Moonlight & Mistletoe

The film opens with Holly Crosby narrating her childhood as a full-time elf at Santaville, a 365-day-a-year Christmas theme park owned by her father, Nick, who lives his life as 'Santa.' Burned out by the constant holiday cheer, Holly has moved to Boston to become a cynical, high-stress sales manager. Her life changes when her father Nick is involved in a 'sleighing accident'—crashing a horse-drawn sleigh into a tree while trying to impress the local innkeeper, Ginny. Holly returns to her hometown to assist him and is met at the station by Peter, a local volunteer and sign painter who has harbored a crush on her since they were teenagers. Upon arriving at Santaville, Holly discovers that the park is in dire financial straits, facing $50,000 in unpaid bills and potential foreclosure. While Nick remains in blissful denial, believing in 'Christmas miracles,' Holly seeks professional help. She is introduced to Ben Richards, a supposed financial advisor who offers a deal with 'silent partners' to pay off the debt. Unbeknownst to Holly, Ben is a predatory developer who has inserted a forfeiture clause into the contract: if the debt isn't repaid by Christmas Day, the investors seize the entire property for a ski resort expansion. After Nick reluctantly signs the contract to please Holly, she overhears Ben bragging about the scam on his cellphone. Horrified, Holly rallies the Santaville staff, including Peter and the local lawyer/Santa-impersonator Earl, to save the park. They launch a 'Remember Santaville' marketing campaign and a blog to draw tourists back. The turning point occurs when Holly discovers Peter is a master woodcarver who creates exquisite, one-of-a-kind nutcrackers. She realizes these handcrafted items are the key to their financial salvation. They begin selling the nutcrackers online and at the park, drawing massive crowds. On Christmas Eve, they are still short of the $50,000 goal. However, Holly's boss from Boston arrives, moved by the park's story and the quality of the crafts. He offers a global distribution deal for the nutcrackers with an immediate $8,000 advance, which pushes them over the debt threshold just in time. The film concludes with Santaville saved, Nick and Ginny beginning a romance, and Holly deciding to stay in town to marry Peter and run the business, eventually continuing the family legacy with a child of her own.