Miss Christmas

The film opens with Holly Khun, the 'Miss Christmas' of Chicago, successfully lighting the Radcliffe Center tree. A year later, disaster strikes when a crane damages the new 95-foot spruce just days before the ceremony. Desperate, Holly finds a letter from eight-year-old Joey McNary in Klaus, Wisconsin, inviting her to see his family's tree. Upon arriving in the festive town, Holly literally bumps into Sam McNary, a local who expresses a disdain for the commercialism of Christmas, calling mistletoe a 'vile weed.' Holly soon discovers that Sam is Joey's father and the owner of the perfect tree. Sam is a widower and still grieving his mother, Leslie, who planted the tree with his father, George. He refuses to donate it, viewing it as a living monument to his mother's memory. Holly stays at the family's inn, bonding with Sam’s sister Aimee, his father George, and Joey. She attempts to win Sam over by participating in family traditions, including baking 'egg nog French toast' and wearing 'ugly sweaters' handmade by Leslie. As Sam and Holly grow closer, Sam begins to shed his 'Grinch' persona, even sharing a near-kiss under the mistletoe. However, a conflict arises when Sam overhears Holly on the phone with her assistant, Erin. He misinterprets her statement about 'getting the tree and leaving' as a sign that she was only using him for the tree, unaware that she was actually planning to leave her job in Chicago to be with him. Heartbroken, Sam rescinds his offer of the tree and tells Holly to go home. Holly returns to Chicago but realizes her heart is no longer in her high-pressure career. She receives another letter from Joey, prompting her to return to Klaus. In a grand gesture, she brings the Radcliffe Center's resources to the McNary farm, turning their tree into a local spectacle rather than taking it away. Sam apologizes for his lack of trust, and Holly reveals she has quit her job to start her own tree farm in Klaus. The movie ends with the first Klaus Christmas Tree lighting and a romantic kiss between Holly and Sam.