This year marked the 50^th anniversary of the end to the Vietnam War. The average age of the United States Vietnam soldier was 19. Many were drafted who didn’t want to be drafted. Many went to Vietnam alive and many returned dead. Many never returned at all. And don’t get me started on the ones who came back alive and were never the same. And then there were the many who avoided the draft by staying in school or going to Canada, such as the character David in this episode.

We start with Archie entering the Bunker household seeming quite jolly and carrying a gift of some sort. Edith catches him under the mistletoe and he goes to show her what he bought for his friend Pinky Peterson. He’s invited Pinky to Christmas Eve dinner because he’s all alone in the world. At this time in the episode, we don’t know why he’s all alone.

The gift is a novelty Santa that, once you put the battery in, sticks it’s tongue out. But that’s not the fun part of the Santa. You squeeze Santa’s tie and he squirts water. But when Edith tries it, it doesn’t work. So Archie turns it on himself and it works.

Archie: Every time I get water on myself I gotta go to the john.

So Archie heads upstairs to the bathroom and as he does, the doorbell rings. Edith answers it and it’s a man looking for Mike Stivic. Edith explains that he lives next door but he’ll be there any minute and that she’s his mother-in-law. She invites him in to wait for him and asks if he’s a friend of Mike’s. He says yes, his name is David Brewster and that he and Mike went to high school together. Edith inquires how they have never met him before and he tells her he has been living in Canada but is in town for the holidays and thought he would surprise Mike.

Mike enters carrying numerous gifts and sees David and embraces him. He asks him if he is “down here for good” and David replies, “no, not yet.”

Edith offers David to stay and have Christmas Eve dinner with them and he agrees. He and Mike sit down to talk.

Mike: Aren’t you taking a big chance coming down to the States?

David: Yeah, but it’s Christmas, you know. I felt like it.

Gloria comes in and Mike introduces David to her. She seems hesitant about his being there.

Gloria: I thought you were supposed to stay in Canada.

David: This week I’m your friendly fugitive from justice.

Gloria: Well put on a happy face. It’s Christmas Eve and you’re among friends. There’s no problem here.

And then we hear Archie off camera complaining about starch in his shirts.

Mike: Except one. Conservatively speaking.

With that knowledge, David states maybe he should leave but Mike stops him. He tells him to stay clear of any topics that may cause friction: politics, religion, sex, books, movies, war, peace, guns, grapes, lettuce.

Archie comes down to the living room and meets David and when Archie asks him where he’s from, Gloria offers that he’s from up north, a little north of Niagara Falls.

Archie: Oh, up around Rhode Island way, eh?

Edith comes in and tells Archie that David is having dinner with them, but Archie was assuming David was having dinner with his family in Rhode Island. So, he tells Meathead that he’ll have to cut down on his consumption to make sure there’s enough food for everyone because he’s invited Pinky and Pinky eats like a government mule.

Archie: So what town are you from up in Rhode Island there?

Edith: Oh, he’s from Canada.

Mike notices the Santa that spits water and uses it to change the subject. Archie goes to show him how it works and again ends up turning it on himself.

Theresa comes down to the living room singing “Feliz Navidad” and Archie tells her to stop singing it because God doesn’t want to hear that.

The doorbell rings and it’s Pinky but before Archie answers the door, he tells everyone that sometimes on holidays Pinky gets feeling a little low so if he starts talking about Steve, change the subject.

Mike: Who’s Steve?

Archie: Steve is his only son. He got knocked off over in Vietnam.

At that news, the looks on Mike and David’s faces turn to concern.

Pinky enters carrying a poinsettia plant for Edith and seeming very jovial. Archie shows Pinky the spitting Santa and for a third time, Archie gets it turned on himself. He goes upstairs again to change his shirt.

David comes out of the kitchen where he’s been helping Edith and he and Pinky meet.

In the next scene, everyone is seen standing around the piano singing “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” with Archie sitting in his chair singing the wrong lyrics. Archie requests everyone gather around so he can make a toast.

Edith: Oh, I don’t think I should drink no more, I’m going to get dizzy.

Archie: Nobody will notice. Sit down.

Archie goes on to toast Edith, to Gloria, to Miike, to his little grandson Joey “sleeping upstairs so we can enjoy ourselves down here.” Then Edith brings in the turkey and everyone gathers around. Pinky says he wants to propose a toast to the Bunker family for making him feel like home. And then David grabs his drink and says, “I’d like to second that. It’s nice to be home for Christmas.”

As Archie begins to carve the turkey, Pinky starts talking about his son Steve, mentioning one Christmas when his son scribbled a note to Santa and Archie interrupts him saying, “Hey, Pinky, how would you like to hear a swell Polak joke?”, much to everyone’s chagrin. Archie makes a face and let’s Pinky continue.

