It’s a few days before Christmas, and the NCIS team joins local police in the investigation of the double homicide of an elderly couple during a home invasion. Fingerprints found at the crime scene and a witness’ description point to a former petty officer, Ed Quinn, as the perpetrator. There's just one problem -- Quinn is supposed to be dead. 

Quinn's history is one of Vietnam, drugs, divorce, and, supposedly, death in a drug house fire in 1991. Although Ducky signed Quinn's death certificate, he confirms that identification was based on circumstantial evidence.

Quinn, clean and sober and very much alive, claims that he didn't kill the elderly couple. He says his fingerprints are at the crime scene -- and on the murder weapon -- because he had been helping the couple decorate for the holidays, and he had used his own tools to do the job. He was in the garage at the time of the attack, he says, and although he had been too late to save the old man, he had tried to give CPR to the woman.

Gibbs is inclined to believe Quinn, and Ducky finds evidence to support Quinn's claims. Vance agrees to let the team dig deeper.

This case brings the team in contact with an old rival of DiNozzo’s, Metro Detective Justin Kemp, who is the husband of one of Tony's ex-girlfriends. Evidence points to a financial connection between Kemp's father-in-law and the victims.

But McGee, Ziva and Tony find new evidence at the crime scene, and forensics point to another suspect with a different kind of motive...

Although while Quinn doesn't want to re-connect with his family, his daughter Melissa would very much like to reconcile with him. Abby makes it her personal mission to reunite father and daughter in a perfect Christmas fairy tale.

Abby is like a child at Christmas, full of joy and hope and belief in Santa.  Childlike and innocent, she believes that everything will work out, if only given a chance.  Abby still believes in Santa, even if he is a merely a psychologist dressed for a children's party. She watches the twists and turns of this mystery, as if from the outside looking in. (Until it's time to work her forensics magic, and then she rocks.)

And in the end, Tony shares a DiNozzo family tradition -- caramel popcorn and a view of the holiday classic film, "Its A Wonderful Life."

Peter Coyote puts in a fine guest performance as the emotionally tortured veteran Ned Quinn, although at times his emotional response seems a bit abrupt and forced. The actor playing the pompous security guard gives an absolutely painful performance that's dead-on creepy. 

This episode weaves a heartwarming holiday tale in amongst solid forensics and detective work. While the episode is unapologetically sentimental, but doesn't actually cross the line into sappy stupidity. And it's good to know that even in a show that revolves around fatalities and forensics holds family -- both the one you're born with and the one you choose -- close at heart.