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“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights...”
~ James 1:17

Thursday, September 19, 2024

πŸŽ„ HALLMARK CHANNEL'S 2024 *Countdown to Christmas* Movies πŸŽ„ SEE HERE:





The Countdown to Christmas is Here! Get the full scoop on the Christmas movies coming to the Hallmark Channel this holiday season.


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'Twas the Date Before Christmas

Premieres: Friday, October 18, 2024

Starring: Robert Buckley ("Chesapeake Shores") and Amy Groening ("The Santa Summit")

Storyline: To prevent her family from canceling the "Chamberlain Family Christmas Olympics," Jessie (Groening) lies and says she's inviting a date to the long-standing holiday tradition. She meets Bryan (Buckley) on a dating app, and he agrees to spend the holiday with her and her family. As Jessie and Bryan engage in eccentric activities like the search for the Christmas tree star, gift wrapping contest and snowball fight, they start to develop real feelings for each other. Soon her family begins to catch on to their secret and Bryan suspects she may be hiding the real reason for her unusual Christmas date request. As the celebrations continue, Jessie must work to keep all her stories straight and save her date with Bryan.


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Holiday Crashers

Premieres: Saturday, October 19, 2024

Starring: Lyndsy Fonseca ("Nikita"), Daniella Monet ("Baby Daddy"), Chris McNally ("When Calls the Heart") and Jag Bal ("The Flash")

Storyline: Best friends Toni (Fonseca) and Bri (Monet) have worked at the same card shop for more years than they should as both struggle to find their true life's path. This holiday season, Toni and Bri decide to shake up their humdrum world by creating new identities to crash the amazing Christmas parties from the shop's confidential invitations. All harmless fun! Until Toni gets mistaken for a lawyer, which isn't too far off the mark since she did finish law school...just never completed the bar exam. Toni and Bri are then whisked away to a fancy corporate Christmas retreat in the snowy Vermont mountains by handsome business mogul, Justin (McNally), whose crush on Toni is real even if her legal career isn't. And Bri is along for the ride as she has eyes for Vinny (Bal), a valet who may have a secret of his own. Can a distraction help Bri find what path in life she's supposed to follow? Will Toni end up with the guy of her dreams or in a blizzard of trouble? This fun Christmas crashing romp will either end in disaster or two happily-ever-afters!


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Scouting for Christmas

Premieres: Sunday, October 20, 2024

Starring: Tamera Mowry-Housley ("Inventing the Christmas Prince"), Carlo Marks ("Chesapeake Shores") and Marci T. House ("Tribal").

Storyline: Angela (Mowry-Housley) has been a busy realtor since her amicable divorce a couple of years ago to Dakota (James Paladino, Lucky Hank), a paleontologist whose adventures kept him anywhere but home. Now, she is a devoted if often harried, single mom to a smart and loving 10-year-old girl, Brooklyn (Audrey Wise Alvarez, The Good Doctor). Angela's busy schedule makes it hard for her to find time for much of anything... or anyone... else. As it is, she can barely get Brooklyn to her scout meetings on time, much to the disapproval of the other mothers. When Brooklyn gets the idea to have William (Marks), the owner of her favorite bakery, cater her scout troop's posh annual holiday event, she asks Angela to work with him on pitching the idea to the moms in charge. Despite sensing that her daughter might be trying to play cupid, she agrees to help and finds herself enjoying time with him, but is reluctant to open her heart and life to someone new. When Dakota returns, missing her, Angela must decide what is best for her daughter and best for her heart.


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Operation Nutcracker

Premieres: Friday, October 25, 2024

Starring: Ashley Newbrough (Mistresses) and Christopher Russell (Star Trek: Discovery)

Storyline: When an antique nutcracker set to be auctioned at the Warby family Christmas charity goes missing, a demanding event planner (Newbrough) and the heir to the Warby dynasty (Russell) try to track it down.


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The Christmas Charade

Premieres: Saturday, October 26, 2024

Starring: Rachel Skarsten ("Batwoman") and Corey Sevier ("Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove")

Storyline: Whitney (Skarsten), a cautious librarian raised by home security experts, finds herself in a real-life adventure when a blind date mix-up leads her into an undercover FBI operation. Forced to pose as the girlfriend of Special Agent Josh (Sevier), she helps him track down an art thief targeting the Saint Nicholas Ruby at a Christmas Eve charity ball. As the stakes rise, Whitney must embrace her inner action hero to save the day - and her family - just in time for Christmas.


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The 5-Year Christmas Party

Premieres: Sunday, October 27, 2024

Starring: Katie Findlay ("Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist") and Jordan Fisher ("The Flash")

Storyline: Over five years, Alice (Findlay) and her old theater school rival, Max (Fisher), reunite each holiday season to work at a Chicago catering company's Christmas parties. While their undeniable chemistry grows, the timing is never right for romance - until the company's final season pushes them to confront their true feelings. As they say goodbye to the job that brought them together, they might finally find love in the most unexpected way.


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A Carol for Two

Premieres: Friday, November 1, 2024

Starring: Ginna Claire Mason ("A Holiday Spectacular"), Jordan Litz ("Wicked" on Broadway) and Charlotte d’Amboise ("Galyntine")

Storyline: After moving to New York to make it on Broadway, Violette Wagner (Mason) gets a job at Fiore's, a legendary theater district diner, famous for its singing wait staff, who bide their time there, while awaiting that big break. Luck seems to be on her side when she gets a coveted slot, singing during Fiore's annual Christmas Eve concert, which is attended by a who's who of the theatre world. But her big opportunity turns out to be a duet with Alex (Litz), who has been less than welcoming, and believes she was only given the job because the owner of Fiore's is a family friend. They're stuck with each other, though, since people have been plucked out of that show and put right on Broadway. As they rehearse together, Alex's cousin, Brad, takes an interest in Violette, and they begin dating but, unbeknownst to her, Alex has been feeding Brad information about her, Cyrano-style, to win her over. However, when Alex begins developing feelings for her as well, a love triangle ensues, and things come to a head when their deception is uncovered, which, in turn, threatens Violette and Alex's big opportunity.


