Brothers & Sisters Episode 5.10 Cold Turkey

Christmas is canceled! Okay, not really. But Christmas as the Walker kids have always known is changing this year. Why? Well, Nora and Dr. Karl are off to New Mexico for the holidays. More on that later.

Sarah has the holiday blues. Her kids are snorkeling in Mexico with their dad and lover Luc is stuck in Shanghai. She's become somewhat Scrooge-like at the office, worrying about the bottom line. As for Kitty, she's having fun with the much younger Seth, who learns of the grand nature of a Nora Walker Christmas. Kitty says, "My mother's Christmases are like the opening ceremonies for the Winter Olympics."

Justin tries to make amends with Annie, the cute nurse he flaked on calling over a month ago. She's not very receptive until he mentions the traditional Christmas the family typically enjoys. Annie wonders if a Walker Christmas includes figgy pudding. If so, she's in. Justin says, of course, there will be figgy pudding! But we're thinking he doesn't even know what figgy pudding is.

When the Walker kids wonder why Nora's halls aren't decked with boughs of holly, she breaks the news about her New Mexico trip. The children are stunned. They always grumble about Nora's grandiose Christmas plans, but deep down they love it. Now, they have to fend for themselves. Kitty and Kevin both offer to play holiday host this year. Justin doesn't care who does it, as long they serve figgy pudding. Whatever that is.

Sarah asks station manager Frank to fire radio hosts Abner and Louise, but he just can't do it so close to the holidays. They've been on the air for 35 years. They're an institution! They're also only half human. See, Abner is a wood dummy and Louise is a sweet, little, old lady. But that doesn't stop Sarah from giving them both the boot. Bah, humbug, Sarah. Bah, humbug.

In the battle to determine who has the best holiday-themed house, Kevin and Kitty sneak over to Nora's place to snag all the cool things she uses to make Christmas so special. But neither place looks great without all the accessories in the same location. That goes for the family, too.

That's probably why Nora is having such a lousy time in New Mexico. Karl gives her a sedative to help her relax. This leads to an "It's a Wonderful Life" moment where Nora gets a peek at what things would have been like without her.Here's a sampling of what she sees:

- Kevin is married...to a woman! But he still sneaks away for a little Scotty on the side.

- Justin's always drunk because Nora wasn't there to rally the troops for his intervention.

- Kitty's always mumbling. Without her mom there to rebel against, she never found her voice.

- Holly ended up marrying William, so Nora's house belongs to her.

- Sarah is scheming businesswoman who masterminds a plot to kill the MIA Nora for her money.

Back in the real world, Saul runs into Jonathan, a man from his past. Saul wonders why Jonathan never called him to let him know that he was HIV positive. The reason is that he didn't remember sleeping with him. Obviously, their night together meant much more to Saul than it did to this guy. Fortunately, Saul has his family to help him through this sudden, unexpected holiday heartache.

Kevin and Kitty call a truce when they realize the holidays are all about family, and families should be together. This epiphany comes during a chat with Sarah, who is feeling bad about firing that old lady and her dummy buddy. But just like all the Whos in Whoville, the Walker kids rally to make this the best Christmas ever!

The kids decorate Nora's house to the hilt. Everyone is there, including Nora. You just knew she could never stay away from her kids at Christmas. She meets Kitty's new boyfriend, Seth. His age is surprising to the family and the news that his mom is the dean at Kitty's school is surprising to her.

As far as pleasant surprises go, it's nice to see Abner and Louise seated on the sofa reading a story to Evan. Sarah had a holiday change of heart and hired her back. Story time ends when once Scotty enters the room with dessert. Yep, you guessed it. He whipped up some fine figgy pudding. Happy holidays!