#hallmarkchristmasmovies Archives – Page 4 of 6

Hallmark Movie Review: Coyote Creek Christmas

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/coyote-creek-christmas

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I’m a total Paevey lover! He is so handsome and plays this role expertly. Who wouldn’t have fallen for those blue eyes and that little bit of gray he’s showing on his temples. 😉 I’m also a huge Janel Parrish fan!! I’ve liked her ever since Pretty Little Liars. Now Ryan + Janel in the same movie. Yes please! Here’s a quick re-cap and my full two cents.

Quick Re-Cap

Paige is spending Christmas at her family’s Coyote Creek Inn. She’s planning the annual Christmas party, because her family doesn’t feel like doing it this year. She’s unaware that her family is considering selling the Inn until she’s been planning for a while and see how happy her parents are traveling instead of running the Inn. Dylan’s company is interested in purchasing the Inn, but he’s been asked to keep it secret from Paige.

My Two Cents

There were a lot of things I enjoyed about this movie! I already mentioned that these are two of my favorite leads, but I didn’t mention the outstanding supporting cast! I loved Quinn and Mia crushing, George and Julie being mischievous fun-loving characters, and Noah was so adorable! I haven’t seen such a good supporting cast in a long time!

Besides the cast was the Coyote Creek-isms. Charlotte the Marmot is sooo cute!! I love that a place called Coyote Creek has a marmot as a mascot. C’mon who doesn’t like a game of hide and seek with a wooden statue? I know I want to find Charlotte and give her a piece of Christmas clothing! Plus, the story about how a marmot became the town mascot was so sweet.

I think I’ve mentioned a time or two that I enjoy a good small town romance. This kind of had that feel, because we met a few townspeople. There were also a lot of small town traditions, like leaving little gifts for people.

While I enjoyed most of this movie, there was a major part of this plot I didn’t understand. The Inn wasn’t sold yet and Paige’s parents didn’t NEED to sell, so why didn’t they offer to stop the sale? If Paige really wanted it, then they should have been able to work out a deal with her and stop the sale.

The sale of the Inn was really the biggest issue I had with this movie. If I look past that, then I really enjoyed this movie. I’m not sure if I’d put it on my must see list, but if it’s on again, I’ll definitely watch it. Especially to see Charlotte the Marmot again. 🙂 I hope you watch this and enjoy it. Happy movie watching y’all!

Have you seen it? What did you think? Leave a comment!

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Hallmark Movie Review: Christmas in Harmony

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/christmas-in-harmony

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Oh wow y’all! Talk about the surprise movie of the season! Here’s a quick re-cap and my full two cents.

Quick Re-Cap

Harmony was expecting a promotion at work, when her boss tells her she’s being downsized. She’s being paid through the end of the year, so she decides to return home to visit her mom. While home, she’s paired with her ex-boyfriend Kyle to direct this year’s holiday chorus. Now, the church program needs to raise $10,000 or they will lose their building.

My Two Cents

When you’re part of a Hallmark Movie Showdown Bracket group, you’re assigned to watch a specific list of movies and sometimes you’re super excited for a movie (hello The Santa Stakeout) and sometimes you say to yourself, “ugh, I don’t want to watch THAT movie!” This movie was definitely on the I wouldn’t ordinarily watch it list, but I’m glad I did!

There’s nothing new in this movie. We have a young woman who thought she was getting a promotion, but instead was axed and a church that’s about to lose it’s building. We’ve seen this a lot over the years. So, if you’re looking for new and different, definitely go somewhere else.

What this movie lacks in originality, it makes up for in heart. I’m a total sucker for a second chance romance. Seriously guys. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I always fall for the second chance romance movies. Plus! Add in a some fantastic music and a great cast and I’m sold!

I absolutely loved Harmony! I loved her standing up to the boss when he was firing her. I loved her having a sleepover with her mom and sister. And I loved her believing in herself by the end of the movie.

The song at the end…just WOW! I was seriously almost brought to tears. Harmony was amazing! I will admit, I was a little unsure how the movie would end – I mean which happy ending it would have. I was very happy with the ending they chose.

If you’re unsure about this movie, I suggest giving it a try. It was a seriously good surprise! Definitely on my Countdown to Christmas must watch list. Happy movie watching y’all!

Have you seen it? What did you think? Leave a comment!

