A Different World/For Whom the Jingle Bell Tolls

For Whom the Jingle Bell Tolls
Season 3, Episode 10
Airdate	December 21, 1989
Production Number	312
Written by	Cheryl Gard
Directed by	Debbie Allen
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A Different World — Season Three

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For Whom the Jingle Bell Tolls is the tenth episode of the third season of A Different World, and the fifty-fourth episode overall.

Starring:

Guest Stars: Diahann Carroll (Marion Gilbert), Kenneth Washington (Mercer Gilbert)

Featuring: Brandi Royale Petway (Little Whitley)

Plot Overview

Whitley is in a foul mood during the holiday season, especially when her mother insists that they fly to the south of France instead of spending a quiet Christmas at home. She coldly rejects Freddie's offer to spend Christmas with her, and refuses to attend the gang's tree-trimming party. Whitley's mother appears to her in a dream and warns that she is headed for the same lonely, isolated existence as Marion. Whitley is visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future (who bear an uncanny resemblance to Mr. Gaines, Walter and Jaleesa). She learns that Freddie will end up staying with Dwayne for the holidays, leading to a romance between the two. Whitley discovers that Dwayne and Freddie will marry, while she will spend her entire life alone. Whitley suddenly gets into the holiday spirit, decorates everything in sight, and asks Freddie to come along to France. However, Marion shows up at the dorm and tells her daughter that she wants to spend Christmas in Richmond. She settles on a compromise and takes the girls to a cabin in Maine.