And this is a Deck the Hallmark podcast synopsis!

"Joyeux Noel" originally aired October 29th, 2023. And it went a little something like this...

Lea is telling a romantic love story and her mom stops her and is like, “get out of your fairytale nonsense and fall in love with a real man!” But Lea is holding out for that real ooey gooey love.

Lea is into antiques and finds this old jewelry box. Inside of it is this notebook with a sketch of a Christmassy town. Apparently, it belonged to the artist behind this mysterious painting that everyone is going nuts about.

So she uses this little notebook as inspiration for a story to write. She's hoping for a promotion, and this might be the one to help her go from copyeditor to journalist. So in a team meeting, Lea makes the pitch to go to France to see a small town where two lovers are destined to fall in love according to the legend of the painting. Her boss loves the idea and approves it...for a real journalist named Mark. But Lea says, “it's my notebook - I'm going,” and her boss is like, “ok both of you go.”

On a French train, Lea presents her plan. Mark says, “that's dumb. I'm going to sleep.” He gets to the B&B and tries to get more sleep but keeps getting awokened by this crazy intrusive lil French girl.

Lea explores the Christmas markets and then starts to trip on shrooms and stuff gets fuzzy and this hunk walks up. She realizes that hunk is Mark and he helps her get to the B&B for sleep.

The next morning, they get to work! Mark says, “step one is to find the maker of the jewelry box.” They talk to a local woodworker who says, “I can't tell you who made it but they're destined to find love.”

They ask all the local vendors about the box and are getting nowhere. Lea is like, “this isn’t working. Instead, let’s go step-by-step through the story. First, the lovers get candy apples, and the guy steals the lady’s apple while dancing.”

Mark is subconscious at first, but then he doubles down and dips Lea by the town tree. She notices a symbol over a bakery stand, which the baker’s family has owned since the painting’s time.

Lea finds a name on the jewelry box and searches the Internet, finding a photo! The reporters search the town for a townhome in the picture’s background. They find the home and bribe the owner for information by offering to wrap her Christmas presents. The owner tells them that the family who owned the home used to have an ice cream shop in town.

The two Americans continue to do the things the couple did all those years ago until they reach the carousel. Lea is afraid of spinning and horses. They get on the most miniature freaking carousel I’ve ever seen and go for a ride.

Mark finds a note at a cathedral stating that the lovers never actually reconnected after their night at the square. He doesn’t have the heart to tell Lea and lies. Telling her that there was no note and the search had gone cold. He didn’t want to break her heart.

Lea isn’t so quick to give up and searches through an old box of photos. She gets excited about a lead and shows Mark. He realizes that he needs to come clean, or she will keep looking. Lea feels betrayed and that he doesn’t respect her as a journalist.

Mark gets advice from the little French girl and realizes he loves Lea. Something happens with Christmas gnomes, IDK!

Lea feels like a failure. After a pep-talk with her mother, Lea stops looking for fairytales and finds something real. She rushes to Mark and finds a repaired box under the Christmas tree. He apologizes for lying and tells Lea that she is a good reporter and that working together has been refreshing.

As the box plays a French song, Lea knows who the painter was. It's a guy playing the same song on an according. They give him the love letters from his old love. He is married now with generations of family. It might not have been the love story Lea and Matt were looking for, but the town square still brings them love. Their own. They kiss and the end!

And that my friends was "Joyeux Noel!"