A Merry Little Ex-Mas Ending Explained: Do Kate and Everett Get Back Together?

Netflix’s ‘A Merry Little Ex-Mas’ chronicles the lives of Kate and Everett, a separated middle-aged couple on the verge of divorce. Having lived in the town of Winterlight, Vermont, for the majority of their lives, they have built a family, becoming parents to Gabriel and Sienna. As their kids grow up and their marriage becomes monotonous, they grow distant, eventually hoping to divorce each other. With Christmas just around the corner, the two hope to spend one last holiday as members of the family, while also dealing with the emotions of their children.

Despite the elaborate plans, the husband and the wife may realize that letting go is not as easy as they assumed. The narrative sheds light on the ideas of family, love, and loyalty intricately. Towards the end of the romantic film, the main characters are stuck in a dilemma, which could be the difference between sadness and happiness. SPOILERS AHEAD.

A Merry Little Ex-Mas Plot Synopsis

The story begins with Kate and Everett, a separated couple, discreetly telling the mayor of Winterlight that they are getting divorced. Kate decides to move away from the town of Winterlight, having been stuck there for half her life as a housemaker. It is revealed that she sacrificed her career as an architect in the past to make the marriage work. Sienna visits her home from London with her British boyfriend Nigel, who is a Harry Potter enthusiast. During dinner, Kate is shocked to find out that Everett is already dating someone. Apparently, even Everett’s fathers, Daryl and Mike, know about it. At the family’s antique shop, Kate sees Everett with his new lover, Tess, a British woman. She grows slightly insecure upon seeing Everett already feeling comfortable with Tess.

She worries about her son Gabriel’s future, especially his prospects of getting into college. At dinner, Kate and Tess have an awkward conversation, where the former shows signs of nervousness. She crosses paths with an attractive young man named Chet while shipping for Christmas trees, and the former shows a romantic interest in the latter. Tess showers Gabriel, Sienna, and Nigel to win them over, which saddens Kate. During a snowshoeing expedition, Kate and Everett begin to reconnect, finding an emotional connection. Chet and Kate begin to date, while Everett and Tess continue their relationship. Both Chet and Tess wonder why their respective partners are distant from their spouses. Kate starts to feel like she is losing her children to Tess.

At dinner, Everett accepts that Kate and the kids paid the price for him to become a successful doctor in the town. He apologizes to his wife for the same and says that he wishes to be a better husband were he to marry Tess after divorcing Kate. Later, Kate shockingly announces that she is moving out of Winterlight after the divorce and intends to sell the family house, called “The Mothership,” leaving her kids disturbed. On Christmas Eve, the former architect apologizes to the kids for her choices. Nigel tells her that she is a good person and a good mother. During dinner, Everett gives Kate a personalized perfume, but Tess only gets AirPods as a gift. This makes the British woman realize that Everett probably still has feelings for Kate.

Chet and Kate break up, realizing that they don’t actually love each other and that they will soon be living in different parts of the country. Everett surprises his wife and children by joining them for a Christmas tradition in which they all look at old family pictures. Tess breaks up with Everett after he develops a deeper connection with Kate during dinner. A snowstorm breaks out in Winterlight, leaving the town without proper electricity. As the kids and Kate prepare to go to Everett’s place on Christmas morning, the snow makes it difficult for them to take the car. Tess leaves Everett’s place. The whole family sits by the fireplace at Everett’s house and decides if they should actually cancel Christmas plans scheduled at Kate’s place. They also decide to help out neighboring houses, which have no power due to the snowstorm.

A Merry Little Ex-Mas Ending: Do Kate and Everett Get Divorced? Why?

Once the family decides to help the members of neighboring houses due to the power outage, Gabriel and Nigel go to a few houses to get the members over to “The Mothership,” which is Kate and Everett’s family home. When the husband and wife return to the Mothership, Kate is shocked to see many members of the town at the place, gathered to bid her adieu before she moves to Boston. Everyone tells her that she will be missed. After the party, the family members gather by the fireplace, where Gabriel finally reads his college application essay, which Kate had desperately hoped he would. The essay is revealed to be about people who inspired Gabriel. He reads it, revealing that his mother is his biggest source of inspiration and has changed his worldview.

