02E11 - How Lily Stole Christmas

It's the Christmas season 2006, and as usual, Lily, who loves the festive nature of the holidays, is the chief decorator, which everyone else in turn loves and appreciates. On Christmas Eve, Lily finds the old answering machine that was unplugged during the summer while she was gone. It was unplugged because Marshall, still despondent over his and Lily's break-up, would listen to Lily's old messages. Ted and Lily decide they can once again plug it in. However, one of the old messages that Lily hears on the machine is from Ted to Marshall, in which Ted calls Lily a bad name (using the word "grinch" as a euphemism when the story is later told). Ted is sorry, but he refuses to apologize to Lily, since in his mind, she really was a grinch for what she put Marshall through. Although Ted later tries to make it up to her, Lily already has taken her revenge on Ted. Again for Marshall's sake, Ted has to try to make up with Lily before Marshall comes home, he who is secretly running his own Christmas errand instead of completing his term paper like he said. Meanwhile, Barney is sick with a cold, but he refuses to acknowledge that fact. When he finally admits it, Robin wishes he hadn't.