Henry doesn't understand why Ian changed the name of a character in his manuscript from Lily to Renska, nor does he understand why Ian's favorite coffee shop is thirty blocks away. Wanting to understand Ian better, Henry pays a visit to Ian's coffee house of choice, where he discovers that Renska, the owners' daughter, is a waitress there -- whom Ian never talks to. Ian denies to Henry that he has a thing for Renska, but Henry doesn't believe him. Thanks to Henry's big mouth, Renska's over-protective parents thrust Ian into a date with their timid daughter the next time he stops by. Furious, Ian blows up at Henry because his morning routine of fritters and long walks has been ruined -- but Henry's attempt to correct the matter destroys Ian's routine even more. Meanwhile, Maddie has to fend off the unwanted advances of her pompous professor, Forrest St. James, when she sends Jake to her psychology class to take notes for her, and he ends up penning an overly flattering teacher evaluatio

It's Christmastime, and there's a need to be afraid. Jake plans to fulfill his New Year's resolution to call his father who deserted him when he was ten, while Maddie prepares for a blind date with one Dr. Eric Woolf that her father set up. Tess tries to get her friends together for a Christmas party, but they've all got plans. So instead she latches onto Ian's party -- even though he doesn't want her there. Once Tess arrives and sees what Ian calls a Christmas party, she isn't sure she wants to be there either. But at least she's in good company with Ian's eccentric collection of friends: Vince from the looney bin, who has a habit of introducing himself as the last name said in his presence; Phyllis, the maintenance transvestite; Goldy, the midget newsstand guy; and Lois Bickford, the washed-up stage actress who did Ed Sullivan several times -- and still couldn't get on his show. Since Ian's gang are too busy watching a Knicks game to bother having any Christmas spirit, Tess decides t