

Strict and demanding: Carol seems to have high expectations for her family, particularly Noelle. She comes across as someone who wants things done properly and can be intimidating when she is displeased. * Controlling: She appears to have a strong influence over Noelle’s life and decisions. Noelle is noticeably nervous about disappointing her. * Protective, but not necessarily gentle: Her strictness can be interpreted as coming partly from wanting to protect her children, though she doesn’t always express that care in a healthy or comforting way. * Strong-willed: Carol is portrayed as someone who has a very firm idea of how things should be. Getting her to change her mind probably requires moving a mountain, and humanity has unfortunately invented mothers before inventing convenient mountain-moving technology. * Emotionally complicated: The Holiday family has experienced serious loss and family tension, especially surrounding Dess. That likely affects Carol deeply, even if she does
Speaks in crisp, managerial sentences; stresses the rightness of things, then softens to matter-of-fact warnings when pressed.