How Lily Stole Christmas
Encyclopedia
"How Lily Stole Christmas" is the 11th episode in the second season of the television series How I Met Your Mother
. It originally aired on December 11, 2006.
has decided to spend Christmas
in Manhattan
this year because he doesn't want to go with his mother and her new boyfriend, his father and his new brewery, or his religious fanatic cousin in Staten Island
. While Lily
decorates their apartment, Marshall
goes to the law library to finish one last paper of the semester. He refuses to look at the decorations because the winter wonderland will be his reward for finishing the paper. After he leaves, Lily finds the old answering machine that was unplugged after Lily and Marshall broke up. Lily plays messages that are still on it, and hears a message from Ted to Marshall telling him to get over Lily. In this message, Ted calls Lily a "very, very bad word" which is substituted on-air with "grinch."
Lily asks why Ted called her that word, and Ted reveals that he was trying to get Marshall to stop idolizing Lily even after they had split during the summer, and told Marshall that if he did not stop putting her on a pedestal, he would never get over her. He asks Marshall to tell him one bad thing about Lily. Before long, Marshall is walking around saying derogatory things about Lily. Ted tells Lily that he was just trying to help Marshall move on, and he refuses to apologize to Lily because she was kind of a "grinch" that summer.
At the bar, Ted is telling Robin
and Barney
about what happened, and realizes that he has to apologize to Lily. Ted brings a beer back up to the apartment to offer as an apology. When he opens the door, he finds that Lily has taken all the decorations to her own crappy apartment. Ted wants to make sure the winter wonderland will be there when Marshall gets back from the library and so he goes to Lily's apartment (he fools her into thinking he's the pizza delivery guy) and begs her to come home. Ted says he's sorry that he called her the bad word, and Lily accuses him of fake apologizing. Lily asks Ted why he's still mad at her, and he says that she never apologized to him for leaving. Ted yells at Lily when then her power goes off, with Lily saying that Ted pissed off the "big man up stairs," her super, that lives above her. He then tells Lily that she can take the decorations back to his and Marshall's apartment because he's going to visit his cousin's family in Staten Island
. Having blown off his paper, Marshall comes back home and finds the winter wonderland intact, not knowing what happened earlier in the day.
In the meantime, Robin insists upon taking care of Barney, who has caught a terrible cold. He whines about wearing sweatpants, not getting ice cream for supper, and pretty much everything else until Robin spikes his tea with codeine
.
Marshall has brought a package with him, a present for Lily. He tells the story of how he went to the post office to find out why it hadn't come in when it was supposed to. The lady tells him that the package is already on the truck headed to Poughkeepsie
. Marshall runs the truck down and asks if he can have the package back. The driver says sure, but he's running behind on his route so Marshall has to ride along. Marshall gets his package, but when the driver tells him that he won't be able to deliver all the packages in time for Christmas he decides to help. Lily opens the package to find an Easy-Bake Oven
, a gift she wanted in childhood, but did not get because of her feminist mother buying her a Lego
set. Since she has no idea how Marshall knew about her preferred item, he admits learning about it from Ted, whom Lily told her story to back in college. Marshall asks where Ted is and Lily tells him Staten Island.
Out at his cousin's house, Ted is having a miserable time. Lily, Robin, Marshall and Barney arrive with an apology beer for Ted. Ted tells his cousin that it's carolers to keep her from coming to the door. While the other three sing, Lily says she's sick of apologizing and the two agree to skip straight to the forgiveness. Ted takes off after Lily accidentally teaches his cousin's children the bad word.
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...
. It originally aired on December 11, 2006.
Plot
TedTed Mosby
Theodore Evelyn "Ted" Mosby is the titular fictional character of the U.S. television sitcom How I Met Your Mother, portrayed by Josh Radnor...
has decided to spend Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
this year because he doesn't want to go with his mother and her new boyfriend, his father and his new brewery, or his religious fanatic cousin in Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
. While Lily
Lily Aldrin
Lillian "Lily" Aldrin is a fictional character created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother, portrayed by American actress Alyson Hannigan. She is the wife of Marshall Eriksen and the best friend of Robin Scherbatsky...
decorates their apartment, Marshall
Marshall Eriksen
Marshall Eriksen is a fictional character in the American sitcom How I Met Your Mother, created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas and portrayed by Jason Segel.-Character profile:Marshall is an easy-going, naive optimist from St. Cloud, Minnesota...
goes to the law library to finish one last paper of the semester. He refuses to look at the decorations because the winter wonderland will be his reward for finishing the paper. After he leaves, Lily finds the old answering machine that was unplugged after Lily and Marshall broke up. Lily plays messages that are still on it, and hears a message from Ted to Marshall telling him to get over Lily. In this message, Ted calls Lily a "very, very bad word" which is substituted on-air with "grinch."
