. You'd make a great dad.
Are you telling me that somewhere deep down there,
you don't want the same thing?
I don't know how.
It's not really in my blueprint, you know?
When we lost Dad...
I watched my mom's heart just...
shatter.
Then she went chasing after love so hard,
trying to put it back together,
that she kinda lost herself, you know?
It was hard to watch--
It made being her daughter.
Um...
difficult,
and messy, and...
...sometimes just ugly.
The thought of inflicting that on another human being
is terrifying to me,
so I'm all set.
Yeah, but that messy stuff...
that's what makes life worth living sometimes.
"Life is not a highlights reel."
That's my best impression of you.
You don't say?
Yeah, just...
It would've been nice
if it wasn't a total blooper reel
that wasn't even funny.
By the way,
about our Christmas presents this year, I--
We already talked about it, we're not doing that.
- I know we talked about it. - We said no gifts.
But I found the perfect idea for you.
It-- It's not quite done yet,
but trust me, when you see it,
I think you're finally gonna...
I'm not sleeping! I'm awake! I'm gonna--
It's morning.
Wow, this is so much fun.
Okay, Ali's gonna be here soon, come on.
Right, Ali.
Let's go.
Morning, hon.
Hey.
Get in here.
The coast is clear, they're still asleep--
- I think. - Okay.
Speaking of which, did you get any?
Uh, no. No.
But Reed was up all night
saying something that vaguely resembled "Ma",
so I think he's working his way to "Mama".
Potential victory. Good job.
Hey, Ali. Morning.
Hi.
Hey, you'd better get changed.
Thanks.
- Hi, Max. - Hi.
Uh...
How'd it go last night?
Complicated--
but not the kind of complicated you're thinking,
the kind of complicated
where I have to host three events,
and I didn't say that I would, but I am anyway,
for some reason.
- Sorry! - Mm.
But also, don't worry about it,
because I have everything taken care of.
Today, we're throwing
a gingerbread-house-making party at Jack's bakery.
Mm! I can't.
I... This is getting untenable.
I've hardly been in the store at all this week.
This is the best thing for the store...
and your career.
I gotta get ready. Thank you for bringing him over.
Of course.
Hi. Where have you guys been?
Well, Z and C were up early,
so I just gave them a tour of the property.
Oh, and we just did a little TikTok at the firepit.
Oh...
This place is the definition of "hygge".
Oh, thank you.
What actually does "hygge" mean?
Well, it's a Danish word
that doesn't have an exact English translation,
but "cozy" comes close.
It's kind of a state of mind.
You take the everyday and the mundane,
and you make it beautiful and joyful.
Well, that is Jen's forte.
Thanks, Mom.
Your Mom's fantastic.
Oh!
She was telling us all about her time on Broadway.
When I was the ingénue at Les Mis.
♪ When bells ring out at night ♪
Zoe! Charlie!
Let's, uh--
Let's whip up some breakfast so we can go to the store.
Oh, yeah.
And we're rolling.
And action.
Sweet. Laid-back. Refreshing.
Warm but cozy minimalism.
Not bad.
That felt good, guys.
Good job. Nice work.
I'll be right back, in a minute, okay?
Yeah.
Incessantly ruminating
over the comments on your posts, I see.
I know.
I've just never been called
"a decorator of anyone's Jen-eration",
or "Jen-uinely inspiring".
That's gotta feel pretty nice.
There are some mean ones.
And there's this one troll
who keeps calling me "Jen-uinely blonde".
Not really sure how to take that.
Yeah, but, Jen,
we have 120,000 followers now.
If we keep having sales
like we have these past few days,
we can keep going straight on 'til summer.
Yeah.
So who cares
what a few strangers on the Internet say?
Oh, you know, I don't care.
You seen the memes, though?
They're kind of rough.
- I'm keeping this. - Okay.
This is amazing.
You like that?
- Totally, hands down. - Thank you.
Jack, this is gorgeous.
Thank you, I'm pretty proud.
You should be.
- Yeah. - Oh, look at this!
This is exactly what we're looking for.
Someone who can make it all look effortless and stunning.
Thank you so much.
That's Jen T!
Yes.
Honey, uh, can I have a minute with you?
- Yeah. - Just a second.
