Ratings: 14.0 million

Guest star Nathan West is married to series regular Chyler Leigh (Lexie Grey).

Katherine Heigl (Izzie Stevens) does not appear in this episode.

Meredith: Were you drinking when I was a kid? When you left me with my mother and got another family and never looked back.
Thatcher: No. No, I didn't start drinking 'til much later.
Meredith: Well then, we can't blame the world's evils on alcohol, can we?

Chelsea: I'm getting tired. Really tired.
Teddy: I know.
Cristina: You know what? You just need to hang on 'til New Year's Eve. There's a lot of drunk drivers, a lot of brain death. It's an organ-palooza.

Cristina: Private lessons with the Chief. Man, those daddy issues are working for you.
Meredith: I don't have daddy issues. He's teaching me.
Alex: You're his bitch.
Meredith: Well, in that case, you're Teddy's bitch.
Alex: Maybe that's my problem. I'm nobody's bitch.
Cristina: Oh, well, you were Izzie's bitch.
Alex: You're the bitch.

Meredith: (closing voiceover) Every day, we get to give the gift of life. It can be painful. It can be terrifying. But in the end, it's worth it every time. We all have the opportunity to give. Maybe the gifts are not as dramatic as what happens in the operating room. Maybe the gift is to try and make a simple apology. Maybe it's to understand another person's point of view. Maybe it's to hold a secret for a friend. The joy, supposedly, is in the giving. So when the joy is gone when the giving starts to feel more like a burden, that's when you stop. But if you're like most people I know you give 'til it hurts. And then you give some more.

Episode Title: Holidaze

"Holidaze" is the title of a song by Mansions.