Our Christmas Mural

The film opens with Olivia Carver, a talented but frustrated art curator at the NYGYA in New York City, learning that her museum's grant hasn't been renewed, putting her career in jeopardy. Seeking a reprieve, she takes her son Parker to her parents' home in Wellington, New Hampshire, for the holidays. Parker is struggling with the loss of his father, Tom, and has become withdrawn. Shortly after arriving, Olivia encounters Will Campbell at a hardware store where they have a 'meet-clash' over the last tube of Mistletoe Green paint. Unbeknownst to Olivia, her mother Betty has entered one of Olivia's old paintings into the town's Christmas mural contest. Olivia is shocked to find she has won, beating out the runner-up, who turns out to be Will. Cody, the town's Director of Recreation, provides Olivia with a studio space to work on the mural. Will, an art teacher and certified art therapist, offers to help Olivia with the physical labor and suggests art therapy for Parker. Through sessions involving drawing and even a 'plate-smashing' catharsis exercise, Will helps Parker express his feelings about his late father. Olivia and Will grow closer as they work on the mural, sharing their mutual experiences with loss—Will lost his father at age thirteen. However, Olivia faces a significant creative block, struggling to finalize a design that feels authentic. As the deadline approaches, the romantic tension between Olivia and Will peaks during a night of stargazing, but Olivia pulls away, overwhelmed by guilt and the feeling that she is abandoning the life she built with Tom in New York. After a heart-to-heart with her mother, Olivia realizes that moving forward isn't a betrayal of the past. She decides to move back to Wellington permanently. On Christmas Eve, the mural is unveiled to the town; it is a beautiful, multi-styled piece titled 'A Wellington Christmas' that incorporates her favorite memories. Olivia announces she is opening a local art studio and gallery. The film concludes with Olivia and Will confessing their love and sharing a kiss, as they look forward to a new life together in the community.