This episode, which aired fifty years ago today, starts off with Lamont getting on Fred about doing inventory to which Fred pretty much ignores him. Then Lamont says he’ll finish decorating the tree when he returns, to which Fred tells him to forget about because “we ain’t got no money to spend on that foolishness”.

Just before Lamont leaves, Aunt Esther shows up with gifts for Lamont and Fred. After some rude banter back and forth between Esther and Fred, Esther follows Lamont out the door.

Then Fred is visited by a young neighbor named Ronnie Small who is there to talk to Fred about a job. He’s trying to earn ten dollars to buy a Christmas gift for his parents. Ronnie says he’ll do anything which is intriguing to Fred. So Fred puts him to work.

Lamont and his friend Rollo show up and Lamont questions Fred about Ronnie and what he’s doing at the house. Fred explains that he’s paying him to do the inventory and paint the house. Lamont gets angry because he feels he’s ripping off the kid. Rollo presents Fred with a gift but Fred refuses it. As Fred says “I don’t want his present and he don’t need his past and nobody wants to see him in the future.”

Lamont keeps referring to Fred as Scrooge which of course leads us into the next segment of the episode when Fred falls asleep. And dreams he is greeted by Lamont dressed as the Spirit of Christmas Past.

The Spirit takes Fred back to his past, to the house where he grew up in St. Louis where Fred sees his mother and his younger self. When Fred becomes overwhelmed with sadness (and probably guilt from admitting to The Spirit that he spent the rest of his mother’s money on candy), the Spirit returns him to his home. Only for Fred to be greeted by another Spirit. The Spirit of Christmas Present.

He takes them to a party where Aunt Esther, Donna, Rollo, Bubba and others are. Esther admits she didn’t invite Fred because he doesn’t have the Christmas spirit and states that Lamont didn’t want to go because he didn’t want to embarrass his father. When Esther toasts Fred, Fred gets upset, stating “don’t be nice to me” and he begs the spirit to take him home.

Next we see Lamont standing before Fred dressed as an astronaut. When Fred sees him he asks, “Who are you? The Spirit of Liberace?” Of course he is the Spirit of Christmas Future. And he shows Fred what his future could be like: living all alone, with no son and no friends. Not because he doesn’t have deodorant. But because he has no Christmas spirit. Fred become visibly upset again and demands they leave, saying about his future self “I don’t like him”.

Back at his house he is awakened by Ronnie who seems concerned for his welfare. Fred gives Ronnie twenty dollars and when Ronnie reminds him it was only supposed to be ten, Fred says “where’s your Christmas spirit?”

The scene then shifts to Lamont and Fred celebrating Christmas with a decorated tree and music playing. Ronnie and his family show up and Lamont suddenly learns why Fred told him that Lamont wouldn’t be getting any of his gifts until his birthday in February. Because Fred gave them all to the Small family. And although the gifts were all monogramed with Lamont’s initials, it all worked out because Fred told them that the letters LS were his philosophy: LOVE SOMEBODY.