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FADE IN:
INT. JOSH'S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT
This house is tastefully and gloriously decorated for
Christmas. Garland, handmade bric-a-brac, and a perfect tree.
Josh, mid 20's, awkwardly attractive is sitting on the floor
next to the tree, holding his head and looking at the
ceiling. He has a swollen eye and a fat lip.
EXT. JOSH'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
The exterior of Josh's house is as tasteful and festive as
the inside. Lots of lights, tracing every bit of trim on the
house.
EXT. SUBURBAN STREET - NIGHT
This is Josh's street. On either side of Josh's house, we see
the surrounding houses, all decorated for Christmas. Lights,
Nativity scenes, reindeer, etc.
FADE OUT.
TITLE: BEFORE
FADE IN.
EXT. SUBURBAN STREET - EVENING
Same shot, two months earlier. It's Halloween. None of the
houses are decorated, save a few jack-o-lanterns. Josh's
house is still (or already) decorated for Christmas.
Christmas lights up and glowing, A Christmas tree glows in
the front window.
Down the street, two mothers with a group of children are
trick or treating. The mothers are chatting. The children are
talking through masks and makeup, running ahead.
MOTHER #1
I don't know, I just feel like all that
work, and then, you know, cause he's not
going to be wearing it next year, or even
if he wanted to, it totally wouldn't even
fit.
MOTHER #2
I know, but look at them. And did you see
Janine's daughter?
MOTHER #1
Oh, the Shrek thing? Did... Janine didn't
make that though, right, or...?
MOTHER #2
No... It was one of those plastic poncho
costumes, with the plastic mask and the
little stapled rubber band thing... (to
clarify) Janine.
MOTHER #1
Yeah, no, I know, like from the grocery
store.
The procession has arrived at a house just like the rest of
the houses, but with Christmas lights up all over. This is
Josh's house. The Mothers exchange glances, shrug.
MOTHER #1 (CONT'D)
(To the children now)
OK you guys, go ahead up there. Adam,
honey, let's fix your cape... There you
go. OK... be scary...
The children climb the steps to the door, ring the doorbell.
Inside, we hear the doorbell play the first bars of "Jingle
Bells" The children don't seem to notice.
The door is opened by Josh, wearing a turtle neck sweater.
Inside, we can hear Christmas music.
CHILDREN
(In Unison)
TRICK OR TREAT!
Josh takes this scene in for a beat, smiling.
JOSH
Well! Look at you all! What a scary
looking bunch I have at my door! What can
I do for you all?
CHILDREN
Candy! Give us Candy! We want Candy!
Trick or Treat!
JOSH
OK, Alright, I'd better see what I can do
in here, huh?
Josh grabs a BOWL FULL OF CANDY CANES. He distributes them
amongst the children.
JOSH (CONT'D)
Here's one for you... and for you...
There you go... And you, oh, do vampires
eat candy canes?
VAMPIRE
YEAH!!!
JOSH
OK, OK, take is easy, just checking.
There you go. You guys take care now,
have a happy season.
CHILDREN
Thanks. Thank you. OK. Bye.
VAMPIRE
(With vampire accent)
Good Evening!
JOSH
(Same Accent)
Good Evening!
The Children descend the steps. Josh watches them go, shuts
the door.
INT. JOSH'S LIVING ROOM - CONTINUOUS
Josh dims the lights a bit, turns up the Xmas music with a
remote control, takes a seat in an easy chair.
INT. DEPARTMENT STORE - CONTINUOUS
This is a Target. MARY, early 20's, attractive but not new,
is pushing a shopping cart, not looking for anything in
particular. She puts the following items in her cart:
Candles, Incense, Green Tea (Imported), A body pillow, Comfy
Pajamas.
We watch the following items run by on the checkout's
conveyor belt: Bath salts, Book: "Free: The Womyn Inside
You", CD: "Sonja: Reflections of the Soul (Enya-esque)" Mary
pays with a credit card.
INT. JOSH'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Josh is doing Xmas stuff: Making and wrapping gifts, checking
people off a gift list, making Xmas cards, etc.
In the living room, Josh removes one ring from a chain of
construction paper rings which spans the entire length of the
wall into and through the kitchen, to the den, ending at a
calendar and chalk board with "55 Days until Christmas"
written on it.
