Christmas music plays, children are playing, and people wearing Christmas costumes are walking around the Christmas village. Dean and Sam walk up and look around. "It does kind of lend credence to the theory, don't it?" Dean remarks.

Sam considers. "Yeah, but anti-Claus? Couldn't be."

Dean snickers. "It's a Christmas miracle. Hey, speaking of, we should have one this year."

"Have one what?"

"A Christmas."

Sam scoffs. "No, thanks."

Dean slaps Sam's chest lightly. "Come on. We got a couple days, we can track down Jamie. We haven't had Christmas with her in years."

Sam looks down. "Yeah, don't remind me."

Dean doesn't notice. "We'll get a tree, a little Boston market, just like when we were little."

Sam continues to walk. "Dean, those weren't exactly Hallmark memories for me, you know."

Dean stops. "What are you talking about? We had some great Christmases."

Sam turns to him. "Whose childhood are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on, Sam."

"No, just… no."

"All right, Grinch." Dean says, walking away, a little surprised and disappointed. Sam stands still. Suddenly he notices a reindeer's statue is staring at him. He looks uncomfortable, and after a moment he has a flashback to Christmas Eve in 1991. Their first Christmas without their sister.

Reindeers pull Santa's sleigh across the sky on the TV, which is playing "A Year Without Santa Claus". Sam is wrapping something with newspaper. Dean glances over. "What is that?"

"A present for Dad." Sam tells him.

Dean scoffs. "Yeah, right. Where'd you get the money? Steal it?"

"No." Sam shoots back. "Uncle Bobby gave it to me to give to him. Said it was real special."

"What is it?"

"A pony."

"Very funny." Dean scoffs again. Sam continues to wrap the present. Dean sits on the couch next to him and picks up a magazine.

Sam glances over at him. "Dad's gonna be here, right?"

"He'll be here."

"It's Christmas."

Dean looks up. "He knows and he'll be here. Promise."

"Where is he anyway?"

"On business."

"What kind of business?"

"You know that. He sells stuff." Dean is getting impatient.

Sam still persists. "What kind of stuff?"

"Stuff!"

Sam looks down dejectedly. "Nobody ever tells me anything."

Dean rolls his eyes. "Then quit asking." He walks to the bed, and swipes all the junk from it before opening the magazine.

"Is Dad a spy?" Sam asks, looking at Dean from over the couch.

"Mm-hmm. He's James Bond."

"Why do we move around so much?"

Dean groans. "Cause everywhere we go, they get sick of your face."

"I'm old enough, Dean. You can tell me the truth."

Dean looks at his younger brother seriously. "You don't wanna know the truth. Believe me."

Sam looks down. "Is that why Dad made Jamie leave?"

Dean closes his eyes and sighs. "You know Dad made us promise to never talk about her."

"It's not fair, Dean!"

"Life isn't fair, Sam!"

"Is that why we never talk about… Mom?"

Dean tosses the magazine away angrily and stands up. "Shut up! Don't you ever talk about Mom. Ever!" He heads for the door.

Sam stares after him. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Out." Dean shuts the door behind him and leaves Sam alone.

Sam is still lost in memories when Dean walks up to him. "You'd think with the 10 bucks it costs to get into this place, Santa could scrounge up a little snow."

Sam blinks awakening from his daydreaming. "What?"

Dean stares at him for a moment. "Nothing. What are we looking for, again?"

"Um…" Sam looks around. "Lore says that the anti-Claus will walk with a limp and smell like sweets."

They start walking around again. "Great. So we're looking for a pimp Santa. Why the sweets?"

Sam shrugs. "Think about it, Dean. If you smell like candy, the kids will come closer, you know?"

Dean glances at him. "That's creepy." Sam chuckles. "How does this thing know who's been naughty and who's been nice?"

Sam pauses. "I don't know."

A man wearing a Santa Claus costume sits outside a small barn. A woman and boy walk up to him. Dean and Sam pause and watch. "So, Ronny, come sit on Santa's knee." The boy sits. "Ah, there you go. You been a good boy this year?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Santa's got a special gift for you." The man's voice is creepy and suspicious.

Dean watches Santa and the boy. "Maybe we do."

Ronny's mother takes his arm and leads him away from the Santa. A woman in an elf costume walks up to Sam and Dean. "Welcome to Santa's court. Can I escort your child to Santa?"

Sam and Dean look at each other. "Uh…"

Dean shakes his head. "No. No. Uh, but actually my brother here… it's been a lifelong dream of his."

The woman Looks at Sam like he's a freak. "Uh, sorry. No kids over… 12."

Sam chuckles softly. "No, he's just kidding. We only came here to watch."

The woman looks at Dean, who shakes his head. She backs off, staring at Sam. "Eww."

