Toying with the Holidays

Year: 2021

Actors: Chad Michael Murray, Cindy Busby, Hanneke Talbot, Callum Shoniker

Duration: 86 min

Up for a promotion, divorced Chicago-based designer Danielle Prescott is a workaholic trying to eke out a better life for her adolescent son Paul. For the first time in years, they are returning to her hometown of Holly Pines for Christmas (she bringing work with her) as her father Walter Prescott passed away that year and she didn't have the opportunity to say goodbye. Danielle wants to hand down their family's Holly Pines Christmas traditions to Paul, including taking him to the town's Christmas Festival, which is largely organized by her mother, Kate. When they arrive, she's dismayed to discover that not only must they do major fundraising just to hold the festival, but what she considers its centerpiece--the miniature train ride, the North Pole Express, for which train enthusiast Walter always acted as conductor, has long ceased operation, and nobody even knows what happened to the train itself. In discovering her father's electric toy trains which she wants to have operational for Christmas for Paul, Danielle reconnects with her high-school acquaintance Kevin Vaughn, the owner/operator of the town's hobby shop and an all-around fix-it guy. The two decide to try to locate the North Pole Express and resurrect it for the Festival. They do locate the equipment, but it will take what Kevin considers a Christmas miracle for it to be up and running for the Festival, especially as nobody makes parts for it anymore. In the process, Danielle and Kevin start to fall for each other. Their path to a relationship faces many hurdles, not only of the outcome of the North Pole Express, but also Danielle's life in Chicago in this possible promotion, and Kevin's ex-girlfriend Jackie, who operates the florist shop next to Kevin's shop, making it clear individually to both Kevin and Danielle that she wants to reunite with him.—Huggo

Genre: Action   Comedy   Romance