Lisa talks with a man with the authorities. She tells him not to believe a thing Mr. Lee says and also wants John and Barbara, along with his men, to have the credit they deserve. The man tells Lisa the report will be complete. Lisa thanks John and Barbara for rescuing her. They tell Lisa they went through alot to get to her, remembering the "fake" tracheotomy John was to perform on Barbara. Lisa says she is surprised they didn't kill each other first. All John and Barbara do is look at each other and smile. Later, the man tells Lisa that Martin boarded a plane at Figi Island. Lisa doesn't care where he goes as long as he stays away from Oakdale. While this is going on, Barbara is on the phone telling Hal what happened, even explaining John's involvement, but Hal can't believe what he's hearing. Barbara asks about Will and Jennifer. Hal says they are ok, but asking for her. She asks Hal a favor by going Christmas shopping for her and tell him what he'll need to get. Hal says he doesn't want to, but will do it for her. Hal wants to know when she will be home. She says she will be home as soon as she can and will let him know when they land. Once she hangs up, John asks how things are at home. She says things are fine but the kids miss her. John tells her that she did the right thing, even though Hal had Martin intentions wrong. He thinks it'll be good to get home so she can get good care for her ankle. Barbara mentions that it hasn't been bothering her lately. John still wants to make sure she will be ok.
Sarah and Paul bring Emily home. They try to convince her that she needs to towel off, get into some dry clothes and get comfortable but she only wants them to leave. Paul offers to take care of her but she refuses. Emily looks at a Christmas card on the desk for a moment, then says that it's been a long day and just wants to be alone. Sarah says she needs to be in bed and Emily figures out that they won't leave until they are satisfied that she will be fine. Paul offers to make some tea and bring it up as Sarah and Emily go upstairs. Paul then picks up the card and reads it:
Mark works on the Stargazers set with Connor. They are both exhausted. Connor is happy with how the set turned out. He tells her that he is glad she was there to help him out. A news bulletin comes through on the radio announcing a crash at the Cedarsville track. Mark comments that Mike was in that race and rushes out with Connor following him. Mark begins to make calls looking for information about Mike, but can't get a hold of anyone. He wants to go to the hospital. Connor offers to call the hospital for him, but Mark knows they won't give the information he needs over the phone. Connor says she will drive so he can rest and be there for him. When they arrive at the hospital, Connor goes to check on Mike. As Mark waits, he has flashbacks to the night Jones was brought in and her subsequent death. Connor returns to say that Mike is in the hospital but the nurse didn't have his chart yet. They go off in search of Mike. They find him ok about the time Sarah shows up. Mike comments about how good news travels fast. Sarah says she found out by all the messages on the answering machine left by their construction employees. Mark says he found out on the radio. Mike lets them know that it doesn't look good for Pilar. Bob comes out with an order for a blood search for a nurse nearby. Bob tells Mike that they can't help Pilar until they find her rare blood type. Mike asks about finding it in Chicago but Bob says they need it NOW or they could lose her. Diego, standing closeby, gets a scared look on his face. Later, Connor suggests to Mark that since Mike is ok, he should go home and get some rest from finishing the set. Sarah sounds surprised to learn that the set is done. Mark goes to make some calls to the constructions guys to let them know Mike is ok. Sarah says she can't believe Mark let Connor help him. Connor says she convinced him that he just needed another pair of hands. Connor asks Sarah if Mark has been pushing himself like this since Jones died. Sarah tells her that Mark is usually out by 7am and doesn't come home until after dark exhausted. Sarah only wants the men in her family to get a break, especially now at Christmas time and that it's supposed to be good this year. Connor wish she could go to sleep Christmas Eve and not wake up until New Year's morning. Sarah thinks Connor has the same attitude as Mark and Mike and decides to invite Connor to Christmas dinner at the house. Connor doesn't think it would be a good idea. Sarah convinces her to come, if only for a little while.
