Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘A Perfect Christmas‘ follows the story of a Basset Hound named Winstead, who wishes nothing more than for his family to be happy and together on Christmas. Since he was a pup, he has lived with the Goss family, considering the patriarch, Sander, his dad. He also considers Sander’s son, Hunter, and his wife, Juliana, to be his parents. While they are a happy family, things have been a bit out of sorts since Sander’s wife, Barbara, passed away two years ago. Sadly, it takes another tragic event for the family to pull themselves together. Juliana suddenly falls ill, and despite spending many days at the hospital, she doesn’t seem to be getting any better. Her declining health remains a major cause of concern, but it also instigates some major changes. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Stress at Home Leads to Juliana’s Health Crisis
Juliana had been a successful lawyer before she had twins, and now she finds herself trapped at home all day. While Hunter is out overworking himself at his job, Juliana has to take care of the twins, her teenage daughter, Ello, and the clinically depressed Sander. While she desperately tries to find time for herself, she struggles with making Hunter realize just how burnt out she is. Eventually, the stress, among other things, gets to her, and she is hospitalized due to a kidney infection. The illness escalates, and the infection starts spreading to her vital organs. It also leads to brain swelling, due to which she is put in a coma. For a minute, it looks like she won’t make it, but eventually she pulls through, though the road to recovery is much longer.
It starts with her gaining consciousness, followed by some physical therapy, which Hunter participates in with dedication. Over the weeks, the love and care of her family and the hospital’s staff help her recover. By the time Christmas comes, she has recovered enough to arrive at the hospital lobby in a wheelchair, where she is happily reunited with her family, including Winstead, and the new dog, Ruby. While her health is much better now, she also discovers that things have drastically changed in her absence. Before her health crisis, everyone was dependent on her for every single thing. She had to do everything by herself and received no help from anyone. But in her absence, everyone has picked up the slack.
Earlier, Ello was a sulky teenager, while Sander was wallowing in his own grief. Now, they have kept the house together, taking care of each other and the twins. Their personal lives have also taken a turn: Sander is now dating Claire, while Ello is dating Sean. The biggest change, however, has happened with Hunter. Before this, he was so consumed by his job that he had no idea how much his wife was taking on. When she tries to tell him about her problems, he reveals that his next promotion would not only bring him a bigger paycheck but also keep him away from home for longer periods. However, almost losing his wife has opened his eyes to the problem. So, instead of taking that promotion, he has negotiated new terms for his job.
Instead of working more frequently on the ground, he has now taken a backseat to work as a consultant. This would allow him to work from home, which means he can be around the family more. He can share responsibilities with Juliana, giving her time to explore her own life outside the family, particularly in her career. Thus, by the end, the Goss family grows from the crisis, learning to be more present for each other and appreciating their loved ones and their lives more. Juliana, too, is stronger for having survived a deadly health issue and will return home to find a significant change that has made everyone a better person.
Read More: Where Was A Dog’s Perfect Christmas Filmed?
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