And this is a Deck the Hallmark podcast synopsis!

"Holiday Hotline" originally aired November 19th, 2023. And it went a little something like this...

The movie kicks off with a bunch of people having turkey catastrophe. We're introduced to the holiday hotline - a group of people that help with these food disasters over the phone.

We meet Abby. She works for the hotline but used to be a sous chef who worked with her boyfriend and head chef at a restaurant but he betrays her in work and in love. She quits and her parents gift her with tickets to the states to give some space and have some time to herself. They're sending her to Chicago and she doesn't want anything to do with cooking for a long time.

We then meet single dad Jack who is a lousyyyyy cook. Whenever he does try to cook, he ends up ordering take out anyway. He starts to help is daughter Jessica with homework. She needs to write about her favorite holiday tradition - uh oh, it's Christmas dinner. Her mom used to crush Christmas dinner but she passed away, so they haven't been doing that. He feels awful and says, “I'm gonna figure out how to make a turkey.”

The next day, he tells his brother that he's doing Christmas dinner! His brother has his doubts.
Jack and his brother are architects and they go to an old apartment complex they are renovating. It’s the same building Abby moves into! Jack sees Abby break the doorknob and he freaks out. What’s up with this dude?

He tells his brother he is just feeling a little overwhelmed so he decides to make a trial turkey on thanksgiving.

Margret, who lives in the building, asks Abby for some turkey advice. Margret is very impressed, and it turns out it was all a test cuz Margret is like you should work for the holiday hotline!

She agrees and she's real good at it but people are hesitant to get advice from a Brit. So she does an American accent and calls herself Peggy.

Jack calls her and calls himself John cuz why not. He makes a dad joke and she laughs hard. Then things get really serious when he opens up about his wife passing. We find out that he didn't know she was sick until the very end. He ends the call promptly, leaving her feeling sad.

Abby goes to find a replacement door knob and wouldn't you know it she runs into Jack and they hit it off a little bit better.

The next. day is Thanksgiving and Jack gives the hotline a call back hoping to connect again with Peggy, and wouldn't you know it he does. She tells him that she's willing to listen anytime he wants to talk and he takes her up on that offer and explains the reason why the turkey is so important.

The next day, she ends up going to a Christmas tree lot with a women in her building who happens to be Jack's brother's fiancé. So they spend more time together and she hits it off with his daughter.

He calls back to the hotline and they connect, make some bad turkey themed jokes, and make plans to talk more cuz she gives him her hours. They are both gidddyyyyy.

In real life, Jack and Abby see each other some more and bicker, per usual. But on the phone, Peggy and John are smitten. She evens opens up to him about her relationship drama she just got out of.

Jack and Abby walk around the market and they talk architecture. She then tells him that she's a chef and he opens up about making a turkey and calling the hotline and it all clicks for her - Jack is John! She freaks out and leaves immediately. She feels so bad. She can't handle a lie like this right now.

Jack talks to his brother about how he likes 2 people - a voice on the phone and a real like women that he's really enjoying spending time with.

So the next day, he calls her cuz he's gonna make a turkey and they day dream dance to N'Sync and Ryan Popola is freakin out at home. He hangs up and then calls Abby's cell and invites her over to try the turkey he made. She agrees but is someone jealous of herself. This is a real mess.

She comes over and the turkey is delightful! So she invites her to join him for Christmas dinner...which this is not.

The next day, he calls Peggy to let her know that he won't be calling anymore. She tries to tell him who she really is but it doesn’t quite happen.

It's the final day of turkey hotline. After they shut down for the season, they do an award ceremony. Abby wins the award for best new comers. As she gets up to accept the award, she see's Jack. Jack showed up to give Peggy a thank you gift. He goes to leave and she runs after him and he's like who do you think you are I am. She tries to explain herself and it does not go well.

Devastated, Abby decides she's gonna go home, especially after seeing that Jack fixed the door nob. She gets a call from her ex-boyfriend and he's like, “come back to work.” And she's like, “you know what, f off. I wanna cook for myself!”

So she makes Yorkshire pudding and it slays. She says to heck with it and goes to bring them to Jack’s house.

At the same time that she's arrives, he was leaving to go stop her from leaving. They open up about how they both know what they want now - each other. They kisssss and she comes in for Christmas turkey!

And that my friends was “Holiday Hotline!”