Part 1 recap: Former tax lawyer Katie’s new life as a bakery owner seems glamorous, but she desperately needs help – even though she doesn’t want to admit it to anyone. Will Christmas be ruined?
Part 2 recap: When a mysterious, short, and helpful man turns up at the bakery, Katie thinks he’s the answer to her dreams… until he starts taking unauthorized orders for special Christmas cupcakes. Is this the end for the bakery?
Elves, Love, Cupcakes: Part 3
Everything seemed to be going so well – handsome, helpful Hans with his cute green outfits, happy customers at the bakery, and Katie just managed to make last month’s rent. But now it’s all falling apart.
Katie and her sisters share their Santa letters. One of her sisters wants a new tire jack. The other wants a a lung. Katie sheds a tear as she reveals that she already asked Santa for help at the bakery, and got it. She tells them all about her fight with the delectable Hans.
“Maybe he’s right,” says her little sister. “Maybe you should make the cupcakes and believe in Christmas magic.”
“How can you say that?” whispers Katie. “After The Incident that caused your irreparable lung damage?”
“Christmas magic isn’t going to fix the faulty wiring in your apartment,” says her big sister. “I say you kick this Hans guy to the curb.”
Katie’s mouth says yes, but her heart says no. After the phone call, she climbs up to the roof of her apartment building. Looking up at the stars, she makes a wish. Dear Santa, she wishes, please spread some Christmas magic my way. She shuts her eyes. I believe, she repeats to herself, as she starts to feel a tingle in her toes. I believe, as she hears a faint jingle in the air. “I believe!” she shouts out loud, spreading her arms wide.
Her voice travels down to Hans, who had been trudging down the street with a sack on his back, ready to return to the North Pole after his fight with Katie. With a sparkle in his eye, Hans flings away his sack and leaps toward the bakery.
Katie intends to get to the store early to bake the special Christmas cupcakes, but she needs a quick nap first. Her electricity goes out during the nap and she blinks her eyes open to bright sunlight. Oh no, it’s nearly 6 a.m., opening time! How will she appease her disappointed customers?
She rushes into the bakery and it’s a Christmas miracle. The shop is beautifully decorated with glowing lights and ornaments, and best of all, dozens and dozens of delicious Christmas cupcakes. Hans is standing in the middle of the shop, and he’s wearing his real clothes – his ELF clothes. “You’re –” Katie says. “Are you really—” Hans smiles and nestles a tiara into Katie’s hair. “You believed,” he says.
The customers come in and they’re delighted. “These are the most amazing holiday treats we’ve ever had!” they cheer. One customer is an electrician and he fixes Katie’s wiring for free. And another customer is a lung surgeon! He pulls a fresh lung out of his medical bag and Katie and Hans and all the customers follow him to the hospital. He puts the lung in Katie’s sister and they all cheer again.
Epilogue: Katie in her wedding gown kisses Hans in his elf clothes as they are declared married baker and elf. Hans climbs on her shoulders. As they proceed back down the aisle, the elves and humans all cheering and tossing sparkly snowflake confetti, jingling can be heard. Outside, they climb into a sleigh and fly away. Everyone celebrates below with the multi-tiered cupcake wedding cake as Katie’s newly lunged sister belts out the movie’s theme song, “I believe in Christmas magic.”