Family for Christmas

The film begins ten years in the past at an airport, where Hanna Dunbar says a tearful goodbye to her boyfriend, Ben Matthews, to pursue a prestigious journalism internship in San Francisco. In the present day, Hanna is a high-powered, award-winning investigative reporter for Channel 8 News, currently dating her ambitious news director, Grant. After exposing a fraudulent charity scammer named Ray Campbell, Hanna is offered her dream job as a special correspondent in New York. Despite her success, a brief encounter with a mysterious man dressed as Santa Claus triggers a 'what if' reflection. Santa grants her a Christmas wish she didn't know she made, and Hanna wakes up the next morning in a suburban bedroom, horrified to find she is married to Ben and has two daughters, Caitlin and Hallie. Initially, Hanna is in total denial, even attempting to drive her new minivan back to her old apartment and office, only to find that in this reality, no one recognizes her and her assistant, Carrie, has her job. After another meeting with the mysterious Santa, who explains she must figure out the purpose of this 'wish,' Hanna attempts to blend into her life as a stay-at-home mom. She fails hilariously at basic tasks like making 'Mushrooms Neptune' and baking cookies for school, but slowly begins to bond with her daughters and rediscover her love for Ben, who is now an ad executive. The conflict peaks when Hanna's professional instincts kick in; she records a viral news segment at a local Christmas fair and is offered a major reporting job by the alternate-reality version of Grant. However, she realizes the job would require moving the family and sacrificing the domestic happiness she has grown to love. She ultimately chooses her family over the career advancement. After a final, emotional night with Ben and the girls, she wakes up back in her original, lonely life. Armed with the lessons from her vision, she gives her career-making story to her assistant, turns down the New York move, and seeks out the real-world Ben. The film ends with the two meeting for coffee on Christmas Eve, hinting at a new beginning.