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Hallmark Movie Review: Boyfriends of Christmas Past

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/boyfriends-of-christmas-past

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

It’s refreshing to see some new faces this Countdown to Christmas season! These two were great from beginning to end. Here’s a quick re-cap and my full two cents.

Quick Re-Cap

Lauren has closed herself off from relationships, so her ex-boyfriends of the past have come to haunt her into changing her standoffish ways. Hopefully these ex-boyfriends can show Lauren what she’s missing before it’s too late.

My Two Cents

I had so many ups and downs with this movie. One minute I was laughing and really into the movie, and the next I was looking at my phone and wondering when this would be over. Is it my mood tonight or the movie at fault for me losing interest? I’m not sure. Let’s walk through some of my thoughts…

Lauren’s first boyfriend sleighed me! Cowabunga dude! He was such a skater boy. He forgets why he’s there, but texted it to himself on the 1990’s phone. LOL. Do you know how long it must have taken him to text all that? It was on a phone without a keyboard!

Anyhow, after he leaves, Lauren wakes up and looks him up online. He’s now a real adult with a family. I loved how she looks him up online. I think we’ve all looked up our exes from time to time 😉

The next two boyfriends were pretty much the same story. They want more, but Lauren runs away. She runs directly to Nate each time. Yet even after the third guy, she still doesn’t see what’s happening? Okay, I’m calling BS on this. How blind is she?

Let’s take a moment to feel bad for Nate. Poor Nate! Every time he tries to tell Lauren how he feels, she friend zones him, uses him for an idea for her pitch, or runs away before he has a chance to say something. Chicken!!

This needs to be mentioned…

Ugh, the digital snow is killing me this season. I think I’ve seen it in every movie so far. I wish they would go back to real fake snow. This stuff is annoying. It doesn’t look anything like real snow and never lands on anything. Bring back real (or real fake) snow Hallmark!

Okay, back to the movie!

Overall, I think I enjoyed the movie. LOL. The ending was cute. I really liked when all four exes show up in the final few seconds of the movie. Sure, I could nitpick the movie to death. And those of you who read my blog regularly will know that friends to lovers is not a theme I typically enjoy, which could have been the majority of my issue with this movie. Give this movie a try! I’m sure you’ll at least like it a little 🙂

Have you seen it? What did you think? Leave a comment!

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Hallmark Movie Review: You, Me & The Christmas Trees

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/you-me-the-christmas-trees

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Two words…dad jokes! I have a thing for corny dad jokes and there were plenty in this movie to keep me giggling. Combine the dad jokes with a small town romance and I’m definitely interested. Here’s a quick re-cap and my full two cents.

Quick Re-Cap

Jack is the owner of a tree farm that’s having a mysterious issue with Christmas trees dying within a few days of being cut. He calls in the help of Olivia, the horticulturist. Together, Jack helps Olivia learn how wonderful Christmas can be and Olivia helps open Jack’s mind to possibilities outside Christmas Trees.

My Two Cents

The first time I tried watching this movie was about 20-30 minutes after it had started, but I couldn’t get into it. So, I figured it was a Hallmark dud. I turned off the TV, gave up, and decided I would try it again later. I’m glad I did. While it won’t hit my favorite movie list, it’s still a good movie.

I enjoyed watching Olivia and Jack grow close. I really felt like I was watching them and their relationship evolve. I really liked their banter and chemistry. I wouldn’t mind seeing these two paired up again!

Beyond Olivia and Jack, I liked the plot. I have a thing for small town romances and this definitely checked the boxes for all things small town. The different activities, gingerbread cookie houses, white elephant gift giving and so much more! I loved how Jack’s family embraces Olivia like a daughter.

It also hit home from the small business owner perspective. Jack cared about his customers as much as they seemed to care about him. He offered money back for the dying trees while worrying about his customers coming back after having a bad year. Customers easily move onto new businesses, so I liked that they included a few scenes to impress this upon people.

Overall, this is a movie you might enjoy. It doesn’t hit my must watch movie list, but if it’s on, it’s good to watch. It’s that sweet – sometimes corny – hit you in the feels, type of movie. Isn’t that why we watch Hallmark? I know it’s why I watch Hallmark 🙂

Have you seen it? What did you think? Leave a comment!