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Our Holiday Story

Premieres: Saturday, November 2, 2024

Starring: Nikki DeLoach ("Curious Caterer Mysteries") and Warren Christie ("The Watchful Eye")

Storyline: As Dave (Christie) and Nell (DeLoach) recount their love story to their daughter's boyfriend Chris, we follow them through one special Christmas where fate routinely brought them together - and kept them apart. But as Dave and Nell tried to find one another, they were oblivious to the fact that they were work nemeses paired together to throw a Christmas festival for their town. Meanwhile in the present, Chris struggles with relationship issues of his own as he attempts to say "I love you" for the first time to his girlfriend Jo. As our two couples and storylines intersect, lessons are taught and learned about communication, honesty and the capacity for change - in ourselves and in others.


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Holiday Mismatch

Premieres: Sunday, November 3, 2024

Starring: Caroline Rhea ("Sabrina the Teenage Witch") and Beth Broderick ("Sabrina the Teenage Witch")

Storyline: When free-spirited Kath (Rhea) and uptight Barbara (Broderick) clash at a Christmas committee meeting, they're shocked to discover they've accidentally set up their adult children via a dating app. Determined to stop the romance, the two mothers team up, only to realize they have more in common than they thought. As their kids' love blossoms, so does an unexpected friendship between their meddling moms, bringing both families together for a festive Christmas.


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Trivia at St. Nick’s

Premieres: Friday, November 8, 2024

Starring: Tammin Sursok ("Pretty Little Liars") and Brant Daugherty ("Pretty Little Liars")

Storyline: When students all flee an elite university in Vermont for winter break, the locals and faculty hunker down for their favorite time of year - the annual Christmas Bar Trivia Tournament! For Celeste (Sursok), a Type-A astronomy professor, this event combines the magic of Christmas with her greatest comfort in life: knowing the right answer. But when her colleague drops out of the tournament to do a month-long lecture tour in Asia, Celeste's team must adopt Max (Daugherty), the football team's new offensive coordinator. To Celeste, Max seems like nothing more than a grown-up class clown - though he brings an undeniable knowledge of sports trivia (a category their team has always fallen short in). Initial clashes between the two eventually turn into mutual appreciation as the team enjoys scavenger hunts on campus, decorating the international house with Christmas lights, baking Christmas cookies, and advancing toward the championship trivia game. Celeste can't help but delight in Max's infectious enthusiasm, love for all things Christmas and perhaps most importantly, his comfort with the unknown. And after a romantic wintery night at the campus observatory with Max, Celeste starts to wonder if being open to life's surprises is more important than knowing the answer to everything.


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Santa Tell Me

Premieres: Saturday, November 9, 2024

Starring: Erin Krakow ("When Calls the Heart"), Daniel Lissing ("When Calls the Heart"), Benjamin Ayres ("Family Law") and Christopher Russell ("Star Trek: Discovery"), Kurt Szarka ("Maid")

Storyline: When Olivia (Krakow), a successful interior designer, finds an old letter from Santa promising she'll meet the love of her life by Christmas Eve - and that his name will be Nick - she's stunned to meet not one, but three guys named Nick (Ayres, Russell, Szarka). As she navigates these holiday romances, Olivia also finds herself drawn to her charming co-worker, Chris (Lissing), throwing her magical Christmas quest into question. With the clock ticking toward Christmas Eve, Olivia embarks on a heartwarming and humorous journey to uncover her true soulmate.


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‘Tis the Season to Be Irish

Premieres: Sunday, November 10, 2024

Starring: Fiona Gubelmann ("The Good Doctor") and Eoin Macken ("La Brea")

Storyline: Rose (Gubelmann), a nomadic house flipper, heads to Ireland to renovate and sell a cottage, but her plans are upended when she meets Sean (Macken), a local realtor determined to preserve his town's heritage. As she works on the cottage and embraces Irish Christmas traditions, Rose finds herself falling for Sean and questioning her fear of settling down. Together, they must confront their pasts and discover if love is worth taking root.


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Christmas with the Singhs

Premieres: Friday, November 15, 2024

Starring: Anuja Joshi ("The Resident") and Ben Hollingsworth ("Virgin River")

Storyline: For Asha Singh (Joshi), Christmas is the most important time of the year. But when she's stuck working at the hospital during the holidays, she wishes for some much-needed Christmas magic. Enter Jake (Hollingsworth), her former high school classmate, who unexpectedly reappears in her life. After a magical year together, Jake proposes. But their first Christmas as an engaged couple isn't exactly the fairytale they imagined. When they head home for the holidays, they quickly discover their picture-perfect romance is about to get a serious reality check: their families couldn't be more different! Juggling various holiday traditions, big personalities, cultural differences and complicated family dynamics proves to be a challenge as Asha and Jake have to learn if they can bridge their two families and survive a Christmas with the Singhs.


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Jingle Bell Run

Premieres: Saturday, November 16, 2024

Starring: Ashley Williams ("Falling Together") and Andrew Walker ("Curious Caterer Mysteries")

Storyline: Avery (Williams) is an unadventurous schoolteacher whose sister secretly signs her up for The Great Holiday Dash, a Christmas-themed reality competition show where she's paired with former hockey player Wes (Walker). Despite clashing at first, Avery's puzzle-solving skills and Wes' physical prowess help them excel as they travel from city to city and compete in festive feats that have a local flavor. It's not long before a real connection between these opposites begins to blossom. But when Avery overhears a conversation between Wes and a show producer it threatens to derail their budding romance. Keeping their eyes on the prize, the duo continues to dash to the finish line but there may be a more personal adventure for them still in store.


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Confessions of a Christmas Letter

Premieres: Sunday, November 17, 2024

Starring: Angela Kinsey ("The Office") and Alec Santos ("Sight Unseen").

