As Christmas nears, Demon worries Coach might be done with him once the season ends. With regular handyman Happy laid up from an accident, Demon and Angus clean gutters themselves and talk about holidays and loss. Angus dismisses Christmas and reveals her asthma and tendency for hives when emotional. Demon admits his mother’s death feels like a daily weight. He suggests weed to lighten the chore; Angus refuses because of asthma.

Demon pushes to make Christmas anyway. They steal a cedar at night, drafting U-Haul to drive, and decorate it with whatever they can find—spoons, candy, CDs, and earrings. Pulled along by nonstop holiday movies, they open presents early: Angus gives Demon comics, sharp clothes including a silver Members Only jacket, and a ship in a bottle that mirrors his ocean dreams and odds-defying hopes.

Demon’s gifts to Angus—a veiled vintage hat, quirky emergency manuals, and a framed portrait of her as the “Black Leather Angel”—strike home; Angus treasures the drawing. With Mattie Kate’s prepared food, they binge TV and eat freely, and Demon savors rare contentment. Returning to Creaky’s property to cut the tree becomes a deliberate act of reclaiming power over a brutal past; Demon mentally curses the place and walks away.

After Christmas, Coach summons Demon, and the boy braces for bad news. Instead, Coach evaluates his size, speed, and unselfish play, and lays down his ethos: “A successful team is not made of leaders; it is made of followers.” He commits to keeping Demon in the house, plans JV practices with Coach Briggs next fall, and targets summer football camp, with early playing time possible. Demon’s fear turns to relief: he has a home for the coming months and a future in football.