THE ORNAMENT | Short Film

One, two, three, eyes on me. One, two, eyes on you. I know we're all very excited for winter break, but before you go, there will be homework. Aww. Don't worry. It's going to be lots of fun. I want you to write one paragraph about your family's holiday traditions to share with the class when you come back. Thank you, Ms. Robinson. Uh-uh-uh. Quiet, please. Save it for sharing in the new year. Oh, Tessa, please remember to thank your mom for giving me her book. OK, I will. Bye, sweetie. Hello, hello, Ms. Tessa. Are you ready to go home? Yes, Ms. Andi. Just one second, baby girl. Mommy's working. I made you something. It's me and you. Aww, it's beautiful. Can we hop on the tree? As soon as mommy's finished. I love you. Love you, too, baby girl. So your mom had some good news today. I've been named Female Entrepreneur of the Year again. Congratulations, third year in a row. Thank you, Angela. Profit Magazine is going to be featuring me in their January edition. So the editor will be here at the house tomorrow to interview me. I'll make sure the house is looking beautiful. Ms. Beasley says thank you for the book, mommy. I'm sure it'll help her tremendously. Ms. Beasley also said we have to tell the class what we do for Christmas. But I don't know what to write. We don't do anything special. What are you talking about? Of course we do, silly. Every year, we gather as a family for Christmas. We start the day by racing downstairs to our stockings. Come on, Tessie, you know. Then we rip open our gifts from Santa as we drink hot chocolate. We wear matching PJs and curl up by the fire, play games, and sing carols all day long until we finally dig in to a feast of honey ham, potatoes, and pie. Are we really going to do that this year? Of course we are. Just like we do every year. Promise? Yeah, baby. Beep, beep, beep. And may I do something? It's me and you. Tessa. Tessa! What are you doing? You should be dressed. Angela, is a gift wrapped? Yes. Why isn't she dressed? I asked you to put her in the red dress with the bows. Yes, right away, Miss McLean. For the love of God, brush those knots out of her hair. Can you wash my hair? Oh, come with me, sweetie. I'm going to make you so pretty. Pretty, pretty, like Kelly. Oh, Joanne, you know, I've actually been following your career for many years now. You're such an inspiration to me. Not just the words that you put on paper, but this great light that you exude. I'm touched. That means a lot coming from you. So when would the photographer be coming by? It's just me today. Our team couldn't find a photographer willing to come out on Christmas Eve. I'm so sorry that wasn't communicated. Well, aren't you just so well behaved? And I love your dress. Thank you. Mommy picked it. Oh, I'm just so grateful to have Tessa in my life. You know, when her angel daddy died, it was just us. He left me with a bankrupt company and no life insurance, but you know what? Me and Tessa, we became a team. I'm like a mama duck and her little duckling. But Tessa doesn't follow behind, no. She's always in front. Running my business, my work, that comes second. Well, that can't be easy. How do you do it all? I mean, most mornings, I barely remember to eat breakfast. I believe that as a woman, it's part of my nurturing instinct, you know, when you have something of value inside of you that you know that you can give, well, you give it. You can't be too hoity-toity about these things. I mean, us girls, we want to get ahead, but that's when I have a saying, shift happens. And when it happens, you have to be ready to say, it is okay, I can deal with this. You know, I come from a very simple family, a lot of horrible situations that I had to overcome, but it was in the overcoming that I pushed the limits, that I achieved great things. On that note, Luna, there was one question I needed to ask you. Some people have come forward criticizing that certain elements of your story are exaggerated. Joanne, I'm so sorry. I have something, something very special that Tessa wanted to give you. She was so excited to meet you, weren't you, Tessa? Yes. Thank you, Tessa. Oh! That is so sweet of you. It's beautiful. Oh, and who is that on the front? It's you and Tessa. Isn't that precious? Well, sweetie, you can run upstairs. It's just going to be boring grown-ups talk now. Yes, Mama. And to answer your question, Joanne, I don't take offense when I'm challenged. I find it invigorating. You embarrassed me today. I saw you giving looks to her. You think she's better than me? You think I'm not good enough? You think this is not good enough for you, Princess Tessa? Well, then maybe you should go and find another family. No, that's not what I want. Too late. Bye-bye. Off you go, then. See how you like it with that two-bit, trashy, self-righteous whore. And see how you like living there, in a shithole, wearing hand-me-down rags for clothes. See how you love your Christmas, then, with the plastic tree and your dollar store ornaments. How do you like it? You think I made this world. You just get to live in it. I can flick you away like a piece of ******* dust. You little *******... If my mother had seen how you behaved today, she would have got you good. She would have got you so good. She would have got you... Please, Mommy. One day, you're going to wake up, and I am going to be gone, and you won't know where to find me. Please, Mommy, don't go. Oh, oh, now you're scared? Now? Now that you know you're going to be alone? Well, let me tell you something, little girl. No one cares because they don't really love you like you don't really love me. You can take all this ----, and you go live with her. You go somewhere else! You've got it, Tessa. Mommy and I start the day by racing downstairs to our stockings. We rip open our gifts from Santa as we drink hot cocoa. We wear our matching PJs and curl up by the fire. We play games and sing Christmas carols before we finally dig in to delicious feasts of honey ham, potatoes, and pie.