In the locker room world of taunts and one-upmanship, the easiest route to knocking off a guy off stride involves the well-placed dart of a compliment aimed at the sexy younger sister.
On Monday's "How I Met Your Mother," Barney improves on this well-worn repertoire with the previously unexplored trick of adapting Christmas carols to reflect his carnal desires for Ted's sister.
That's a nice way of saying that Barney finds a new way of delivering the raunch with a string of naughty tunes you never want to hear your kids' singing on the school bus.
We get to hear a medley's worth of his talents when Ted's party girl of a sister decides to move to New York City, forcing the over-protective architect to fret over how he will keep "Hurricane Heather" away from Barney. Somehow, hearing Barney croon -- to the tune of Jingle Bells -- "Pulling down her pants, yanking down my own, underneath the mistletoe I'll make your sister moan" does not allay Ted's fears.
You would think that Barney's fabled "Bro Code" features an entire section prohibiting liaisons with your buddy's sister, and he tries to assure Ted that the code does indeed hold in this case.
"A bro can joke about another bro's sister," Barney tries to tell him. "It doesn't mean I'm ever going to act on it."
Barney's Santa wish list (or at least the one penned by HIMYM writers) suggests otherwise, but Barney and Ted's sister go the elaborate route of allowing Lily to catch them half undressed to lend the impression that they had indeed hooked up. Apparently, they were hoping to teach Ted a lesson by allowing him to think the worst.
Somehow, I think there may have been a better way for Ted's sister to prove to him that she had matured since the day she sold his couch and TV to buy tickets to a Nine Inch Nails concert in Spain, but the ploy worked. Ted buys her the fancy brief case she spotted window shopping earlier, and he co-signs her lease to signal his approval of her newfound adulthood.
Only in TV land, I guess.
Assistant sports editor Lorenzo Perez has bounced back-and-forth between The News & Observer's news and sports department several times since joining the newspaper in 1999. His latest assignment has him working with The N&O's ACC writers and online news. E-mail 
Comments
Ted's sister
Wed, 12/17/2008 - 08:54 — swtmelissaShe was not funny. I hope his co-signing her lease does not mean she's going to be a regular. Also enjoyed the Minnesota and Canadian bars. Donuts! Ha!
Rashad Tarkenton
Tue, 12/16/2008 - 17:14 — brookecainRobin and Marshall at the Minnesota bar was pretty funny too -- the way she and Marshall wore short sleeves when everyone else had on coats. And finally, someone isn't afraid to talk about how Canadians are afraid of the dark.