S09.E02: A Little Holiday Spirit

[Honey]

It's Christmas time, and the Klein-Arnold family is getting into the holiday spirit at the zoo!

Did anyone else think Zoey looked like Cindy Lu Who, when she was carrying that Christmas stocking that was as big as she is?

 

Grandpa/Santa played that perfectly in order to calm Zoey down.  Well done!

Those kids have wonderful grand-parents.

Edited June 3, 2015 by Honey

[TVFAN]

Do you know what I love about this show?  I can watch it without feeling as if I need to take a shower afterward.  No one is being mean or snarky.  No one is pushing an agenda.  No one is acting 19 when they are 52.  No one is drinking themselves stupid or having a mental breakdown on screen.

 

I'm watching two very nice people raise two adorable, normal, rambunctious preschoolers.  Like every other human on earth, I'm sure the Klein-Arnolds have their bad moments, but they are a pleasure to watch.  And it's good for me to see people who face challenges that I don't  and handle them with such grace.  Jen hauls her little step ladder all over that hospital with nary a word of complaint.  And I love seeing her in action at work.  She has worked so hard to get where she is.  Bill is clearly still in pain, but he grins and bears it and genuinely enjoys his family.  

 

Christmas in June made me smile.  Will and Zoe seem to be thriving.  If and when the show starts interfering with their ability to live a normal life, I hope and believe that Jen and Bill  will pull the plug on it.  But for now, all seems well.

[Lillybee]

Will's laugh could light up the world. Zoey is really beautiful, Padma needs to watch out.

I think that Jen is feeling more secure in her role as mother and seems to be loosening up which is good for the kids. The kids are now able to participate in conversations which is really nice.

 

I was glad that Jen corrected Will for licking the rolling pin unlike another TLC mother.

[rainbowrockgal]

This show is so sweet!  Those kids warm my heart and make me smile. With all the other "carp" on TLC, this show is real and one of the few I will still watch here.

[CPP83]

I lost it when Will said he needed more "cheese" while rolling out his cookies, when he actually meant flour. That whole sequence was adorable to me.

 

Another Zoey meltdown meeting Santa, heh, but it wasn't the same level of fear or terror, and it was nice seeing her realize that he wasn't a threat, even if he did look funny with the white beard and all, and she warmed up to him. I think my favourite part was watching her blow him a kiss mid cry and then she started right back up after, it was just too cute.

 

I am pretty certain that Will know "Santa" is really Grampa, I'm sure he can recognize the voice at least, which is why he just had a blast with him.

 

I also enjoyed the hospital Christmas party and how Jen and Bill involved the kids with giving away gifts and interacting with the other children. I loved seeing Will get so excited and happy passing out the stockings, no signs of jealousy or envy, he is just making leaps and bounds in his development, it is delightful to see.
 

[BizBuzz]

The family is excited to celebrate Christmas now that Will and Zoey have a better understanding of what Christmas means.

[AnnieGirl]

I was glad that Jen corrected Will for licking the rolling pin ....

He got a few licks in there she missed!

I think Zoey calmed down with Santa because she started to realize Santa was Grandpa too.

Edited June 3, 2015 by AnnieGirl

[Kohola3]

Just so many smiles in that episode.  Jen really has chilled, loved it when she and Will were smearing flour on each other.  And no "gimme" attitude when passing out the stockings which is a huge leap for Will.  Making Christmas cookies with my mom is once of my fondest memories - I hope Will and Zoey have those some great memories when they grow up.

[alegtostandon]

I lost it when Will said he needed more "cheese" while rolling out his cookies, when he actually meant flour. That whole sequence was adorable to me.

 

 

 

 

I heard Will ask for more 'cheese', but it just dawned on me when I read your post he was probably thinking of parmesan cheese. 

 

I loved how carefully Zoey was pushing her cookie cutters, Will, on the other hand, was slamming them into the dough.

