In a Holidaze is heading to Netflix, which means Christina Lauren’s snowy, chaotic, time-loop holiday romance is finally getting its screen moment.
It is easy to see why this one caught Hollywood’s attention. The story has the built-in sparkle of a Christmas movie, but there is enough emotional mess underneath the mistletoe to keep it from feeling too tidy.
The book has everything a holiday rom-com needs: a cozy cabin, messy family traditions, unresolved feelings, one very bad romantic mistake, and a heroine who gets forced by the universe to actually deal with her life. It is festive, funny, and just magical enough without losing the emotional ache underneath.
Written by bestselling romance duo Christina Lauren, In a Holidaze blends contemporary romance with a Christmas time-loop twist. Think holiday comfort, but with a little existential panic wrapped in twinkle lights.
The adaptation is set to release on Netflix on December 2, 2026, with Tiffany Paulsen involved after previously working on Netflix’s holiday rom-com Holidate. The cast currently includes Maddie Ziegler, Rob Lowe, Graham Phillips, and Elias Kacavas, giving the project a mix of young romance energy and familiar holiday-movie appeal.
For fans of the book, the biggest question is not just how Netflix will bring the cabin to life. It is whether the movie can capture that strange, heart-squeezing feeling of wanting one more chance to get everything right.
So what will In a Holidaze be about? Here is what we know so far.
What Will In A Holidaze Movie Be About?
Christina Lauren’s In A Holidaze follows Maelyn Jones, whose Christmas is not exactly going the way a holiday romance is supposed to go. She lives with her parents, is unhappy at work, and tries not to drown in regret after making a romantic mistake she cannot easily undo.
The one place that still feels like home is the snowy Utah cabin where Mae and her family have spent every Christmas with two other families since she was a child. But this year, even that comfort is slipping away. The cabin may be sold, the tradition may be ending, and Mae is suddenly staring down the possibility that the life she has been clinging to is already disappearing.
Then the universe answers her breakdown in the most inconvenient way possible. Mae wakes up at the beginning of the holiday trip and starts reliving the same Christmas over and over again. Each reset gives her another shot, but it also forces her to face what she actually wants, who she loves, and what happiness is supposed to look like when she stops playing it safe.
As a movie, In A Holidaze will likely be tightened for pacing. Some scenes may be combined, some cabin moments may be trimmed, and the time-loop structure will probably move quickly so the romance stays front and center. That could work in the adaptation’s favor, especially if Netflix leans into both the comedy of Mae’s repeated disasters and the emotional weight of her second chances.
If you have not read the book yet, check out the official synopsis below, as In a Holidaze will most likely begin with In a Holidaze, Christina Lauren’s standalone holiday romance.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…but not for Maelyn Jones. She’s living with her parents, hates her going-nowhere job, and has just made a romantic error of epic proportions.
But perhaps worst of all, this is the last Christmas Mae will be at her favorite place in the world—the snowy Utah cabin where she and her family have spent every holiday since she was born, along with two other beloved families. Mentally melting down as she drives away from the cabin for the final time, Mae throws out what she thinks is a simple plea to the universe: Please. Show me what will make me happy.
The next thing she knows, tires screech and metal collides, everything goes black. But when Mae gasps awake…she’s on an airplane bound for Utah, where she begins the same holiday all over again. With one hilarious disaster after another sending her back to the plane, Mae must figure out how to break free of the strange time loop—and finally get her true love under the mistletoe.
That premise has obvious screen appeal. The cabin gives the movie a warm, contained setting, the time loop gives it a playful structure, and Mae’s romance gives the story its emotional pull. If handled well, it could land as more than just another Christmas movie. It could be a comfort watch with actual stakes.
Who Is in the In A Holidaze Movie Cast?
The cast currently includes Maddie Ziegler, Rob Lowe, Graham Phillips, and Elias Kacavas. Character details have not been fully rolled out in a major public breakdown yet, so fans are still waiting to see exactly how Netflix assigns the book’s most important roles.
The key casting question is Mae. The story depends on a heroine who can be funny, anxious, self-sabotaging, vulnerable, and romantic all at once. She has to carry the chaos of the time loop, but also make viewers believe that her emotional reset matters as much as the magical one.
Behind the scenes, Tiffany Paulsen is attached to the Netflix adaptation. Alloy Entertainment is also involved, which fits the project well given its history with polished, fan-friendly book adaptations.
Christina Lauren has also publicly celebrated the Netflix project, making this feel like an adaptation with the authors’ enthusiasm behind it.
When Is In A Holidaze Movie Coming Out?
The movie adaptation of Christina Lauren’s In A Holidaze is scheduled for release on Netflix on December 2, 2026.
Given the Christmas setting, everyone expected Netflix to position the movie for the holiday season, and that’s exactly what fans got.
There is no trailer yet, and Netflix has not announced a full rollout plan. For now, the In a Holidaze movie adaptation is officially one to watch for anyone who likes their holiday romances with snow, second chances, and a little cosmic intervention.
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