Storyline: Settie Rose (Kinsey), a quirky family matriarch, enters her town's annual holiday letter-writing contest but needs help, so she hires struggling novelist Juan (Santos) to craft the perfect letter. When a mix-up leads to the rumor that Juan is engaged to Settie's daughter Lily (Lillian Doucet- Roche, The Cases of Mystery Lane: Death is Listening), the whole family scrambles to keep up the charade. As Juan bonds with the Roses and overcomes his writer's block, Settie learns that embracing her imperfect family is what truly makes her story special. *Features a cameo appearance by Brian Baumgartner (The Office)


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Christmas on Call

Premieres: Friday, November 22, 2024

Starring: Sara Canning ("Holiday Road") and Ser’Darius Blain ("Will Trent").

Storyline: In the lead-up to Christmas, emergency room doctor Hannah Michaels (Canning) juggles her demanding job and a budding romance with EMT Wes Sullivan (Blain) in Philadelphia. They spend time together as Wes helps her become more acquainted with the sights, sounds and tastes of Philadelphia, it's clear that they're starting to fall for each other. As the local First Responders balance duty with holiday celebrations, they come together to face challenges, support each other and find moments of joy. *Features a cameo appearance by Donna Kelce


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Three Wiser Men and a Boy

Premieres: Saturday, November 23, 2024

Starring: Paul Campbell ("The Cases of Mystery Lane"), Tyler Hynes ("Letterkenny"), Andrew Walker ("Christmas Island") and Margaret Colin ("Three Men and a Baby").

Storyline: The story begins five years later with the Brenner brothers preparing for another memorable Christmas. In a crazy turn of events, possibly brought on accidently by the brothers themselves, the director of Luke's (Walker) son Thomas' (Miles Marthaller, Round and Round) school holiday musical steps down. Luke is desperate to make his son's stage dreams come true, so he enlists the help of his brothers Taylor (Hynes) and Stephan (Campbell). Meanwhile, the trio navigates meeting their mom Barbara's (Colin) new boyfriend and the brothers grapple with their own feelings about this relationship. In true Brenner brother fashion, they are all in for a Christmas they will never forget.


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To Have and To Holiday

Premieres: Sunday, November 24, 2024

Starring: Madeleine Arthur ("To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before"), Robert Bazzocchi ("Gen V") and Eric Close ("Nashville")

Storyline: When Celeste (Arthur) gets engaged to Jason (Bazzocchi) after just a few months of dating, her father and the couple's would be officiant, Pastor Mark (Close), insists on putting them through a pre-wedding "bootcamp" filled with Christmas-themed challenges. As the couple grows stronger through the festive activities, Celeste considers following her dreams in the fashion industry. Meanwhile, Pastor Mark learns to trust his daughter's choices, leading to a heartwarming holiday season for the whole family.


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Debbie Macomber’s Joyful Mrs. Miracle

Premieres: Thursday, November 28, 2024

Starring: Rachel Boston ("Field Day"), Pascal Lamothe-Kipnes ("Never Been Chris’d"), Tanner Novlan ("The Bold and the Beautiful"), Matthew James Dowden ("Creepshow") and Max Lloyd-Jones ("The Mandalorian")

Storyline: Three adult siblings (Lamothe-Kipnes, Dowden, Lloyd-Jones) return to their childhood home at Christmas to honor their late grandmother's wishes and try to agree on new leadership for the family's company. Enter Annie Merkel (Boston) - also known as Mrs. Miracle - who poses as an estate planner and uses her special brand of Christmas magic to help the family find common ground and rekindle their bonds. As the siblings try to sort things out, Charlotte (Lamothe-Kipnes) also finds herself reconnecting with Austin (Novlan), the manor's caretaker and her first love.


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A ’90s Christmas

Premieres: Friday, November 29, 2024
(premiering at 6 p.m. ET)

Starring: Eva Bourne ("Once Upon a Time"), Chandler Massey ("Days of our Lives") and Katherine Barrell ("Good Witch")

Storyline: Workaholic lawyer Lucy Miller (Bourne) is celebrating her promotion alone on Christmas Eve when a mysterious rideshare experience transports her back to 1999. Reliving the holiday with her mom, sister and best friend - not to mention her high school crush - Lucy gets a second chance to understand where her relationships went wrong. Will this magical journey help her rewrite her future or leave her destined to be alone?


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Deck the Walls

Premieres: Friday, November 29, 2024

Starring: Ashley Greene ("Twilight"), Wes Brown ("Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up") and Danny Pellegrino ("The Stalking Fields")

Storyline: Rose (Greene) is a Chicago-based interior designer, whose brother Sal (Pellegrino) is responsible for a Christmas Charity House Flip back in their suburban Ohio hometown. When a budget crisis puts this important project in danger, Rose reluctantly returns during the holidays to try to save the day. Not ready to face the ghosts of her past, Rose's plan is to get in, get it done, and get out ASAP. But before she knows it, she is face-to-face with Brysen (Brown), her brother's best friend, contractor and who just so happens to be the bane of Rose's youth. With the help of friends and family, and buoyed by the season of giving, the trio figures out a way to work together for this worthy cause. As Rose works, she discovers unexpected love and deeper purpose along the way.


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Believe in Christmas

Premieres: Saturday, November 30, 2024 (premieres at 6 p.m. ET)

Starring: Meghan Ory ("Chesapeake Shores") and John Reardon ("Hudson & Rex")

Storyline: When Beatrice (Ory) reluctantly joins her best friend on a trip to the enchanting Christmasland, she's skeptical of the holiday magic surrounding them. But as she experiences festive traditions and meets a charming stranger named Ethan (Reardon), she begins to question what's real and what's part of the experience. In the end, Christmasland helps Beatrice rediscover hope, love, and the magic of new beginnings.


