Christmas is one of the few days of the year when you can truly kick back and relax.
You can share good food with family, watch TV, listen to music, or play games.
Of course, you can also head out with the family for a little holiday trip.
In the evening, in Meemaw's living room.
Everyone was gathered around the TV watching a Christmas variety show when Mike's phone rang. It was Regina.
"What's up, Regina?" Mike asked as he picked up.
"Mike, I have great news. We're actually going to be famous this time!" Regina's voice was practically buzzing with excitement on the other end.
"Did the Christmas single sales spike again?" Mike chuckled, guessing the reason for her enthusiasm.
As far as he knew, the song performed by "The Plastics" was selling quite well locally. Some small malls had even added it to their playlists.
"We sold over five thousand copies..." Regina mentioned briefly, before rushing on excitedly, "But besides the sales, there's even better news..."
"Uh-huh," Mike waited patiently.
Regina didn't keep him waiting. She spilled it all out at once: "You know how my mom recorded our performance at the school Christmas party? Well, she sent the tape to the TV station. They watched it and decided to invite us to appear on an episode of Holiday Joyride! We're going to perform on TV!"
Holiday Joyride was a local Texas variety show, kind of like a week-long Christmas special.
The guests were mostly local Texas celebrities, actors, and singers.
Given the nature of the show, it was extremely popular in Texas.
It was easy to see why the "Queen Bee" was in such a good mood about getting on a show with that much exposure.
After she finished sharing the good news, Mike asked, "So, how much are they paying us?"
It was a practical question. Mike wasn't desperate for fame. He cared more about whether dragging himself out to perform on Christmas was worth the effort.
"Money?" Regina clearly hadn't expected Mike to focus on something so weird.
Compared to the chance to get famous, did money even matter?
She paused for a moment, then emphasized, "It's Holiday Joyride!!"
Clearly, she wanted to stress that just getting on the show was a huge deal.
"So that means the show isn't planning to pay us," Mike analyzed calmly.
In plain English: they wanted a freebie.
"It's not about the money," Regina said, getting a bit anxious. "We get the chance to share the stage with famous Texas stars. Isn't that enough?"
Actually, for amateur talent to get on this show was incredibly rare. The fact that The Plastics and Mike got this opportunity likely had a lot to do with Asher pulling strings behind the scenes.
To fulfill her daughter's dream of fame, she probably even paid the show to let them on.
But Mike obviously wasn't keen on working for free. Hearing there was no pay, he lost interest. "Forget it, I'll pass on the excitement..."
Strictly speaking, Mike had just been a musician in the last performance. His role in the group wasn't indispensable.
"Come on, do it as a favor to us. The performance won't be as smooth without you..." Hearing Mike try to back out, Regina's tone turned a bit pleading and flirtatious.
She continued, "I already told Cady and the others. They'll probably call you soon too. Just think of it as... hanging out with us on a trip..."
Thinking about how much this opportunity meant to the girls, Mike didn't really want to be a killjoy.
So, he found himself a little torn.
Stay home and spend Christmas with Meemaw and the family, or go hang out with the girls from The Plastics?
"By the way, Mike. The producers made a special exception—we can bring our families..." Regina added. "The chance to see stars perform live is pretty rare too."
"Alright, I'll ask Meemaw and the others what they think." The suggestion of bringing the family won Mike over.
Thinking about it from another angle, he could consider his "payment" as buying tickets for Meemaw and the Coopers.
Looked at that way, it wasn't a bad deal.
"Waiting for your good news!" Seeing Mike waver, Regina hung up, satisfied.
Mike then told Meemaw and the others, who were watching TV, about the invitation to Holiday Joyride and that they could all come along.
"Is that the show I think it is?" Meemaw asked with a smile.
Holiday Joyride was a huge hit locally.
Meemaw and the Coopers had actually been watching it earlier that day.
"Yep," Mike nodded.
"That's wonderful! You mean we might get to see Alan Jackson perform live?" Meemaw said, surprised and delighted.
Alan Jackson, the famous country singer with the mustache and the handsome cowboy look, was well-known across America.
"I can't guarantee he'll be there tomorrow," Mike laughed, seeing Meemaw's excitement.
"Doesn't matter. Seeing other stars perform live will be a great experience too." Meemaw loved a good time and was clearly interested in going to the show.
It seemed Meemaw just wanted to see some "stars" in person. As for which stars, she didn't seem too picky.
The Coopers also showed great interest in seeing a live performance.
Judging by George and Mary's expressions, they were likely treating this as a family Christmas outing.
With everyone on board, Mike called Regina back and confirmed the schedule.
Back at Meemaw's, Georgie, knowing he was going to see Holiday Joyride live tomorrow, immediately got up and headed for the door.
"Georgie, where are you going?" Mary asked, noticing her eldest son's abrupt departure.
It was Christmas night, after all—a time for family.
"I gotta go try on my new suit..." Georgie said, not even looking back as he left Meemaw's house.
That afternoon, Georgie had earned a sharp black suit from his dad through his hard work changing snow tires.
It looked like he wanted to go home and try it on to get ready for tomorrow.
Clearly, he took the chance to see stars perform very seriously.
"He's right. I should go home and dig out that winter suit I bought last year," George, the head of the household, couldn't sit still either after his son's reminder.
He exchanged a look with his wife, and they both left Meemaw's house together.
It was safe to assume that the audience at Holiday Joyride would be well-dressed folks or families of the stars.
Even though money was tight for the Coopers, George and Mary didn't want to look shabby in public.
Everyone has a little vanity, which is understandable.
"I need to go get dressed up too..." Missy, who loved being part of the action, waved to Mike and trotted off on her short legs to catch up with her parents.
Suddenly, only Sheldon was left at Meemaw's, looking confused. He looked left and right, completely bewildered, but then decided to follow the herd and headed home too.