Love Under the Mistletoe

Grace Rankin is a hardworking, creative interior designer who runs a decorating business with her sister, Olivia, in Ivy Glen. She begins the Christmas season by attending a movie with Quinn, a longtime friend and casual dating partner, and admits that she likes romantic comedies because she believes two people can realize they are better together than apart. Grace and Olivia then receive a short-notice contract to decorate the town square Christmas tree, hoping the successful project will help them win the town's larger decorating contract the following year. Ryan St. Nicholas returns to Ivy Glen from New York after years away to deal with his late grandmother's vacant home. Mayor Sammy Hoffman asks him to revive his grandmother's traditional Ribbons and Bows fundraiser because donations to local charities have fallen sharply. Grace agrees to persuade Ryan to participate, partly because Sammy promises that helping with the fundraiser and decorating Ryan's house could make Grace and Olivia's firm the leading candidate for future city work. Ryan eventually agrees, and he and Grace begin planning the event together. As Grace and Ryan revisit the St. Nicholas House, old memories and shared Christmas traditions bring them closer. They decide to build the decorations around Ryan's grandmother's collection, blending its history with Grace's modern designs. Ryan opens up about his regret over not spending more time with his grandmother, while Grace encourages him to see the fundraiser as a way to honor her. Their conversations reveal that both have been overly focused on work and have neglected their personal lives. Ryan invites Grace to dinner, but their plans are repeatedly complicated by work and by Quinn's own ambitious real-estate project. Olivia quickly notices that Grace and Ryan still have strong chemistry and launches Operation Mistletoe, secretly hanging mistletoe throughout the café, the town, and the St. Nicholas House in an attempt to force them together. Grace and Ryan share cookies, reminisce about high school, decorate the town tree, and attend the successful tree lighting. Ryan begins to realize how much he has missed Ivy Glen and admits to Grace that he wants a more balanced life. They walk together beneath the mistletoe and grow increasingly close, although they stop short of kissing. The romance is threatened when Quinn arrives at the St. Nicholas House with business papers and reveals that Ryan is expected to sell the property to a development project that would demolish it and replace it with a luxury condominium complex. Sammy has already approved the proposal because she believes it will strengthen the local economy. Olivia's mistletoe scheme is also exposed, making Grace feel that she has been swept into a fantasy. Believing Ryan intends to leave Ivy Glen as soon as the sale is complete, Grace pulls away, while Ryan struggles with the realization that he does not want to choose career success and property value over home, memory, and the people he loves. Ryan ultimately rejects the condo deal and recognizes that the house is his family's legacy. The Ribbons and Bows fundraiser proceeds at the beautifully decorated home, raising enough money to support the food bank, an after-school arts program, and a seniors' community event. Sammy rewards Grace and Olivia with future city decorating work, and Ryan publicly credits Grace for making the event possible. Afterward, he tells Grace that he is in love with her and plans to divide his time between New York and Ivy Glen. They finally kiss beneath the mistletoe, while Olivia immediately jokes about starting Operation New Year's Engagement.