"Sarah's First Christmas"

“25 words or less” – Tired of always being the 25th wheel at holidays, a single guy from a devout Catholic family decides to invite a Jewish girl to Christmas

Full Summary:

Mark Altieri has grown tired of constantly being the 25th wheel at family holiday gatherings. Coming from a big Italian family, he has a number of siblings, aunts, uncles and cousins and everyone has a significant other…everyone except for Mark. Mark’s lack of a girlfriend typically causes problems at these holiday get-togethers - he’s forced to play automatic quarterback during the traditional football game in order to keep the teams even, he’s left out of the “couples-only” board game competition, he sits at the kids table for dinner and he is even forced to give up his bedroom and sleep on a cot in the basement.

After a particularly challenging Thanksgiving for him, Mark vows to win back his bedroom by taking a girl home to his parents’ house for Christmas. But who will he take? Recognizing that Christmas is right around the corner and understanding the difficulties with finding a girl that will be available to spend the holiday with him on such short notice, Mark discusses options and prospects with his best friend and co-worker, Jacob. Mark learns from his Jewish friend that Chanukah ends days before Christmas which gives him a revelation – a Jewish girl would be free from family obligations during Christmas.

So, with Jacob in toe, Mark heads out to find the perfect Jewish girl to invite to Christmas. In an effort to increase his odds of finding someone, he stakes out all the stereotypical places – synagogues, bagel shops, delis, even Murray Hill – but has no luck until he notices the Jewish girl of his dreams, Sarah, on his way to work. After following her into the local Starbucks for several days in a row, Mark finally builds up the nerve to talk to Sarah and, after some small talk, asks her out on a date which she accepts. At the end of their first date, Mark makes the bold move and asks her to accompany him to his family’s home for Christmas weekend; caught off-guard she reluctantly agrees after he makes an impassioned plea.

However there is a huge obstacle standing in the way of Mark and Sarah’s budding relationship – his family. Mark’s parents and grandparents are adamant that everyone in the family only date Catholics, preferably Italian Catholics, so Mark tries his best to hide the fact that Sarah is Jewish. But once the truth comes out during Christmas Eve, Mark’s family vocalizes its’ opposition to the point that it straddles the line of pro-Catholicism and anti-Semitism. Even faced with the open hostility, Sarah decides to remain with the family through Christmas for Mark’s sake as he pleads with his family to give her a chance.

This leads to the following questions that will be answered by the end of the weekend: Can Sarah change the family’s perception? Will the family come around and finally accept her?
Sarah's First Christmas Screenplay