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Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story

Premieres: Saturday, November 30, 2024

Starring: Hunter King ("The Santa Summit"), Tyler Hynes ("Three Wise Men and a Baby"), Ed Begley Jr. ("Young Sheldon"), Richard Riehle ("Office Space"), Diedrich Bader ("American Housewife"), Christine Ebersole ("Bob Hearts Abishola") and Megyn Price ("The Ranch")

Storyline: Alana Higman (King) is sure that her family's lifelong history as Kansas City Chiefs superfans makes them a frontrunner to win the team's "Fan of the Year" contest. Derrick (Hynes), Director of Fan Engagement, is tasked with evaluating how Alana and her family stack up against the other two finalists. As the pair spends time together, it's clear there's a spark between them but when her grandfather's (Begley Jr.) vintage Chiefs good-luck winter hat goes missing, Alana begins to doubt everything she believed about fate, destiny and even questions her future with Derrick - unless, that is, a little Christmas magic can throw a Hail Mary. *Features cameos by Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid; Chiefs Players Trey Smith, Mecole Hardman Jr., Clyde Edwards-Helaire and George Karlaftis;; Donna Kelce; Jenna Bush Hager


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The Finnish Line

Premieres: Sunday, December 1, 2024 (premieres at 6 p.m. ET)

Starring: Kim Matula ("Saturday Night"), Beau Mirchoff ("Ride") and Nichole Sakura ("Superstore").

Storyline: Inspired by her father's acclaimed legacy in dog sled racing, Anya (Matula) decides to follow in his footsteps. After his passing, she heads to Finland to participate in the 40th annual Joulurauha race, her father's final race where he fell short of the victory. Following an injury to her lead dog during the qualifying race, Anya finds herself partnered with a new canine companion owned by journalist and former racer Cole, (Mirchoff) who aims to pen a story about her journey. Struggling to build trust with her new dog and facing her father's rival, Monty, (PΓ‘ll SigΓΎΓ³r PΓ‘lsson, Mr. Murphy) Anya must navigate many challenges as she strives to win the race.


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The Christmas Quest

Premieres: Sunday, December 1, 2024

Starring: Lacey Chabert ("Mean Girls") and Kristoffer Polaha ("Wonder Woman 1984")

Storyline: An archeologist (Chabert) and her ex-husband (Polaha), an expert in ancient Norse languages, are sent to Iceland at Christmastime to search for the legendary treasure of the Yule Lads. When others join in the hunt, the pair find themselves swept into a thrilling adventure as they race to keep it from falling into the wrong hands.


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Private Princess Christmas

Premieres: Friday, December 6, 2024

Starring: Ali Skovbye ("Firefly Lane"), Derek Klena ("Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin") and Erica Durance ("A Scottish Love Scheme")

Storyline: Vi (Skovbye), better known as Princess Violet of Wingravia, adores the privileges of being a royal, if none of the responsibilities. After being disappointed by Vi one time too many, the Queen (Durance) decides to test her daughter's mettle once and for all and issues an ultimatum: Vi must pass a vigorous leadership boot camp in Colorado or lose the throne to her uncle. At boot camp, Vi and her fellow cadets are put through a rigorous grind under the uncompromising supervision of Captain Ryan Douglas (Klena).


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Sugarplummed

Premieres: Saturday, December 7, 2024

Starring: Maggie Lawson ("Psych") and Janel Parrish ("To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before")

Storyline: Emily (Lawson) has always dreamed of creating the perfect Christmas, meticulously planning every detail year after year, only to feel like she's falling short. Hoping to bring her family closer together, she makes a wish for a holiday as picture-perfect as the ones she sees in a made-for-TV holiday movie. To her shock, Sugarplum (Parrish), the film's relentlessly optimistic main character, magically steps off the screen to make Emily's wish come true - whether she's ready for it or not. As Sugarplum applies her movie-world rules to real life, Emily gets caught up in the possibility of finally achieving the flawless family Christmas. But when Sugarplum's magical fixes start to backfire one by one, Emily begins to question what an ideal holiday really is. With time running out, Emily and Sugarplum find themselves on a heartwarming adventure - one that might just amount to an entirely different kind of Christmastime perfection.


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Leah’s Perfect Gift

Premieres: Sunday, December 8, 2024

Starring: Emily Arlook ("Grown-ish"), Evan Roderick ("Arrow") and Barbara Niven ("Chesapeake Shores")

Storyline: Leah Meyer (Arlook) is a bonafide lover of Christmas - the trees, the ornaments, the eggnog! But she has always admired the holiday from afar because she's Jewish. Though her family celebrates Hanukkah, Leah has longed to experience a traditional Christmas. When her boyfriend Graham (Roderick) invites her to spend the holidays with his classic Connecticut family, she eagerly accepts. Excited to dive into the quintessential Christmas she's always dreamed of, Leah quickly discovers that fitting in with Graham's uptight family and his not-so-welcoming mom (Niven) is easier said than done. As holiday traditions clash and awkward moments pile up, it is not quite the cozy Christmas that she expected.


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Hanukkah on the Rocks

Premieres: Friday, December 13, 2024

Starring: Stacey Farber ("Virgin River"), Daren Kagasoff ("The Secret Life of the American Teenager") and Marc Summers ("Double Dare")

Storyline: One week before Hanukkah, corporate lawyer Tory (Farber) finds herself unexpectedly unemployed and questioning the career she's dedicated years to. As she helps her Bubby prepare for the holiday, she embarks on a quest across Chicago to find the last box of coveted Hanukkah candles. Her search leads her to Rocky's, an Old Town bar, where she encounters Jay (Kagasoff), a charming doctor from Florida, his grandfather Sam (Summers) and a cast of quirky regulars who make her rethink everything. Torn between keeping her job loss a secret and embracing a newfound sense of belonging, Tory ends up bartending at Rocky's, transforming it into the vibrant "Hanukkah on the Rocks" celebration. Through festive food, drinks, and games, she revitalizes the bar, bonds with Jay, and finds the courage to pursue her true calling. As Tory navigates the holiday, she learns that sometimes a detour can lead you exactly where you're meant to be, lighting the way to a future filled with joy, romance, and self-discovery.


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The Santa Class

Premieres: Saturday, December 14, 2024

Starring: Kimberley Sustad ("The Nine Lives of Christmas") and Benjamin Ayres ("Saving Hope")

Storyline: Kate North (Sustad) finds herself reluctantly taking over her father's once acclaimed and now struggling Santa School. In the weeks leading up to Christmas and the school's next session, Kate and her new co-worker Dan (Ayres) discover who they believe to be the real Santa Claus, lost and without his memories after his sled steered off course and crashed near the school. They decide to help him remember who he is by inviting him to participate in the intense Santa training program. There's a lot at stake this year with Kate's school needs to best the rival St. Nicholas School or be forced to close their doors, and Nick (Santa Claus) needs to remember who he is, or the fate of Christmas might be at stake.


