Liv and Daniel go from meeting each other at a mutual friend's Christmas party, to having a magical first date, to having a romantic Valentine's together, to believing the other may be the forever one, to purchasing a house together, to, one year later, planning to host Christmas dinner for their respective out-of-town families (her parents and brother, his divorced mother, sister and grandmother). But things go awry when their fundamental differences raise their ugly heads in the preparation for Christmas. Liv needs to take control to have things done her way all in an effort to please people, mostly her hypercritical and particular parents, especially at Christmas. In the process, she doesn't really listen to anyone else. Daniel doesn't really understand Liv's need to have things done a particular way, he, if asked, taking things at his own speed, with the result often not turning out the way Liv wants or expects, especially if she did it herself. In his process, Daniel avoids conflict at all cost, placing those issues in what he calls his little box, which eventually gets overstuffed and then explodes. The resulting argument leads to them deciding to take a break, which in their want not to face the possible truth (in neither really wanting it) not knowing if taking a break means breaking up. Regardless, the one thing they can agree on is that family Christmas is off. However, circumstances lead not only to their respective families showing up, but all six of them staying at the house. Liv and Daniel have to hide the issue going on between them in pretending to be the happy couple, all the while Daniel further has to hide the Christmas present he was intending on giving to Liv.