He also recognizes that Kate has sacrificed a lot in her life to make the world a better place. Later, on the balcony, Kate and Everett have a heartfelt conversation. The former hands the latter the divorce papers, signed and ready. The husband becomes emotional and tells his wife that he doesn’t wish to get a divorce and intends to stay with her for the foreseeable future. He doesn’t want to lose her and even offers to move to Boston with her to support her career. When he says that he would choose death over divorce, Kate becomes emotional and says that she, too, wants to be with him. She also says that she is absolutely sure about their future together.

The two of them share a passionate kiss, solidifying their relationship once again. Despite hoping to divorce each other and pursue their own paths, the husband and wife find it difficult to let go. They recognize that they just stumbled on the way and weren’t truly ready to be away from each other. Although they grew distant in recent years, the foundations of their love story still remain solid, which allows them to reconcile and choose to continue their marriage. In conclusion, it can be presumed that the two will be together for a longer time and also lead happy lives.

Does Kate Pursue Her Career? Is the Mothership Sold?

Kate gave up her career at a young age after moving to Winterlight with Everett. This makes her feel empty in the present, as she thinks that she hasn’t lived up to her potential. The schism in her marriage also occurs due to her feeling left out. She decides to go to Boston after the divorce and pursue architecture again. Her interest in sustainability is also another factor that fuels her creative thinking. During the Christmas party, the mayor of the town and the others praise her for her talents. The mayor acknowledges that Kate’s adding a living roof on top of the City Hall actually led to the return of the local birds. The neighbors say that Kate’s suggestions helped them save money. Kate realizes that she has more to offer to the community and that her role is more than that of a homemaker.

Her son’s mention of her efforts in promoting compostable toilets and organic house-cleaning businesses for women’s shelters also makes her believe in her own talents. After deciding not to get divorced and stay back in Winterlight, it momentarily looks like Kate has given up on her career again. However, towards the end, the narrative picks up a year later, and it is revealed that Kate is now the owner of a new sustainability company, which is making a difference in the community. This is also made more special by the fact that “The Mothership” remains with the family and has not been sold.

Although Kate initially wanted to sell it, her decision to stay married to Everett ultimately saves the house from being sold. Thus, Kate is able to breathe new life into her career through her pursuit of sustainable solutions. Although she couldn’t achieve much success in her younger days, she is now ready to build a career and also help others along the way. Kate is able to break free from the constraints of being a homemaker and forge her own path towards success, while also keeping her house.

Do Chet and Tess Get Together? Why?

Chet and Tess break up with Kate and Everett after the Christmas Eve party. Both of them realize that the husband and wife are probably meant to stay together. On Christmas morning, as Tess prepares to leave Everett’s house in the aftermath of the snowstorm, there are no transport options available to take her to New York. It is at this point that she spots Chet on the road, driving a truck. It is revealed that Chet is an emergency response team volunteer. Tess subtly indicates that she is attracted to Chet and leaves with him in the truck. Earlier in the narrative, Tess also recognizes that Chet is a handsome man and that she is unusually interested in him. Later, as Kate and Everett decide to get back together, the former reveals that Chet and Tess are actually going to watch ‘The Lion King’ together in New York City.

It can be presumed that Tess and Chet grew closer during their journey to New York and decided to date each other. Although there is no indication of whether or not they will pursue a serious relationship, the narrative indicates that they are actually perfect for each other, which is also acknowledged by Everett. Ultimately, Chet and Tess will most likely pursue a more serious relationship, especially due to their emotional circumstances.

Will Sienna and Nigel Get Married?

Nigel and Sienna start dating during the latter’s time in Oxford. While Nigel is a Harry Potter enthusiast, Sienna is more academically inclined. Although Kate worries about Nigel being too goofy to be in a relationship with her daughter, she eventually sees that he is a good person. After the Christmas party, Kate talks to Nigel, telling him that he is a sweet person. She also recognizes that he makes Sienna happy. She wholeheartedly accepts him into the fold, despite him being a bit “crazy” due to his Harry Potter obsession. Earlier in the narrative, Kate also indicates that she is happy about Nigel dating her daughter. After Gabriel’s speech, Kate tells Sienna that she will wholeheartedly allow her to visit Nigel’s family members in England.

She actually gives her approval for a more serious relationship between the two, and also encourages them to get married, if that’s what they desire. Though Sienna says that they are just dating, it can be presumed that the two will eventually get married in the future. After finishing her education at Oxford, Sienna will probably be ready to get married, and so will Nigel, after getting better at his Harry Potter tour guide skills. Though the narrative doesn’t reveal the couple’s future, the most likely outcome seems to be their marriage.