A California Christmas City Lights is a direct sequel to the 2020 Romantic Drama, A California Christmas. In the previous film, destiny brought city boy Joseph to a farm in Petaluma where he met the love of his life, Callie. As the film begins, Joseph and Callie are living together comfortably in Petaluma. But their happiness is short-lived. An urgent situation arises, forcing Joseph to go back to San Francisco. This comes right after Joseph and Callie get engaged. They decide to go together as he also wants Callie to see San Francisco and meet his friends. The life of city guy Joseph is completely different from farm guy Joseph. Callie is overwhelmed and confused with the discovery of an entirely different Joseph.
‘A California Christmas City Lights’ Plot Summary
It’s been a year since Joseph is living in Petaluma with Callie and Hannah. Wendy has passed away of Cancer. Callie’s wine business is doing well, and Manny has been promoted to the property manager. They also conduct wine vineyards tours for people. When Callie and Manny are doing a wine tasting for tourists, Joseph interrupts and proposes to Callie for marriage. Leo does not want to spoil the mood, so he keeps the news to himself, but he can’t hold it anymore. On the very next day, he breaks to Joseph that his mom has run away with her Yoga instructor, leaving the entire company under his name.
Joseph has no choice but to go because he doesn’t want to lose the business that his mom and dad have built with passion. He takes Callie with him to San Francisco. Everything is readily catered to Callie, from a dress to the wedding hall; everything is already decided for her in advance. As she steps into Joseph’s world, she tries to understand him better, but somewhere she starts feeling that she does not belong to this world and this Joseph is not the one she loves.
What Is Joseph Hiding From Callie?
Joseph has spent all of his life in San Francisco. He has friends, a presence, and a past in the city. He was a womanizer and had dated a good share of girls. Joseph has never talked about his history with Callie, and she has told him pretty much everything about her life. Listening to Joseph’s past life from other people makes Callie uncomfortable, but she chooses to ignore it. The first time Callie loses it in front of Joseph is when Victoria talks about selecting a condominium for the two of them. Her worst fear of Joseph wanting to live in the City again was coming true.
To add to the fire, Victoria tells her about her being Joseph’s ex-fiancé and lies about the engagement ring that Callie is wearing. She claims the ring to be the same that Joseph had given her. Callie feels betrayed and wonders how many more secrets he is hiding from her. She returns the ring to Joseph and goes back to Petaluma. Joseph thinks that she is never going to come back, and the marriage is over now.
‘A California Christmas City Lights’ Ending Explained
Every year, the Van Aston Enterprises arranges a Christmas Gala to woo all their business partners and suppliers with a big fiesta. The Gala is even more important this time as the business is falling apart. In the midst of all of this, Joseph is also going through a relationship crisis. Victoria had shown him an intimate picture of Callie and Owen, Liam’s older brother. Joseph goes and confronts Owen about it. They clear the misunderstanding, and Joseph stays for Owen’s charity program and gets inspired by it.
Joseph cancels the Gala and tells the investors and suppliers to spend the holiday with their families. He announces his future plans for Van Aston Enterprises, which includes donating to multiple charities. Callie, who had come back to give another chance to Joseph, listens to his speech and is impressed. In Petaluma, Callie remembers what her mom had told her about marriage. People have baggage from their past, and we have to accept it. Everyone hides a part of themselves that they want to keep to themselves.
They get married in the Bernet Wine Vineyard with their close people. They manage both parts of their lives- city and farm. Accepting one’s flaws, forgiveness, and giving a second chance can save many relationships, be it romantic or not. Joseph and Callie listened to their hearts and found that their love for each other was bigger than any unworthy obstacle. Life can be less complicated if we just listen to what our heart is trying to say truly and trust it.
A California Christmas City Lights is a 2021 Romantic Drama film directed by Shaun Paul Piccinino and written by Lauren Swickard. It is streaming on Netflix.
