Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater

The film begins with Maggie O'Donnell, a dedicated second-grade teacher, preparing for Christmas break while her daughter Ellen prepares to spend the holiday with her father. In a chance encounter at a park, Maggie notices Lucas Cavelli wearing a ridiculous Christmas sweater while playing with his nephew. Shortly after, at a Christmas tree lot, Maggie attempts to load a massive tree onto her truck by herself; the tree slips and strikes Lucas, knocking him unconscious. At the hospital, Lucas is diagnosed with a concussion and a severely broken wrist requiring surgery, which ruins his planned solo ski trip to Aspen. Overcome with guilt, Maggie offers Lucas her vacant guesthouse for his recovery. Though initially 'prickly' and 'withdrawing' due to career burnout and a recent breakup in New York, Lucas begins to soften as he joins Maggie in volunteering at a holiday camp for children of deployed military personnel. Lucas uses his architectural expertise to help the children build a life-sized gingerbread house, while Maggie finds the inspiration to start painting again after years of putting her needs second. Their bond deepens during an 'ugly Christmas sweater' party hosted by Lucas's brother, where they realize they have more in common than their disastrous meeting suggested. However, a conflict arises when Maggie overhears Lucas discussing his return to New York and assumes he is choosing his high-pressure career over their burgeoning relationship. She preemptively ends things to protect herself and her daughter. On Christmas Eve, after a successful surprise video call event for the military families, Lucas prepares to leave. The resolution occurs when Lucas realizes that building homes and being with Maggie brings him more joy than building skyscrapers. He resigns from his New York firm, presents Maggie with a rare architecture book she spent days tracking down, and reveals he bought her tickets to Paris to fulfill her lifelong dream. The movie ends with Lucas deciding to stay in town to start his own firm, and the couple finally shares a kiss.