Lily asks why Ted called her that word, and Ted reveals that he was trying to get Marshall to stop idolizing Lily even after they had split during the summer, and told Marshall that if he did not stop putting her on a pedestal, he would never get over her. He asks Marshall to tell him one bad thing about Lily. Before long, Marshall is walking around saying derogatory things about Lily. Ted tells Lily that he was just trying to help Marshall move on, and he refuses to apologize to Lily because she was kind of a "grinch" that summer.
At the bar, Ted is telling Robin
Robin Scherbatsky
Robin Charles Scherbatsky, Jr. is a fictional character created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother, portrayed by Canadian actress Cobie Smulders.- Early life :...
and Barney
Barney Stinson
Barnabas "Barney" Stinson is a fictional character created by Carter Bays and Craig Thomas for the CBS television series How I Met Your Mother, portrayed by Neil Patrick Harris. The character has been extremely well received by critics and has been credited for much of the show's success...
about what happened, and realizes that he has to apologize to Lily. Ted brings a beer back up to the apartment to offer as an apology. When he opens the door, he finds that Lily has taken all the decorations to her own crappy apartment. Ted wants to make sure the winter wonderland will be there when Marshall gets back from the library and so he goes to Lily's apartment (he fools her into thinking he's the pizza delivery guy) and begs her to come home. Ted says he's sorry that he called her the bad word, and Lily accuses him of fake apologizing. Lily asks Ted why he's still mad at her, and he says that she never apologized to him for leaving. Ted yells at Lily when then her power goes off, with Lily saying that Ted pissed off the "big man up stairs," her super, that lives above her. He then tells Lily that she can take the decorations back to his and Marshall's apartment because he's going to visit his cousin's family in Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
. Having blown off his paper, Marshall comes back home and finds the winter wonderland intact, not knowing what happened earlier in the day.
In the meantime, Robin insists upon taking care of Barney, who has caught a terrible cold. He whines about wearing sweatpants, not getting ice cream for supper, and pretty much everything else until Robin spikes his tea with codeine
Codeine
Codeine or 3-methylmorphine is an opiate used for its analgesic, antitussive, and antidiarrheal properties...
.
Marshall has brought a package with him, a present for Lily. He tells the story of how he went to the post office to find out why it hadn't come in when it was supposed to. The lady tells him that the package is already on the truck headed to Poughkeepsie
Poughkeepsie (city), New York
Poughkeepsie is a city in the state of New York, United States, which serves as the county seat of Dutchess County. Poughkeepsie is located in the Hudson River Valley midway between New York City and Albany...
. Marshall runs the truck down and asks if he can have the package back. The driver says sure, but he's running behind on his route so Marshall has to ride along. Marshall gets his package, but when the driver tells him that he won't be able to deliver all the packages in time for Christmas he decides to help. Lily opens the package to find an Easy-Bake Oven
Easy-Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven is a working toy oven introduced by Kenner in 1963, and currently manufactured by Hasbro. The original toy used an ordinary incandescent light bulb as a heat source; current versions use a true heating element. By 1997, more than 16 million Easy-Bake Ovens had been sold.The...
, a gift she wanted in childhood, but did not get because of her feminist mother buying her a Lego
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
set. Since she has no idea how Marshall knew about her preferred item, he admits learning about it from Ted, whom Lily told her story to back in college. Marshall asks where Ted is and Lily tells him Staten Island.
Out at his cousin's house, Ted is having a miserable time. Lily, Robin, Marshall and Barney arrive with an apology beer for Ted. Ted tells his cousin that it's carolers to keep her from coming to the door. While the other three sing, Lily says she's sick of apologizing and the two agree to skip straight to the forgiveness. Ted takes off after Lily accidentally teaches his cousin's children the bad word.