Pinky: Anyway, little Stevie scribbled a note to Santa and he said, please Santa, I’d like a punching bag for Christmas and if I can’t have one, I’ll take a little sister.”

Then Archie starts telling a story of his childhood back in the depression.

Archie: I come running down and I’m looking for a bike, that’s all I wanted, was a bike. I’m looking around for a bike. No bike.

Mike: What’d you get?

Archie: Heavy underwear. And to this day heavy underwear makes me cry.

Edith: And it makes you itch, too.

Archie addresses David and asks if he has some heartwarming story.

David: Well, Christmases back home in Chicago were always big family get togethers, you know.

Archie: Chicago? I thought you said you was from Canada?

David: No, sir, I said I was living in Canada.

Archie then asks him what brought him to live in Canada. Mike pipes in asking what’s wrong with living in Canada. Archie gets defensive. Mike bites back and David interrupts.

David: I’m just an American who prefers living in Canada.

Archie: The next question is what the hell they got in Canada that they don’t got here?

David: Freedom.

Archie: Did you say freedom?

David: Yes, sir. Freedom.

At this point you can feel the tension in the room. Archie rambles on about America being the land of the free and David says, “Mr. Bunker, for some of us America is not free.”

Archie again gets defensive and Gloria speaks up. Pinky says “Let’s change the subject”. Archie says he gets the feeling everyone is trying to hide something revolving around Archie asking David about being in Canada.

Archie: It’s not like he’s a deserter from the Army or something. Is it that?

David: No, sir. I’m not a deserter. I’m a draft dodger.

Archie to Edith: What did he say?

Edith: He said he was a draft dodger.

Boom.

Archie rambles on about David being a fugitive from justice and asks Edith how she would like the FBI to come have dinner with them.

Edith: Oh, Archie, we ain’t got enough turkey.

Archie starts having a meltdown, demanding nobody touch any food until he gets an explanation regarding this. Gloria yells at him stating that David does not owe him or anyone else any explanation. Archie runs down the list of military divisions and mentions the President that David owes an explanation to.

Mike: Will you put the flag away? It’s Christmas, not the Fourth of July.

David: I wrote to the President about it, Mr. Bunker. He just couldn’t come up with as many reasons for killing people as I could for not killing them.

Archie addresses Pinky, asking him how he likes the fact that they have a draft dodger in their presence who writes a “snotty letter to the Commander-In-Chief.” You can see a very pensive look on Pinky’s face.

David indicates he doesn’t want to spoil Christmas dinner so maybe he should go. He gets up to leave to everyone’s protest but Archie’s. Archie demands that he leave but Mike is not going to let that happen. He gets up and yells at Archie, telling him that what David did took a lot of guts.

Mike: When the hell are you going to admit that the war was wrong?

Archie starts screaming his opinion about the war and people who do or don’t want to go to war.

Pinky pipes in: Arch, if my opinion is of any importance—

Archie: Certainly your opinion is of importance. A Gold Star father. Your opinion is of more importance than anyone in this room and I want to hear that opinion. I want these young people here to hear that opinion. Now you tell ‘em, Pinky.

Pinky: I understand how you feel, Arch. My kid hated the war too. But he did what he thought he had to do. And David here did what he thought he had to do. But David’s alive to share Christmas dinner with us. And if Steve were here, he’d want to sit down with him. And that’s what I want to do.

With that, Pinky turns to David and offers him his hand.

Archie is still beside himself.

Edith: You know what I think we ought to do now?  I think we ought to eat.

Silence. Archie walks away, saying he needs to wrap his head around it. Edith tries to coax him back to the table “for her.” Reluctantly he comes back to the table.

Edith: There’s a drumstick for you.

Archie: Oh, I ain’t thinking about eating.

Mike: I’ll take it, Ma.

Archie: Leave it on the plate.

Archie says when dinner’s over he still has to work it out and he tells Edith to remind him to do that.

Carolers are heard off camera outside the home, irritating Archie even more. He goes to the door and yells at the carolers that “we’re trying to eat Christmas dinner here, will you all shut up?” They wish him a Merry Christmas

Archie: Merry Christmas. But can you keep it down? I don’t want to call the cops on you.

As Archie closes the door, we see a wreath hanging on the door with the word PEACE in the middle. A perfect ending to this classic episode.

The posting of this blog is dedicated in memory to Rob and Michele Reiner who sadly were murdered on December 14, 2025. Rob, of course, played Michael Stivic in “All In The Family” and his character was not far removed from who Rob really was and what Rob believed in. May his memory live on through all his acting and directing works. Such an incredible loss.