Rachel Lena Young

As a child, Michael Walker wished every day could be Christmas. That is, until a tragic accident crushed his holiday spirit. Thirty years later, Michael still can't muster any joy for the holidays, despite encouragement from his playful wife and well-intentioned parents. But when his young son faces a tragedy, Michael needs to make amends with his past. A mysterious man named Nick gives Michael a gift and instills in him the courage to find the joy that he lost.

"How much does love have to hurt before it is not love?" is the question that plagues Antonio as the past demons of domestic violence resurface at the hands of his partner, Kirk. Antonio hides his physical and emotional pain from his all-knowing mother, Cynthia, who suffered such a tremendous amount of abuse at the hands of Antonio's father that Antonio became a nurse to heal pain that he could not heal as a child. Antonio is jolted out of his denial by one of his patients, Michelle , who is also, a frequent victim of domestic violence. While Michelle does not consider herself a victim, but as simply part of a couple that "loves hard and fight hard", a critical incident involving Michelle at the clinic forces Antonio to confront his own situation and reevaluate the "magic and tragic" of his life with Kirk before it is too late.