Christmas Cookies

Hannah Harper is a high-powered executive at National Foods in New York City, dating the equally corporate and 'stuffy' Gavin. Her boss, Mr. Thurber, tasks her with a 'make or break' deal: acquire Aunt Sally’s Christmas Cookie Company in the town of Cookie Jar and relocate the factory to Buffalo to increase profit margins. Hannah, who claims to dislike Christmas, arrives in the hyper-festive town and is immediately pranked by Jake Carter, the company's interim CEO and nephew of the late Aunt Sally, who pretends to be a local taxi driver named Ed. When the truth is revealed, Hannah presents a lucrative buyout offer, but Jake is hesitant because the deal requires closing the local factory, which is the lifeblood of the community. As Hannah waits out Jake's '72-hour mulling period,' she is forced to participate in town traditions like tree decorating, sled racing, and gingerbread house judging. She stays at the Gingerbread Inn, run by Betty, a former factory employee who hints that the secret to the cookies isn't just a recipe. Hannah and Jake grow close, bonding over shared losses and the pressure of legacy. The conflict peaks when Hannah’s boyfriend Gavin arrives unexpectedly and proposes to her in front of the entire town; Hannah doesn't say yes, but the spectacle hurts Jake. Facing bankruptcy, Jake eventually signs the deal but stipulates that all proceeds go to the employees, leaving himself nothing. On the train back to New York, Hannah realizes she has changed and cannot marry Gavin or destroy the town. She returns to Cookie Jar during the Christmas Eve dance and interrupts the announcement of the sale. She proves to Mr. Thurber that the 'secret recipe' isn't written down anywhere; rather, it is distributed among the townspeople—one knows the icing, one the shortbread, one the fudge. She convinces Thurber that the cookies cannot be manufactured in Buffalo without the 'spark' of the local people. Thurber agrees to keep the factory in Cookie Jar, Hannah and Jake confess their feelings, and they celebrate the town's survival with a kiss.