Josh rubs out the "55" and replaces with a "54", checks the
31st of October off on the calendar, flips the page to
November, admires the new page.
INT. MARY'S APARTMENT - LATER
Mary arrives home, unpacks her new stuff. She lights new
candles next to old candles, lights a stick of incense and
puts the rest of the new incense in a box with lots of other
incense.
Mary starts tea, puts the box in a cupboard full of teas from
all corners of the world.
In the bathroom, Mary starts a bath, using her new bath
salts.
Mary gets out of the bath, puts on her comfy new pjs.
In the bedroom, in a full length mirror, Mary spends a minute
assessing how her body looks in the new comfy pjs.
She goes to the living room, puts her new CD on, sits down
indian-style on her couch, cracks open her new book.
The CORDLESS PHONE sitting next to Mary rings. Mary checks
the caller ID, answers.
MARY
Hi!.. Good, how are yooouu?.. good!..
reading... huh?.. nooo... 'cause, I have
to work early, I'm all comfy... seven...
if you want actually no, it's messy
here... what?.. oh, whatever, cry me a
river... no, she's at some retreat for
work... yup, guess you're screwed...
right, but I'm not going out... oh, fuck
you!.. I'm not even listening to you
anymore, what are you doing tomorrow?..
where?.. that sucks... no! Jesus, give
up!.. yes!.. yes!..
Mary looks at the spot next to her on the couch, where the
body pillow, still in it's wrapper, is sitting like a person:
Her company.
A Beat.
MARY (CONT'D)
Where are you going?.. Ewe... let's go to
the Ritz... yes, but you're paying, and
you have to pick me up... OK... OK, bye.
Mary hangs up, takes apart her evening: puts her book down on
a stack of others like it, stops the CD, pours her tea out,
blows out the candles, sheds her pjs.
She puts on clothes to go out in, checks her body again in
the mirror.
She puts on makeup in her bathroom.
She locks her door, sits on the front steps, waiting.
INT. JOSH'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Josh is making decorations for a tree.
He makes snowflakes from vellum paper.
He strings glass beads together with fishing line.
Josh applies his decorations to a SMALL POTTED TREE. He
decorates with ease and grace. We watch the tree become
beautiful.
INT. MARY'S BEDROOM - THE NEXT DAY - MORNING
Mary is sleeping in her bed, a body sleeping next to her.
They aren't touching. Her comfy pjs are on the floor.
A ZEN ALARM CLOCK begins to chime peacefully. Nothing moves
in the room.
FADE OUT.
INT. MARY'S APARTMENT - MOMENTS LATER
The BACKUP ALARM, a much more abrasive device, goes off,
setting the room in motion. Mary bolts out of bed, stalls
standing in the middle of the room, naked. She heads to the
bathroom at a more cautious pace.
In the bathroom, Mary looks at herself in the mirror.
A beat.
She turns the shower on.
MARY
(on her way to the bedroom)
Hey, do you want to take a shower?
In the bedroom, the other body is now gone from the bed.
In the living room, we see the front door shut.
Back in the bedroom, Mary stands, looking at the bed.
A beat.
In the bathroom, Mary turns the shower off.
In the living room, she gathers glasses, beer bottles, a near
full ashtray, a half-full pack of cigarettes. She pours the
beer bottles into the sink, pours the contents of the ashtray
and pack of cigarettes into the disposal, turns it on. She
opens the cupboard of tea, stares at the tea, blinks.
INT. FRANCHISE COFFEE HOUSE - MOMENTS LATER
Your basic Starbucks. All the employees are new to college,
doing their best to be Gen X.
MARY
Double Americano with room.
BARISTA
(to the bar)
Grande roomy Americano!
BARISTA #2
(acknowledging)
Grande roomy Americano!
BARISTA
Anything else?
MARY
Actually, can you make that bigger?
BARISTA
(to the bar)
Cancel that Grande Americano! Venti roomy
Americano!
BARISTA #2
Venti roomy Americano!
Mary pays with a credit card.
INT/EXT. DAYCARE CENTER - MOMENTS LATER
Mary parks her car, locks it, juggles her coffee, keys,
trendy attache, and a paper grocery bag. We hurry with her
through double doors (more juggling) down a hallway, through
a cafeteria/gym, through a yellow door, into a kindergarten
esque classroom.