 

I was so happy to see that there were no cameras rolling on Christmas morning. 

[walnutqueen]

Another delightful episode.

 

How stinkin' cute was Zoey's little dance at the zoo?  :-)

[bichonblitz]

Aside from the hospital party this was kind of a boring episode. And you know what? I LOVED it. Watching them doing everyday things during the holidays, decorating the tree, making cookies, and seeing the children so happy and finally adjusting to their new life just warms my heart. 

 

I agree that Jen seems to really have chilled out and appears to be so much more relaxed and natural with Will and Zoey. It must so hard for Bill to be basically a bystander because he can't interact with them the way he would like to. This healing process must be agonizing for him. It was a smart decision for Jen's parents to move to Texas. They are a huge help and seem to take so much joy in being with their grandchildren. 

 

 Love seeing Will putting his legs straight out and grabbing his toes. And watching the both of them run. So cute. 

 

It didn't even bother me when Jen didn't like the exterior Christmas lights. It wasn't "sophisticated" enough but that's just her and I like the way Bill has learned to just blow her off when she acts like that. You can bet she'll take control of that next year!

Edited June 3, 2015 by bichonblitz

[Honey]

I agreed with Jen, the lights were overkill, and I was feeling sorry for the neighbors.  I did think however, that the way they decorated the palm trees was beautiful.

[joanne3482]

I didn't like the party as much.  I think that Kate and Bill (if able) should have done more to corral Will & Zoey so that the kids the party was for could enjoy the story without being distracted by Jen pausing to call back Will & Zoey. I do love that they are encouraging the spirit of giving in the kids so soon. Build it early and they'll be lifelong givers. I also loved that Jen was able to let Will help her bake and let the kids do their own cookies. I used to bake with my nephew all the time when he was around Will's age. He still remembers (at age 29) and so do I and it is a special memory for us both. 

[xldb2004]

Loved Zoey singing Jingle Bells

[operalover]

Funny how Jen thinks she bonded with the young blind cancer patient with relapsed cancer, claimed they had a lot in common. Then Jen stated how strong and what a spirit this girl has. It's just my pet peeve when people state that  cancer patients have a strong spirit and are so strong just because they are not crying their eyes out and yelling "why me?" all day long. She is sitting in the hospital and having her mom take her to her treatments. What else is she supposed to do? 

 

I don't know that the girl isn't strong but how Jen extrapolated that from ten minutes with her is because it is a big cliche' said about anyone in cancer treatment.

Edited June 3, 2015 by operalover

[CPP83]

I heard Will ask for more 'cheese', but it just dawned on me when I read your post he was probably thinking of parmesan cheese.

 

 

 

That's what I was thinking as well, because when Jen's mum corrected him and told him that it was flour, he repeated it as if puzzled because to him it was most certainly "cheese", heh. Though I think he would have realize his mistaken very quickly if he had tried to taste test it.

 

I just love his enthusiasm whatever he is doing. Sometimes he can get carried away but he really just wants to do the best job.

 

I also enjoyed the juxtaposition between Zoey carefully using her roller to press out the cookie dough and then cleanly cutting out the cookies, and next to her you had Will slamming the roller down and then slapping his hand against the dough as if it had stolen his lunch money, heh.

 

I think Jen's transition from first time mom to mother of two toddlers has been quite the journey for her, not including having to battle cancer in the middle of it all, but she has reached "Luvs" status imo, heh, where she now gets that being a mom is all about living and learning with your kids and being as flexible as possible.

 

You live and you learn and then you move on. Being a parent is so often about learning when and where and how to pick your battles when you can, realizing that allowing them to get away with the little things from time to time won't turn them into derelicts, and having fun and enjoying life should come before neatness and having everything in its' place all the time. 

 

I think every single day Jen and Bill settle into their roles as parents more and more, they are getting to know all the little intricacies of their little ones and that is making all the difference.

