TEXT: Scene: The apartment. Penny: Oh, I always tear up when the Grinch's heart grows three sizes. Sheldon: Tears seem appropriate. Enlargement of the heart muscle, or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, is a serious disease which could lead to congestive heart failure. Leonard (singing Deck the Halls): Fa-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la. Penny: You really didn't like it, Sheldon? Sheldon: No, on the contrary. I found the Grinch to be a relatable, engaging character, and I was really with him right up to the point that he succumbed to social convention and returned the presents and saved Christmas. What a buzz kill that was. Leonard: When we watch Frosty the Snowman, he roots for the sun. Sheldon: Excuse me, but the sun is essential for all life on Earth. Frosty is merely a bit of frozen supernatural ephemera in a stolen hat. A crime, by the way, for which he is never brought to account. Leonard (continuing Deck the Halls): Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la. Credits sequence. Scene: The apartment. Penny: I just love decorating the Christmas tree. It makes me feel like a little girl again. Leonard: We didn't have a tree when I was growing up. Penny: Really? Why not? Leonard: Mmm, in my family, holidays weren't so much celebrated as studied for their anthropological and psychological implications on human society. Penny: Oh, sounds festive. Did you at least give presents? Leonard: Mmm, in a way. We presented papers, and then broke off into focus groups and critiqued each other. Penny: Sheldon, what about you? Did you have a Christmas tree? Sheldon: Oh, yes. We had a tree, we had a manger, we had an inflatable Santa Claus with plastic reindeer on the front lawn. And to make things even more jolly, there were so many blinking lights on the house they induced neighbourhood-wide seizures. Penny: So I take it you don't want to help us
SUMMARY:
At Christmas, Leonard's mother visits, much to Leonard's horror and Sheldon's delight. Penny is upset to learn that Leonard has not told her about his mother's visit, nor his mother about their relationship, while Leonard learns that Sheldon appears to know more about his parents' lives than he does.