Alice tries to be helpful; Debbie tries to rationalise mixed feelings about babies.

Radio Times: Alice is looking after her big sister.

Characters: Alice, David, Debbie, Elizabeth, Heather, Jill, Phil, Ruth

• Debbie has been for a brisk ride on Tolly. Alice is helping her in the stable and philosophising on the dubious value of girlfriends when they start falling in love with basketball players. You’re better off with a horse, she surmises – at least they don’t let you down …
• Heather and Jill are discussing how difficult it is to adapt to silence after being used to hustle and bustle. Heather misses Solly’s presence badly and Jill found it very difficult to adapt to Glebe Cottage after the continual hubbub at Brookfield. Heather wishes she had had more than just one child – it just didn’t happen and now she feels such a burden on Ruth. Jill assures her that she’s no such thing – she knows Ruth loves having her there and really appreciates her help with the cooking. Phil and Ruth return with the children having been yet again to a very crowded Grundy World of Christmas. They bought a new fairy for the tree and only just managed to get away without a Mooning Santa – Josh was very determined to have one!
• Alice is helping Debbie tidy up the cottage. Elizabeth is coming round tonight. To make it more like home, Alice has ‘borrowed’ some family photos from Home Farm – Mum won’t miss them ‘cos she has them on every available surface! These include a photo of Adam who is coming home after Christmas (interesting …) and one of Debbie holding Alice as a new-born baby. Alice thinks Debbie could have been her Mum – girls do have babies at 17 … Elizabeth arrives with a bottle of wine and as Alice leaves, Debbie breaks down in tears.
• Chaba has gone out, leaving the family to decorate the tree. Jill has found the lights, Pip, the baubles, Heather, a box full of tinsel and Josh – the dreaded singing Christmas tree!!! To the relief of grown-ups and chagrin of children, dead batteries are not the only reason why it doesn’t work!
• Debbie tells Elizabeth that for a day or two this week, she thought she might be pregnant. She wasn’t sure whether that was a good or bad thing but then, when her period started, she felt so disappointed thinking about what might have been. And seeing the photo just made it all worse. Elizabeth persuades her to come to the twin’s party tomorrow – that’ll well and truly put her off having babies!