Inventing the Christmas Prince

The film begins with Shelby telling her daughter Grace the family legend of the Christmas Prince, a magical ruler of the North Pole who grants wishes. At work, Shelby's boss, Evan—nicknamed 'Dr. Spock' for his rigid, emotionless management style—announces that the engineering team must work through Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to meet a satellite launch window. Outraged by his lack of empathy, Shelby quits on the spot. However, when Evan follows her to return her things, Grace notices a birthmark on his hand that matches the 'reindeer kiss' from her mother's stories. Grace becomes convinced Evan is the Christmas Prince. Recognizing that Evan is desperate to keep his best engineer and that Grace needs some holiday magic after the loss of her father, Shelby proposes a 'symbiotic bargain': she won't quit if Evan plays the role of the Christmas Prince and grants Grace's list of wishes. Evan, though bewildered and claiming he 'never had an inner child,' agrees to the ruse. The wishes begin with a Christmas sleepover where Evan, failing at storytelling, improvises a bizarre tale involving a 'reindeer plague' and Godzilla living at the North Pole. Despite his awkwardness, Grace is charmed. Subsequent wishes include a 'date' between Shelby and Evan, which forces the two to actually talk; Evan learns about Shelby's grief over her late husband, and Shelby realizes Evan's coldness is a defense mechanism for his social anxiety. Evan begins to change his management style, hiring more staff to ensure his team can spend Christmas with their families and giving out practical but thoughtful gifts. The conflict peaks when Evan is called to a mandatory board review on the night of the school's Christmas Dance—Grace's most important wish. Shelby, fearing Evan has reverted to his old ways, prepares to tell Grace the truth. However, Evan chooses his new 'life' over his career ambitions, leaving the board meeting early to arrive at the dance with a horse named Snowball. He presents Grace with a crown and confesses his feelings to Shelby. The film concludes with the trio taking a carriage ride, with Shelby and Evan finally embracing the possibility of a future together.