In the classroom, fifteen 3-5 year old children and MISS
CLAIRE, a middle aged housewife type, red hair and no sense
of adventure, are waiting.
DAYCARE CHILDREN
(In unison)
MARY!!
MARY
Hi Guys!!
MISS CLAIRE
Hi Mary, rough night?
MARY
Hi Claire, thank you so much.
MISS CLAIRE
Mmm Hmm, You all set here?
MARY
I think so. Guys, what do we say to Miss
Claire?
DAYCARE CHILDREN
(in unison, obligatory)
Thank you Miss Claire.
Miss Claire exits, the hydraulic door makes it's way shut.
Mary turns to the class and makes a sour face. The children
laugh.
INT. JOSH'S HOUSE - MORNING
The house is still.
In the bedroom, Josh wakes himself and smiles like the first
child awake on Christmas morning.
In the bathroom, he starts the shower.
In the kitchen, he gets a gallon container of APPLE CIDER
from the refrigerator, pours the cider into a MUG SHAPED LIKE
SANTA CLAUS, puts it in the MICROWAVE, starts it.
Josh grabs a remote control from the kitchen counter, points
it towards the living room, turns on the all the Christmas
lights on the tree and in the house, and the CD player with
one click. The CD player begins to play acoustic christmas
music.
In the living room, Josh smells the needles of the SMALL
POTTED TREE from the night before. We hear the MICROWAVE
beeping from the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Josh gets the mug from the microwave and
takes a sip of cider. Josh smiles to himself.
In the bathroom, Josh gets in the shower.
After Josh's shower, he brushes his teeth, cleans his ears,
puts on deodorant, shaves.
In the bedroom, Josh gets dressed in jeans and a long sleeved
T-shirt. He puts on an OLD WRISTWATCH.
In the kitchen, while eating hot cereal, Josh handwrites and
addresses CHRISTMAS CARDS to addresses he pulls from a large
PHONE BOOK.
In the bathroom, he brushes his teeth again, checks his
watch, starts the shower again, takes off his wristwatch,
starts to get undressed.
INT. DAYCARE CENTER - AFTERNOON
Mary is reading a story to a circle of children. Some of them
are sleeping. It's almost nap time.
MARY
Tip Toad sat down on a nearby bottle cap
to think about what the crows had done to
him. Tip wanted summer to come now, more
than ever. He missed his friends back at
the pond, and wondered what they were
doing right now.
INT. JOSH'S HOUSE - MORNING
Josh is wrapping the SMALL POTTED TREE in a burlap tarp. He
packs it up, lights and all.
EXT. JOSH'S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS
Josh loads the tree into the back of an OLD PICKUP TRUCK. He
starts the truck, pulls away.
INT. DAYCARE CENTER - MOMENTS LATER
Mary is putting the children on YOGA MATS for nap time. A
children's album is playing a song about sleeping on a
plastic record player. Some kids are restless, looking for
something else to do. She is carrying a little boy to a mat.
LITTLE BOY
You're smoke!
MARY
Smoke?
LITTLE BOY
You're smokey!
MARY
Oh yeah? OK, well why don't you lie down
here, sweetie, alright?
EXT. JOSHUA'S TREES CHRISTMAS TREE FARM - AFTERNOON
Josh arrives in a gravel parking lot. A RUSTY TRAILER and
POLE BARN are the only buildings among ACRES AND ACRES OF
CHRISTMAS TREES.
Josh unlocks a padlock, opens the door of the pole barn to
reveal HUNDREDS OF DECORATED CHRISTMAS TREES, each one
unique. Along one wall are HUNDREDS OF WOODEN BUCKETS.
He brings the tree from the truck and sets it with the rest.
We go through the day with Josh. He waters all the trees. He
drives up and down rows of trees in a TRACTOR, doing
Christmas tree maintenance.
EXT. DAYCARE CENTER - AFTERNOON
Josh pulls his truck into the parking lot. Mary is outside
with the children, they're playing "Girls Chase Boys" while
they wait for their parents to pick them up. Josh approaches
the playground.