Sam's eyes widen. "I-I didn't mean that we came here to w— Y—" Dean looks at Sam. "Thanks a lot, Dean. Thanks for that."

Dean starts to laugh but suddenly turns serious. "Check it out." He gestures to Santa. As he leaves his chair he walks with bad limp. The brothers watch as he limps past them. "Are you seeing this?"

Sam shrugs. "A lot of people walk with limps, right?"

Dean turns to him. "Tell me you didn't smell that. That was candy, man."

Sam shakes his head. "That was ripple, I think. Had to be."

Dean glances at him. "Maybe. We're willing to take that chance?"

That night Sam and Dean are sitting in the Impala, spying on a simple house that is decorated with Christmas lights. Dean leans back and groans, rubbing his eyes. "What time is it?"

"Same as the last time you asked. Here…" He hands Dean a thermos. "Caffeinate."

Dean takes the thermos and tries to pours coffee into the cup, but the thermos is empty. "Wonderful." He tosses it aside and takes out his phone. He pushes a few buttons and puts it to his ear. After a couple rings he hangs it up.

"Who are you trying to call?" Sam asks, looking over.

"Jamie."

"Dean." Sam rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "We haven't heard from her all year. Face it, she doesn't want to be found."

Dean looks down sadly at his phone. Suddenly he scoffs. "Hey, Sam."

"Yeah?"

"Why are you the boy that hates Christmas?"

Sam looks away. "Dean—"

"I mean, I admit it. You know, we had a few bumpy holidays when we were kids."

"Bumpy"?

"That was then. We'll do it right this year."

Sam rolls his eyes. "Look, Dean. If you want to have Christmas, knock yourself out. Just don't involve me."

Dean looks at Sam in disbelief. "Oh, yeah, that'd be great. Me and myself making cranberry molds." They return to watching the house. They see Santa's curtains close. "What's up with Saint Nicotine?"

"Oh, my God!"

Sam and Dean jump out of the car at the sound of the woman's voice and run to the house with their guns drawn. Dean looks inside the window of the front door.

"Huh." Sam says, pausing for a moment.

"What?" Dean asks.

"Nothing. It's just that, uh… well, you know, Mr. Gung Ho Christmas might have to blow away Santa."

Dean opens the door. Santa is sitting on the couch, holding a bong and a bottle of whiskey. He stands up and Dean and Sam quickly hide their guns. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Dean looks around and realizes Santa's only watching TV.

"I'm really not interested, okay?"

"Mistle my toe. Roast my chestnut."

He looks at Sam, who shrugs."Ah, w—"

"Jingle my bells?"

Dean opens his mouth and starts to sing, badly. "S-silent night… Holy…" He looks at Sam, who follows him.

"…night." Santa smiles and sits down. "All is well…"

Santa also starts singing "…all is dry."

"Bright. Round and round…" They try to sing although they don't remember the lyrics. "The table…" Sam puts a hand on Dean's shoulder to pull him away.

The next day Dean and Sam are interviewing a woman whose husband disappeared the night before. " So, that's how your son described the attack? "Santa took daddy up the chimney"?" Dean asks.

"That's what he says, yes."

"And where were you?"

"I was asleep and all of a sudden… I was being dragged out of bed, screaming."

"Did you see the attacker?" Sam asks.

The woman shakes her head. "It was dark, and he hit me. He knocked me out."

Dean nods. "I'm sorry. I know this is hard."

Sam looks around and notices something. "Yeah… um, Mrs. Caldwell, where did you get that wreath above the fireplace?" Dean looks around at the wreath.

"Excuse me?"

Dean looks at Sam, waiting for an answer. Sam shrugs. "Just curious, you know."

Dean and Sam walk out of the house. "Wreaths, huh? Sure you didn't want to ask her about her shoes? I saw some nice handbags in the foyer."

Sam rolls his eyes. "We've seen that wreath before, Dean."

"Where?"

"The Walshes'. Yesterday."

Dean pauses. "I know. I was just testing you."

Back in the motel Sam is on the phone. "Yeah, all right. Well, keep looking, would you? Thanks, Bobby." He hangs up. "Well… we're not dealing with the anti-Claus."

Dean is looking through some papers. "What did Bobby say?"

"Uh, that we're morons." Sam tells him seriously. "Has Jamie called back yet?"

Dean looks at his phone. "No. Why?"

"Because Bobby also said that it was probably meadowsweet in those wreaths." Sam looks at his laptop.

Dean looks over at him. "Wow! Amazing. What the hell is meadowsweet? And what does that have to do with Jamie?"

Sam looks over at him. "It's pretty rare and it's probably the most powerful plant in pagan lore. Which is why I wanted to know if Jamie got back to you."

Dean looks confused. "Pagan lore?"