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Hallmark Movie Review: The Santa Stakeout

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/the-santa-stakeout

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This movie is super cute! It’s definitely a must watch on my Hallmark Countdown to Christmas movie list! It’s cute, funny, and full of holiday cheer. Here’s a quick re-cap and my full two cents 🙂

Quick Re-Cap

A string of burglaries captures the attention of the Denver police. Frenemies Tanya and Ryan are assigned as partners to figure out who the burglar is. They rent a house next door to their suspect and become fake newlyweds to fit into their new neighborhood, but their fake marriage soon turns real as they get to know each other better.

My Two Cents

There were so many cute and funny moments in this movie! I loved Detective Scrooge versus Detective Jolly. They had great chemistry and it was so much fun watching them grow closer.

I also need to take a moment to recognize the geniusness of the hot cocoa tasting board!! OMG! Why do my local restaurants not have this?? Living in Wisconsin, we tend to only have beer tasting boards. Maybe someone will make a hot cocoa board popular soon! I’d like to see this overtake hot cocoa bombs 🙂

Sadly, we need to talk about something other than the hot cocoa here. So, let’s move on to the actual burglary case. I loved watching the detectives find the clues and work the case. Of course their first guess was wrong and I’m sure we all took a collective sigh of relief at discovering the truth.

I really can’t say enough good things about how wonderful Tamera and Paul were acting together. Especially at the end of the movie where they expose the real criminal and cement their relationship. I loved these two so much, I wish they’d pick them up for a holiday Hallmark Movies & Mysteries series.

I really needed all the joy and fun this movie brings to the start of the holiday season. This is how the countdown to Christmas season deserves to start! Add this movie to your holiday watching season and you won’t be disappointed. Happy movie watching y’all!

Have you seen it? What did you think? Leave a comment!

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Hallmark Movie Review: Christmas in my Heart

Image via: https://www.hallmarkmoviesandmysteries.com/christmas-in-my-heart

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Sorry y’all, I wasn’t feeling this movie. If you’ve read other reviews, you’ll know I love Luke MacFarlane!! I liked Heather Hemmens and the other cast members in this movie too. So, I was pretty upset when the movie fell flat. Here’s a quick re-cap and my full two cents.

Quick Re-Cap

Katie, the daughter of former country music star, Sean, wants violin lessons. She convinces Beth to give her lessons unbeknownst to her Dad. Beth is a musician on break from New York and is only planning on being in town until after the holidays. Beth and Sean become close 😉

My Two Cents

I had high hopes for this movie! Unfortunately, it fell flat. If you’ve been following my blog, you’ll know that I LOVE romcoms and/or movies that make you say awwwww. This whole movie had a sad feel to it. I was depressed watching it.

I felt so sorry for Katie, who lost her Mom. Then her Dad completely shut down and wouldn’t allow anyone close to them. The moment Beth starts to get close, of course he pushes her away.

This is Hallmark, so of course I was expecting that and there is a super sweet and cute ending. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for me. I wanted more joy, fun, and love for the first movie of the season. I didn’t feel enough of any of those emotions throughout the movie.

If you have other movie options, I would definitely skip this movie. It’s sad, depressing, and missing serious amounts of Hallmark Christmas cheer. Keep reading my blog for more Christmas movie reviews this season!

Have you seen it? What did you think? Leave a comment!

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Movie Review: Cross Country Christmas

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/cross-country-christmas

Rating:

 4/5

From the opening credits to the ridiculous Chuck’s Deluxe Dog Grooming truck, enjoy this movie for what it is a funny/corny Christmas movie.

Max Cooper and Lina Gordon both grew up in the same small town. They knew each other, but never dated. Now, they both live in the same city and were on the same flight home when the flight is cancelled and diverted to a nearby city due to a storm. They both need to make it home by Christmas Eve to be with their families, but when fate seems against them, will they make it in time?

Enjoy their travels by train, tractor, and of course, Chuck’s Grooming truck. Meet the many friends Max, but really, Lina makes and discover how important it is to be nice to people and treat others the way you want to be treated. If we all tried to be a little more like Lina, the world would be a little better.

And in case you couldn’t already tell, I absolutely loved Lina’s outlook on life. She’s a Creative Solutions Specialist. If you find yourself asking, “What in the world is that?!” You aren’t alone, Max was confused as well. Basically, take it for what it sounds like. When life hands you lemons, Lina makes lemonade, lemon curd, and lemon bars. Her upbeat attitude can lift anyone’s spirits! Even Max finds himself enjoying her company and never ending ideas.

If corny comedy isn’t your thing, then you might like A Christmas Detour more. If corny comedy is right up your alley, then give this movie a shot. Happy movie watching y’all!