Music
- from Tchaikovsky's The NutcrackerThe NutcrackerThe Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
: - "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy"
- "Dance of the Mirlitons"
- "Waltz of the Flowers"
- "Trepak (Russian Dance)"
- "Pas de Deux"
- Clarence CarterClarence CarterClarence Carter is a blind American soul singer and musician.-Life and career:Born in Montgomery, Alabama on 14 January 1936, Carter attended the Alabama School for the Blind in Talladega, Alabama, and Alabama State College in Montgomery, graduating in August 1960 with a Bachelor of Science degree...
- "Back Door SantaBack Door Santa"Back Door Santa" is a song written by Clarence Carter in collaboration with Marcus Daniel, and originally performed by Carter. It was released on a compilation album Soul Christmas in 1968. The track is in a 12-bar blues format....
" (this song was removed from the DVD release) - "Silent Night", performed by Marshall, Robin, and Barney
Continuity
- "Weed" was mentioned in this episode, while in the 3rd season the future Ted seems reluctant to tell his kids this and refers to weed as "sandwich."
- Ted's cousin and her family are mentioned in the season two episode "Brunch". Ted tells Robin that she'll know that his mother is about to ask her about having children by first bringing up his cousin Stacy, who has six children.
- When Robin, Barney and Ted are at the bar talking about what Ted called Lily, Barney says that he's never kissed Ted's mother with his mouth. In Little Minnesota it's revealed that they kissed after the episode Brunch
Barney's blog
- Fans speculated about what Ted actually had called Lily, the most obvious guesses being "cock" or "cunt." It was most likely the latter; Barney's blog added a 'Motherspeak' section describing "grinch" as a four-letter-word.
Cultural references
- The title of the episode alludes to the Dr. SeussDr. SeussTheodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer, poet, and cartoonist most widely known for his children's books written under the pen names Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg and, in one case, Rosetta Stone....
book How the Grinch Stole Christmas!How the Grinch Stole Christmas!How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a children's story by Dr. Seuss written in rhymed verse with illustrations by the author. It was published as a book by Random House in 1957, and at approximately the same time in an issue of Redbook...
. - Ted notes that Lily would laugh at almost anything, even something as bad as Weekend at Bernie's IIWeekend at Bernie's IIWeekend at Bernie's II is a comedy film released in 1993 by TriStar Pictures and was the sequel to the 1989 comedy Weekend at Bernie's.- Plot :...
. - When the friends come to rescue Ted from his family on Staten Island, he says, "I'll get it" and runs quickly to the door. Ted's cousin Stacey asks, "Who is it?" and he is told to say "It's carol singers." Then Barney, Marshall, and Robin sing "Silent NightSilent Night"Silent Night" is a popular Christmas carol. The original lyrics of the song "Stille Nacht" were written in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria, by the priest Father Joseph Mohr and the melody was composed by the Austrian headmaster Franz Xaver Gruber...
" while Lily and Ted make amends. This scene references the film Love ActuallyLove ActuallyLove Actually is a 2003 British romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. The screenplay delves into different aspects of love as shown through ten separate stories involving a wide variety of individuals, many of whom are shown to be interlinked as their tales progress...
, in the scene where Mark (Andrew LincolnAndrew LincolnAndrew Lincoln is an English actor, known for his roles in the TV series This Life, Teachers and Afterlife, and the films Love Actually and Heartbreaker...
) comes to Juliet's (Keira KnightleyKeira KnightleyKeira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
) door to say he loves her using cue cards, following the aforementioned pattern. - When asked about his favorite Bible passage, Ted mentions that "the one from Pulp FictionPulp fictionPulp fiction may refer to:* pulp magazines, short stories presented in a magazine format, printed on cheaply made wood-pulp paper* Pulp Fiction, a 1994 film directed by Quentin Tarantino...
was kinda cool." He was referring to Ezekiel 25:17 - The use of "grinch" instead of "cunt," and "fudge" instead of "fuck" are allusions to A Christmas StoryA Christmas StoryA Christmas Story is a 1983 American Christmas comedy film based on the short stories and semi-fictional anecdotes of author and raconteur Jean Shepherd, including material from his books In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, and Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories. It was directed by Bob Clark...
, where Ralphie said "fudge" in the film, but had not said that in real life to his parents.