"Yeah. See, they used meadowsweet for human sacrifices. It was kind of like a… Chum for their gods. Gods were drawn to it and they'd stop by and snack on whatever was the nearest human."

Dean shakes his head, getting up. "Why would somebody be using that for Christmas wreaths?"

"It's not as crazy as it sound, Dean. I mean, pretty much every Christmas tradition is pagan."

Dean gets a cup from the sink and walks over to Sam. "Christmas is Jesus' birthday."

Sam snickers. "No, Jesus' birthday was probably in the fall. It was actually the winter solstice festival that was co-opted by the church and renamed "Christmas". But I mean, the Yule log, the tree, even Santa's red suit – that's all remnants of pagan worship."

Dean stares down at him in disbelief. "How do you know that? What are you gonna tell me next? Easter bunny's Jewish?" Sam snickers but says nothing. "So you think we're gonna dealing with a pagan God?"

Sam nods. "Yeah, probably Hold Nickar, God of the winter solstice." He gets up and goes to sit on the couch.

"And all these Martha Stewart wannabes, buying these fancy wreaths…"

"Yeah, it's pretty much like putting a neon sign on your front door saying "Come kill us".

"Great."

Sam is reading in one of the books. "Huh… When you sacrifice to Hold Nickar, guess what he gives you in return."

Dean looks down at the laptop. "Lap dances, hopefully."

"Mild weather."

Dean looks out the window. "Like no snow in the middle of December in the middle of Michigan."

"For instance."

Dean sits down. "Do we know how to kill it yet?"

Sam shakes his head, looking at him. "No, Bobby's working on that right now."

"Sounds like Jamie's field."

"Yeah, if she ever gets back to us. But in the meantime we got to figure out where they're selling those wreaths."

"You think they're selling them on purpose? Feeding the victims to this thing?"

Sam exhales. "Let's find out."

Sam and Dean enter enter a Christmas shop. The shopkeeper walks over. "Help you, boys?"

"Uh, hope so. Uh, we were playing Jenga over at the Walshes' the other night, and, uh… well, he hasn't shut up since about this Christmas wreath, and" He turns to Sam. "I don't know, you tell him."

Sam gives Dean a look. "Sure. It was yummy."

"I sell a lot of wreaths, guys."

Sam nods. "Right, right, but – but you see, this one would have been really special. It had, uh, it had, uh, green leaves, um, white buds on it. It might have been made of, uh… meadowsweet?"

"Well, aren't you a fussy one?" The shopkeeper says, unimpressed.

Dean smiles. "He is…" He laughs and Sam looks at him, annoyed.

"Anyway, I know the one you're talking about. I'm all out."

"Huh. Seems like this meadowsweet stuff's pretty rare and expensive. Why make wreaths out of it?"

"Beats me. I didn't make them."

"Who did?" Dean asks.

"Madge Carrigan, a local lady. She said the wreaths were so special, she gave them to me for free."

"She didn't charge you?" Sam asks.

"Nope."

"Did you sell them for free?"

"Hell no. It's Christmas. People pay a buttload for this crap."

Dean grins. "That's the spirit."

It's night when Dean opens the door to the motel room and turns on the light. Sam follows him in. "How much do you think a meadowsweet wreath would cost?" Dean asks.

"A couple hundred dollars, at least."

"This lady's giving them away for free? What do you think about that?"

"Well, sounds pretty suspicious." They take off their jackets and sit on the edge of their beds. Sam groans tiredly.

Dean grins and looks over at Sam. "Remember that wreath Dad brought home that one year?"

Sam stares at Dean. "You mean the one he stole from, like, a liquor store?"

Dean is laughing. "Yeah, it was a bunch of empty beer cans. That thing was great. I bet if I looked around hard enough, I could probably find one just like it."

Sam shakes his head. "All right. Dude… What's going on with you?"

"What?"

"I mean, since when are you Bing Crosby all of a sudden? Why do you want Christmas so bad?"

"Why are you so against it? I mean, were your childhood memories that traumatic?"

"No, that has nothing to do with it."

"Then what?"

"I-I mean, I-I just… I don't get it. You haven't talked about Christmas in years."

Dean stares at him for a moment, looking away and then looking back. "Well, yeah. This is my last year." There's a sadness in his voice.

Sam pauses. "I know… That's why I can't."

Dean looks away. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I can't just sit around, drinking eggnog, pretending everything's okay, when I know next Christmas you'll be dead." Dean nods. "I just can't. Jamie can't either. That's why she hasn't called. Why she isn't gonna call."

Dean nods, realizing the sadness in Sam's voice. Both of them are silent.

Sam has another flashback. He's is on the couch reading a comic book. Dean walks inside the room, holding a bag of groceries. "Thought you went out."

