The series is set in Los Angeles, and depicts the lives of the Fisher family, who run a funeral home, along with their friends and lovers.
Jesse Johnson reluctantly accepts his wife's request to start his seasonal job as Santa Claus at a mall.
Ruth (Frances Conroy) makes Claire (Lauren Ambrose) to accompany her to church, and she in turn decides to hang out with Toby (Stark Sands), whom she now considers her boyfriend.
When Vanessa (Justina Machado) questions Rico (Freddy Rodriguez) for firing Ramon, he finally admits that he caught him having sex with a man.
The holidays also mark the anniversary of Nate (Peter Krause) and Brenda (Rachel Griffiths), who visit Margaret (Joanna Cassidy).
David (Michael C. Hall) convinces Keith (Mathew St. Patrick) to come along with Taylor (Aysia Polk) to the Christmas dinner.
It's been a year since Ruth's husband died, and usual wish-fulfillment visions are replaced by the characters' memories of him, which are both tender and affecting.
And Nate learns a thing or two about joie de vivre from the biker Santa's wife and friends, who celebrate the happiness of a life lived with gusto, rather than mourn his untimely death.
Most shows go for the cheesy, sentimental slush, but thankfully Scott Buck avoids that but still commemorates Nate Sr in a respectful, but honest way for the main characters.
[9] In 2016, Ross Bonaime of Paste ranked it 31st out of all 63 Six Feet Under episodes and wrote, "On the first anniversary of Nathaniel Fisher's death, everyone in the family remembers the last time they saw their father/husband/boss, while several of the living also return.
After the first season, Nathaniel's appearances became much less common, but actually getting to see everyone's final moments with him adds more depth to the family and their individual and collective suffering.