In front of Josh, THREE YOUNG BOYS are running from THREE
YOUNG GIRLS. One of the boys quite obviously fakes a cramp
and falls down, watching to see if the girls will catch him.
All three girls run past the boy, chasing the other two boys.
Josh walks up to Mary.
JOSH
Hi.
MARY
Hey. Which one's yours?
JOSH
Oh, no, I don't, I'm actually from
Joshua's Trees.
MARY
Joshua's Trees.
JOSH
Right... Christmas trees?
MARY
Oh! Right! The Trees! I was like...
You're here to see Claire?
Miss Claire, who is not hung over and was expecting Josh, is
hurrying across the playground with armloads of construction
paper, safety scissors, glue, etc.
MISS CLAIRE
Hello! Hello! Welcome! I am Miss Claire!
Miss Claire manages, impressively, to extend her hand to Josh
and not drop anything. He takes it.
JOSH
Hi. Josh. Tsa pleasure.
Josh extends his hand to Mary.
JOSH (CONT'D)
Hi. Josh.
MARY
Mary. Nice to meet you.
CLAIRE
And this is Mary, uh, Miss Mary... Well!
Should we get started?
JOSH (CONT'D)
Let's. (to Mary) It's nice to meet you.
Josh and Miss Claire head off towards the school.
MARY
Yeah... Nice to meet you.
INT. TEACHER'S LOUNGE - MOMENTS LATER
Josh and Miss Claire are having a casual meeting. Miss Claire
is drinking a cup of coffee. Mary enters and is hanging
around listening, becoming more and more interested in what
Josh is saying.
MISS CLAIRE
So, what's the thing?
JOSH
OK, so, I supply the trees, pretty much
as many as you think your kids can
handle. And then you guys decorate the
trees however you like.
MISS CLAIRE
Oh, the kids would just love that!
Usually we just have the one tree, you
know for the class. But they would just
adore that, to each have one.
JOSH
Right, they can each do whatever they
want with them, you know, so it's really
quite fun. And the look in the seniors
eyes, it really just makes their year.
Because, you know, they're used to, you
know the same thing. They usually just
have the one for the whole home, and a
lot of times it's fake, and nobody really
cares and...
MISS CLAIRE
The seniors?
JOSH
Right. Cause we give the trees, you know,
to the senior citizens, so they can, you
know, for their rooms.
MISS CLAIRE
Oh... So, but don't the kids get the
trees? Because...
JOSH
Yeah, well, that's kind of the whole
thing. Once the trees are done, you know,
we give them to the senior citizens and
the nursing homes. But, I mean, you
should totally feel free to keep one, or
some for the class. I didn't explain that?
MISS CLAIRE
Not really, no. Hmm. See, with most of the
projects, though, the kids usually take
what they made home... they usually like
to keep the things and take them home.
By now, Mary has run out of things to pretend to be doing,
and is just staring at Josh, admiring.
JOSH
Right, but I guess, you know, the thing
is that they get to do this good thing
for these people who really don't have,
you know, a tree for Christmas... But, I
mean, I totally supply the trees, so you
don't have to, you know, pay for...
MISS CLAIRE
Yeah, I mean. I think it's a great idea,
I really do. But I just think, for my
kids, I'm not really wanting to get them
so involved in something, and then take
it away from them. We're really trying to
make an environment here where kids get
to win, and to really feel like they are
worth something. And that's, I think,
what makes us different from other
schools. We just cancelled dodgeball, you
know, and we have a confidence
calistenics expert, and ropeless
jumprope. Oh, you should see their faces.
INT. DAYCARE CENTER GYM - AFTERNOON
A bunch of kids are trying to get the hang of "ropeless
jumprope" which looks as ridiculous as it sounds. One boy
trys a round of it, and gets an overenthusiastic response
from the confidence calistenics expert. The boy flinches.
INT. TEACHER'S LOUNGE - CONTINUOUS
MISS CLAIRE
But to take their achievements away from
them... Do you follow?
JOSH
Yeah, I do, I mean, and it might not be a
good idea for your kids, if... But they
also get to, you know, give something to
somebody, so...
MISS CLAIRE
No, yeah, I know, but I just...
MARY
I'll do it, I think it's a great idea.
