26-year-old Mae struggles with a lack of career vision and an unfulfilling romantic life. Living with her mother and brother in California, she works at a nonprofit managing finances rather than leading the art programs she studied for. She is deeply nostalgic and avoids confrontation, making her highly dependent on her chosen family's annual Christmas traditions in Utah. When faced with the impending sale of the family cabin and the fallout from an awkward kiss, she wishes for guidance, triggering a supernatural time loop that forces her to repeatedly relive the same vacation.

Andrew is the charismatic, warm, and handsome lifelong friend of Mae. Working as a sound engineer at a concert venue in Denver, he is a mature and grounding presence during the chaotic family holidays. Unlike many of the others, Andrew is beginning to chafe against the stagnant childhood traditions of the group, asserting his adulthood by refusing to sleep in the basement bunk beds and opting for the uninsulated Boathouse instead.

Andrew's younger brother and Mae's closest friend in age. Theo is athletic, impulsive, and known within the family for his devotion to casual dating over serious commitment. After an awkward, drunken kiss with Mae, he responds with coldness, revealing a dismissive side of his personality that he usually reserves for casual flings.

A close college friend of Mae and Andrew's parents, Benny is a laid-back and supportive fixture of the group's chosen family. Often found relaxing in the cabin's attic, he acts as an emotional anchor and non-judgmental confidant for Mae. When she experiences the time loop, he becomes the only person she trusts to explain her bizarre temporal predicament.

Mae's teenage brother who lives with her and their mother in California. Miles is affable, carefree, and enthusiastically participates in the group's holiday activities. He shares a particularly close bond with Theo and often offers surprisingly direct insights into the romantic and emotional tensions occurring among the older members of the group.

Mae and Miles's mother. Since her divorce from Dan, the annual cabin trip remains the only time the original college friend group is entirely together. A talented artist, she is deeply emotionally invested in the Utah cabin and highly protective of her children.

Mae and Miles's father and a practicing physician. He is divorced from Elise but continues to attend the annual holiday gathering to maintain their chosen family's traditions. He approaches problems with a logical mindset, often trying to rationalize difficult changes as positive developments.

Andrew and Theo's father, and one of the original college friends who established the cabin tradition. Working as a landscape designer, Ricky finds the financial upkeep of the Park Slope property increasingly burdensome. This pressure prompts the difficult decision to sell the beloved cabin, setting off a wave of grief among the families.

Andrew and Theo's mother. She and her husband Ricky host the annual Christmas gathering at their cabin. Though beloved by the entire group, she is notoriously unskilled in the kitchen, often producing extremely hard cookies and other slightly disastrous holiday treats that the family eats out of affection.

One of the core members of the parents' college friend group. He initiated the tradition of gathering at the cabin after losing his parents during college, finding solace in a chosen family. He now lives in New York with his husband and their twin children.

Aaron's husband and a devoted father to their twins. He is an observant and supportive member of the chosen family's annual gathering, fully partaking in their long-standing holiday traditions. He often notices the shifting dynamics among the younger generation.

The young twin daughter of Aaron and Kyle. She brings youthful, chaotic energy to the family gatherings. Her presence requires the adults to engage in child-friendly activities and forces the older generation to step up their responsibilities.

The young twin son of Aaron and Kyle. He eagerly tries to involve the older generation in games and activities, such as sardines. He keeps the spirit of childhood wonder alive at the cabin, ensuring the holiday remains magical.