At Christmas Eve roll call, Mac tells the officers of the many seasonal crimes to watch out for. That message does not discount the Christmas cheer still evident in the force. But Malloy and Reed do encounter many of the typical Christmas related crimes mentioned. They include: the theft of a relief mission Santa Claus of his donations, the case which they have to tread lightly in how they deal with Santa; a drunk driver who imbibed a little too much at an office Christmas party; and a department store shoplifter, but one who seemed to want to get caught. One slightly different set of encounters Malloy and Reed have is with a native American couple newly arrived in town with their infant daughter, they who are unwise to the ways of big city life as they don't even understand the concept of pedestrian walk/don't walk signals at traffic intersections. Malloy and Reed's final encounter with the family may very well determine if they indeed do have a Merry Christmas.
—Huggo