Ep 12. Season's Greetings

Ray and Debra receive the annual Christmas letter from Marie, which prompts Debra to suggest they write one of their own. When they sit down to make a list of their family's accomplishments in the past year, they realize they don't have many. Ray had a promotion and his article published, while Debra's main accomplishment was getting an article published in a parenting magazine. They start asking family members if they did anything noteworthy, and Robert reveals he's been dating someone new. However, he doesn't want Ray to tell anyone, especially Marie, as he's worried about ruining the relationship.

Meanwhile, Frank is complaining about how much he hates the holidays and how much money they cost, which upsets Marie. She decides they won't buy each other gifts this year and instead will give to charity. This doesn't sit well with Frank, who thinks he'll be seen as cheap.

Back at Ray's house, Debra is struggling to come up with something else to include in their letter. Ray suggests they mention how well Michael is doing in school, even though he's not. Debra doesn't want to lie, but Ray insists they need to make themselves look good.

The next day, Robert asks Ray if he told anyone about his new girlfriend. Ray assures him he didn't, but later tells Debra about it. She gets mad at Ray for not keeping Robert's secret and suggests they not write the letter at all. Ray decides to write the letter anyway, but instead of exaggerating their accomplishments, they decide to be honest and write about their struggles as a family.

During Christmas Eve dinner at Marie and Frank's, Ray and Debra's letter is read aloud, much to the surprise and amusement of the rest of the family. They realize it's much more relatable than the perfect holiday letters they usually receive. Robert also reveals his girlfriend, and everyone is happy for him. Frank, who had secretly bought Marie a diamond watch, is now feeling like a failure for not participating in the charity idea. Marie realizes how important gift-giving is to Frank and tells him it's okay to buy her gifts, as they can still give to charity as well.

In the end, the family comes together in a more meaningful way than they have in previous years, and everyone learns that honesty and supporting each other's happiness is more important than trying to appear perfect.