Emily misses her daughter Heather, who is attending college in Boston. Since her father died, Heather is sensitive to her mom’s dependence on long-standing holiday traditions. This Christmas, Heather has planned a trip to Phoenix with her boyfriend, but tells her mother she is staying on campus to study. After Emily arranges a house-swap with Charles, an English professor from Boston who wants Washington State’s solitude in order to finish his novel, Emily hops on a flight to Boston to surprise Heather for Christmas. Unaware of the house swap, Emily’s best friend, Faith walks in on Charles at Emily’s house and in Boston, Ray, Charles’ brother responds to a 911 call only to find Emily at Charles’ condo. Will Christmas travel calamities lead to cross-country romances? Or have there been one too many surprises already?

The story of driven, heartless, publishing executive, Carol Huffman, who on Christmas Eve is visited by the ghost of her former boss, Eve. Eve tells Carol that she has lost sight of the things that are truly important in life and that she is there to show her the error of her ways. Eve explains that normally there would be three ghosts for the job but due to budget cutbacks, she is in charge of Carol's journey through her past, present and future.