In the teacher's lounge, Will was reading. Emma sat down in front of him. "Hi, Will. Are you okay? We haven't talked at all since Sectionals. What are you doing for Christmas this year?"

"Just gonna spend some quiet time alone."

"Will, you can't spend Christmas by yourself. Look, Carl and I are having a Christmas Eve party. You should come."

"Well, thanks, Emma. That's very sweet of you, but I don't think Carl wants me there."

Beiste walked in. "Okay, educators, gather round. It's time to pick your Secret Santa. You get who you get and you don't get upset." Are you sure about that, Beiste? Because when Will drew a name, it read "Sue." Emma wasn't thrilled about who she drew, either. Neither was anyone else in the room.

In the choir room, everyone was decorating and getting ready for Christmas. Mike and Brittany were dancing together. Some put the tree up, others were wrapping presents.

Will walked in. "Hey, guys. What's all this?"

Finn said, "Oh, we were just trying to get into the Christmas spirit, Mr. Shue. It's my favorite holiday. I found this tree on the side of the road. It must've fallen off a car or something."

Mercedes said, "This tree is like our mascot. We won Sectionals two years in a row and everyone still hates us. They've even started Slushing teachers now." Will raised his eyebrows.

Shelby and Jack were walking down the hallway in a flashback. Jack said, "So I was thinking maybe we could grade papers at my place, have some pizza or something."

Shelby said, "Ooh. Pizza. What, with Sour Patch Kids?"

Karofsky and Azimio splashed them, Shelby with green and Jack with red. Azimio yelled, "Ho-ho-ho! Happy holidays, teachers!"

Back in the present, Mike said, "They used red and green food coloring in the parking lot."

Lauren said, "You can eat that, you know."

Brittany said, "Pretty soon, no one will bully us."

Lauren said, "She's kidding, right?"

Will said, "Guys, I appreciate the effort, but I am not gonna let you guys throw a pity party. This year, McKinley is going to donate to the Vent-o Homeless Children and Youth Center."

They were all singing a combination of "Deck the Halls" and "Up on the Rooftop." Some of the students were not enthusiastic. The guy who looked like Lee Jordan had NO taste in music whatsoever.

Back in the choir room, everyone was still decorating the tree.

Claire said, "There are a lot of Santa naysayers in the world."

Sam said, "Which is anyone over the age of 10."

Rachel's voice-over said, "Well, I'm not as greedy as Quinn or Santana. This year for Christmas, I'm hoping to get a kiss under the mistletoe from a Mr. Jack Masterson. Not really a lip-lock, more of a peck on the cheek. But I haven't had much luck so far."

Then in another flashback, Rachel ran excitedly to the doorway of a hallway after flipping her hair back. By the time she stopped there, she said, "Ahem. Hey, Jack."

Jack looked at her and smiled, "Oh, hey, Rachel. What's up?"

"Funny you should ask that."

However, Sue appeared and said, "What is this doing up here?" She pulled the mistletoe down with a yank.

Tina hissed. Mercedes said, "Ooh."

Rachel said, "Probably should've seen that one coming."

Back in the present, Shelby walked to Rachel and asked, "Hey, Rachel, what are you doing?"

"Well, it is Christmas. I'm hoping to get Jack a decent present. I know I'm in over my head trying to find a present for someone I hardly know, but I just can't help myself. I haven't said one intelligent thing since I met the guy and I just… I want him to take me seriously."

"Honey, everyone takes you seriously. I certainly do."

"Well, despite that, he makes me want to be a better person."

"Rachel, you already are a great person."

"Some people don't think so."

"Well, maybe next year, you'll find Mr. Right."

Rachel looked at Jack and said, "In fact, I think Mr. Right could be right around that corner."

"That's oddly specific."

"I think he likes you."

Shelby smirked at her.

Rachel was in the auditorium. "Now, remember, it has to be lush and romantic."

Finn asked, "Why?"

"Well, because I'm very specific when I give a gift. So, how do you like my winter wonderland?"

"Well, I don't really like artificial trees. I like real ones."

"Right. Anyway, I'm thinking about what I should give for a present. Being a Jew, I don't generally give Christmas gifts, but considering how much you like the holiday, I figured I'd make an exception. What do you think of this?"

Finn opened it and read the note, "The bearer of this note is entitled to one song of Rachel Berry's choosing, sung to him or her with love."

"At least it's not a kitten."

The guitarist said, "Should we leave?"