"Yeah, to get you dinner." He tosses Sam packaged food. "Don't forget your vegetables." He tosses him another bag of snack food and takes off his jacket, sits down on his bed and opens a drink can. Sam sits on the other bed.

"I know why you keep a gun under your pillow."

Dean lifts his pillow and sees his gun. "No, you don't. Stay out of my stuff."

"And I know why we lay salt down everywhere we go."

"No, you don't."

"And why Dad made Jamie leave."

"Shut up!" Sam turns around and grabs something under his bed. It's John's journal. Sam tosses it onto the nightstand between the beds. Dean stands up. "Where'd you get that? That's Dad's! He's gonna kick your ass for reading that."

"Are monsters real?"

"What? You're crazy."

"Tell me."

Dean looks away and hesitates. "I swear, if you ever tell Dad I told you any of this, I will end you."

"Promise."

Dean sits down and looks at John's journal. "Well, the first thing you have to know is we have the coolest dad in the world. He's a superhero."

"He is?"

"Yeah. Monsters are real. Dad fights them. He's fighting them right now."

"But Dad said the monsters under my bed weren't real."

"That's 'cause he had already checked under there. But yeah, they're real. Almost everything's real."

"Is Santa real?"

Dean shakes his head. "No."

Sam pauses. "If monsters are real, then they could get us. They could get me."

"Dad's not gonna let them get you."

"But what if they get him?"

"They aren't gonna get Dad. Dad's, like, the best."

"I read in Dad's book that they got Mom."

Dean exhales. "It's complicated, Sam."

"If they got Mom, they can get Dad and if they can get Dad, they can get us."

"It's not like that." Dean moves and sits next to Sam.

"Well then why did he make Jamie leave?"

"Cause he had to."

"Why? I don't understand."

"Cause…Cause Jamie looks like Mom, okay?"

"So he thinks that what hurt Mom will go after her?"

"Stop, okay? Dad's fine. We're fine. Trust me." Sam looks sad and worried. "You okay?"

"Yeah." He looks away.

"Hey, Dad's gonna be here for Christmas. Just like he always is."

Sam holds back tears. "I just want to go to sleep, okay?"

"Yeah, okay."

Sam lies down on the bed and cries quietly. Dean stays sitting on the edge of the bed. "It'll all be better when you wake up. You'll see. Promise."

The flashback ends and a tear falls down Sam's cheek. He looks over at Dean, whose asleep. Quietly he gets up and goes into the bathroom. He dials a number and leans against the sink. It goes to voicemail. "Jamie, it's Sam, I know you're there and so help me God if you don't pick up this phone…"

There's a click on the other end and Jamie picks up. "Sam?"

"Jamie? Hey baby."

"I uh…I know what you're thinking."

"Good, so where are you?"

"Sam…"

"Jamie…all he wants is to have Christmas. Don't we owe him that?" After a moment he realizes Jamie is crying on the other end. "Jamie? Oh god, I'm sorry, don't…don't cry."

"It's not you, Sammy. I just…god I love him so much and I just…I can't accept that he's gonna die. And I'm afraid if I see him again…"

"Maybe that's all the reason to see him again."

The next morning Sam and Dean walk up to a big white house with Christmas decorations on the lawn.

"This is where Mrs. Wreath lives, huh? Can't you just feel the evil pagan vibe?" They walk up to the porch and Dean knocks on the door. Madge greets them.

"Yes?"

Dean grins. "Please tell me you're the Madge Carrigan who makes the meadowsweet wreaths."

"Why, yes I am."

"Ha! Bingo." Dean smiles at Sam.

Sam fake grins. "Yeah? Uh, well, we were just admiring your wreaths in Mr. Sylar's place the other day."

"You were? Well, isn't that meadowsweet just the finest-smelling thing you ever smelled?"

While they talk Dean glances around inside the house. "It is, it sure is. But the problem is, is that all you wreaths had sold out before we got the chance to buy one." Sam tells her.

"Oh, fudge!"

"You wouldn't have another one that we could buy from you, would you?" Dean asks.

"Oh, no, I'm afraid those were the only ones I had for this season."

Sam feigns disappointment. "Aww…"

"Tell me something, why did you decide to make them out of meadowsweet?"

Mr Carrigan comes down the staircase inside the house.

"Why, the smell, of course! I don't think I've ever smelled anything finer."

"Yeah… um, you mentioned that." Sam tells her.

"What's going on, honey?"

"Well, just some nice boys asking about my wreaths, dear."

"Oh, the wreaths are fine. Fine wreaths. Oh, care for some peanut brittle?" He offers them peanut brittle.

Dean reaches out to take some, but Sam slaps Dean's arm away. "We're okay."