 

I have truly come to enjoy watching this family grow together, and last night's episode was just a gem to me.

 

When I wasn't laughing I was just smiling and grinning like a loon, and so very little on television does that for me, or can put me in that sort of mood, so having them back has been a welcome addition to the Summer lineup on my telly,

Edited June 3, 2015 by CPP83

[SunnyBeBe]

I loved it.  There may be little things that make me go what? But, they aren't that important.  The main thing is that they are a wonderful family and laughter fills their home.  

[SongbirdHollow]

The best part was when Jen couldn't figure out how Will put the hole in the dough.

It seemed like Zoe calmed down when Santa said, "I'm leaving now." She was like, get going, then!

[BitterApple]

I agreed with Jen, the lights were overkill, and I was feeling sorry for the neighbors. I did think however, that the way they decorated the palm trees was beautiful.

It's funny because I live in Las Vegas and that type of light display is standard fare out here, lol. Bill's set up was actually pretty tame compared to what some of my neighbors come up with. It's completely tacky and overboard but the kids love it.

Edited June 3, 2015 by BitterApple

[camom]

The look on Jen's face when Santa was asking Zoey if she would like a pony was priceless.

[flyingdi]

I loved the way Jen talked to the cancer patient and the kid at the party. She didn't talk down to them. She didn't talk to them like they were just kids. She didn't talk to them like they had anything wrong with them. She talked to them on a normal adult level. I was very impressed, not all medical professionals a or even other adults are capable of this. You go, Jen!

[Missy Vixen]

I'm horribly biased, but I'm in love with Will and Zoey. Even if they can't sit still during a story quite yet. ;-)

 

I hope Bill is feeling much better. And I thought the outdoor decorations were hilarious.

[Wellfleet]

The best part was when Jen couldn't figure out how Will put the hole in the dough.

It seemed like Zoe calmed down when Santa said, "I'm leaving now." She was like, get going, then!

 

Yeah, Zoey might not even like Santa next year. It's SO common for pre-schoolers. In high school I worked part-time at Penney's and was lucky enough to have a clear view of Santa's workshop and the line of parents and kids waiting for the Big Guy for several years of Christmases. Wish I had a dollar for every time I saw a pre-schooler behave just like Zoey last night - screaming bloody murder at the prospect of being plunked in Santa's lap. At the time it seemed that this was nearly every pre-schooler. Babies a year or under were good, but not toddlers and pre-schoolers. Not most of them anyway. Kids didn't really warm up to Santa, at least from what I saw, until they started school. 

[Wellfleet]

I'm horribly biased, but I'm in love with Will and Zoey. Even if they can't sit still during a story quite yet. ;-)

 

I hope Bill is feeling much better. And I thought the outdoor decorations were hilarious.

 

I have to agree with Jen. I would have preferred a classier display, all white lights maybe, and a lot fewer of them too. I'd rather my neighbors have to look at that for a month that giant cartoon dogs. But I also think it's good that Bill rules some things too. And Christmas while the kids are still little is the perfect time for him to do this kind of thing. It worked - and it was fair.

Edited June 7, 2015 by Wellfleet

[xldb2004]

I too thought the the stockings were not age appropriate. Jen is such a perfectionist makes you wonder.

[camom]

 

Wish I had a dollar for every time I saw a pre-schooler behave just like Zoey last night - screaming bloody murder at the prospect of being plunked in Santa's lap. At the time it seemed that this was nearly every pre-schooler.

 

I think it is contagious, too.  One kid starts crying, then other kids think there must be something to cry about, etc etc etc.  I thought they all handled it well.  No one insisted that Zoey have her picture taken with Santa and he talked to her for a reasonable distance.  