Sorry. Sorry.
Oh, of course, of course, of course.
Okay, we're gonna get in.
That was supposed to be
an opportunity to showcase my dad.
I know, it's like "Jen T" just kind of jumped out.
Jen, you are "Jen T".
Zoe and Charlie are ready for the next video.
Okay, I'm gonna fix it.
I'm gonna tag him in the next post.
- Okay. - Sorry.
For some reason,
we all think
that our gingerbread house is supposed to look like that,
when in reality, they look like that one.
And the reason for this
is because this gingerbread house
was made by the baker at Kooben Cafe.
That is @KoobenCafe.
Please follow him.
He is a genius and Max's wonderful father.
The house I made...
that guy right there.
And I'm good with it.
Honestly,
I don't think it really matters
what your house looks like.
Maybe what matters more is how you felt making it.
Jen, that was
a slightly different tone for you.
Well, we contain multitudes, and I--
I think it's really important that our followers see that.
Either way, we already posted a few stories
and our followers love it,
so thank you.
Great!
And we're looking forward to the dance next?
Dance?
The Christmas dance we're throwing
for the whole town.
Whole town?
And it was your idea
to have all the ticket sales go to local charities.
- How altruistic of me. - Very.
I have to say, I'm impressed.
This sounds like a massive undertaking.
What are they talking about?
It seemed like
a really brilliant idea at 3:00 a.m.
when I couldn't get Reed back to sleep.
Oh, Ali.
How are we gonna pull this off?
I don't know.
But you remember
how you said
that you were getting the feeling
that this all might just spiral out of control?
Yeah.
I'm starting to feel it, too.
Well, this is spectacular.
Go get 'em.
Max!
Thank you.
I'm so sorry.
No, thank you so much. I know.
Oh, look!
Jen and Max are under the mistletoe!
We kissed?
- Yeah. - Yeah.
Yeah.
- It was fine. - Yeah.
No, no, yeah, it was-- it was fine, it was good.
Not a big deal.
Not a big deal at all.
But maybe...
maybe it opens up
a conversation we should have, though.
Sure.
What exactly would that conversation look like?
I think-- No, no, it's fine.
We-- We kissed before.
Yeah.
- Yeah, - Yeah, a long time ago.
Yeah. It was good then, it was good now.
Um...
It wasn't a real kiss, though.
It was a social-media kiss, right?
It was "Jen T" and hubby Max,
and so many people watching that.
Maybe we should kiss more?
Would you like to?
More than anything.
We could get more followers and likes.
I gotta wash my hair for tomorrow,
and get ready,
and it takes a while to...
- Goodnight. - Okay, goodbye.
It's a barn.
It's a cute barn.
It's an empty and undecorated barn,
which has to become the epitome of holiday magic by tomorrow.
Well, luckily, this is exactly what you excel at...
taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary.
What if I can't do it this time?
Oh, you can. You will.
You always do.
And we'll help!
Mason jars everywhere.
Absolutely not.
I just cracked 400,000 followers.
Wow! Congratulations.
I got a bunch of job offers for decorating, too.
You have 50,000 followers?
Why did you not tell me? That's amazing.
Yeah. And a...
a big agency just reached out about representing me.
But...
they want me to move to Portland.
Well, obviously, you can't go.
Well, why not?
Like, what's keeping me here?
Oh, just your friends, your family, your roots,
me.
In what capacity, Jen?
I found the box of lights, but they're all tangled.
I will help you with making them not tangled.
Looked like you needed saving.
But I am not gonna meddle.
I am not gonna say a thing.
I'm respecting your space.
Say it before you explode.
Oh, yeah!
What's going on with you two?
It's...
...different.
It's the contest and everything around it.
And the incident with the mistletoe
really didn't help.
It was kind of perfect before then.
What?
You know, honey,
the issues that you and I have
aren't so different from you and Max.
You want me close, but you push me away.
I know you love me,
but you just don't fully show it.
I'll finish these myself.
She okay?
Uh...
Occasionally, the atmosphere on planet Liz
is somewhat charged.
Jen, I...
I don't know you so well, but I--
I think that you and your mom might be more alike
than you're willing to admit.
And-- And for all her antics...
...she's a good woman.