Movie Review: Swept Up by Christmas

Image via: https://www.hallmarkmoviesandmysteries.com/swept-up-by-christmas

Rating:

 2/5

Sometimes you sit down to watch a movie and no matter what happens, you just can’t watch it. You try and try, but it doesn’t capture your attention. That “spark” is missing. This was one of those movies.

I can tell you that it’s basically about a woman, Gwen, who works for an auction house. She is hired to auction items from The Hawthorne House she use to visit as a child. Along with the auction, Reed’s company, Clean Force One (super cute name since it’s a veteran owned company!) is hired to clean the house.

Aside from that, the movie fell completely flat for me. It’s an enemies to lovers movie with a cute side romance for the best friend, but I wasn’t feeling the hate or love in the main romance. Nothing stood out and I struggled to even watch it.

Give it a shot and let me know what you think! Maybe you’ll enjoy it more than me and you can point out some of your favorite moments in the movie. Happy movie watching y’all!

Movie Review: A Christmas Carousel

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/a-christmas-carousel

Rating:

 4/5

A man with an accent, horses, and trying to make a better community, what more can you ask for in a Hallmark movie?! Seriously! This simple, funny movie is so cute and will unexpectedly hit you in the feels!

Lila (Rachel Boston) and Roy head to Ancadia to restore Grandpa’s carousel. While there, they each find interests more fulfilling than restoring the carousel.

The meet-cute was so adorable! Lila visits the carousel to see what kind of shape it’s in and she bumps into the ladder Whitaker is on. Paint brushes fly and some witty words are exchanged while Lila asks Whitaker (Neal Bledsoe) if he knows the Prince. Of course, Whitaker says he knows him quite well. The whole scene is adorable and funny.

Later Lila is introduced to Whitaker during tea. She’s a little miffed he didn’t tell her who he was, but she quickly gets over it and they become closer while they both work on the carousel.

Whitaker has been raised to believe that in order to be King, you must act in a professional manner and you can’t be a painter. Basically, you have to be a bore. Since that’s not who he is at heart, he’s abstained from entering any serious relationships, because if he found someone he wanted to marry, he would need to ascend the thrown. Lila helps him discover that he can be himself and be a king the people will still admire and love.

I loved how Lila gave Whitaker the courage to be himself. There isn’t a once size fits all mold for King behavior. The teacher in her wanted to help make him be the best person he could be.

Have I said before this movie was cute? It helped that Rachel Boston is one of my Hallmark favs. She has a sweet/honest quality about her that really lent well to this role. I also loved her pairing with Neal Bledsoe. He had great facial expressions and was so sweet and funny! This was exactly the right pairing you wanted to see. No Christmas She Wrote drama here. I would love to see this pair together a few more times!!

This is Hallmark, so we all know how this ends 😀 I won’t spoil the exact ending, but I love the Wishing Horse! Make sure you pay attention to the story of it!

If you can take this movie at face value, you’ll most likely enjoy the abundant cute jokes and sweet romance. If you try to hold this movie to a higher regard, then you’ll be disappointed. Happy movie watching y’all! Let me know what you think!!

Movie Review: Unlocking Christmas

Image via: https://www.hallmarkmoviesandmysteries.com/unlocking-christmas

Rating:

 2.5/5

Oh man! I really wanted to like this movie! I just couldn’t get into it. I gave it the 3 strikes and you’re out try, which makes me sad, because there are some cute moments in it. They just never built into anything better than a few cute moments.

Kate and Kevin meet because Kevin’s mom makes him go to the doctor about his leg. This scene was actually very cute and I’m pretty sure Kevin’s mom purposefully sent him to see Kate. She’s quite the meddlesome woman 😉

Shortly after meeting, Kate and Kevin are each sent a clue and key. They figure out the clue’s meaning, arrive at the same place at the same time, and wind up on a scavenger hunt of sorts. Through the process they learn more about each other and start falling in love.

I figured out who was behind the keys almost immediately and the clue tasks didn’t really keep me interested. Also, Steve Lund’s long hair was really distracting. I didn’t feel like it fit with his former military life, because it always looked messy and greasy-ish.

If you give it a try, let me know what you think! I hope you enjoy it more than I did. If you’re looking for another scavenger hunt type movie, I think Christmas Scavenger Hunt was a lot better. Happy movie watching y’all!

