 In this Christmas episode, members of the Sparta Police Department are interviewed for an article in the Sparta Herald. Reporter Millie Turnby (Judith Robinson) has a preconceived notion regarding the article and spins the information to suit her agenda. Flashbacks show the SPD s growing pains after Virgil Tibbs (Howard Rollins Jr.) joins the force, especially in his relationships with Chief Bill Gillespie (Carroll O Connor) and Sergeant Bubba Skinner (Alan Autry). As the officers read the article at a Christmas party, Gillespie puts it and the newspaper into proper perspective.