Plot Synopsis

Mayor Howard Finnegan instructs Mission City Parks and Rec's Laurel Bishop to produce a Christmas Parade. With just two weeks until Christmas, Laurel already has her hands full with decorating and shopping for her ten-year-old daughter Scarlett. Still, she attacks the project with her usual enthusiasm and, with help from Park and Rec receptionist Betty Carlucci, she starts lining up a marching band, floats, and everything needed for a spectacular parade. Laurel spots an old broken-down sleigh near a small cabin, and asks a rather stout older gentleman with a white beard named Mr. Winters, if she can borrow it for the parade. He agrees, but extracts from her a promise to restore the sleigh to its former beauty. Back in town she bumps into Alex McCord, who is visiting his aunt for the holidays. Laurel and Alex were romantically involved in college, but it ended badly when Alex moved to NY to pursue his career and Laurel returned to Mission City. She agrees to let Alex help by restoring the sleigh and they soon develop feelings for one another once again. Matters are complicated when the sleigh goes missing, Laurel loses her parade Santa, and Alex skips town early to avoid the pain of another goodbye. But when he finds the sleigh abandoned on a side road, he tows it back into town just in time to get it into the parade lineup. Remembering she has no Santa, Laurel rushes to the sleigh in a panic and, looking up, sees Mr. Winters, sitting atop the sleigh in an exceptional Santa suit, almost as if by magic. His wink tells Laurel hes got this covered. And when Alex informs Laurel he has decided to turn down his promotion in NY and remain in Mission City, no mistletoe is required for the kiss between them that says everything is going to work out just fine this time around.