At Memorial, Pilar is brought into the hospital. Lily follows asking the nurse about Mike, but she doesn't know about his whereabouts/condition. Diego appears in the background. He comes up to Lily and asks if she is ok. Lily says she is fine and asks what happened to him at the track and if he saw Mike. Diego says he didn't see him. Lily doesn't think he's telling her the entire truth. Mike soon enters with a doctor in tow and they go into a cubical. Lily follows them in. Diego asks a nurse about who the other person was taken into the trama room. The nurse doesn't know and says the doctor will be out shortly. He looks a little concerned. Lily asks Mike if he's ok. Mike says he only has scratches. The doctor wants to check him out again but Mike sends him away. Diego listens outside while Mike beats himself up over the accident, saying it was his fault and should have given Pilar the room she needed to pass. Lily says it's not his fault. Susan appears and asks Diego what he's doing here. He says he's with Mike and Lily. Bob comes from the trama room and needs Susan to assist him. Mike comes out of the cubical and asks Bob how Pilar is. Bob doesn't know but wants Mike to get her next of kin to the hospital because it doesn't look good. Bob and Susan return to the trama room. Diego looks ready to pass out. Mike goes into the ER waiting room and gets on the phone asking someone at the track for Pilar's next of family. Mike is told that it's not on file. Diego listens to Mike's search. (He evidently is in anguish at not being able to identify himself to help her.) Lily goes up to Diego and startles him. She suggests that he go home but he wants to stay. Mike gets off the phone with nothing to help. He can't understand how nobody seems to know how she got to race without filling in the vital information the tracks needs. Mike says it's almost like she doesn't exist except on the track. Diego just stands there, uneasy. Later, Diego has to go outside for some fresh air. Lily asks if he's ok. Diego says he can't get used to a hospital's ER and doesn't want to distract her from Mike and says he has to go and walks away. Mike comes out to her and voices his reservations about Diego again. Lily says she'll be fine and comments that it looks like Diego has pressing plans. Lily comforts Mike in telling him that she's sure the hospital will find someone to help Pilar. Later, Susan asks the nurse to make an annoucement to the public about needing the rare blood type. Diego stops her and says that he can help her. She takes him to the lab and removes a sample to test for compatibility. Susan says she is sure Pilar will be grateful and will be a hero when people find out what Diego has done. Diego asks Susan to keep it anonymous. She agrees.
At the Hughes home, Chris takes pictures of the tree and the family. Tom and Margo show up with Adam and Casey. Chris takes more pictures. Hal and Barbara show up with Jennifer, Will and Nikki. Chris takes even more pictures. (Another photography in the family, wouldn't you say?) Everyone mingles around, no particular conversation is heard yet. John shows up and Barbara smiles. Lisa shows up. She says she is glad to see them here. John inquires how she had time to shop. Barbara says Lisa always finds time for it. John stops to ask Kim how Andy is doing. She says that he's happy and is spending the holidays with Frannie and Sabrina. Lisa hands John and Barbara each picture gifts of their trip. Lisa tells them she was happy to see them in that marketplace but thought she was dreaming it all up. John says he thinks he's had enough and goes to Tom and Margo. He hands them each a gift. They open them up to find each got a lump of coal. John comments that it's for not listening to him about Martin. Bob, Kim and Nancy call Ryder over. Nancy tells him that they think he did a good job of defending himself and Nancy gives him a special present. He opens it up to find a ring that once belonged to his grandfather. He thanks he for it and promises to take care of it. Paul and Sarah show up. Barbara is happy to see him there and she gives Sarah a hug. A little later, Sarah talks about needing to get back to her house. Paul says he is going to check up on Emily after he drops her off. Sarah doesn't say anything but you can tell she isn't happy about it. Margo goes over to Nikki, who is sitting away from everyone alone. She offers to listen to Nikki if she needs someone to talk to. Ryder comes over to show Nikki the ring that he received. She thinks it's nice but wants to know where her gift from him is. Ryder tells her that it's has many combinations to it. It's starts off with a charm bracelet. Will and Jennifer come and give her a horse shoe for good luck. Adam and Casey come and give her a wishing well, in remembrance of her and Ryder's help the night he fell in. Ryder's gift includes a car, for her help in obtaining the one he got and also a heart, for their love. Ryder goes to kiss her but she appears to back off. Hal looks at her a little concerned. Jessica shows up later with Bonnie. She can't believe all the nice things Lisa is saying about John now. Bob thanks Nancy for being there to keep the family traditions going. Nancy says she is sure that the traditions will live on long after she is gone, but plans to remain for a quite a while longer.