She defends us fiercely.
She-- She wears her heart on her sleeve.
She keeps things interesting.
Yeah, you should've been there for my childhood.
Look, all she really wants is to be loved.
So cut her some slack.
Okay, that was great. Let's do one more.
What if we did this one off camera?
Did it just to do it together,
the way we used to.
We need that.
And then we can give Alex the time off.
Sure, let's do that.
- Hey. - Hey.
Where is everyone?
Out.
Bummer, right?
So you can sneak off if you want.
Nah, I'm just--
I'm gonna hang out and stay for a little bit.
All right.
Well, our fake baby is sleeping
and the influencers
are ice-skating with your in-laws. So...
Okay, so...
so a quiet date night in for Mr. and Mrs. Faison-Taylor.
Taylor-Faison.
I heard Faison-Taylor.
It's actually a really--
a good opportunity for me to give you...
We said no gifts.
No, you said no gifts.
I think this is something that you could use.
Here, have a seat.
Oh!
Thank you.
Oh, no.
Oh, yeah.
No!
Why?
You always say you hate seeing yourself in photos.
Yeah.
I thought maybe this would change your mind.
Help you see yourself...
the way I see you.
Thank you.
It's lovely.
Jen, what are we doing?
Trying to win a contest.
But what if we forget about the contest
and make this real?
Give ourselves another shot.
Max, I...
...you're my best friend.
I love you.
It broke before
because we didn't want the same things.
It wouldn't have been fair.
I'm not sure that's changed.
You're not sure?
Or maybe you're just afraid?
Thank you so much. Merry Christmas.
You guys would be such a great couple.
I mean, you pretty much are already,
and you guys would have the cutest kids.
But I don't want any of stuff.
I don't want the...
the picket fence or the...
the family.
Could you run cash for just a second, please?
Thank you.
And you're still so sure about that?
Um...
...apparently not, and that's a problem,
because I just--
I just spent the last three days
in my pretend perfect house,
with my pretend perfect baby,
with my pretend perfect husband...
and suddenly,
I would very much like for it to be real.
And it could be.
Oh, Jen.
So are you here to work or...?
I would like to be here to work,
but since we posted about the party online,
uh, the buzz has kind of gotten out of control,
so I have to go work on that.
Already apologized for that.
Love you.
Do we have enough?
I have no idea.
I think so. Why not? We can get more.
Listen, millions of people make dinner every day,
how hard can it be?
Right.
What's happening here?
Uh, groceries.
For Christmas Eve dinner.
You're cooking?
Mom, you-- you don't-- you don't cook.
You've never cooked.
Okay, I'm sure it's gonna be lovely.
If you need help, just scream.
Um, I've gotta go talk to the caterers.
Have you-- Have you seen Max?
Oh, I'm not your husband's keeper.
What about this?
Hey!
Cheers!
Cheers.
Oh! Hey, will you take him?
Yeah.
Hey, buddy.
Hey! Hey, hey, hey.
So, I crunched the numbers.
It turns out we raised $27,000 for charity.
Can you believe it?
No. Oh, my goodness. Wow.
Look at us.
Total self-actualization of the Taylor sisters.
I gotta tell you, I...
despite my doubt and, you know, baseline rage,
I'm just so grateful to you.
I couldn't have done this without you.
And it all worked out.
Look, Zoe and Charlie are leaving tomorrow,
and then we're in the clear.
Yeah, then we just gotta figure out
what to do with my online persona
moving forward, forever.
Problem for future us.
Okay.
Thank you so much. It was nice to meet you.
Oh good, you're here!
Wanna do a story?
Or... we can dance.
Okay, let me just find Alex.
Ah, she can sit this one out.
You did good, hon.
Thank you.
Oh, and exciting news.
Zoe and Charlie can stay for Christmas Eve dinner.
You invited them?
Well, I floated the idea.
I thought they could do a big story about it.
That's why you're cooking.
It is about you.
I don't know why I thought it could be about anything else,
honestly.
It's really classic you, Mom.
What's that supposed to mean?
Now I have to keep this charade up even longer.
Mom, do you realize
you just do whatever you want all the time?
You never consider
how it might affect somebody else--
how it might affect me.
Ever. It's... It's just...