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Following Yonder Star

A DaySpring Movie

Premieres: Sunday, December 15, 2024

Starring: Brooke D’Orsay ("Two and a Half Men") and John Brotherton ("Fuller House")

Storyline: Abby Marshall (D'Orsay), once celebrated for her role as an inspirational mother on TV, is finding her real life in shambles after dealing with a scandal. She retreats to a luxury Vermont resort for Christmas only to find herself without a room due to a booking mishap. All the local hotels are booked up due to a rare astronomical event - a beautiful star said to mirror the Star of Bethlehem will appear on Christmas Eve. Thankfully, Abby finds a room at a quaint B&B, owned by Tom Maguire (Brotherton), who is also a high school astronomy teacher. Since his wife's passing, Tom has taken on a lot of extra responsibilities, including running the inn and directing the local church's Christmas pageant. Empathizing with Tom, Abby offers to help with the pageant and various activities around the inn and finds herself enjoying both the projects and Tom's company. Through newfound community, family and love, Abby discovers that hope sometimes comes in the most unexpected ways.


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Happy Howlidays

Premieres: Saturday, December 21, 2024

Starring: Jessica Lowndes ("Major Crimes") opposite the to-be-announced winner of the reality TV show "Finding Mr. Christmas"

Storyline: Mia (Lowndes), a meticulous webpage editor for the Seattle Tourism Board, finds herself unexpectedly navigating the holidays alone. As the only one working, she's drawn into an unusual encounter when she encounters a stray dog. Unsure how to handle the situation, she crosses paths with Max (Winner of Finding Mr. Christmas), a dog shelter owner. Mia agrees to let Max's ailing dog find solace with her newfound companion, in exchange for Max showing her the hidden gems of Seattle. Through their journey together, they both step out of their comfort zones, discovering new perspectives and forming a meaningful connection.


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I hope you find some Christmas movies you look forward to seeing on the Hallmark Channel during this Christmas Season. I'll be adding images and more information above...  so stay tuned!

Joyous Christmas Blessings to You All!
God bless us, everyone!
Net


84 comments:

  1. I'll start off by saying: This is seriously still too many movies!

    I read the descriptions, and unless I'm wrong, I don't think there's a single gay led movie on this whole list! That, would seriously be incredible for this network! We have been hoping every year to see them try to go back to their real roots, and not pandering to the wrong audience each year would be a big step back in the right direction!

    No clue on how many I'll watch, but maybe I'll get lucky this year again like last year.

    -Maria

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    1. Just hold on and if you watch enough of the Hallmark movies, you will see what you are commenting about. There are several Hallmark Christmas movies this year with gay characters in main roles. Even a couple with gay kisses. Hallmark has definitely NOT returned to their roots. I just wish there was a special section on this site where information on non family friendly movies would be quickly posted and easy to locate.

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  2. This is actually my 10th year watching this network. And while there's been many up and downs these last 4 years, I still have hope that going into next year that they really try to capture the real magic and spark that they had before 2020. It would be fitting given the political shift that will be happening this November. -Maria

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    1. Hey Maria, it is my 10th anniversary for watching the network too. 2014 was my 1st countdown to christmas. The 1st movie I ever saw was Nine Lives of Christmas. I love cats so it drew me in. Then I saw Let it snow and Snow Bride. I think I didn't know about the new movies til Christmas Under Wraps in December. But I started in Nov 2014. I was very HEAVILY into watching HGTV back then. I never changed the channel from that. Til I stumbled on Ambrose and Merrilee in Nine Lives. Thats why those are still some of the beloved movies too me. I loved Starry Christmas back then too. It took me a while to like A Very Merry Mix up.

      Back then, they didnt have enough movies I guess so they played Once Upon and Twice Upon a christmas. It had Kathy Ireland as Santa's daughter. I liked those movies and those days.

      Many of the HMM movies look good, but many HM look like I will miss them. Really, Wil Kemp in another chocolate movie? Chandler massey in another time travel?

      Believe In Christmas looks good. To Have and to Holiday too. Rachel Boston is now Ms Miracle???? She can play a nosy and get in your business character well, but I sure miss Doris Roberts. The lady that played the last ms miracle was good too.

      Confessions of a Christmas letter, maybe cause The Office stars in it.

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    2. Nine Lives of Christmas was my very 1st new movie too! And I loved those 2 Once Upon a Christmas movies! -Maria

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    3. Confessions of a Christmas Letter has a gay character. Buyer beware.

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  3. And may I also say, it is so nice to not see another Mahogny movie (they were nothing but ratings failures anyway) or another Holly movie! (no offense to Lacey and Wes, but those movies were so ridiculous!). -Maria

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  4. On paper this looks an absolutely fantastic line-up from Hallmark there must surely be something for everyone

    All our favourite stars are there.

    Caution of course as last year much of what I was looking forward to turned out below par and what I wasn't expecting to enjoy so much turned out be good.

    What catches my eye is:

    A well-deserved lead role for Amy Groening, long overdue.

    Christmas Charade with Rachel Skarsten and Corey Sevier.

    Our Holiday Story with Nikki DeLoach and Warren Beatty - this looks like a more mature movie with some depth.

    Jingle Bell Run with Ashley Williams and Andrew Walker - this one has caught many on the hop, it was kept quiet! - hope it's clean but with AW I think it's likely to be.

    A 90's Christmas with Candler Massey who I love to bits, hope it's better than his last couple but why another time-related one for him?

    The Finnish Line with Kim Matula and Beau Mirchoff, this sounds intriguing.

    The Christmas Quest with Lacey Chabert and Kristoffer Polaha - this one has me both excited and apprehensive.

    Surely, surely. surely after the last couple of poor years they will have come up with a decent script for Lacy.

    And my one big gripe - they have paired my favourite Hallmark actress - Kimberley Sustad - with my least favourite Hallmark actor, the decidedly boring and underwhelming Benjamin Ayres.

