From the popular comic strip comes a Christmas special. Elizabeth struggles with being the middle child. Join the family through some life lessons.
The Patterson family prepares to celebrate Christmas, but middle child Elizabeth Patterson is feeling increasingly left out. Her parents are too preoccupied with chores to pay attention to her, and her older brother Michael does not want to hang out with her. Elizabeth has been asked to watch over her baby sister April, but has a tough time with preventing the baby from damaging things. April breaks a Christmas angel, Elly Patterson's favorite Christmas ornament. Elly blames Elizabeth for the damage. Elizabeth later attempts to hang out with her friends, but they also seem to ignore her. While trying to entertain herself, Elizabeth has a minor accident and falls unconscious. She wakes up at night, lost in the woods outside her home. An unfamiliar old woman, Grace, offers her hospitality and gives her a pep talk. Grace later escorts Elizabeth home, while the worried Patterson family search the woods for Elizabeth. Grace mysteriously disappears, but the Pattersons are overjoyed to be reunited with Elizabeth. They muse that you can replace broken things, but your loved ones are irreplaceable.—Dimos I
The film opens with a view of snow houses covered in snow, and snow flakes falling. Music starts, and production name appears.
Cut to a moving image, following a 1980's circa Toyota station-waggon, with a tree, strapped to the roof, as it moves down the snow covered road.
The Patterson family drives into the drive, and unloads the Christmas tree (and accidentally hitting the family dog, in the process). Once inside, John, Michael and Elizabeth, stand the tree up, only to find out that it is too tall.
"I guess we under estimated the height", says John. Michael runs to get a hand-saw.
Elizabeth compliments to tree. John tells Elizabeth, that Mom thinks they went for groceries, revealing the tree to be a secret surprise.
Michael comes back, with hand-saw and begins cutting the bottom of the tree, to shorten it. As he is doing that, cuts to Ally (Mom) in the kitchen, listening to a radio announcement. She hears the sound of Michael, cutting the tree, and goes to investigate. As she leaves the kitchen, she noticed debris on the floor (small branches and such from the tree). She (Ally) enters the living room, to see the tree, and the everyone greets her, by saying "surprise!".
Ally stands there, looking shocked, while John goes on to explain that a real tree, is better and traditional. He (John) adjusts the tree some, which causes it to fall over moments later. Ally face-palms, while saying "This, is Christmas" to herself, disappointingly.
Cut to hallway, Ally is sweeping up the mess from the tree, while Elizabeth arrive with a box, asking if she (Ally) would like to decorate the tree.
Ally tells Elizabeth that she can't, because there is so much stuff to do. Elizabeth tries to say something, but Ally keeps interrupting her about chores, and responsibilities, without giving Elizabeth a chance to speak.
While they (Ally and Elizabeth) are talking, baby April, picks up an angel ornament from the box, Elizabeth has. This upsets Ally, because she had it for a long time, and special She worries about it getting broken.
Ally goes into the kitchen, while thinking out-load to herself, about too much stuff to do, and so little time.
Elizabeth sees Michael in the hallway, and asks him if, he would like to help her decorate the tree, but Mike has other plans. He is going out to clear snow from driveways, to make some income. Elizabeth asks, if she can come, but Mike says that having her around will just slow him down and "cramp my style". I chugs down a Cola, and burps. Elizabeth is upset, and an argument breaks out, how about how Mike don't think Elizabeth can push a shovel, and he adjusts her eye glasses, by turning to sideways.
After Mike leaves, Elizabeth sees her Dad in the hallway, and says the she is ready to decorate the tree. John (her Father) says that he has other things to do (while hiding some stuff behind his back). Since no one can help Elizabeth decorate the tree, she asks John, if she can decorate the tree herself. John says, she can, as long as she has help.
"Who's gonna help me?" Elizabeth says out-loud, to no one in particular. Ally (her Mother) hands her baby April, and asks her to look after her.
We later see Mike outside, with a snow-blower, getting ready to clear the driveway. As he starts the snow-blower, it covers the dog in snow. While he is clearing snow, he sings a parody version of "Jingle All The Way" about clearing snow and making money. He is approached by some of his friends who tried to get them to go snowmobiling, but he is more interesting in clearing driveways, to make some money, which he plans to buy some stuff for himself, for Christmas.
We see Elizabeth decorating the tree, and deciding what color ornaments to put on next. Baby April is tied to a table (assumingly by Elizabeth), and is grabbing at the Angel tree ornament, which is just out of her reach.