It is all about you.
And...
I gotta ask...
have you ever thought about, just for once...
just being my mom first? Ever?
Well, I've tried, Jen...
for years...
but you won't let me.
'Cause you taught me to do without it.
I don't need it now.
I really could've used it
back then when I was a child, though.
I don't know what to say, Jen.
I made mistakes.
I wish I would've done some things differently.
And I really, really hoped that we could heal...
but...
I think...
it's not really about me...
it's just that you don't like who you are.
Nice.
Let's just have them shoot a little B-roll of us dancing.
Seriously?
Zoe, can we have a single moment just for us?
Yes, but we have public personas.
And we also have a marriage that's failing
because we'd rather perform the role of happy couple
than actually try to live it.
So what, Charlie?
What do you think?
That a few good moments lately
are going to repair the last few years?
No, I don't...
think that, but...
...maybe I hoped it.
Charlie.
Charlie!
You guys okay?
Oh, yeah, we're fine.
No, we're not.
Jen, you might be working
with Zoe and me in the coming year,
and if so, you deserve the truth.
Zoe and I are separating.
We'll be making the announcement in the new year.
I am so sorry.
I thought you guys were the perfect couple.
There is no perfect couple, Jen.
After all,
you're the first to say nothing's perfect, right?
Oh, there you are.
Hey.
Where have you been?
I met with the agency in Portland.
And?
They think moving there would be better for my career,
and they're right.
But I stayed here for you, Jen.
I'd hoped we'd, um...
Are we gonna do this together, Jen?
We still don't want the same things.
Zoe and Charlie want to go back to the house,
so they're asking to do the speech for the story.
They want us all on stage.
Okay.
The big, happy family.
Check, check. Can I have your attention?
Hey, everyone. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas, friends!
It is so wonderful--
"Jen-uinely" wonderful to be here with you tonight.
We are livestreaming.
What a special occasion.
Mama.
- Mama. - What did you just say, Reedy?
Mama.
Yes, Leo, Mama's right here.
Leo Ansel just seems to be a little confused.
Mama!
No, he's not. He's...
We... We gotta stop.
Ali, we gotta stop. You take him.
Okay.
Hi.
Um...
Everyone, I...
I gotta tell you something.
Uh...
we've been lying.
I-- I've been lying.
He's not my baby.
Max is not my husband.
That is not my house.
And that whole perfect
mother-daughter relationship thing
is absolutely 100% not the thing...
I'm not "Jen T".
I'm not inspirational.
I'm not aspirational.
I am a bus crash,
and a train wreck,
and everything that you've seen over the last few days...
...it wasn't me.
Oh...
Jen,
what is going on here?
Is this, like, an elaborate stunt?
I can't be "her" anymore, I'm sorry.
Did you get that?
- Yes. - Cut it, cut it.
Max!
- Max, I'm sorry! - Just stop, Jen. Just stop.
I'm so sorry!
I'm sorry,
because now I realize this is all--
everything was just a lie to you.
For me, it wasn't. I...
Look, I know it was fake,
but it...
it felt real to me.
And that was stupid, though,
because you don't even realize what your biggest lie was.
What do you mean?
When Charlie and Zoe asked us why we broke up...
...it wasn't because we thought we'd be better as friends,
it was because you walked away.
Max...
we'd been dating six months,
and it was moving so fast.
And I respected that.
I realized something the last few days...
and...
or maybe I've known it all along and I--
I didn't want to risk our friendship
after we ended things...
but, Jen...
...I have never...
not loved you.
Max...
Jen, just...
just stop, just stop it.
I can't do this anymore.
Love me?
No.
Be your friend and pretend I don't.
I think I saw a tumbleweed go by.
Yeah, the angry mob that is social media
didn't really love your outburst.
Yeah, I can imagine.
I've been staying off it.
Let's just say
you don't really wanna see what they did with the memes.
I'm so sorry, Jen.
It's all my fault.
I-- I pushed and I pushed.
No, I went with it.
It's not your fault.
I actually kinda...
kinda liked some of it.
I liked "Jen T".
I liked...
...feeling like I had my life together.
I liked liking myself.
You do realize you were being you...
...just plus confidence and minus self-doubt.
Yeah, well, maybe.