"No," Rachel told him. "Besides, the AV club worked really hard on the snow." She started singing, "Merry Christmas, Darling" by the Carpenters, fantasizing about Jack. Although she also had feelings for Finn, she couldn't help having a crush on Jack. Even though she also knew that he had a crush on Shelby. Quinn and Sam were kissing under their own mistletoe.

Jack was in a studio working on some choreography. He was spinning and panting, then Shelby walked by and stood by the doorway, smiling. Jack was just about done when he noticed her reflection in the mirror. "Shelby."

"Hey. Sorry, the door was open. Now, why didn't you tell me you could dance?"

"You didn't ask."

Shelby said, "Did you always want to be a dancer?"

Jack said, "Well, I took a couple of lessons when I was in high school, but I had to beg my parents to let me take them privately so no one would tease me about it."

"Well," Shelby replied, "the joke would've been on them. You're actually really good."

Jack smiled, walked and turned on a radio nearby. Soft music started to play. He held out his hand and said, "Would you like to dance?"

Shelby said, "I don't know. I'm not very much of a dancer. I just can't dance."

"Well, maybe I could teach you."

Shelby smiled and gave him her hand, he pulled her close and they started to dance.

Jack said, "Just try not to step on my toes." Shelby chuckled.

Blaine put down a radio. "Hey."

Kurt said, "You scared me. What's with the boom box?"

"I need you to sing with me. Well, rehearse with me. I got a gig singing Baby, It's Cold Outside."

"Ah, a personal favorite."

"Will you sing it with me?"

"Anything to get me to take a break from reading Naked Heat." Blaine closed the book and turned on the radio. They were singing "Baby, it's Cold Outside" while, elsewhere, Shelby and Jack were dancing. He twirled her and did a few spins. Jack dipped Shelby, and they spun around a few times. Blaine played a few notes on the piano. When the music stopped, the dance stopped. Shelby was panting. Blaine chuckled. Kurt told him, "I think you're ready."

"Wow," Shelby said. Jack smiled sheepishly. He felt his face burning and he chuckled. Shelby said, "Well, if there were ever a dance contest, I think you'd win first place."

Jack said, "Well, for the record, I think you'd be a better dance partner than Sue."

Shelby chuckled, "I should get going. I told Rachel I would meet her. Thanks for the dance, Jack."

"Anytime." And Shelby took off. Jack sighed deeply and blushed.

Back at Dalton, Will came by for some advice on what to give Sue for Christmas. They hugged. "Mr. Shue."

"It's good to see you, Kurt. Friend of yours?"

"Yeah, just a friend. But I'm in love with him and he's actually gay, so I call that progress."

"Listen, do you think you could give me some pointers? I'm completely tapping out here. I haven't always been the best at giving gifts."

Rachel and Jack were walking down the hallway the next day. "Would you like to dance?" Rachel said, surprised. "You actually said that to her?"

Jack smiled, "It felt like I was floating."

Rachel said, "High-five," and they did.

Will walked with Emma, "I can tell who wrapped that. Who's it for?"

"Sue," Emma said with disdain, "I drew her as my Secret Santa."

"Wait, that's not possible. Sue's my Secret Santa."

Beiste said, "No, I'm Sue's Secret Santa."

Sue said, "I'm everybody's Secret Santa."

Shelby sighed, "Wow, Sue. Wow. Anything to save a buck."

"I'm sorry. Who are you again?"

"Shelby Corcoran. Rachel's sister."

"Oh, right. You're the lady who won with Vocal Adrenaline last year at Regionals. Kudos, by the way."

Emma asked, "You rigged Secret Santa?"

Beiste said, "How? It was my idea."

Sue said, "You're not the only one who consumes protein bars."

In a flashback, while Beiste was helping Sue with the lights, Becky swapped the jars.

Emma said, "With only your name."

Shelby said, "Some of those presents have to go to a children's center. That's 200 times 25 plus 75 equals… I don't have a calculator."

Emma said, "You're not gonna get away with this, Sue."

Sue said, "I think I already have. I love getting presents. William, Elmo, Beiste, you." Shelby glared at her.

Will said, "You know what you are, Sue? You're a Grinch."

Beiste said, "This is a very expensive blender."

Will dropped her phone on purpose. Becky picked it up and put it back.

"At ease, Becky."