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Movie Review: A Glenbrooke Christmas

Image via https://www.hallmarkmoviesandmysteries.com/a-glenbrooke-christmas

Rating:

 3.5/5

Oh Autumn Reeser! You’re one of my Hallmark favs, but this movie didn’t do it for me. I know this is kind of cliche, but it’s not you, it’s…Antonio Cupo (Kyle). Haha! I bet you thought I was going to say “me,” but nope. I wasn’t a fan of Kyle.

Autumn plays Jessica “Emerson” Morgan, a soon-to-be CEO of a large real estate company. Her parents died when she was young and her Grandfather raised her. She decides to go to Glenbrooke where her mom lived when she was younger. She’s even able to rent the house her mom lived in, but she’s using the name Jessica Emerson instead of her famous Morgan last name to try and stay under the radar.

Upon arriving in Glenbrooke, Jessica almost runs over Kyle, Glenbrooke Fire Chief, while he’s carrying a whole stack of ginger bread men. Kyle’s coworker, Ruthie dubs this the Gingerpocalypse 😂 This was possibly the funniest part of the movie! It’s also the part where I started losing interest.

Kyle is such a jerk to Jessica over the cookies breaking that it was an immediate turn off for me. She even offered to pay for the cookies, but he blames her and starts accusing her of texting while driving and not paying attention. Jerk alert!! It doesn’t make sense that he can be a total jerk over something so small and a Fire Chief. I would think that position requires more political common sense and friendliness.

Kyle’s coworker, Ruthie was actually my favorite person in the movie. Besides the gingerpocalypse, she also guides Jessica to a “VIP” section of a tree lot. It’s the VIP section, because Kyle is there. She totally set-up Kyle and Jessica on that one! Jessica’s face when she figured it out was priceless. LOL.

Once in Glenbrooke, Jessica discovers the chimes – a local cherished landmark – are broken and they need $10,000 to save them. Jessica helps create a fundraiser to save them.

I also struggled with this. Jessica is a multi-millionaire. $10,000 is a drop in the hat. Why not just anonymously donate the money and be done? Don’t get me wrong, she really helped a lot of people in the community while organizing the fundraiser and they kind of explain why she doesn’t write a check for it a little later in the movie, but it didn’t sit right with me.

Kyle somewhat redeems himself and shows his nice/caring side during other parts of the movie when him and Jessica decorate a Christmas tree together, go to a party together, and read The Night Before Christmas to some children. But even in the end, Kyle is upset and jerky when he learns the truth about who Jessica really is.

I don’t know if it’s Antonio or Kyle, but I wasn’t digging him. Watch the movie and let me know what you think! While you’re watching, be sure to catch the sweet story about how the bells came to be such an important part of the town. I don’t want to spoil the surprise, but it’s really sweet.

If you’re an Autumn Reeser fan too, check out one of her other great movies! I highly recommend A Country Wedding, Christmas Under the Stars, or All Summer Long. These were all much better than this one! Happy movie watching y’all!

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Movie Review: Christmas Comes Twice

Image via: https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/christmas-comes-twice/

Rating:

 3.5/5

Fate, time travel, enemies to lovers, this movie hits 3 of my favorite themes! On top of that, Tamara and Michael were super cute together! Unfortunately, this movie failed to keep my interest and I had issues with too many parts of it.

The beginning of the movie has Cheryl coming home to Wellsboro and going to the town fair. While there, she makes a wish that she could go back in time for a week to not take a job Dr. Phillips offers her five years ago.

I’ve made similar wishes in my life. I often wonder what could have been from time to time. So, I fully support this concept!

Shortly after the wish, Cheryl sees a carousal and hops on. The carousal takes her for a ride to the past, where she’s presented with the opportunity to change her future.

This is where things went downhill for me. I’ve always liked these movies when the character goes back to the past at night when they’re asleep to change something they feel they did wrong the first time around, but this was a little too corny for me.

When Cheryl got off the carousal she almost immediately starts seeing significant clues she’s not in 2020 anymore Toto, but she REFUSES to believe it. She sees a poster with a 2015 date and talks to someone about a date she has on Friday, but still refuses to believe. She finally passes out when she runs into someone who’s dead.

She’s suppose to be a smart woman with her doctorate! I just didn’t buy that she would resist the truth so strongly.

While passed out, George carries Cheryl to a first aide tent, where she wakes up and tells him what’s happening. George laughs, but becomes her confidant. Cheryl and George wind up spending the week together teaching a kids science club and Cheryl discovers her love of teaching (and George).