[joanne3482]

While I agree, somewhat, with the age appropriateness of the stockings, I also think it is hard to know how many kids and what ages they will be as their situations can change pretty quickly and they aren't Jen's patients so she really doesn't have the right to know. She made them as generic as possible.  She may have been able to get away with asking someone in charge can you give me some age brackets and gone that direction filled the stockings based on the brackets (kind of like they do for some of the bigger charities). But even that may not be best because if she has 4 for 'older' kids and one older kid is released and a new young one comes in before the party she still may not be able to accommodate the different ages.  You would also run into equity perception. If one of the kids thought a stocking was better than another they might have been upset. It's amazing how much people complain about free stuff. We did see kids playing with the cars and yo-yos and honestly I'm 41 and like to color sometimes because it is a nice stress reliever.  It was a nice idea, maybe not the best execution but I'm not sure how to make the execution better. 

[RedheadZombie]

Unlike many here, I see little difference in Will or Zoey's speech.  Considering the season started about six weeks after the last season ended, I wouldn't expect otherwise.  Bill continues to look miserable.  I hope his pain eases soon.

[BitterApple]

Unlike many here, I see little difference in Will or Zoey's speech. Considering the season started about six weeks after the last season ended, I wouldn't expect otherwise. Bill continues to look miserable. I hope his pain eases soon.

I think Will speaks much more clearly but I do notice he still seems to be limited to single word expressions or short phrases. Jen and Bill ask him questions, but they aren't able to have real conversations with him. I don't doubt they're getting the kids whatever help they need, but I thought they'd be further along by now. My uncle adopted his kids from Russia when they were two and they learned English very fast.

Edited June 3, 2015 by BitterApple

[truebluesmoky]

I noticed a bigger speech improvement in the season premiere, which other posters pointed out was likely filmed in February. If I think of the Halloween episode, then this one from probably early December, then the space center trip in February, I can hear the progression in their speech.

[OhioMom]

About the lights....NOW (while the kiddos are little) is the time to do the goofy yard light things...(although, I did wonder how the neighbors felt about it).  I kind of feel like Jen doesn't realize that now she's the mother of preschoolers...those fancy, quietly classic light displays are years away now!!!

[Snow8585]

I wish Jen had come up with a better gift for the girl with cancer. She gave her a stocking that looked like the ones she gave the other kids. The girl is BLIND so i guess a doll is ok but there were things in the stocking like coloring books and stickers. If she had done her homework, she could have gotten the girl a HAT especially since Jen and the girl chatted about how cool having hats were. Maybe Jen visited her another time and took her one. Thats what I hope anyway.

[DkNNy79]

Loved this episode as it was Will and Zooey focused.  The kids are talking so much more.  I'm sure its because of them going to school.  I can definitely tell from the last time we left them.  Will especially is so chatty.  You can't always understand what he's saying so thanks for the subtitles.  Loved him sneaking in licks of butter, slapping the cookie dough, saying Zooey's name, holding his feet while in the air.

 

I didn't mind Bill's xmas decorations.  Were they tacky?  Sure, but I think that fits more with Bill's go big or go home attitude toward xmas decorations.  To me it looks like a house that a family with children is living in.  I like him having his own taste to counterbalance Jenn's taste.

[Fostersmom]

Zoey's little hand motions when she was singing and dancing around were adorable. She might not know all the words to her preschool songs, but I bet she's an excited participant. 

[Absolom]

Ratings are dropping:  1.701 M viewers and a .4 rating.

[EarlGreyTea]

Sweet episode. The best part for me was Zoey's little bow bobbing up in the air as she ran around the house. And what perfect grandparents those kids have. I loved how they held the kids up in the air with ornaments.

[RedheadZombie]

Ratings are dropping:  1.701 M viewers and a .4 rating.

 

I wonder if it's a TLC boycott.  I recently deleted a bunch of Duggar episodes I hadn't watched yet, as well as every Willis show (I hadn't seen any yet).  I contemplated deleting this show as well, because it benefits TLC, but I'm hanging in there for now.

[iamkarski]

Ratings are dropping:  1.701 M viewers and a .4 rating.

