Unlocking Christmas

The film begins with Dr. Kate Stafford moving to the small town of Cedar Park for a one-year orthopedic fellowship, while Kevin Matthews returns home after six years of service as an Air Force para-rescue jumper. Their first encounter is a classic 'meet-clumsy' at a coffee shop where Kate, attempting to carry nine lattes, stubbornly refuses Kevin's help. Shortly after, both characters find a vintage key and a riddle left at their homes. The riddle leads them to a specific mailbox in Juniper Square at 7:30 PM, where they discover they have been chosen for a 'Journey of Giving.' Though both are fiercely independent, they agree to partner up to solve the mystery. Their first task is to recreate a childhood tradition for others; they organize an ornament-decorating event at the hospital, where Kevin uses his military experience to bond with a young boy in a cast. The second task, found at the local museum, involves sending 'cheer to those far and near.' They collaborate with Kevin's friend Jackson to create a video montage of the townspeople sending holiday wishes to troops overseas. Throughout these tasks, Kate also treats Mr. McAllister, a local widower who suffers from phantom pains that Kate eventually diagnoses as 'psychogenic symptoms' caused by his grief over his late wife. As the scavenger hunt progresses, the two find a codex that requires the password 'GIVING' to unlock. However, the budding romance faces a hurdle when Kate is offered a dream fellowship in Chicago and Kevin is offered a disaster relief position in California. Due to a series of misunderstandings, each believes the other is planning to leave town, leading to a brief separation. The mystery of the riddles is solved when Kevin's father, Arnold, accidentally reveals that he and Kevin's mother, Maggie, were the architects of the hunt, having used a similar method to fall in love years prior. Realizing what is truly important, Kevin turns down the California job to stay in Cedar Park and build homes for the needy, and Kate decides to stay with him. The film ends on Christmas Eve with Kate surprising Kevin by arranging a ride in the museum's vintage sleigh, where they finally confess their love.