Back in the motel Dean sits down on the bed and Sam sits on the couch, opening his laptop when there's a knock on the door. The brothers look at one another and then Sam gets up to answer it while Dean pulls out his gun. Sam pulls the door open to reveal Jamie leaning against the post. She looks tired and pale, dressed in dark jeans and a baggy grey-tshirt, but she's smiling. Dean drops his gun on the bed and walks over to her in disbelief. None of them say anything for a long time. Finally Jamie rushes towards Dean who catches her in his arms. Sam moves over to hug her from behind.

A little while later Dean and Jamie are sharpening a wooden stakes, while Sam uses the laptop. Five other wooden stakes are on the bed and floor near Dean.

Sam claps his hands excitedly. "I knew it. Something was way off with those two."

"What'd you find?" Dean asks, looking up towards him.

"The Carrigans lived in Seattle, last year, where two abductions took place right around Christmas. They moved here in January."

Jamie gets up and goes to look over Sam's shoulder. "So all that Christmas crap in their house – that wasn't boughs of holly. It was vervain and mint."

"Pagan stuff?" Dean asks.

"Serious pagan stuff." Jamie tells him.

"So what, Ozzie and Harriet are keeping a pagan god hidden underneath their plastic-covered couch?"

"I don't know. All I know we're gotta check them out. So, Jamie, you're sure evergreen stakes will kill this thing, right?" Sam asks, leaning back and looking at his sister.

Dean looks at the stake. "Yeah, she's sure."

That night the siblings walk toward the house. Dean picks the lock. They slowly go inside and Sam passes Dean and Jamie a wooden stake. Dean looks at the couch that still covered with plastic, and whispers. "See? Plastic." He goes into the living room and looks at all the Christmas ornaments, while Sam and Jamie go to the hall, which is also decorated with ornaments and snow globes.

They go into the kitchen and sees plates of cookies and cakes. Sam shines his flashlight on the lock of a door. "Hey, Dean." He calls.

They walk downstairs to the basement with Dean leading the way. He points his flashlight and finds bones covered with blood in a large bowl. Jamie shines her flashlight around the railing and sees a puddle of blood. They check the room and realize the whole basement looks like a butchery room rather than a storage room. Sam and Jamie find a leather bag covered with blood. She cringes. He looks disgusted and moves to another spot. Jamie sees something against the far wall, another bag. She nods to Sam and they walk over to it. He pokes a bag that is hanging from the wall and the bag moves – someone inside is struggling. The twins yell and jump back in horror. Madge grabs unto Jamie and throws her hard into the wall, knocking her unconscious. Sam reactions but she grabs his neck and lifts him off the ground.

"Jamie! Sam!" Dean yells. Madge pushes Sam against a wall and holds him by the throat. Dean runs to him and tries to stake Madge, but Mr Carrigan grabs his arm and knocks his head against a wall. Dean falls to the ground, unconscious. Madge looks at her husband, who smiles and nods and looks back at Sam, who is struggling to breathe.

"Gosh, I wish you boys hadn't come down here." Sam moves his flashlight to the their faces, which appear monster-like when in the beam of the flashlight but turn back to normal out of the light. Madge shoves Sam hard against the wall and Sam falls to the ground.

A number of bowls and a knife are set out on the kitchen table. Sam, Jamie, and Dean are tied up in chairs, back to back.

"Dean? You okay?" Sam asks.

"Yeah, I think so." He answers. "Jamie, you hurt?"

"Just my pride." She mutters.

"You still got your powers?" Dean glances over at her.

"Course I still have my powers. Not that they're doin me a load of good right now."

"Weird, Sam doesn't."

"I know."

Sam sighs. "So, I guess we're dealing with Mr. and Mrs. God." Dean nods.

"Nice to know." Jamie remarks. She struggles against the ropes.

The Carrigans come into the kitchen, dressed in colorful Christmas- themed sweaters.

"Ooh, and here we thought you three lazybones were gonna sleep straight through all the fun stuff." She giggles. Jamie gags.

"Miss all this? Nah, we're partyers." Dean says sarcastically.

Mr Carrigan smokes his pipe. "Isn't he a kick in the pants, honey? You're hunters, is what you are."

"And you're pagan gods." Jamie shoots back.

"Yeah, so, why don't we just call it even and go our separate ways?" Dean suggests.

"What, so you can bring more hunters and kill us?" He laughs. "I don't think so."

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you went snacking on humans." Sam tells him.

"Oh now, don't get all wet."

"Oh, why, we used to take over a hundred tributes a year and that's a fact." Madge puts a napkin on Dean's lap. "Now what do we take? What, two? Three?" She put another napkin on Jamie's lap and on Sam's.

"Hardy boys and Nancy Drew here make six." Mr Carrigan remarks.

"Now, that's not so bad, is it?"

