Must Love Christmas

Year: 2022

Actors: Liza Lapira, BJ Harrison, Dan Payne, Nathan Witte

Duration: 87 min

At a train station while a female voice narrates, Derek is meeting Holly, who has lived in the big city and is coming back to Goodhope, the small town where Derek stayed. Can they get back together? Derek sees her face and realizes she wants to break up for good, but he is able to talk her out of it.And Natalie appears, in the apartment she shares with her cat Blitzen and rarely leaves. The train station behind her disappears.Natalie's friend and editor sees her latest book and says she does not like the last 30 pages. Furthermore, it is time for her to get out of the apartment and make public appearances, which Natalie does not like to do. A book signing in Buffalo is arranged and Natalie asks Gloria to take care of her cat. Gloria asks Natalie to come up with the five qualities she needs in a romantic partner. Ryan, Natalie's gay publicist, will travel with her. Natalie wants assurances that only fans and not journalists will ask her questions. One journalist wrote a story that made her look bad and she has never gotten over that.She Magazine is in trouble and staff members are trying to present ideas to save it. If there is not a Christmas miracle, those who are left will be writing fluff pieces for a co-owned publication. Nick is trying to come up with something when gay photographer Lucas tells Nick his ex got him interested in Natalie, who is considered "Queen of Christmas romances". Nick doesn't think much of the idea but he is desperate. Hearing that Natalie has a book signing planned in Buffalo, he goes there.When Natalie and Ryan arrive at the bookstore there is a line. Natalie is reluctant to interact with anyone and she puts on sunglasses and a hood and tries not to let anyone see her. One fan praises her work to someone else in line. Nick happens to be in line and says he thinks these romances are old fashioned with the damsel in distress being rescued. The fan disagrees, and Natalie can't keep quiet. The fan is so happy to see her, and soon Natalie is inside reading from one of her books.After the reading, questions are asked. For example, Derek is the hero and people want to know what inspired him. Natalie mentions her high school crush Caleb and soon mistakenly starts calling the hero of the book Caleb instead of Derek. Nick asks a question that Natalie refuses to answer, and even afterward while signing books, Natalie says she won't talk to journalists.It is time to return home but there is a blizzard and the airport is already closed. Ryan and Natalie came in an SUV, so they can probably make it home all right. Nick also drove and he will drive home as well,Eventually Ryan runs their SUV off the road and it will need to be repaired. There is no cell service but a tow truck shows up driven by Caleb, who looks like Derek from earlier. Before taking the SUV to a garage, Caleb takes Ryan and Natalie to the St. Nicholas, a bed and breakfast in the small town of Cranberry Falls run by the very nice Miss Olivia. Charles Dickens stayed there when the place was new. And who else is there? Nick, of course.Natalie is supposed to meet with Caleb for breakfast but she oversleeps. Nick sees Caleb and they talk, which gives Nick some of the information he needs for his story. Caleb dated lots of women and it's not certain he knew how Natalie felt. Then Caleb gets called to pick up someone and Natalie is too late, though she does spend time with Nick, and they don't get along.Natalie goes to a nice restaurant to meet Caleb later. Nick picks up a to go order, and his interaction with Natalie is not any better.Caleb got married but it didn't work out (there were affairs) and after an injury ended his football career, he somehow found himself in this small town. But it turns out Caleb is a hero in Cranberry Falls. He is a volunteer fireman and he organized the Dickens Festival. But the festival is in trouble and may not happen this year.Lucas visits to take photos, and somehow things must be better in Buffalo because he and Ryan go there to take pictures there before coming back to Cranberry Falls.Natalie and Caleb eventually get to spend some time together and Caleb is starting to develop feelings for her. Lucas sees that they are about to kiss and takes a photo, but Caleb gets a call and has to leave. Nick is disappointed but Lucas says a photo of them almost kissing is better for the article.Natalie eventually agrees to tell her story to Nick. Nick tells her how much he loves Christmas because he and his father participated in helping the less fortunate at a railroad museum when he was young. Natalie believes she can trust him to not write like the other journalist did.During this time, Natalie is trying to come up with a better ending for the book she is finishing. She and Gloria talk periodically but Natalie is stuck. Also, Natalie is slowly coming up with the list of qualities she needs in her own man.Nick and Lucas realize they can help make the Dickens festival happen, and Natalie and Ryan can publicize it because Natalie has so many social media followers. The effort is a success, and everyone shows up in costumes from the Dickens era.Nick meets Trish, who runs a pastry shop and tells him Caleb cheated on his wife with her, and he always comes back to her. Rather than spoil the potential relationship, Nick keeps this information secret. Later, Trish tells Natalie that Caleb will come back to her. He always does. Natalie is upset that Nick hid this from her.Lucas and Ryan, however, have developed feelings for each other.Another ending for the book is considered. Instead of Holly, it is Natalie who appears with Derek at the train station. They have a conversation, but somehow this isn't going to work either.On Christmas Eve, Nick is at the railroad museum. Natalie visits and realizes that Nick is the man for her after all. She is able to complete the list of qualities she needs in a man with the words "Must love Christmas". That is also a potential name for the next book.Natalie finishes her book and Gloria likes it. She Magazine is saved when the article about Natalie runs.

Genre: Comedy   Fantasy   Romance