    To add insult to injury he's also in a second movie with Daniel Lissing and Erin Krakow -grrrrr.

    Then there a couple of same sex relationships to be avoided - Sugarplummed plus a Jonathan Bennett movie on one of the other Hallmark channels.

    I'm not sure about Holiday Mismatch on this front.

    I'm hopeful for this year's batch but we'll find out in due course - Florence

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    1. You meant Warren Christie

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    2. Yep, sorry - I keep getting those two's names mixed up! - Florence

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    3. From what I’ve gathered sugarplums is not a LGBTQ movie

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  5. Okay, some sound good, but not as many as last year.

    Rachel Boston is Mrs. Miracle? That was unexpected. Not quite what I was picturing.

    Also, good for Amy Groening getting her lead in "Twas the Date Before Christmas"! Finally!

    I’m probably alone, but I’m just not sure about Lacey and Kristoffer. He looks like her older brother to me.

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  6. Aside from the football ones and the Hanukkah ones, majority of these sound really good! I am especially interested in the storylines that seem to have a little mystery hidden within the scripts. I’m not going to complain about there being too many movies because I would rather have too many than not enough. It is my choice to choose what I record/watch so if one doesn’t interest me, I simply won’t watch it. I never have time to watch all of the holiday movies and they end up lasting me until at least summer of the next year, which is fine with me. But I have to say, as much as I love Rachel Boston, I don’t know if she can do Mrs Miracle justice….
    ~Paula

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  7. I think that Kris and Lacey will make a lovely on screen couple but i understand you. With all those plastic surgeries i've always thought Damon Runyan was too old for Danica. Now i know she is actually a year older than him but she looks so cute and youthful and he looks at least 10 years older than her.

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  8. I'm questioning Hallmark's morale, describing a lying as a harmless fun (Holiday Crashers)? I know it's pretty recurring thing in Hallmark movies - lying about all sorts of things but i would prefer if they would've described it differently.

    So, i have 9 movies on my list, that's not bad. I've only focused on movies with actors i know and like. I'm looking forward the most to Santa tell me and Believe in Christmas.

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  9. Will we see a Dayspring Christmas movie for 2024?

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    1. Chris, Yes, the Day Spring Christmas movie this year is actually airing on the Hallmark Channel.

      Following Yonder Star

      A DaySpring Movie

      Premieres: Sunday, Dec. 15

      You can see the description above. It's near the end of the list.

      The storyline has a lot of similarities to the Great American Family movie, "The Christmas Star."

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  10. Some sound good. Looking forward to read reviews here.
    Misty

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    1. Misty, that's my favorite part, as well! I love hearing what you all think of these new Christmas movies. :)

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    2. While we are on the subject of reviews, I would like to be serious for a minute and make a request that I have made in the past, but I think it bears repeating.

      When we review a movie, can we please, please, PLEASE just focus on the movie itself and not give any consideration to 1) what network the movie is airing on and b) who is starring in the movie. There have been times when a movie has been labeled good (or better) or bad (or worse) solely because of where it has aired (GAF, Hallmark, Lifetime, etc.). Also, there have been times where a movie has been labeled solely because it has an actor/actress we particularly like or dislike. To review a movie by focusing on anything other the movie itself does a disservice to those who are looking at our reviews to determine whether it is worth watching or not.

      But to be clear, I am not saying that we should ignore any immorality or likewise that may be in the movie - not at all. That should always be a consideration! But to focus on only the network or only the actor/actress and ignore the movie itself - that is wrong.

      Please know that I say this only with the intent of making what is already a great site perhaps just a tiny bit better. That's all!

      Okay, I will get off my soapbox now!

      Delete
    3. Well said, Mark 25.

      The one thing I would say is that if you particularly like an actor you are probably more inclined to like a movie they're in - that's human nature - Florence

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    4. Just my 2 cents, Mark. But I find that if an actor one likes actually chooses to be in an movie (producing it even!) that has inappropriate content in it, it's a bit hard to look past that in future films! Especially if that actor keeps on being in movies that has bad content in it!

      I can name several Hallmark actors that I never had to be paranoid about before 2020, but guess what? They kept on willingly doing movies that go against what family friendly stands for, and now I have to be cautious or just straight up avoid whatever movie they make because odds are, the movie will be bad.

      Do I hope 1 day they stop doing those bad movies? Yes! But based on their continued political beliefs, I doubt that'll happen anytime soon. -Maria

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    5. I agree, Florence, and yet I feel that we should really try to disassociate the actors from the movie when giving our reviews. As some may know I am a huge fan of Laura Osnes, but I panned her movie from last year. I was hoping I wouldn't have to, but...

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    6. Mark 25, I absolutely agree! Although, I must admit, it's harder to do with some actors, but I always try to do my best to think of those people as their character and not who they are in real-life.

      I can think of one or two Christmas movies last year that had an actor/actress in it that I really like, and I was hopeful that I would enjoy their movie, but once I watched it, I simply wasn't impressed. Their acting was fine, but the story just didn't really hold my interest as I had hoped.

      Thank you, Thank you, Mark, for your interest in making the movie review page even better this year; I'm truly appreciative of the time you and every one here takes to contribute to it throughout the busy Christmas season.

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    7. Mark 25-thank you for this, I agree with you as well. I actually ended up watching both of the movies last weekend with an actress I don't exactly agree with in choices, but the movies were clean and well done. I would like to add that for those of us who are Christians here, I think we need to be a good witness and not so critical and judging of actors who do not share our views. A better response would simply be to pray for them to be convicted and turn to the Lord. It has been uosetting to me to read such bashing on this site. I have extremely conservative Christian views (I don't even watch PG13) but I do not want to join in the harsh condemnation of actors who are lost, I'd rather pray for them and not judge. -LR

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    8. All right, Mark 25, since you stepped off the soapbox, can I get on it now and make my yearly request? (Net, don't you just love how we take over your site?!?) 🀣🀣 My yearly request is please, please, please sign your reviews. Please?! You don't have to use your real name, make up a fun name or something like "Elf #1" or "Movie Momma" or "Movie Princess" or "Sugar Cookie" or whatever. Since we all have different taste in movies and we come from different perspectives, it is EXTREMELY helpful when reviews are signed. I respect everyone's differing movie opinions and thoughts but we don't always agree on what is entertaining or funny or sweet. After a while of reading all these reviews, you come to know with whose opinions you most usually agree, and it makes it easier to decide what to watch. But that is not true when the reviews are not signed. So, please....?