Honestly for most of this movie, I struggled staying awake. It was a solid 3 stars through out, but the carousal time travel concept only gets a 2 from me.

Don’t get me wrong, it was good seeing Cheryl and George grow together. They really are a cute couple and the relationship growth was well done. It was just missing that something extra that some movies give.

I also enjoyed all the discussions of fate and living in the present, but I kept hoping for things to go different. Hallmark could have taken the date with Terrance and had it go worse than the original date. It would have been a great opportunity to infuse some extra humor. Instead, it was used to prove how Terrance was more into himself than Cheryl. If we were proving that you can’t really change the future, I feel like the date should have gone worse than the original.

In fact, there were several parts where the movie seemingly contradicted itself. Don’t tell the dead person she’s going to die, but tell Mom and Dad to not leave the cat alone with the Christmas tree. The inconsistencies made me crazy.

I know I told you this movie was mostly a 3, but you’ll see I’m giving it a 3.5. Why? Well, the ending is honestly a 5. If you don’t watch anything else in the movie, just watch the last 15 minutes. You’ll get all the feels and skip all the blah. Happy movie watching y’all!

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Movie Review: Love, Lights, Hanukkah!

Rating:

 4.5/5

There is little to kvetch about here folks! My Jewish heart was filled with this movie! Ben Savage, who I will always remember as Cory Matthews from Boy Meets World, makes a perfect match with Mia Kirshner.

Mia plays Christina, a woman who’s adopted mother recently died, so she decides to take a DNA test and discovers she’s 50% Jewish.

Through the test, she also finds she has a close relative. The relative, Becky, and her exchange messages and she agrees to meet Becky and her brother Scott at their restaurant.

While at the restaurant, Christina meets David Singer, a restaurant critic who rated her lasagna as forgetful and predictable. Christina gives him a hard time for the review, but Becky tells her he’s a good guy.

While at the restaurant Becky invites Christina to dinner to meet their mother, Ruth. At dinner, we all find out Ruth is Christina’s mother.

Ruth was briefly married to an Italian, Giorgio but had the marriage annulled and discovered she was pregnant when she returned home. Unable to care for the infant, she gave her up for adoption.

You’ll have to watch the movie to find out what happens after that, but let’s cover my two cents 😉

I initially struggled with the DNA testing results. Christina finds out she’s 50% Jewish and her first concern is how she’ll celebrate Jewish holidays? I didn’t understand this reaction. I’m not sure what my first thought or concern would be, but focusing on the Jewish holidays was odd to me.

However, I majorly applauded her for wanting to reach out to Becky and discover that relationship. I also loved how open and welcoming Becky and Scott were to Christina. They didn’t know her that well, but they welcomed her into the family immediately.

Even Ruth welcomed Christina before she realized who she was. I think they even invited Christina to join them in celebrating Hanukkah with them prior to them realizing who she was.

Speaking of Hanukkah…Lets talk about the Hanukkah traditions! Dreidel Dreidel Dreidel I made you out of clay…Did you see all the dreidels in the movie!! OMG! They were so beautiful! From the opening scenes, to seeing Ruth’s whole collection, they were mesmerizing. I’ve never thought about having a dreidel collection, but I might need to start one. You can see some of them in the picture below.

Beyond the dreidels, I loved how they explained the miracle of Hanukkah, what each candle’s purpose was, and taught Christina the candle lighting prayer. It was hilarious hearing her trying to say “Baruch,” and David saying she needed to do it with more phlegm. I had to tell my kids the same thing this year! My husband is a lost cause. I think he’ll always say “Baruck.” LOL. It’s okay, he tries!

The kids love lighting the candles and saying the prayer. They also love eating potato latkes! I added some pictures of our latkes and menorahs below.

I got a kick out of Scott’s 8 crazy latkes. His recipes were so creative! I’m not so sure chocolate latkes would have been a good idea, but I would have tried them 😀 Plus Christina learning to cook them with her mom. Awww…so sweet!

All this talk of Hanukkah and I totally forgot to talk about Christina and David! They were adorable. Christina’s animosity over the lasagna review was short lived, but funny, because everyone talked about it. Plus, Christina’s mom was such a nudnik and kept prying and poking at the two of them to get together. It reminded me of every Jewish mom I’ve seen portrayed in movies/tv.

