Five months before the trivia night, Madeline wakes early on Christmas morning when Chloe climbs onto Madeline’s stomach to announce that the reindeer have eaten the carrots left out the night before. Madeline reflects that Ed carefully gnawed the carrots to make them look authentic, while Chloe hopes Santa has left Fred a potato as punishment for naughtiness.

Chloe runs to wake Fred, and Madeline teases the still-sleepy Ed by singing Christmas songs. Their playful routine is interrupted when Madeline receives a Christmas text from Abigail, who is spending the morning with Nathan, Bonnie, and Skye at a homeless shelter.

Abigail’s message says the experience is beautiful and that she feels blessed after peeling forty potatoes. Madeline is angered because Abigail never helps at home and seems to be imitating Bonnie’s virtuous language. Madeline also resents that Abigail appears to prefer Skye, Nathan and Bonnie’s daughter, over Chloe and Fred.

Madeline recalls running into Bonnie while Christmas shopping and being irritated by Bonnie’s disdain for Christmas commercialism. Madeline’s irritation sharpens as she wonders how Bonnie persuaded Nathan to wake early for volunteer work, something Madeline could not have made him do during their marriage.

When Madeline tells Ed that Abigail is having a beautiful experience with Bonnie at the shelter, Ed immediately calls it revolting, which comforts Madeline because he understands her jealousy and anger. Chloe and Fred then shout for presents, happily embracing the commercial Christmas Bonnie rejects.

In a later interview-style comment, Harper says the situation must have been strange because Madeline’s ex-husband’s child and Madeline’s child were in the same kindergarten class. Harper adds that Bonnie liked to pretend everything was amicable, but claims she saw Bonnie throw a drink over Madeline at trivia night.