In another corner of Coronation Street, amidst the Christmas lights and sparkling trees, Sally Metcalfe decides to do what she believes is right: open her home to Joanie – a little girl with a lot of trauma – in the hope of giving this child a decent holiday.

But as usual, good things in Weatherfield rarely end well.

From a compassionate decision, Sally accidentally ignites a Christmas crisis that divides the whole street.

It all starts with Sally – Tim’s guilt and remorse over what happened to Joanie before.

She is not just a “trouble child”, but a soul driven by trauma: violence, anger, loss of control… all are symptoms of a broken past. Even though Sally knew the dangers of returning Joanie to her own home, she couldn’t bear the thought of her spending Christmas in a cold, unloving environment.

So the “Healing Christmas” plan was formulated. Sally decorated the house brightly, Tim tried to lighten the mood, traditional dishes were meticulously prepared. They planned just enough to keep things from going too far: visiting hours, supervisors, topics to avoid. In Sally’s eyes, this was a chance for Joanie to feel that no matter what, someone believed she deserved another chance.