On Christmas day, the Ayunkili's spent their first Christmas together with A Christmas Story playing continuously on the television. Christmas music played softly in the background. Carmella was fine with Perry Como and Elvis Presley but would jump up and sing or hum whenever a Motown Christmas song played. The wolves would howl and Raj would clap, but Bilal—he just smiled.

Christmas dinner consisted of roast suckling pig—they were going to be bombarded with pigs because ...