      And Mark 25, I'll try to be good this year and follow your suggestions (but does this mean neither one of us can say anything about Christopher Russell?? 🀣).

      ~~Jane (p.s. - I'm thinking about changing my name on here to Sugar Cookie or Gingerbread Girl or Snow Angel. LOL)

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    9. Friends, these recent Christmas movie announcements have me feeling that fun anticipation! For months, I've only felt well enough to enjoy scrolling posts and comments, but I'm hoping to help review for some of Hallmark's Christmas movie deluge and (hopefully) Lifetime's, even if it's just a note on family-friendliness when I can't gather thoughts enough to comment more.
      I like your philosophy, Mark 25, and look forward to everyone's comments this year!

      Jane, your reviews could put an even bigger smile on my face if you were to begin signing them as "Jane-gle Bells" or "Jane-gle All the Way!" :-D

      ~Alicia

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    10. Jane (aka Sugar Cookie aka Gingerbread Girl aka Snow Angel) - I agree, I would love to see more people use a name rather than Anonymous for all the reasons you said.

      And yes, we must be careful about our Christopher Russell comments, otherwise we will be incurring the wrath of Net (and we know what that is like)! ;)
      (FYI - I actually praised a couple of his recent performances!)

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    11. LR, I 100% agree! It is hard to read the comments posted on here sometimes….a simple “I will not be watching this film” would be sufficient, instead of judging, using poor language etc.

      And Mark, I totally agree with your suggestion! And I will try my best to not be biased in my reviews.

      ~Paula

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    12. Jane! You crack me up πŸ˜‚
      I am joining in on Christopher Russel; I mentioned last time that I see him everywhere but a milk carton and it’s just too much for me! So if I do choose to watch a movie with him, I feel like I am already annoyed from the beginning so I need to just skip his altogether.

      ~Paula Aka Sassy Starbucks Girl πŸ˜‚

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    13. Jane, I love that idea with the creative Christmassy names and all! That's such a fun idea! I was grinning from ear to ear as I read your comment!!! I will definitely be sure to mention that when I post the movie review page this year.

      And, please know, I love everyone participating and giving suggestions! It's one BIG happy family here!!! :)

      Delete
    14. Jane,

      I love the Christmas names. I will be Toasty Christmas Mittens since my favorite cats name is Mittens :) Or Buffalo Plaid Mittens since I do love the buffalo plaid decor and got a shower curtain recently thats a buffalo plaid with mittens on it. I love decorating the bathroom for the different holidays.

      Toasty Buffalo Plaid Mittens Sabrina

      Delete
    15. LR, Well said! I know we all have different views on various actors, and frankly, if most of us watched solely based on who we really like, the list of movies would likely be pretty short.

      Thank you for sharing this positive, uplifting perspective! :)

      Delete
    16. Mark 25, Okay, I just found some time now to respond, as I've been extra busy heading up the Christopher Russell fan club page and all. Just Kidding!!! LOL!!!

      Anyway, I do like some of Christopher's movies here and there; however, I wasn't a fan recently of "A Costa Rican Wedding" or either of his Christmas movies last year, "The Secret Gift of Christmas" and "Peppermint and Postcards."

      But I did think "Operation Nutcracker" was fun (minus some talk about the universe making things happen); plus, I like "Warming Up to You," "Love in the Forecast," "The Most Colorful Time of the Year," and "A Lot Like Christmas"!

      So... it's a mix for me. I don't necessarily love any movie based on WHO is in it.

      I mean, I mostly love Candace's Christmas movies, but I still don't like "If I Only Had Christmas." First, the title sounded somewhat sad, as if someone were dying. And then on paper, I was so thrilled that she was going to be paired with Warren Christie (Morgan from "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year"). But the story, well... it just didn't grab me, personally, and I just didn't feel that special spark between the two of them.

      Overall, I think it's good to give an honest opinion, in a constructive, thoughtful way.

      Delete
    17. Alicia, Oh, honey... it's so extra good to hear from you! I always look forward to hearing your thoughtful Christmas movie reviews, but if you have to keep it simple this year, we will all understand. Just having you here means so much! :)

      Your suggestion for Jane to use "Jane-gle Bells" or "Jane-gle All the Way" is so creative.

      Blessings to you! Take care, Sweetie! :)

      Delete
    18. Hey! Ya’ll crack me up! Glad to hear Net is keeping busy managing the Christopher Russell fan club for us! And Sassy Starbucks Girl with the “everywhere but a milk carton” comment almost had me spitting out my tea! Sabrina, I adore kitty cats and Toasty Christmas Mittens is such a sweet name (and I agree buffalo plaids are so cozy on flannel shirts and blankets – I don’t think I’ve ever seen a b.p. shower curtain but one with b.p. as well as mittens sounds very “winter-cabin” cozy chic and inviting!). Mark 25, I did happen to see your review for Operation Nutcracker and your glowing accolades for Mr. Russell (and his, finally, lower-wattage smile😊); and because of your review I’ve decided to give it a go whenever they air it again. And, Alicia, you are absolutely the sweetest thing and I’m so sorry you’ve not been doing well. I always look forward to your reasoned, articulate and thoughtful reviews at Christmastime. But this year don’t stress, just enjoy some cozy Christmas movies and only do a review if you’re feeling up to it; the rest of us will try and fill in the gap and provide reviews (and I’ll attempt to be sweet like you and not so much my usual snarky s-elf πŸ˜ŠπŸŽ…).
      ~~Jane-gle Bells, I'm Jane-gling All the Way!!! πŸ”” πŸŽ„

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    19. Christopher Russell is hit and miss - sometimes he's great sometimes awful.

