2. The Doctor, The Widow, And The Wardrobe
A Christmas special indeed. After crash-landing on Earth, prior to the start of WW2, the Doctor is rescued by Madge, armed with a hair pin, and he promises to help her, if she ever needs it. Three years later, a wish is made. On Christmas Eve, she discovers her husband's plane had gone down over the Channel; Madge and her two children go to a country mansion to escape the Blitz. The Doctor adopts the role of caretaker and creates a magical haven, complete with taps of lemonade, an abundance of decorations, glowing presents, and hammocks! The wee boy is nosy and crawls through the present portal, in his jammies, into a futuristic snowy forest, where nothing is what it seems...he follows growing footprints in the snow...and is followed by the Doctor and his sister, then, finally, his mother. Stars are growing out of the trees, wooden Royalty, giant robots, a forest about to be harvested for fuel, and impending incineration by acid rain; these make up the details of the story. A mother's love saves her children, the Doctor, the forest, and miracles of Christmas miracles, her husband! It makes me cry every time...Love saves the day for all! In the final scene, the Doctor arrives at the blue door of the house belonging to Amy and Rory, 2 years after they last parted; he finds out they always set a place for him for dinner. For the third time, he agrees to have Christmas dinner - the first was with Rose, the second with the other doctor in Victorian England, and now, now...
The Lesson: No one wants to be alone. No one should be alone on Christmas. No matter what grand adventuring you're doing and how much fun you're having, there is no place like home for the holidays - and home is where the heart is. Spending time with people who make you heart smile is where you belong.