Christmas At Exit 24

HOLLY DOUGLAS is a waitress at Louie's Diner and Truck Stop. Truck driver CHRIS, with his white beard and jolly disposition, is a regular at the diner, but Holly’s ten-year-old daughter, MIA, is convinced he is actually Santa Claus. Super-smooth DEREK BRUCE, a rich, traveling jewelry salesman with an eye for Holly, tries to win her affection by offering an expensive brooch which belonged to his grandmother. When Holly declines, he persuades her to have it appraised, which she does—to the tune of $32,000! Sassy co-worker ERNESTINE is ready to walk her down the aisle, but Holly refuses and returns the brooch. Later, when Derek mails the brooch back to Holly, asking for a dinner date in return, she reluctantly agrees. Another customer, KEN CHAMBERS, a kind and down-to-earth blue-collar worker, has eyes for Holly as well but can’t find the courage to ask her to lunch. Mia uses her clever, child-like ways to give them a little push. Strangely in tune with all that is going on, Chris uses his elderly charm to find out who is naughty and who is nice. Driving his rig, he manages to “break down” right in front of Ken’s home, a small trailer by the forest. Far from being poor, Ken is actually renovating his parent’s estate home deep in the woods. The next day, in his travels up and down the state, Chris discovers waitresses at different diners wearing identical brooches given to them by the slimy Derek.

As the annual Christmas Eve All-Day Dinner at the diner approaches, owner LOUIE and chef WU must deal with both the furnace and meat freezer which, having long threatened to die, have finally done so at the worst possible time. Meanwhile, when Holly hears of Chris’ terrible discovery, she is furious and decides to pawn the brooch to fund a new boiler and freezer. When the pawn shop offers only $10 for it, she returns to the jewelry appraiser, who tells her that this brooch is costume jewelry. Derek mailed her back a fake. Louie is left with no choice but to cancel the annual Christmas Eve All-Day Dinner. Believing that Chris is Santa, Mia pleads with him for help, but Chris must go to make deliveries for Christmas. When he is gone from sight, a loud thud rumbles the diner roof. Crazy banging noises echo up from the cellar and then stop. Louie and the staff scramble outside only to see a glowing speck flying away in the moonlight. Louie and Wu venture down the cellar steps to discover a new working boiler and a new freezer filled with their supplies! Could Mia have been right all along?

After a successful Christmas Eve of satisfied, full-bellied truckers (and an outrageous payback prank for Derek!), Ken invites Holly and Mia to his home which he finally finished on time for Christmas—although he wasn’t able to properly decorate it for the holidays. As they travel the long, dark driveway, Ken is dumbfounded to find his home ablaze with beautiful lights and festive decorations. Inside they find a turkey dinner for three and a gorgeous Christmas tree with presents underneath, plus a letter from Santa for Ken—compliments of Chris.