Plot

A young woman begins a long-distance relationship with an active-duty soldier.

When a young woman develops a long-distance relationship, and falls in love, with a soldier in active duty, her protective mother tries her best to steer her daughter away from heartache. Little do they know that they are about to learn important lessons of the heart, and that taking chances can make this Christmas one that they will cherish forever.

An Army widow worries about her teenage daughter when she meets a soldier from the town's military base and starts to spend time with him during the two weeks before he ships out. The mother wants to spare her daughter the pain of losing someone she loves in action, so she tries to get her daughter to break it off with the soldier before she becomes attached.

In the military town of Garland, Wisconsin, realtor Jane McKendrick's life revolves her high-school-senior daughter Betsy McKendrick, who plans to enter veterinary college after she graduates. Betsy never knew her father, David McKendrick, an Army Sergeant for whom Jane left college; he died in the line of duty when Betsy was a baby. While Jane has instilled in Betsy the notion of being able to achieve anything in life, she has also instilled a sense of fear of love in her; Jane herself never allowed herself to fall in love again after losing David. In Jane's overly protective nature, Betsy has not told her mother that her thoughts are not to attend a college in Garland or elsewhere in Wisconsin, but one of the more veterinary-centric colleges in California. In the lead-up to Christmas, Betsy meets Tyler Sloane, an Army Private recently posted to the local base. Although Tyler quickly learns of Betsy's post-graduation plans and Betsy learns that Tyler will soon be deployed overseas into active duty, this information does not stop them from falling in love with each other. When Jane learns of Tyler in Betsy's life, she tries to end things between them before Betsy gets hurt which is not as simple as telling Betsy to stop seeing Tyler before his deployment. Regardless of if Tyler is destined to go the way that David did, what happens between Betsy and Tyler may show Jane a different perspective of if love is worth the possible hurt, which in turn may affect if Jackson Hart, the owner of the local diner, will or won't sell his business. Jackson has long been in love with Jane, and if he has no chance with her, he has no reason to stay in Garland.—Huggo

Jane McKendrick is a single mother determined to protect her teenage daughter Betsy from the harsh realities of life. But just before Christmas, Betsy falls in love with an enlisted man who will soon ship out. Wanting to spare her daughter from the same heartache she suffered when her husband was killed while on active duty when Betsy was young, Jane tries to persuade her to abandon the romance. Little does Jane realize that she and her daughter are about to learn important lessons of the heart and discover that taking chances can sometimes lead to the most extraordinary happy endings.—Happy_Evil_Dude