In a Holidaze

Twenty-six-year-old Maelyn "Mae" Jones is in a rut: living with her parents, stuck in a job she hates, and dreading the end of a cherished tradition -- her family's annual Christmas at a snowy cabin in Park City, Utah, shared with their tight-knit found family, the Hollises. This year is made worse by a drunken misstep: Mae kisses Theo Hollis, even though she has quietly loved his older brother Andrew for nearly two decades. As the family drives away after the holiday, a despairing Mae begs the universe to show her what will make her happy. The car crashes, everything goes black -- and she wakes up back on the airplane at the start of the same trip. Caught in a time loop, Mae relives the holiday again and again, using each reset to mend the fractures threatening her found family, undo her mistake with Theo, and finally act on her feelings for Andrew. Each loop forces her to consider what genuine happiness actually requires. Warm and lighthearted, the story blends a magical premise with a holiday-cabin setting and an ensemble of family friends.