Josh and Miss Claire turn to Mary, Mary smiles.
MISS CLAIRE
Well --
MARY
(to Josh)
Can I buy you a drink?
INT. LOADING DOCK - EVENING
Josh and Mary are having drinks. She has an almost empty
domestic beer and an empty shot glass, he has a mostly full
pint of micro-brew.
MARY
...just always looking down on me! And
all that shit in the lounge? Like, what
exactly are you teaching these kids? I
mean, I think what you're doing is so
great. And my kids are going to love it!
I don't know, I just...
JOSH
Thank you. Thanks.
MARY
So, what do you do, for, I mean, when
you're not doing this?
JOSH
I just do this; the trees.
MARY
Really? Do you make enough money?
JOSH
Yeah, I mean, I don't make a lot of
money, but I don't really spend that much
money either. I own my lot, and my
truck... It all works.
MARY
Wow. So you must have like a ton of free
time then.
JOSH
Yeah, I'm never really that busy. I just
do a lot of trees, but I still pretty
much have time for anything else I want
to do.
MARY
You do a lot of trees?
JOSH
Yeah, I, I guess I decorate a tree every
day. But you know, like sometimes, I
don't do one. Like last week I was kinda
sick, and so, I don't always, I mean,
it's not every day. But sometimes I do a
couple in a night, so --
MARY
Wow. So, you're pretty big into
Christmas, then?
JOSH
Right, right... I have this idea.
MARY
OK.
JOSH
No, I mean, I have this theory.
MARY
(reiterative) OK.
JOSH
Well, everyone has one thing, you think?
Like everyone, when they come home, or
when they wake up, or all day long,
everyone has a thing, or an addiction, or
an affliction, or whatever. Some people
will drink, or like pack-a-day smoking,
or they have sex all the time... But it
starts, or, everyone has this thing, and
maybe they all start, or stem from that
thing feeling nice. Like I saw this
postcard once with Bob Marley playing
soccer on the front, and on the back was
this little quote, you know, and it was
from Ziggy Marley, and it said something
to the effect of... he was restating this
question, that I guess someone had asked
him, and he said "Why did my father like
to be fit?
Because when you're fit, you feel nice"
And I just, I'm going to come to the end
of this, I promise.
MARY
No, you're fine, go.
JOSH
So, I think that was just kind of a
really simple way of answering a stupid
question. But anyway, so everyone has
these things, and they start because a
drink is nice when your days are long, or
whatever. But I really like Christmas,
and I, OK, OK, when I was a kid, I used
to ask my Mom, everyday, or it seems like
it was everyday, but I would ask "Is
today Christmas"? "No". "Is today my
birthday"? "No, sweetie, not today". And
so, when it was, it was really cool, and
it was my favorite. I mean, I guess it's
every kid's favorite, but my parents
split up early, and I just, Christmas
morning was always not like the rest of
growing up, and not like the rest of
their relationship.
MARY
Right.
JOSH
So, I guess, you know, that's my thing.
But, I mean, Christmas rules, right?
Everybody's nice to each other, or nicer.
And it totally won't kill you, or rot
your liver, or ruin your teeth, right?
Mary, awestruck.
MARY
I quit smoking.
JOSH
Really? That's awesome. How long?
Mary smiles.
EXT. FAST FOOD DRIVE THROUGH - DAY
Josh pulls through after ordering, some variation of
Christmas music plays on his stereo, a classy ornament hangs
from the rear view. He takes a look outside, blue sky, pulls
ahead to pay.
FAST FOOD CASHIER
Four-Sixty-Three.
JOSH
How are you?
FAST FOOD CASHIER
Good, You?
JOSH
Good thanks.
FAST FOOD CASHIER
Four-Sixty-Three.
JOSH
Hey, how much for the next order, for the
car behind me?
The cashier looks back to the next car. We follow his glance.
The car behind Josh consists of your average family. MOTHER,
FATHER, DAUGHTER not speaking to each other.
FAST FOOD CASHIER
Uh... Eleven-Thirty-Six?
JOSH
OK, here's Twenty. I want to pay for
theirs, and the rest is yours.
FAST FOOD CASHIER
Alright... Alright. Well thanks.
JOSH
Thank You.
Josh pulls away.
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