Object

Donna's Christmas List

A small, informal holiday gift list written by Donna — a folded or torn slip of paper, inked in hurried pen strokes and handled in the bullpen. In the canonical scene (S1E10 'In Excelsis Deo'), Donna passes it to Josh; he flips it over, reads the terse entries, then pinches and crumples the note out of sight. The paper's intimate, domestic tone and its creased/balled condition after Josh's handling mark it as a personal prop that catalyzes a playful beat and an ensuing ethical/confrontational moment.

3 appearances

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

3 moments

S1E10 · In Excelsis Deo

Holiday Banter to Ethical Standoff

Donna's small handwritten Christmas list functions as the intimate prop that opens the scene's domestic register; its transfer to Josh, his private crumpling, and final disposal visually register his divided attention and escalating dishonesty.

Before: In Donna's possession, neatly folded, carried to Josh as a playful, earnest token.

After: Crumpled and discarded into Josh's bullpen wastebasket, hidden from Donna and used to symbolize Josh's emotional withdrawal.

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S1E10 · In Excelsis Deo

Leo Rejects a Preemptive Strike and Reframes the Crisis

Donna's small gift list is given to Josh as a token of intimacy and domestic normalcy; Josh later crumples it and disposes of it, a private gesture that signals avoidance and his shift into crisis mode.

Before: Clean, folded scrap of paper in Donna's hand being handed to Josh as a gift suggestion list.

After: Crumpled and deposited in Josh's bullpen wastebasket, hidden from view, symbolic of Josh's compartmentalization.

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S1E10 · In Excelsis Deo

Donna Confronts Josh About Leo — The Wait-and-See Moment

The Christmas list is briefly invoked as a joking deflection by Josh, allowing him to downplay Donna's seriousness. The list operates narratively as a small, domestic detail that interrupts tension and highlights Josh's use of humor to avoid emotional accountability.

Before: Mentioned in passing as something Donna wrote and expects attention to; not physically interacted with in the scene.

After: Unchanged materially; remains a private, domestic artifact referenced to lighten the tone but ultimately ignored as the conversation turns grave.

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