Sarah and Paul are seen kissing under the mistletoe at the Kasnoff house. Afterwards, she goes back to apologizing for breaking the present he gave her (the "snow dome" with the open sleigh inside). She feels bad about and wonders if it could be some kind of sign. Paul says it's ok. Sarah then comments about being happy to be with her brothers for Christmas this year. Paul pulls out another gift and hands it to her. It's the star they made together. Paul helps hold her as she puts the star on the top of the tree. Mark and Ben watch her add the star and think it makes the tree complete. Mike enters. Mark asks him about Pilar but Mike says there isn't any change in her condition. Ben offers to check in on her later. Mike notices the train running under the tree and begins to fight with Mark over it. Sarah stops their bickering and reminds them about the promise they made about not fighting over the train or she would take it away again. Sarah tells them about the notes in the kitchen on when to do certain things while she and Paul are gone, then leave. Mike, Mark and Ben jump to the TV and begin watching football. Mike says he has to go and give his present to Luke at Lucinda's. After Mike leaves, Ben asks Mark if Sarah has talked to Zoe lately? Mark says that Zoe called to give her Christmas wishes. They then make a bet on an upcoming play. When the play goes bad, they make their own replay. Mark throws the ball over Ben's head and Connor catches it when she opens the door. Mark comments on the great catch. Connor asks if Sarah is here. Mark says she went to the Hughes's for a little while. Connor asks if he knew she was invited for dinner. Mark says he knew. Connor adds that she won't be able to stay and only stopped by to drop off her homemade fruitcake made from an old family receipe. Mark thinks she's lying about the homemade part and points out the store label on the tin can. Connor doesn't know how that got there. Later, Paul checks on Emily. She asks why he stopped by. Paul says he was worried about her and invites her to join him at the Hughes dinner. Emily says she can't. After Paul leaves, she begins to cry again.
Diego, at the hospital, talks to Pilar, who is still in a coma, about their childhood and how nothing was the same after their father died. Meanwhile, at Lucinda's, Lily wonders where Diego is because he's late. Lucinda voices her objections about not wanting him there. Lily doesn't want Lucinda to ruin her plan. She wants Diego happy and doesn't want him to leave. Lucinda asks if maybe Diego is in control of the situation. Lily says she is fine and makes a call to Diego's but there is no answer. Cal and Susan are there with Alison. Cal asks if Lucinda has heard from her other daughters. Lucinda says she talked to Craig and Sierra and Bianca is happy helping in Rawanda. Lucinda asks Cal about Josh. He says that he talked to Josh and Meg this morning, they sounded good. Susan gets up to make a call to Emily. Emily says she is fine and wants Susan to have fun. When Susan returns, she tells Lucinda that Emily said Merry Christmas. Lucinda mutters something about Emily having a good Christmas with the bonus she got. Lily sits down to look at a photo album. Kirk shows up, obviously uninvited to see Lucinda. Kirk asks if she has heard from Samantha. Lucinda doesn't say anything. Kirk tells her that when he called his kids, they told him that Samantha called to talk to them. Lucinda just kicks Kirk out, still not telling him anything. As Lily looks at a photo of her with Damian and Luke, Diego shows up. He gives her a gift of a Spanish hair clip that will go with her shawl. Diego also gives Lucinda a gift bottle of Sherry. Susan asks Diego if he check in on the woman at the hospital but he quickly changes the subject but not without Lily being intrigued silently. As Diego gives his gift to Luke, Lucinda quickly grabs Luke and says it's time for his bottle. Diego gets a puzzled look on his face and Lily looks upset at Lucinda but quickly apologizes to Diego. Cal suggests opening the bottle of Sherry. Lily asks Diego to pour as she goes to talk to Lucinda. Lily says she wants Lucinda to behave herself and not to tip Lily's hand. Susan, alone with Diego, tells him that it was really nice of him to help the woman. Diego reminds her that it's to remain anonymous. Cal returns with the glasses and they make a toast and drink. Matthew enters to let Lily know she has a call. Before taking it, she asks Matthew to retrieve a box for her upstairs. It's Emma, who called to give her Christmas greetings. When she gets off, Cal asks how Emma was. Lily says that Emma is at Iva and Jason's and says that Seth and Angel flew in from New York and Julie and Caleb flew in from Seattle. Cal asks about Holden but Lily says that Emma didn't mention him. (Does that mean he's on his way to Oakdale?). Mike soon shows up with his gift for Luke. Diego looks jealous and annoyed. Lucinda asks Mike about Pilar. Mike says she's still in a coma. Diego still retains his jealous look as Mike leaves shortly thereafter. Matthew brings in the box Lily requested. When she opens the box, she displays the handcarved Nativity figurines that were made for each of the Snyder children. Diego makes an excuse to Lily about not being able to stay and leaves unexpectedly. Lily looks to Lucinda who looks upset and runs out behind him. Later, Lucinda brings in another Nativity piece that Lucinda had for Lily when she was young. Lily and Lucinda hug. Lily apologizes to her for snapping at her. Lucinda says she only wants to keep Lily safe.
