Episode 1515 (18th December 1990)

==Plot==
Rachel is relieved when a letter from Kate arrives for Joe in the post. Joe is too anxious to open it. Amos wants to conduct the interviews for bar staff with Henry. Henry notes that they haven't received one application yet. Jack teases Sarah over having head lice now she has finally got rid of it. Elizabeth and Michael are without water at Blackthorn Farm when the tank freezes. Henry suggests changing tack and advertising a manager position for the The Woolpack, opening the field for them both to retire. Amos isn't keen but agrees to think about it. Elizabeth and Michael call for a plumber who tells them they need a new tank, new cistern and new pipes. Seth thanks Tony for his Christmas parcel before discovering Tony had mistaken his age to be over 65. He is still happy to receive the parcel regardless. Tony is embarrassed to learn that Amos and Henry haven't received their parcels and realises he hasn't got anymore to give out. Joe gets Annie to open Kate's letter for him. Upon reading it, she insists he needs to see it. Sarah tells Jack that she's noticed head lice on him. Elizabeth goes to 3 Demdyke Row for a bath. Elsa feels guilty and thinks she should invite Elizabeth and Michael to stay over Christmas. Nick reluctantly agrees. Sarah finds it hysterical when Jack treats himself with the head lice removal shampoo as she explains she was only pulling his leg. Tony apologises to Amos and Henry for being left off the list for Christmas parcels. Amos isn't pleased at being overlooked. Tony is about to ask Seth for the hamper back but Seth informs him he and Meg have nearly ate it all. Tony suggests Seth needs to come up with a way to pay Amos back. Joe shows Rachel and Mark the letter from Kate. She asks him not to come to prison to see her and move forward while she is there, hoping they can start afresh when she comes out. Elizabeth is pleased to be invited over to 3 Demdyke Row for Christmas and begins packing her stuff. Michael refuses to move in case Frank takes over the farm while they're gone. Joe suggests to Rachel and Mark that they all write chatty letters to Kate in order to cheer them up. Seth drops off a Christmas hamper for Amos and Henry - one large dented tin of baked beans; one tin of sardines with no key; a jar of picked walnuts out of date and a loose toilet roll. Amos comes up with an advert for the manager's vacancy at The Woolpack and suggests to Henry they have it put in the trade paper tomorrow morning. Elizabeth is amused when Michael gives in and moves in with her, Nick and Elsa at 3 Demdyke Row. Joe struggles to accept the terms of Kate's letter. Annie tries to make him see that not seeing him is Kate's way of coping with being in prison and that everything will be fine once she gets out.
==Cast==
===Regular cast===
*Annie Sugden - Sheila Mercier
*Amos - Ronald Magill
*Mr Wilks - Arthur Pentelow
*Joe Sugden - Frazer Hines
*Jack Sugden - Clive Hornby
*Seth - Stan Richards
*Nick Bates - Cy Chadwick
*Mark Hughes - Craig McKay
*Rachel Hughes - Glenda McKay
*Zoe Tate - Leah Bracknell
*Sarah - Madeleine Howard
*Elsa Feldmann - Naomi Lewis
*Elizabeth Feldmann - Kate Dove
*Michael Feldmann - Matthew Vaughan
*Rev. Tony Charlton - Stephen Rashbrook
*Robert Sugden - Christopher Smith
===Guest cast===
None.
==Locations==
*Emmerdale Farm - Yard, farmhouse kitchen, cottage and farmhouse attic bedroom
*The Woolpack - Backroom and public bar
*Blackthorn Farm - Farmhouse kitchen and front garden
*3 Demdyke Row - Downstairs rooms
==Notes==
*This episode was released on the following commercial releases:
**Emmerdale 5 DVD released by MMT Laukkanen Ltd on 2nd March 2015. A scene involving Nick and Elsa beginning to put up their Christmas tree at 3 Demdyke Row is omitted from this episode on this release, possibly due to the scene featuring 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)' by John & Yoko The Plastic Ono Band playing in the background which may have encountered a music licensing issue for this scene on DVD. Instead, the scene where Elizabeth sends Michael upstairs to check the loft fades to black and the episode simply fades back in again for the following scene where Michael returns from upstairs.
==Memorable dialogue==
Amos Brearly: (looking at Christmas hamper from Seth Armstrong) "Oh, this is more like it, I'm very partial to a picked walnut."
Henry Wilks: (inspecting jar) "Sell by - 30th December."
Amos Brearly: "Oh, twelve days to go!"
Henry Wilks: "...1988."
Category:1990 episodes
Category:Emmerdale episodes
Category:Episodes released on DVD