Dean rolls his eyes. "Well, you say it like that – I guess you guys are the Cunninghams."

"You, mister, better show us a little respect."

Sam smirks. "Or what? You'll eat us?"

"Not so fast." He looks at Madge who looks excited. "There's rituals to be followed first."

"Oh, we're just sticklers for ritual."

"And you know what kicks off the whole shebang?" Madge smiles.

"Let me guess… meadowsweet." Jamie mutters.

"Oh!" Madge clicks her tongue at her.

"Oh shucks, you're all out of wreaths. I guess we'll just have to cancel the sacrifice, huh?" Dean tells them.

"Oh, don't be such a gloomy Gus." Madge put wreaths around the siblings' necks. "There. Ohh… Don't they just look darling?"

"Good enough to eat." He smacks his lips. "All right-roo. Step number two."

"Make them stop talking. I hate it when they talk." Jamie whines. Dean and Sam smirk lightly, glancing at her.

Mr Carrigan walks to Sam carrying a knife and a bowl. He holds the bowl under Sam's arm and prepares to cut him with the knife.

"Sammy?! Sammy?!" Dean and Jamie both yell.

He slices Sam's arm and collects his blood in the bowl. "D-Don't!" Sam screams.

"Get the hell away from my brother!" Jamie hisses.

"Leave him alone, you son of a bitch!" Dean yells.

"Hear how they talk to us? To Gods?" Mr Carrigan remarks, setting down the bowl with Sam's blood and picking up another bowl. "Listen, pal, back in the day, we were worshiped by millions."

"Times have changed!" Dean yells.

"Tell me about it. All of a sudden, this Jesus character is the hot new thing in town. All of a sudden, our – our altars are being burned down, and we're being hunted down like common monsters." He walks over to Jamie.

"But did we say a peep? Oh… no, no, no, we did not." Madge adds something to the bowl with Sam's blood.

"You stick that blade in me, you'll be wearing it." Jamie spits, staring at Mr. Carrigan. He smiles and then cuts her arm. Jamie cries out. "I'm gonna kill you, bastard!"

"Jamie! Jamie!" Dean fights the ropes.

"Two millennium." Madge remarks. "We kept a low profile; we got jobs, a mortgage. Wh-What was that word, dear?"

"We assimilated."

"Yeah, we assimilated. Why, we play bridge on Tuesday and Fridays." She picks up a large knife. "We're just like everybody else."

Dean shakes his head. "You're not blending in as smooth as you think, lady."

"This might pinch a bit, dear." Madge comes closer to Dean and slices his arm.

Dean screams. "You bitch!"

Madge looks taken aback. "Oh, my goodness me! Somebody owes a nickel to the swear jar. Oh, do you know what I say when I feel like swearing?" Dean looks Madge in the eyes. "Fudge."

"I'll try and remember that!" He says, his voice breaking.

"You three have no idea how lucky you are. There was a time when kids came from miles around, just to be sitting where you are." He stands in front of Sam with a tool.

Sam looks panicked. "What do you think you're doing with those?"

He smiles.

Jamie closes her eyes and starts chanting softly in Latin. "Humiliare sub potenti manu dei, contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomine, quem inferi tremunt."

Dean looks at Madge. "You fudging touch me again and I'll fudging kill you!"

"Very good!" Madge slices Dean's other arm and he groans in pain, while Mr Carrigan grabs Sam's hand.

"No! Don't." Sam pleads.

He pulls the nail of Sam's index finger and Sam screams. He holds up the nail. "Oh, we got a winner!"

They put all the ingredients in the bowl and stir them. "What else, dear?"

"Well, let's see. Uh, fingernail, blood. Oh…" He hits his own head. "sweet Peter on a popsicle stick…" He laughs. "I forgot the tooth."

"Oh, dear!"

Dean is breathing hard. "Merry Christmas, Sam." Sam groans. "Merry Christmas Jamie." Jamie chokes out a sob.

Mr Carrigan picks up pliers and grabs Dean's chin. "Open wide… and say, "Aaah." HHe puts the pliers into Dean's mouth and Dean groans. The doorbell rings.

"Somebody gonna get that?" Dean mutters. The gods look each other. Sam looks relieved. "You should get that."

Mr. Carrigan sighs. "Come on." He puts the pliers down and they leave the room, closing the door behind them.

Dean sighs in relief and runs his tongue around his teeth. Jamie opens her eyes and the ropes break from her wrists. She gets up and puts Dean's bonds and then Sam's. "Took you long enough." Dean remarks. Jamie gives him a look. They look around.

The Carrigans open the door to the kitchen and hurry inside. "Now, where were we?"

The two doors to the kitchen close. Sam, Jamie, and Dean are behind them. Dean stands with his back to one while Sam and Jamie are against the other door as the Carrigans try to open them. Dean pulls out a drawer to hold his door closed and goes to help Sam and Jamie.