At the end of the episode, everyone at the Hughes home begins to sing a Christmas song and light candles. The scenes change from them to Kirk being alone in his condo eating a frozen turkey dinner, looking at the wedding picture of him and Samantha. He then gets up and looks out the window, probably with his thoughts of being alone at Christmas without her. When he sits back down, with his back to the door, someone enters and sneaks up behind him, putting a "Santa's hat" on his head. He turns around to see Connor smiling at him. The next scene is of Emily alone, crying. The next scene is of a perfect dinner at the Kasnoff home and the last being of Diego at the hospital putting a set of rosary beads in her hand and pray at her bedside.
Barbara, at the mall coffee house, runs into John. She tells him that she will never forget their adventure together. She comments that Lisa is late for their meeting and takes out her cellular phone to call Lisa. Meanwhile, at Lisa's penthouse, Martin wishes Lisa a good morning and asks if she slept well when she walks into her living room. Lisa is in shock to find Martin there. After a little chit-chat, Martin pulls out a gun on her. He explains how he eluded Interpol and the rest of the Cartel to make his way back to Oakdale. He's drinking heavily and whining at Lisa. (Care for a little cheese with your whine there Martin?) He tells Lisa that the Cartel will kill and him and when they do, he plans to bring Lisa down with him. Suddenly, the phone rings. Martin has Lisa answer the phone. While talking to Barbara, Lisa secretly tips her off that something is wrong. Barbara and John rush over to Lisa's. When they get there, they let themselves in. Martin grabs Barbara and holds the gun to her. He continues talking about how life his has no meaning, etc. and throws Barbara to the couch. Lisa joins Barbara while John tries to talk sense into Martin. After a while, Martin, sobbing and drunk, hands the gun over to John. John tries to comfort Martin as he cries on his leg.
Lily goes to Cal's to retrieve a key to Diego's loft. Cal suddenly walks in and catches Lily looking around. Lily makes up some lame excuse about Luke losing a toy boat and that she's looking for it. There's a knock at the door. It's Susan, who Cal has invited for breakfast. Lily excuses herself. As Cal and Susan head for the kitchen, Lily sneaks back in, gets the key and quietly slips back out. Cal and Susan enjoy breakfast together. Cal bought a cappuccino machine so he could make her a wonderful brew. They try to make some together and make a mess first and finally make a lousy cup of cappuccino. Cal decides to take her out for coffee instead. When they arrive at the mall coffee house, the both order a cup of regular dark roast (How quaint) They laugh about their fiasco at the house and then they share a kiss (Finally!!)
Mike comes to visit a comatose Pilar at Memorial. He notices the rosary beads. Mike tells her that she looks a whole lot better today and that this is another race she needs to win. He bets she got the beads from her guardian angel. Outside the door, Bob runs into Diego. Bob tells Diego that he has some explaining to do. Bob has Diego follow him to his office. Bob informs him that one of Diego's references didn't quite add up. The professor he got his degree from was suspended for issuing unearned degrees for profit. Bob adds that all the degrees that were handed out are under investigation. Bob suspends Diego with pay until the end of the year when, hopefully, all of this will be resolved. Diego acts shocked and upset. Bob takes Diego's hospital badge away from him. Later, Mike calls Lily and tells her that he just saw Diego at the hospital. She says that she is outside of his place at the moment and that she is going in and will find the answers they are looking for. She finds the key to the metal box behind a picture of her on the dresser. She opens the trunk, then the box. She finds nothing but an old family photo. Someone sneaks up behind her. She jumps up to find it's only Mike (He moves quick, doesn't he?). She shows him what she found. They are both disappointed and leave. Lily forgets to put the key to the box back and left the picture of her face down on the dresser. When she returns to Cal's to put the key to Diego's back, she realizes that she forgot to put the key to the box back and freaks out.
Diego goes in to see Pilar. He tells her that he has been suspended from the hospital and that it won't be long until they find out that his Physical Therapy degree is a fraud. He says he will have to sneak in now to see her until she recovers, which he is sure she will. He recants a childhood memory to her, one where she got lost and he and his parents searched until she finally found her way back to them. He tells her he is sure she will find her way back to him again. He leaves and goes home. Once there, he goes over to the bed and collapses. While he's laying there thinking, he looks over at Lily's picture for comfort. He jumps up and grabs the picture, which was face down and turns it upside down, shaking it. He searches the enveloped taped to the back and doesn't find the key that was in it. Diego is now the one who freaks out.
