Cold opening: Jack is in his office (which is decorated for the holidays) when Liz comes in to wish him a Merry Christmas before they break for the holidays. Wait, TV shows get a holiday break, just like in school? I’m in the wrong career. He gives her a Christmas present: a new photo scanner/paper shredder (from GE, of course!) Won’t people just end up shredding their pictures by accident? Yeah, I need one of those for “scanning” my old prom photos.

Frank wheels a big cart filled with various bottles of booze into the writer’s room, already making a pre-apology for all the offensive things he is about to do at the office LucaChristmas Party and offering pre-forgiveness to his coworkers for when they leave him passed out by the elevator. I thank the fates that my office holiday party is over lunch and that we can’t drink because I’m sure my coworkers would just leave me in the parking lot. Everyone is cheering and is totally psyched about the party, especially Cerie who is hoping Frank will reprise is “horny Santa” gag from last year. I guess Frank isn’t gay for Jamie anymore.
Back in Jack’s office, he asks Liz if she has big plans for the holidays. Her family is coming! Yay, we get to meet more Lemons! They are going to see Jersey Boys! Jack can’t understand why Liz isn’t stressed out over her family’s eminent arrival. Her family hasn’t argued since Carter left office! Jack has invited his mother to join him from Florida but she is stranded due to Hurricane Zapato. He points to the big TV on the wall, showing the weather channel, amused the the eye of the storm seems to be right over his mother’s house. So much for paralyzing Irish guilt. He’s going to drive up to Vermont and surprise C.C. ….. or he would be, if Jonathan hadn’t just announced that Jack’s mother had taken a bus to Atlanta and talked Jet Blue into taking a ticket from Amtrak. Damn, she’s good! Jack’s mother is disappointed that Jack is still in the same office, since he is up for that promotion and all. Maybe he should let that dream die. I think Jack should start drinking, pronto. Jack’s mom greets Liz, insults Jack’s girlfriend, insults Liz and gets passive aggressive about her coat, all in the span of about 2.3 seconds. I want to call my Mom and tell her I love her.
Credits. Boop de boop. I love that head turn Jack does, although it seems completely out of character for him.
Next we get one of those AmEx commercials designed to look like part of the show. I don’t get paid to recap those. Moving on!
Liz and Jenna enter the writer’s room and Jenna pretends she didn’t realize tonight was LudaChristmas, except she is totally wearing a slinky dress under her coat. You got us good, Jenna. Liz says she isn’t going to the party because her parents and her brother Mitch are in town. Her brother Mitch has Trauma Induced Niveaphasia — he is stuck in 1985, the day before his senior class skiing trip. I would not want to be trapped in my senior year, hence the desire to shred my prom photos. We get a flashback to meet Mitch (Andy Richter)!
Kenneth the Page comes in to deliver presents from the parent company, Sheinhard Wigs. More photo shredders! Everyone throws them away, but Kenneth is appalled that no one has any Christmas spirit. No one understands Christmas. Just then a stripper arrives, there to have Christmas mints eaten off her body. She appears also to have tuberculosis. I hope they got a discount for that.
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