Plot: In the lead up to Christmas, the extended Stone family - headed by parents Sybil and Kelly Stone - are planning on descending on the family home for the holidays. The Stones are loving, tight-knit, outspoken and liberal minded. Among those attending the festivities are their five children, "perfect" son Everett, unmarried son Ben, deaf gay son Thad (with his African American partner, Patrick), pregnant daughter Susannah (with her first child, adolescent Elizabeth), and outspoken daughter Amy. New to the mix this year is Everett's guest, Meredith Morton, who Everett intends on marrying. Meredith is outwardly put-together, but is uptight, self-conscious and lacks self-esteem. Also outwardly, Meredith is not a typical addition to the Stone family, an issue not lost on either Meredith herself or any of the Stones. There is an open air of tension in the household because of the presence of Meredith, who calls upon her sister, Julie, to come to the Stone Christmas if only for moral support. Julie, on the other hand, is loved by all the Stones. Meredith storms off on Christmas Eve the result of a major argument with the Stones. But as Everett, Julie and Ben go after Meredith, all have a chance to reflect on their feelings and actions. In the light of Christmas day, life at the Stone's seems clearer if not slightly poignant as one by one individuals in the family learn of a secret kept by Sybil.
Alternative Plot: Everett Stone (Dermot Mulroney) wants to bring his girlfriend, Meredith Morton (Sarah Jessica Parker), to meet his bohemian Connecticut family at Christmas. Straitlaced Meredith, feeling she needs backup, asks her sister Julie (Claire Danes) to come along. Hoping to win the approval of her boyfriend's parents Sybil (Diane Keaton) and Kelly (Craig T. Nelson) and the rest of the family, instead Meredith succeeds only in highlighting her uptight personality and making Everett doubt his intentions.
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