A Christmas Thread: Wool you be mine? (Part 1/4)
Ella is chronically single and sick of waiting for a man to have adventures with . Instead, she's going to make her own dreams come true and see the world.. Determined to not waste anymore time, she quits her job and buys a ticket to the first place on her bucket list - the Christmas markets. Armed with her cell phone, a freshly opened instagram account , and a dream, she sets off for the snowy European village of Winterwald.
Winterwald is like a Christmas card come to life—twinkling lights, gingerbread houses, and the scent of mulled wine and roasting sausages in the air. Ella can’t believe she’s here. But while filming for her new blog at the market, she accidentally knocks over a basket of ornaments. Oh no! Why is she always so clumsy?
While muttering a string of apologies as she struggles to pick up the ornaments, Ella brushes hands with a stranger. Lukas, a rugged, soft-spoken sheep herder with piercing blue eyes and an adorable sheepdog named Klaus in tow, grins as he helps her gather the ornaments. He brushes off her apologies with a charming laugh. “Happens to the best of us,” he says.
Swoon.
Lukas tells Ella he runs a farm just outside the village and sells woolen scarves at the market. He guides her to stall full of gorgeous scarves decorated with festive motifs. “Handmade from my flock,” he explains, handing her one. It’s the coziest thing she’s ever touched. "Could this be my first international meet cute?"she thinks as she heads back to the cottage she is staying at.
Determined to thank him for his generous gift, Ella visits Lukas at his farm the next day. She’s greeted by Klaus, and looks to see Lucas hard at work in a barn full of fluffy, friendly sheep. "You know their tails wag like a dog if you pet them in just the right place." Lucas rubs between the ears of a nearby sheep and their tail begins to sway merrily back and forth. "You love a good scratch don't you girl? Here let me show you around the farm." Snow starts falling as they walk.
Ella helps Lukas with small chores around the farm as they bond over shared stories. She opens up about feeling out of place as a woman who is always on the go. Lukas gently tells her, “You belong anywhere your heart takes you.” Her cheeks turn red, and it’s not just the cold. 
Back at the sheep barn, Ella + Lucas see a sheep that has given birth to a litter of lambs, but is refusing to nurse them. They will need round-the-clock care. Seeing how much Lukas already has on his plate with the farm, she volunteers to help. Over the next week, late-night feedings turn into quiet conversations by the fire. Their connection grows deeper with every passing moment. 
Ella share her farm adventure with her audience and her content begins to go viral. Her travel blog is blowing up with her Winterwald adventures. Her followers adore Lukas and Klaus, and ship them, calling them the ultimate Christmas couple. But Ella’s insecurities creep in. Could someone like Lukas really fall for her? 
After an especially long night caring for the lambs, Ella awakes to find herself wrapped in a woolen blanket. Turning it over in her she sees its embroidered embroidered with her initials. "Did you make me this?" she says as she looks deep into Lukas's kind eyes. “ Yes, I wanted to make sure you were warm wherever your travels might take you,” he says. Tears well up in her eyes. “No one’s ever made me feel this special,” she whispers. 
However things quickly get complicated as when Ella receives a unexpected call from her manager. A major network wants to turn her travel blog into a TV show—but she'll need leave Winterwald by Christmas Eve to begin shooting. She’s torn between her career dreams and the budding romance she’s found with Lukas. 
Lukas overhears her talking about the the tv show and assumes she’s leaving. How could she stay here with him and give up everything she's worked for? Hurt but stoic, he tells her, “You should follow your dreams.” Ella’s heart breaks. Is this goodbye before they’ve even started? 
As she gets up to leave Lukas' dog, Klaus follows her to the village. She sits down by the Christmas tree, wondering if she’s made a mistake. The faithful dog snuggles up next to her and puts his head in her lap. She gently strokes his soft fur and sighs. " I guess I can't have true love and follow my dreams. What I do always seems to get in the way" she says. 
Klaus stays with her all night. The next morning, Ella heads back to visit Lukas one last time. She finds him in the barn, fixing a sled. “I thought you’d left,” he says, surprised. “Not yet,” she replies. “I couldn’t go without returning your dog.... and saying goodbye.” 
"You've come just in time! I've just finished and I think she needs a test run", Lukas says thrumming the side of the sled. They bundle up and take off on sleigh ride. The snowy hillside is breathtaking, but all Ella can focus on is the way Lukas looks at her—as if she’s the only person in the world. 
The stop right in front of forest at the bottom of the hill. Lukas looks deep in Ella's eyes and the words begin to come pouring out. “Ella, I don’t want you to go. But I can’t hold you back from the life you deserve. I am a simple man. I can't give you that life.” She takes his hand and says defiantly, “Did you ever think that maybe the life I deserve includes you?” 
A fresh dusting of falls snow falls, they share a kiss. Klaus barks in approval. . It’s the kind of moment Ella always thought only happened in Christmas movies. But this time, it’s her story. This time its real. 
Ella agrees to make the TV show, but only if it's on her own terms. She proposes a segment featuring small towns and the people who make them magical—starting with Winterwald and Lukas’ farm. The producers love it. 
On Christmas Eve, the village gathers for a celebration. Ella presents Lukas with her pitch for the show: about Winterwald, its community, Klaus, and the farm. “You’ve shown me what home feels like,” she says. He smiles. “And you’ve shown me what love feels like.” 
As the clock strikes midnight, Ella and Lukas dance under the Christmas lights. Klaus is curled next to the fire, and the village is full of Christmas magic. Ella realizes she’s found everything she was looking for—and more. 
One year later we see Ella, Lukas, Klaus, and their growing flock of sheep in front of the cozy farmhouse. Ella is very clearly pregnant. “Sometimes the best journeys are the ones that lead you home.”
THE END.