Overall, this was a cute and funny movie. I appreciated the Jewish traditions they kept alive plus the addition of the Christmas party and angel statue at the end to honor Christina’s adoptive mother. That statue was seriously beautfiul!

I hope you watch this so you can hear the 1-2 dozen different ways David says goodbye. Arrivederci, ciao, aloha, sayonara, adiós, au revior! Happy movie watching y’all! Hasta la vista 😂

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Movie Review: Time for Us to Come Home for Christmas

Rating

 4/5

It all starts with a red envelope and a reindeer postmark. Sarah (Lacey Chabert) receives a red envelope in the mail she assumes is from her boss, which grants her a free stay at The Snowfall Inn.

While at the Inn, she discovers it wasn’t a gift from her boss and several other people staying at the Inn received the same envelopes.

What do these people have in common? Is there a bigger purpose to bringing them together? Who is behind the red envelopes? Watch the movie to find out!

Here’s my two cents worth…

This quiet movie about mystery, fate, and love will have you smiling and rooting for all the different stories to have their happily ever afters.

I watched this movie one time when it premiered, but was too tired to write my review right away. By the time I had a chance to sit down and write this, I couldn’t really remember the movie. Sure, I had my notes, but my notes really just record the basics of what happens and some good quotes I might be able to use when I write my review.

I finally caught it on TV and was able to watch it again. It’s really a sweet movie. I usually lean more towards the super funny romcoms like Good Morning Christmas (2020) or the heart catchers like Christmas Town (2019). So, it’s not a surprise this didn’t make a lasting impression.

I’m a die hard Lacey Chabert fan and she was good in this movie. Her co-lead Stephen Huszar was also good. He’s not my type, but he was good. But that kiss at the end? Nope. Not feeling it. 0 passion. Such a let down.

In many ways Ben and Sarah’s romance is overshadowed by Ted and Karen. They were easily the cutest couple in the movie and you found yourself rooting for them the most.

Just look at how cute they are!!

Maybe it was because second chance romances are kind of my thing. They make my heart say “awwww…” EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I feel like sometimes you meet your love too early in life and you aren’t ready for each other. Then, when the stars align, fate brings you back together.

Fate originally brought all the envelopers together. Then the secret red envelope giver brought all the characters together a second time, which is good, because if this was a movie about just Ben and Sarah, it would be boring. We would have all switched to find something better.

Overall, Hallmark did a good job assembling the whole cast and bringing together each story line without it being overwhelming like The Christmas House. If you have a chance, give this movie a try. It won’t blow your socks off, but it’s cute. Happy movie watching y’all!

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Movie Review: A Little Christmas Charm

Rating:

 4/5

I’ve now watched this movie like 5 times. Not because I enjoyed it that much, but because I kept seeing bits and pieces of it and it never thrilled me enough to make time to watch the whole thing at once.

It actually reminded me a lot of The Christmas Ring that played a few weeks ago. I didn’t review that one, because I also watched it in bits and pieces and it didn’t thrill me all that much. If I see it again, I might do a review on it, so I can compare the two for you.

In the mean time, let’s discuss A Little Christmas Charm. There’s not much to this movie. Holly works in a shop during the day, but creates jewelry on the side. She discovers a charm bracelet in a coat that was donated and decides to find the owner, because she knows how important the bracelet must be to the owner who lost it. Greg, a journalist, discovers Holly is trying to do something selfless, and wants to document it for a Holiday Heroes news piece.

I really enjoyed how they investigated each clue and discovered it’s meaning. It was like watching a non-gory CSI or NCIS episode!

I enjoyed the train scene a lot! How cool would it be to dress-up like you’re from the 1930’s and go on a train ride or spend an evening with others dressed the same way. It would be like you’ve gone back to the future.

Then there was the gala where they dressed up. I loved Holly’s red dress, but I don’t recall Greg having one of those drooling moments over her. Where was the chemistry? He should have been complementing her and giving her more looks than what I saw.

In fact, I didn’t really feel chemistry between the two leads throughout the majority of the movie. They had a joint goal and they worked well together, but I didn’t feel passion from them.

Despite the chemistry issue, I really enjoyed the ending where we hear the full explanation of what the charms were and how they came to be. They wrapped up all the loose endings nicely. The kiss at the end? Eh. I wasn’t running to find my husband to reenact that one.

If this movie is on you should give it a shot. It’s entertaining from the investigation perspective, but don’t expect much in the romance department. I hope you enjoy it a little. Happy movie watching y’all!