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The Christmas Tins
A budding writer finds love by reenacting her Grandmother's old love letters with the recipient's Grandson. Their misinterpretation of the letters adds a surprise twist when they set up their Grandparents on a Christmas Eve date.
The story takes place in Iowa, but I can easily place it anywhere. Our young couple's reenactments of their Grandparents' letters are hilarious and endearing, and bring the grandkids together as a couple. But they misconstrued the letters, causing an awkward but endearing ending when they tried to reunite the original writers of the letters. I can effortlessly adapt this Christmas script to any holiday or special celebration.
Synopsis Harper Larsen, a 25-year-old grad student in the Iowa Writers' Workshop, is assigned to write an epistolary story told solely through letters. She lives with her Grandma Millie, who tries to set her up with William, the blogger behind "Meemaw's House." Harper isn't interested-she finds bloggers narcissistic and suspects they're just scamming seniors.
Searching Millie's attic for inspiration, Harper finds an old Christmas fruitcake tin filled with love letters from someone named Bert to "Red." She assumes Red was her grandmother's nickname, Mildred, and decides to craft her story using only the letters, no questions asked. With the help of her quirky best friend Emma, Harper traces the letters to Albert Nelson, presumably "Bert."
When they visit Albert's house, his grandson Liam answers the door. Liam works in IT with his friend Fill and, unbeknownst to Harper, is also the blogger Grandma follows. Harper asks Liam if he can help find any letters his grandfather might have saved. In Albert's attic, Harper and Liam discover another Christmas tin full of matching letters. Sparks fly as they laugh and bond over their grandparents' mysterious romance.
Both Harper and Liam have made Christmas pacts: Harper and Emma promised Grandma Millie they'd have a date for Christmas Eve, and Liam made the same promise to his Papaw. This pact sets their adventure in motion. Using Emma's spare room as their "project headquarters," Harper builds a timeline on the wall with the letters. Liam proposes they reenact Bert and Red's dates to add dimension to her paper.
Harper reluctantly agrees, and their reenactments lead to a string of charming, comedic, and heartfelt holiday adventures-from shoplifting a bracelet like Red and Bert's first meeting, to a Ferris wheel kiss, to a skating mishap that ends in laughter. Their connection deepens with each "date," and Emma and Fill begin to mirror their chemistry, too.
The group plans a surprise for Christmas Eve: a blind date for Grandma Millie and Papaw Albert, where Harper will reveal her project and reunite the pair. But the night before, Harper discovers Liam is the blogger she's always mocked. Feeling betrayed, she accuses him of using her for his blog. After a heated argument, they agree to go through with the dinner for their grandparents' sake.
On Christmas Eve, the truth is revealed. The letters weren't exchanged between Millie and Albert at all- "Red" was Harper's grandfather, Thomas, and "Bert" was Liam's Meemaw, Roberta. The misunderstanding turns into a heartfelt and hilarious moment as Millie and Albert reminisce about their late spouses and forge a new friendship.
Harper and Liam, realizing their own love story was hiding in plain sight, reconcile. Emma and Fill follow suit. As snow falls outside, two families, brought together by a tin full of letters, discover that sometimes the best Christmas stories are the ones you never expect.
Glen Powell
You've Got Mail
While You Were Sleeping
After a fulfilling career in teaching, counseling, and football coaching, I now devote my time to screenwriting. The discipline and patience I honed as an educator serve me well in this new creative chapter.
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