christmas
- Everyone at the boarding school goes home for Christmas.
- Miles gets a watch and a wallet, but mostly he studies. Precalc and bio are the bane of his existence, and like many students, he's studying partially to learn but also to get into college.
- Feeling a little guilty about leaving him at the Creek at Thanksgiving, Miles's parents are a bit more emotional when he's there—his mom cries during every family dinner and teaches him to make dishes he doesn't like, and his dad talks with him about books.
- But when Miles leaves and his parents say they're proud of him and love him, he is thankful that he has a family. (Especially when compared to Alaska.)