USS Christmas

Maddie Contino is a reporter in Norfolk who feels stuck writing 'fluff' pieces while her sister Amelia serves as a fighter pilot. After a clumsy encounter at a Navy Ball where she spills wine on a woman's dress and clashes with the disciplined Lieutenant Billy Jenkins, Maddie reluctantly agrees to join her family on a 'Tiger Cruise'—a multi-day voyage for Navy families. Aboard the USS Polaris, Maddie is introduced to Billy’s father, Captain Chet Jenkins, who encourages Billy to show Maddie around. While exploring the ship's archives, Maddie finds a journal from 1965 written by a pilot named Sam who fell in love with a USO dancer named Dorothy during the very first Tiger Cruise. Sensing a major story, Maddie begins an investigation into the couple's fate, with a skeptical Billy acting as her guide. During a port call in New York City, the two bond over shared childhood memories at a model train museum, where Billy reveals that his parents' divorce made him cynical about the holidays. Maddie tracks Dorothy to a dance studio but learns that Sam went missing in action in Vietnam, causing the trail to go cold. Back on the ship, Billy begins to soften, even dressing as Santa for the children on board. Maddie nearly kisses him under a flurry of 'snow' (sparkles) on the deck but pulls away, fearing the instability of a military relationship. Upon returning to Norfolk, Maddie uses the call sign 'Picasso' found in the journal to link Sam to a local diner. She discovers that Sam and Dorothy are still alive and married; Sam had survived years as a POW and Dorothy had waited for him. Maddie returns a lost Christmas ornament to the couple and writes a moving feature article. Realizing she cannot let her fear of loss dictate her life, Maddie meets Billy at the diner on Christmas Day. She presents him with a toy train like the one he lost as a child, and they finally share a kiss, with Maddie deciding to become the paper's permanent military beat reporter.