He leans one hand against the door. "What do we do now? The evergreen stakes are in the basement!"

"Well, we need more evergreen, Dean!" Sam yells.

Jamie looks at the Christmas tree. "I think I just found us some more."

Sam looks at large cabinet next to the door. "Help me get this."

They start to move the cabinet, but Jamie stops them. "Guys, move." They back away and Jamie waves her hand, blocking the door with the cabinet. They rush to push the Christmas tree over as the banging continues. They break branches from the tree to use as stakes. All is silent when they approach the kitchen door. Suddenly Mr Carrigan tackles Dean to the ground. Jamie starts for him, but is blindsided by Madge he who knocks her to the ground and then walks up to Sam.

"You little thing." Her face momentarily distorts. "I loved that tree."

Sam raises his stake. Madge hits Sam hard and he crashes into the couch and onto the floor. Mr Carrigan punches Dean a number of times in the face. Madge walks closer to Sam and he hits her with the branches. Madge is about to attack Sam when Jamie stabs her with the Christmas tree stake from behind. Sam stabs her in front.

"Madge!"

Sam and Jamie push the stakes deeper and Madge groans, while Dean takes the opportunity and hits Mr Carrigan with branches. Sam pushes his stake in further and Madge falls to the ground, dead. Jamie rips her out and whirls around, stabbing Mr. Carrigan in the back. He falls to the ground and Dean stabs him twice and he screams in pain. He lies dead, next to his wife. Sam breathes heavily, while Jamie drops to one knee, taking deep breaths, and Dean sighs in relief. They look at the dead bodies.

"Merry Christmas." Sam remarks. He looks at his siblings, smiles briefly and sighs. Dean shakes his head. Jamie rolls her eyes and snickers, looking at her arms.

Sam has another flashback. It's snowing outside. He is asleep and Dean shakes him. "Sam, wake up!" Sam wakes. "Dad was here. Look what he brought." Dean looks around at a little Christmas tree, decorated with a few lights.

"Dad was here?" Sam asks.

"Yeah. Look at this, we made a killing."

Sam yawns. "Why didn't he try to wake me up?"

"He tried to, like a thousand times."

"He did?"

Dean nods. "Yeah. Did I tell you he would give us Christmas, or what?" Sam looks around. "Go on, dive in."

Sam jumps out of his bed and hurries to the Christmas tree. He finds two presents wrapped with Christmas- themed gift wrap. One of them has green shiny bow. Sam sits on the couch and unwraps his first gift. Dean sits on the other end of the couch and watches, excitedly.

Dean smiles. "What is it?"

"Sapphire Barbie."

Dean chuckles. "Oh, Dad probably messed up your gift with Jamie's. Guess she got the army men instead."

"Shut up!" Sam throws the Barbie onto the ground.

"Open that one."

Sam opens the other present and finds a cheerleading stick. He looks at Dean. "Dad never showed, did he?"

"Yeah, he did, I swear."

"Dean…. Where'd you get all this stuff?"

Dean realizes he can't lie anymore and looks down. "Nice house up the block." Sam looks away. "I swear I didn't know they were chick presents." Sam nods. "Look, I'm sure Dad would have been here if he could."

"If he's alive."

"Don't say that. Of course he's alive. He's Dad."

Sam nods and Dean looks sad. Sam takes the present he wrapped from the pocket of a jacket that is lying over the arm of the couch. He holds it out to Dean. "Here, take this."

"No. No, that's for Dad."

"Dad lied to me. I want you to have it." Sam continues to hold out the gift. Dean looks at it and at Sam.

"You sure?"

Sam nods. "I'm sure."

Dean looks at the gift again and takes it. He unwraps the gift, which is a gold amulet on a black string. "Thank you, Sam. I-I love it." Dean puts on the necklace. Sam nods.

The flashback looks touched with his own memory. Jamie is sitting beside him, holding his hand. Ella Fitzgerald's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" plays as Dean walks into the room. He looks surprised because Sam and Jamie have decorated the room with a Christmas tree and "Merry Christmas" sign.

"Hey, you get the beer?" Sam asks holding a cup of eggnog. He and Jamie get up to greet him.

Dean looks kind of amazed. "What's all this?" He looks at the decorations in the room.

"What do you think it is?" Sam asks. "It's –"

"It's Christmas." Jamie finishes for him.

Dean looks at Sam, who lets out a deep breath. "What made you change your mind?"

Sam doesn't answer. "Here, uh, try the eggnog." He gives him a cup. "Let me know if it needs some more kick." He holds out a bottle of whiskey.

Dean sips it and looks surprised at the taste. "No, we're good."

