At Home Farm the atmosphere is strained.

Radio Times: Brookfield toasts a new arrival.

Characters: Alice, Brian, Chaba, David, Debbie, Heather, Jennifer, Jill, Peggy, Phil, Ruth

• When the children return to Brookfield from church they are full of what they have seen on the green – decorated Christmas trees. Was it Santa’s little elves? Chaba reveals his part in this ‘old English custom’.
• At Home Farm, Peggy has noticed how generous Brian has been to Alice. Has he been equally generous to Jennifer and Debbie? Neither has yet opened his present.
• At Brookfield Chaba has a problem with a calving, a posterior presentation if you must know, so lunch is put on hold.
• No such delay for the Aldridges, their feast is over. Brian, asked about more trips to Hungary, declares that there is enough to keep him busy here – on the farm! Alice has noticed how nice everyone has been this Christmas.
• One good heave and the calf is born but it needs help, first from David and finally from Chaba, to start breathing. It is a heifer and is given a Hungarian name with a Christmas connotation.
• Peggy is making ready to leave, so that she and Jack can call in at Bridge Farm. She feels she has detected an atmosphere between Debbie and Brian; Debbie was quite short with him. Brian obliges Jennifer to open his present while Peggy is still here; Peggy thinks it is beautiful but Jennifer is moved to tears – it’s an eternity ring.
• Debbie is heading for the lambing shed; she needs some fresh air. Jennifer could come too but she opts to put on a brave face for her mother’s departure. Debbie does not understand how her dad could buy such a present. Eternity!? At the moment Jennifer is not looking beyond the end of tomorrow’s shoot.
• Lunch is finally served at Brookfield but Heather has taken herself off, ostensibly to look at the new calf. Phil follows and offers some wisdom from his experience. It does heal, it does get better; in time Heather will not be sad that Solly is not here but happy about the times when he was. Love is stronger than death; love never dies.