Christmas is just a month away, and Netflix is planning to inundate its audience with countless festive/holiday movies and television shows. ‘Tis the season to be jolly indeed. Meet Me Next Christmas is the first of the many Netflix Originals, set during the holiday season to set the mood. The movie is about a woman who meets a man and forms a bond. As they’re parting ways, they make a pact and hope to stick to it.
Spoilers Ahead
Who did Layla meet at the airport?
Layla was on her way to New York to meet her boyfriend Tanner, with whom she had planned to watch a performance by the pop band Pentatonix, which was their yearly ritual. Layla sadly ended up stranded at the airport lounge because the bad weather canceled all the flights. At the lounge, she ran into a man who was being all goofy and funny. A Christmas-themed tiny cup belonging to him fell into her bag, and she had to find him to return it. After a while, she also met an executive named James and bonded with him over Pentatonix, Christmas, and spending time with the family. Their attraction was instant, even though Layla was in a serious relationship. Just before boarding his flight, James made a pact with Layla to meet next year at the Pentatonix concert, and if they were single by then, it would be a sign for them to get together and possibly start dating.
Why was Layla looking for a Pentatonix concert ticket?
A year later, Layla was living in New York with her boyfriend Tanner. She caught him cheating on her just 48 hours before the Pentatonix concert and was distressed about being alone during the holiday season. She suddenly remembered James and the pact she’d made with him about meeting at the Pentatonix concert. As she was looking for tickets for the concert, she found a picture of him with two tickets on the website. Sadly, the concert was sold out, but she wanted a ticket anyways to find out if James had waited for her at all.
Who was helping Layla?
Layla got herself signed up for impromptu concierge services in the hope one of their employees would help her get the tickets. The goofy person she had bumped at the airport a year before worked as a concierge with this company, but was under probation. His name was Teddy, and he was forced to take up Layla’s request to find the tickets for the Pentatonix concert. He had to be at his best as his ratings were low and this job would make or break his career as a concierge.
Did Layla get the tickets?
Layla was happy to have Teddy with her, as she had exhausted almost all other options to get her hands on the tickets. She was approached by someone from Craigslist, but that attempt failed as the ticket was from last year, and she ended up losing the money as well. As a desperate measure, he began to send messages to Pentatonix’s Instagram page and constantly spammed them with minute-by-minute updates of his day in hopes of finding a ticket. The members of Pentatonix and their manager were fascinated by Teddy and the lengths he and Layla went to to get their hands on the tickets.
Layla and Teddy were close to getting her tickets from a rich couple. The wife was fascinated by Layla’s story and paid for one of the designer dresses she wanted her to wear on the date. However, the husband agreed to give Layla the ticket if she could get them the Chanel Sugar Plum purse. Both were in for a disappointment on learning there was a huge demand for the bag. Thanks to Teddy’s conversational skills, however, he managed to get close to getting his hands on the bag for the couple. Layla, however, gave the bag away to a son who wanted to buy the purse for his mother, who was recovering from a terminal illness. Pentatonix were touched by Layla’s compassion, and yet again they’d lost a chance to get their hands on the ticket.
Were Teddy and Layla having feelings for one another?
Teddy made a delicious dinner for Layla and her best friend at her home. Around that time, his brother Davey informed him he had a ticket, which he was willing to give to Layla. On reaching Teddy’s home, Davey agreed to part with the ticket if both would take part in a Christmas-themed dance party. Teddy and Layla reluctantly agreed to participate for the sake of the ticket and rehearsed continuously in the hope of bagging the first prize. She also found the small Christmas-themed cup at Teddy’s and let him know they had met on Christmas the previous year at the airport lounge.
The next day on the dance floor, as their routine ended, Teddy and Layla kissed each other. The kiss was more than just a part of a routine as it lingered, and both felt a spark between them. As the winners were announced, both held each other’s hands tightly, which again indicated they felt something that was deeper than the friendship they had formed over the last 29 hours. Layla was confused as she was enjoying Teddy’s company, but the whole point of getting her hands on the tickets was to meet James.
Did Pentatonix give them the ticket?
Since Pentatonix was updated about Teddy’s moves, they assumed he had a major crush on Layla, and so they wanted to bring them together. The group contemplated whether they should give a ticket to Layla. However, they did not want to play god, and decided to let Layla decide who she wanted to be with. Pentatonix decided to give the ticket and let Teddy know about it. He was not sure if he was happy to let Layla have the ticket to meet another man who she assumed was her soulmate.
Why was Teddy helped by Pentatonix?
Layla was in two minds about heading to the concert, as she felt she was developing feelings for Teddy, who’d gone out of his way to help her. Of course, to her, maybe that was because Teddy was trying to save his job. Layla was asked to rate Teddy for his work, and she shared how she felt about him with her best friend. Her best friend was trying to be supportive, but she was reminded about James as well.
Teddy, on the other hand, was encouraged by his brother Davey and invited by Pentatonix to meet them at the venue. Since Pentatonix was keeping track of Teddy thanks to his messages, they wanted to help him out as they realized the concierge was falling for Layla. Since this was a Christmas-themed concert, Pentatonix wanted to give Layla a memorable night, as she’d earlier been planning to spend time watching them with her now ex-boyfriend. Since her ex-boyfriend was out of the picture, she would either watch the show with James, or with Teddy if he confessed his love for her.
Who did Layla confess her love to?
Layla decided to confess her love to Teddy instead of James. She realized her love for the person she’d spent the whole day with was genuine. For the person with whom she made the pact of meeting at the concert, reminding everyone of the film Serendipity. She could not lose her chance to be in love with Teddy, who she was getting to know, over James, who was a complete stranger. This story could come across as cheesy, but it’s oddly realistic, because for once the female lead is going after a man who was with her in flesh and blood instead of some guy she had fantasized to be her soul mate. Also, it was a little far-fetched for her to have found a man she loves just days after her breakup with her longtime boyfriend.
Layla ran into James and profusely apologized to him and let him know about her situation. There was no need to explain to him about her feelings for Teddy, but since she was trying to clear her conscience, she felt it was right to let James know everything. James, however, did not say anything until his real girlfriend showed up, indicating that he had forgotten about the pact. Teddy was encouraged by Pentatonix to arrive on the stage as a Santa and confess his love for Layla as they were sure she would in the audience. Pentatonix came across as good people who did not care about their popularity and chose to help those who were hopelessly in love.
Layla was not allowed access backstage as the ticket did not permit that. She spent so much time trying to convince the backdoor security; she might as well have headed to the venue through the front door. Her stalling herself did not make sense as the tensed Teddy began his confession of love on stage after the concert, hoping Layla was listening to him. Teddy was anxious, as he had never performed such a grand gesture for anyone. He may have truly loved Layla, which made him confront his stage fright and confess his love. Layla reached the stage when Teddy had given up finding her in the audience after his admission of love. They confessed their love for each other, all witnessed by the audience at the concert and the Pentatonix. Since this was a holiday movie, the ending had to be cheesy and heartfelt, with Layla and Teddy going out as a couple. James also recognized Layla as her and Teddy were about to leave. This was a perfect ending to a long day that involved many ups and downs. Layla could finally watch Pentatonix with the person she loved.