Maybe it wasn't exploding my life over, but...
maybe I needed to...
...let go of who I thought I was to...
become who I was always meant to be...
or something.
Now, that is a message
that would ring out as "Jen-uine".
Hey, everyone,
it's Jen.
Actual Jen.
Uh, this is my actual apartment.
And I-- I'm doing this live,
'cause I...
desperately wanna be real with you all.
Um...
I-- I know...
that no one's really very fond of me right now.
Um, and I get it.
It's okay.
I've spent the vast majority of my life
not being very fond of me, too,
so I understand.
Um, but it's Christmas,
and I think Christmas is a time for goodness,
and honesty is a huge part of that.
And I owe you an enormous apology.
I pretended to be "Jen T"
'cause I, um...
couldn't love Jen.
And...
because I couldn't love myself...
...I couldn't let anyone else do it either.
Zoe and Charlie, I'm so sorry.
I know you trusted me, you opened up to me,
you believed in me.
And I--
I realize there's no coming back from this,
it's a mess.
I am... I'm a mess.
But...
actually, I'm kind of okay with that,
because, you know, "bless this mess" or whatever.
Anyway, I just...
I wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday,
and that we all have a holiday,
where we know
nothing's perfect
and we don't have to compare ourselves
to anybody else.
And where we realize
that our family
is pretty much
just doing their best,
and embrace that.
And, most importantly,
where we can be exactly who we are...
and that be okay.
So, I am sorry.
And I say this "Jen-uinely",
from the bottom of my heart.
Happy holidays, everyone.
Thanks.
You want some help cooking dinner?
I don't know,
I haven't so much as microwaved a tater tot since 1994.
I need all the help I can get.
- Hey, Jen. - Hey, Pete.
So, I saw the video.
Pretty powerful stuff.
Did you hear from Max?
Mom, I'm okay.
Let's not...
Look, honey,
I know that you think that I'm obsessed with love,
because I know that it works.
I want you to know that, too.
All right. Well, I-- I haven't spoken to Max.
Uh, but I saw he took that job in Portland,
so I guess he--
he's moving there,
and I'm really happy for him.
Honey, you've gotta fight for him.
I saw the way he looked at you.
It's the same way that your dad used to look at me.
And more importantly,
it's the same way you look at him.
I just need-- give me a second.
I love you, Mom.
I love you, too.
Um, I gotta...
I'll be back, okay?
Bye, Jen.
Oh, you're still in town! Hi.
We were just about to leave when we saw your story
and thought we'd come by the store.
Jen, we obviously
have to disqualify you from the contest,
if only to set precedent.
We were touched by your video,
because, despite everything, we enjoyed being here.
We enjoyed you.
And, oddly, it took us being around the fake
for us to get real.
We're going to keep trying.
But actually put in the work this time,
and we'll be in touch about a collaboration.
We've got a slot in our spring issue
just for you.
But as Jen.
We only want Jen.
Yeah.
Thank you so much.
Yeah, I gotta go.
Last-minute emergency Christmas gift thing,
so you have a beautiful day.
Thank you. Thank you.
That's Jen.
Put that on the thing.
Okay, turkey's almost ready!
So, did you hear from Max?
Did he respond?
Continuing to ask me that is not helping my anxiety.
Mom!
Uh-oh! Oh!
Whoa! Pete! Move, move!
Can I help?
I'll set the table.
Hey...
Hey.
Thanks for coming.
I would invite you in,
but...
there's a captive audience in the hallway
that thinks I don't know they're hiding there.
This is for you.
I thought we agreed no gifts.
We did,
but it's important.
The same present back to me?
I'm classy like that.
I just thought it was the best way to say thank you.
I was too chicken to look at the one you gave me,
because...
I think I knew when I did,
I'd see it.
The photos you took are...
they're beautiful.
And I look happy.
And glowy.
And like a version of myself
I thought I'd lost...
a really long time ago.
And in all of them, I'm looking at you.
You are my best friend in the whole world.
You know me better than anyone,
so you probably know I'm terrified right now,
but...
...Max, I love you.
I have never not loved you,
and I will always, always love you.
What are you doing?
- Sorry. - What are you doing?
I just gotta-- I gotta--
this is really important.