The glee girls were about to start "Rocking Around the Bathroom Stall," which is a song parody from Jingle Spells, by the Moaning Myrtles. (It's a Harry Potter fan album, but perfectly legal.) They all seemed to be enjoying themselves. Rachel was singing with Claire, Mercedes with Tina, even Brittany and Santana were enjoying themselves. Quinn too.

Sue painted her face green to make her look like the Grinch and dressed up like Santa. Becky looked like Grinch's dog, Max, with an antler on her head. In the choir room, they desecrated the tree and the present. Sinking so low.

Will walked in and stopped whistling when he saw the mess.

Mercedes said, "They took everything."

Tina said, "Even the gifts we were gonna give to the homeless kids."

Rachel said, "Just more proof that everyone at this school hates us."

Will said, "It's not the school. It's Sue. She did this."

Claire said, "I'm not surprised."

Finn said, "All around the world, way worse stuff has happened than this. I'm not gonna let this get us down. Tis the season."

Will said, "I agree. Come on, guys. Let's clean this up."

Rachel smiled when she saw Jack. She took a breath and walked to the doorway. Finn turned to look. Rachel stopped at the doorway. Jack turned and said, "Hey, Rachel."

"Hi."

"What the heck happened in here?"

"Sue happened. She destroyed our tree and took all our presents. Even the ones we had to give to the homeless shelter."

"Wow, taking gifts from homeless kids. That is a whole new kind of low."

"Yeah, well, anyway, now we have to get a new one. I don't suppose you know any Christmas tree lots. I know you're still new in this town, but you must know some locations here by now."

"Actually, I do. I don't have anything to do tonight. Maybe I could get you guys a new tree."

"Would you? That'd be so great."

"You want to come with me?"

"Yes! Uh, I mean, yeah. Okay, that'd be great."

"Then I'll see you tonight." He walked away. Rachel's heart started beating rapidly.

At the tree lot, Rachel and Jack were walking at night looking for a tree.

Jack asked, "What's that smell?"

Rachel said, "Oh. Christmas pine. I know how much people like that scent, but I guess I don't really need it now that we have the real thing." She cleared her throat and grabbed his arm. "It's so cold out. It's cuddle weather."

"Uh, it's unseasonably warm for this time of year, but…"

"I just really wanted to come here with you. I mean, the tree is the foundation of Christmas. I know it's not what's important, but it's nice to look at. It's the hearth of Christmas. Without it, there wouldn't be anywhere to hang the ornaments or put presents under."

"Yeah."

"Oh, I love this song. It's one of my favorites from Wham."

"Yeah. Um, I'm gonna look down this row of firs and maybe you could check out the Douglasses. I'll meet you at the end."

"Okay." Last Christmas played.

After a while, Rachel said, "So, what do you want for Christmas?"

"All I want, Rachel, is to be with my family."

"Oh. Well, that's easy. All you have to is be with them."

"It's not that easy. My whole family lives in LA. That's where I'm from. But after what Sue did to all the teachers, I don't know if I'm gonna make it this year."

"It's Christmas, Jack. You should be with your family."

"I don't have enough money for a plane ticket. Thanks for being here with me, Rachel, but I'm just not feeling the Christmas spirit this year. Come on, I'll take you home." He walked away.

Rachel looked so sad.

In the choir room, Finn said, "This was my dad's."

Mike said, "He'd want you to do it for those kids." Finn put his watch in a hat.

Puck said, "This was my uncle's." He and Sam put their watches in.

Quinn said, "I'm gonna look terrible."

Tina said, "Oh, please. With your looks, you could rock the Rosemary's baby look and still look good. I'm gonna look like Jackie Chan."

Rachel said, "If Barbra can pull off a bob, so can I."

Santana said, "Enough yapping. Let's do this."

Will stopped everyone. "What's going on in here?"

Mercedes said, "We're going all Gift of the Magi to raise money for the homeless kids."

Will said, "You can't do that."

Santana said, "Oh, no, it's cool. Most of this isn't mine anyway."

Rachel said, "We tried caroling and that didn't turn out well."

Artie said, "Wait, I thought you and Jack were getting us a new tree."

Rachel said, "We went, but Jack bailed at the last minute before we could get one. He's not gonna be able to afford to see his family this year."

Will said, "That sucks."

Puck scoffed, "So what? He can visit his family any old time."

Tina scolded, "Yeah, but at Christmas, you're supposed to be with your family."

Mercedes snapped, "You are not gonna diss that beautiful man on the most joyous of holidays." Finn and Mike glared at Puck.