"Yeah?" Sam asks, excitedly.

Dean smiles. "Yeah." When Sam looks away, Dean changes his expression, like it tastes toxic. Jamie hands him hers behind Sam's back.

"Good. Well, uh, have a seat. Let's do… Christmas stuff, or whatever."

Dean looks at the Christmas tree, which is decorated with lights and car air fresheners. He nods, happy. "All right, first things first." Sam and Jamie sit on the couch and Dean pulls up a chair. He takes two packages wrapped in brown paper from a plastic bag and holds them out to Sam. "Merry Christmas, Sam."

Sam takes them. "Where'd you get these?"

"Someplace special." Sam looks at him as he takes out two more packages and hands them to Jamie. Dean relents. "The gas mart down the street." Jamie and Sam look at each other and laugh. "Open them up."

"Well, great minds think alike, Dean." Sam reaches under the couch for two packages wrapped in newspaper, which he gives to Dean.

Dean looks surprised. "Really?" He takes the gifts.

"There you go."

"Come on."

"Oh, and Jamie." Sam takes out a third package and hands it to her. She smiles at him, and then takes out two packages wrapped similar to Dean's. She hands one to Sam and one to Dean.

"Okay, who goes first?" She asks.

"You should, Jamie." Dean tells her. Sam nods.

Jamie laughs, pulling the paper off her gift from Sam. She smirks seeing that they're roses. "Sam…" She hugs him and he hugs her back. Dean gives Sam a look. He shrugs. Jamie opens her first gift from Dean. It's a bottle of Jack, which she sets on the table with the whiskey, giving Dean an appreciative smile. She pauses after unwrapping the second, and looks at her oldest brother. "Somehow I always figured I'd get these from you." It's a box of condoms.

"Hey, they're half for AJ." Dean remarks with a grin.

"Where is AJ anyway?" Sam asks.

Jamie sighs and grins. "AJ is in Vermont at his mom's house with Aaron and his new wife."

"Oh do not tell me you passed up a real Christmas dinner!" Dean remarks, his eyes wide. "Please don't tell me you passed up a real Christmas dinner to come here and have Christmas with us."

"Oh yeah, and I'm real thrilled I did." She holds up her heavily bandaged arms. "Hey, Christmas is about family, and you two are my family." She pauses. "Though not before I raided the fridge." She picks up a small cooler and opens it, taking out a whole apple pie and a tin of cookies. She hands the apple pie to Dean who sniffs it and looks up at her with a wide grin. "Merry Christmas." She tells him.

"Mrs. Jefferson's homemade apple pie." He plants a kiss on his sister's cheek before she sits back down. He sets the pie aside and opens the wrapped gift she gave him. "H-hey my baby sister got me porn!" He grins. "I'm never gonna get that outta my head."

"Yeah well the custom leather seats for the car didn't come in on time." Jamie says, casually. Dean raises an eyebrow and she smirks. "I'm kidding. I'm kidding."

Sam laughs and opens the tin of cookies. He smiles, putting one in his mouth and pulling Jamie into a hug. He starts to open the wrapped gift but Jamie stops him. "You outta open Dean's first."

He looks confused and then he opens his first gift from Dean, which is two porn magazines. He laughs again. "Skin mags!" Dean nods, satisfied with Sam's reaction. He opens Jamie's present, which is KY jelly.

Jamie shrugs. "We coordinated." She nods to Dean. Sam shakes his head, pulling his sister into a tighter hug and planting a kiss on her head.

"And…" He opens the other gift. "Shaving cream."

"You like?" Dean asks.

Sam smiles. "Yeah. Yeah." He nods.

It's Dean's turn to open his presents from Sam. He chuckles and unwrap the gifts."Look at this." He lifts his presents, it's a candy bar and a bottle of oil. "Fuel for me and fuel for my baby." Sam nods. "These are awesome, thanks."

"Good." Suddenly there's a bit of sadness in his face.

Dean lifts his glass of eggnog. "Merry Christmas, guys."

"Merry Christmas." Jamie raises her glass to Dean's.

"Yeah." Sam lifts his eggnog and makes a toast with their glasses. "Here, Merry Christmas."

The three of them are silent, knowing that this could be their last Christmas together. They each take a drink of their eggnog and Jamie whistles softly at the taste.

"Hey, Dean." Sam looks sad and about to say something, but he hesitates, then sighs and looks at Dean again. "Do you feel like watching the game?"

Dean smiles. "Absolutely."

He glances at Jamie who grins. Sam nods. "All right." Sam stands up and turns on the TV. They watch the winter football game. Sam glances at Dean and Dean smiles. He glances at Sam and takes another drink of his eggnog. Jamie looks at Dean and he grins at her. She curls up against Sam's chest and Sam drapes an arm over her.