What was the highest rating recorded for The Little Couple?

[SistaLadybug]

My daughter was watching this episode while I was off in another room doing chores.  I kept hearing her laughing with delight.  That's why I enjoy this show so much.  The delight it brings.  We just enjoy watching them.  It's a little bit of calm and happy.

[DkNNy79]

I wonder if it's a TLC boycott.  I recently deleted a bunch of Duggar episodes I hadn't watched yet, as well as every Willis show (I hadn't seen any yet).  I contemplated deleting this show as well, because it benefits TLC, but I'm hanging in there for now.

I'm curious to know how TLC's ratings are overall since the Duggar news hit.  Are only ratings for specific shows dropping?  Or are ratings for the network as a whole dropping?

 

The Little Couple is the only show that I watch on TLC.

[Absolom]

So far I'm not seeing a decrease in TLC viewership.  In fact last week prime time was up about 200K viewers from the two previous weeks.  I don't keep spreadsheets on the shows any more and don't remember which episode for the show was highest rated.  It was probably one of the adoptions or Jen's cancer.  I'm guessing it was over 3 million viewers IIRC.  

[gunderda]

 

 

I was so happy to see that there were no cameras rolling on Christmas morning. 

 

I think last year they purposely did not film on Christmas either.  I think they said they like to keep the actual holidays private and personal. 

 

I think Bill's light display was a little much but I'm also one that likes an actual color scheme. I tried the all different colors the first year I decorated my house and hated it lol  Now I'm down to a red/white light scheme. 

However it did look very nice!  And it wasn't so much that it would bother the neighbors. I love driving around looking at houses decorated with lights and wish there were more to see like Bill and Jen's!

 

It's very interesting how little kids react to people they don't particularly care for.  Zoey screams bloody murder.  My cousin just adopted a girl about the same age and if she doesn't like you or doesnt know you, you do not exist and she will try to turn her head all the way around to the back of her body so you can not make eye contact with her lol 

[EtheltoTillie]

I thought it was boring. I also didn't like the hospital visits. Too patronizing.

Edited June 5, 2015 by GussieK

[BitterApple]

I thought it was boring. I also didn't like the hospital visits. Too patronizing.

I think visiting the girl was cringe-worthy, especially when Jen gave the teenager a stocking full of items that were meant for a toddler and completely useless to a blind person.

[tinderbox]

Unlike many here, I see little difference in Will or Zoey's speech.  Considering the season started about six weeks after the last season ended, I wouldn't expect otherwise.  Bill continues to look miserable.  I hope his pain eases soon.

Well, it's been about six months since the Christmas episode was filmed so I hope Bill is doing/feeling much better.

As for the episode? I loved it. Those kids are absolutely darling.

[Jellybeans]

Happy show, happy family, happy viewer.

[toodles]

It's funny because I live in Las Vegas and that type of light display is standard fare out here, lol. Bill's set up was actually pretty tame compared to what some of my neighbors come up with. It's completely tacky and overboard but the kids love it.

I live in Vegas too.  I think we must be neighbors.  LOL.  It's pretty tame compared to my neighbors, especially my neighbor across the street.

[Jellybeans]

This exact comment could have been said about the Gosselins, Roloffs, and Duggars at one time. I think Jen and Bill better get out while the getting is good.

I like the show. And the family. And I am a happy viewer.

[walnutqueen]

This exact comment could have been said about the Gosselins, Roloffs, and Duggars at one time. I think Jen and Bill better get out while the getting is good.

 

 

I like the show. And the family. And I am a happy viewer.

 

Ditto, Jellybeans.  And I never thought that about the Roloffs or the Gosselins (I refuse to watch the Duggars, so that goes without saying).

[Jellybeans]

Ditto, Jellybeans.  And I never thought that about the Roloffs or the Gosselins (I refuse to watch the Duggars, so that goes without saying).

Never had anything other than than a morbid fascination with those people....