Brittany said with dry sarcasm, "Yeah. Nice Christmas spirit, Puck."

Will said, "Look, guys, stop fighting. Did any of you ever actually read Gift of the Magi? None of you?"

Quinn said, "You don't have to read Gift of the Magi, everybody knows what happens in it."

"Well, if you actually read it, you'd know what it's about."

Santana said, "We know what it's about. Life freaking sucks."

Will said, "Actually, you're right."

In Shelby's apartment, Rachel was having dinner with her discussing their Christmas plans. Rachel said, "Shelby, my dads and I always have Christmas dinner together. Maybe this year you'd finally like to join us."

Shelby was a bit reluctant. "Um, Rachel, I'd love to, but you and I, we only just started getting to know each other."

"Yeah, I know, and it's been a couple of months, so I think that's a considerable amount of time. So, could you at least think about it first?"

Shelby raised her eyebrows before saying, "Well, I don't know. It's been so long since I saw Hiram and Leroy. I don't know how they'd feel about me being there."

"You don't have to come if it makes you feel uncomfortable."

"Well, if it means that much to you for me to be there, I might swing by."

"Really? Great."

Shelby smiled.

"You know, I think I might finally know a way how I can help someone."

In Jack's apartment, Shelby was helping him decorate the tree. She put the star and top and lost her balance. Jack grabbed her in time. "Oh, uh, thanks."

"Yeah."

As soon as they were done, she said, "Isn't that the most beautiful thing you've ever seen in your life?"

Jack looked at her and said, "Well, it's a close second."

Shelby said, "Merry Christmas, Jack."

"Merry Christmas, Shelby."

Shelby looked up and said, "What?" She noticed they were under the mistletoe. Jack looked up as well. Shelby smiled, touched his face, and kissed his cheek. He smiled. As soon as she walked off, Jack touched his cheek where she kissed him and kept smiling. Then he spun around and said, "Yeah!" He jumped. "Yes." He sighed.

In the teacher's lounge, the teens were asking the staff to give money to the kids. Finn said, "So, uh, we're your students. We're trying to raise money for the kids that have a lot less than we do." Music started to play.

Becky said, "What's that, Coach?" Then they walked to the teacher's lounge and everyone was singing "Happy Christmas Day" from Jingle Spells by Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls, the lead singer's name being Christian Caldera. They really enjoyed it. Artie liked it, Will loved it, even Puck didn't hate it. Finn looked like he was having the most fun. Anne Marie donated and gave Ian a high-five. Figgins smiled and all the teachers were delighted.

Becky said, "Christmas came anyway, Coach."

In the choir room, Artie got a re-walk from a man in Israel. Everyone smiled. Beiste smiled from the doorway.

Rachel walked in Jack's office after school when the holiday vacation started. She knocked on his door. "Hi."

"Rachel. Come on in."

"Um, I just wanted to see you. You know, before vacation started, and…I know what you're going to tell me. But you could've at least said something about not being able to see your family. Why would you ever want to spend the greatest holiday ever alone? And I'm Jewish."

"I guess it's just a lot less of a hassle." "Well, no one should be alone on Christmas, least of all you. So, I had this idea and I wanted to give you your present." She pulled out a white envelope with a red ribbon. "Merry Christmas, Jack." He took it and opened it. He looked inside and pulled out a ticket. Rachel said, "It's a plane ticket. So you can go to L.A. and be with your family."

"Seriously?"

"I made the first donation. All of the glee club did. Even my dads and Shelby offered some money."

Jack stood up and hugged her.

"Oh!" She giggled. She was surprised and smiled.

"This is the best present I ever got." He spun her around thrice. When he set her down, he put on his jacket and grabbed his bag. "Rachel, thank you," he said. "I guess I'd better go home and start packing. I'll see you in the new year." He kissed her cheek. "Happy Hanukkah, Rachel." As soon as he left, Rachel touched her cheek. Then she jumped in delight. "Yes."

In Will's apartment, Sue was there. "Hey, Will."

"How did you get in here?"

"I had a key made ages ago. You remember that meanie who stole all your gifts?"

"Yeah. What made her change her mind?"

"Call it a Christmas miracle and leave it at that." She blew her whistle.

Everyone else was there. They were decorating the tree.

"I thought you hated the holidays," Will said.

"I don't," Sue said. "I just hate you."

Rachel smiled at Finn. When she looked away, he smiled at her.

"Merry Christmas, Sue."

"Merry Christmas, Will."