Just in Time for Christmas

The film opens with Professor Lindsay Rogers lecturing her psychology students on the 'infinite potential' within themselves, referencing Sartre and Maslow. As Christmas approaches, her life reaches a literal crossroads. Her boyfriend Jason, who owns a local coffee shop, plans an elaborate proposal at Gino's restaurant, complete with a filmed montage of their history since the sixth grade. However, just before the dinner, Lindsay receives a call from Dean Jackman at Yale University, offering her a dream job and a book deal for her thesis. When Jason proposes, Lindsay is paralyzed by the choice, leading to a tense standoff where Jason, feeling rejected, tells her to keep the ring or throw it away. Distraught, Lindsay encounters a mysterious carriage driver and his horse, Mistletoe, in a park. The driver offers her a ride and tells her she just needs 'a little time.' As the Northern Lights appear over the Pacific Northwest, Lindsay is magically transported three years into the future. In this future, Lindsay is a famous, best-selling author and a tenured professor at Yale, but her personal life is in shambles. She discovers her mother, Shannon, moved to Sweden after a heart attack to marry a doctor named Stefan Gustaf, and her grumpy neighbor Mrs. Jamison has become even more bitter. Most devastatingly, she learns that Jason is days away from marrying Becca, his former employee. Lindsay, retaining her memories of the 'past,' struggles to navigate this new reality where she has two million dollars in royalties but no one to share it with. She reconnects with Jason under the guise of seeking 'closure,' and they spend a day together in Seattle during her book signing. Jason admits he was furious when she left for Yale without trying to make the relationship work. Despite their lingering feelings, Jason remains committed to Becca. Lindsay eventually finds the mysterious carriage driver again. She realizes that her professional success doesn't fulfill her 'inspired life' without the people she loves. The driver sends her back to the night of the proposal. This time, Lindsay is honest with Jason about the Yale offer immediately. Instead of choosing one over the other, they communicate; Jason agrees to move to Connecticut with her and open a new coffee shop there. The film concludes with their wedding, where Lindsay's mother is healthy, and Lindsay has invited the lonely Mrs. Jamison to join their family festivities, proving she has finally answered the 'big questions' of her own lecture.