      A Costa Rican Wedding was a pretty daft movie but his performance in it was quite good - Florence

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  11. I’m not seeing anything like A Biltmore Christmas, but a few here may tempt me.

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  12. I have to admit I am wondering about “Sugarplummed”. There are no male leads mentioned and the phrase about it leading them on a “heartwarming adventure-one that might just amount to an entirely different kind of Christmastime perfection” makes me think this could not be family friendly.

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  13. I don’t see your Friday posts for Saturday tomorrow

    Falling Together
    Love at the Ranch

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, I had to post the weekend post on Saturday morning this week as I was little behind due to all of the Christmas movie news.

      Check it out here:
      https://itsawonderfulmovie.blogspot.com/2024/09/welcome-first-day-fall-yall-and-new-movie-premieres-september-2024.html

      Happy watching!!! :)

      Delete
  14. I read an article about Happy Howlidays last several years ago & never pick up until this year 2024

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  15. Brennan Elliot has said he was offered a script for a Hallmark Christmas movie this year but declined thinking there might be something more but nothing materialised - Florence

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  16. The Christmas Charade with Rachel Skarsten and Corey is going to be interesting.

    Although I really like both actors they didn't blend well together in their K-9 movie earlier this year - Florence

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  17. Interesting too that there is no Time To Come Home movie this year.

    I thought last year's was easily the weakest to date and suggested it might be time to call the series a day - Florence

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    1. Hey Florence,

      It feels like they ran out of pronouns to do another Time to come home. I did like them, I haven't watched the last one yet and for some reason I cannot ever get into the one with Lacey. But I loved all the others. I just wondered what would they call the next movie? Start over again with Me and say Time for me (2) to come home?

      Delete
    2. I noticed that Florence! I am so sad there isn’t a new one!
      ~Paula

      Delete
  18. Thank you for posting! I always look forward to the Christmas schedule being posted! I also want to say Thank You SO much for keeping us informed on any non family friendly aspects of the hallmark movies. I always come here first before watching and especially appreciate all the reviews from people who have watched the new movies if I wasn’t able to see them yet. -Anna P.

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  19. It looks like that there will not be a Time for----to come home for Christmas

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  20. 'sighs unhappily'. For anyone hoping we wouldn't have to put up with any more ridiculous Haul out the Holly movies, well...

    Production Weekly just confirmed a 3rd movie is in the works.

    SMH. -Maria

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  21. Scouting for Christmas. I couldn’t make it all the way through this one. It’s partly my mood and it’s partly the movie. My mood has been kinda blah and that’s pretty much what I felt this movie to be. Blah, awkward, overdone, stilted, lacking sparkle and chemistry. Tamera’s character was so frenzied with her busy lifestyle in the beginning of the movie, she had me spinning between whiplash and motion sickness. Her daughter was cute, but not enough to make me want to finish the movie. And, yet again, we have divorced parents (one of the little girl’s Christmas wishes is that her loving father would find a way to come visit her for Christmas, but he’s an archaeologist and is too busy on his own global adventures; that being said, there were sweet and loving scenes of them skyping together). I like Carlo Marks but he looked way too young in this movie and I couldn’t find any chemistry between him and Tamera. The parts I saw were family friendly and I think others will like this movie more than I did (I think a younger audience will appreciate the girl scouting aspect and the over-the-top meanie den mother kind of stuff more than I did). Tamera’s 2022 movie, “Inventing the Christmas Prince”, was another semi-cheesy take on the single mom’s Christmas romance but I much preferred it to this one. Also, I looked on IMDB and this movie has eleven reviews, of which, all of the super high reviews were made by people who have never reviewed any other movie before (or they’ve only ever reviewed Tamera’s movies, so they’re obviously huge fans, friends & family, or on the production team!). Likewise, all of the one-star reviews were left by people who have never reviewed a movie before, so I’m assuming they’re just haters or trolls. There were two or three reviews posted by people who are more prolific movie reviewers and they rated it 3-stars and 6-stars. I think I will agree that it was somewhere between 3-6 stars for me, as well. ~~Jane

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  22. I just finished watching 'Twas the Date Before Christmas. It was family friendly and super cute. Good family dynamics and likable characters.

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  23. The Christmas Charade. It was cuter than I thought it would be. A few laugh out loud moments. Family Friendly. You will definitely have to suspend reality a bit (but that isn't anything new). =)

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  24. Operation Nutcracker. Family Friendly. It had a few good moments and the storyline had potential but the ending fell a little flat. Overall it was just okay. Not terrible but not great either.

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  25. Holiday Mismatch is not family friendly. Going along enjoying the movie then at about half way through one of the moms introduces
    her son and his husband out of the blue. Too bad!

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  26. Trivia at St. Nick’s. I almost deleted in the first 15 minutes but I’m glad I didn’t. The beginning was ridiculous and annoying (especially the lead female character who was way too tightly wound!), but it all evened out to be a cute, lighthearted way to spend the evening. This one’s not going to win any awards or be a keeper for me, but it ended up being a pleasant, silly, sweet little Christmas movie with a slightly different “trivia” angle, which was unique and fun. I’d probably watch it again next year. Family friendly. ~~Jane

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  27. ‘Tis the Season to be Irish. Agree with Mark 25 and Abigail. I liked the actor who played Sean but I didn’t like all aspects of the way his character was written by the writers; his rudeness, lies, manipulations, unreasonableness and contradictions (especially in the beginning) just didn’t make sense and made it somewhat hard to root for him as the romantic hero. Fiona was good as Rose and I liked the friendship storyline between the three women (and Caitlin singing on the cliffs was beautiful!). A lot of this movie was not believable or even understandable, but I love all things Celtic and the Irish warmth and accents and scenery made up for the weak and farfetched storyline. And Lambchop… you gotta love Lambchop!! This one was okay for a one-time watch. Family friendly (just be aware of the usual Celtic ideas of luck and faeries, etc.). ~~Jane (aka Smiling Irish Eyes)

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  28. Christmas with the Singhs. Meh. Maybe okay for a one-time watch? Maybe not? I very much liked the main couple and their story starts off good but the whole thing gets carried away with the over-the-top and rude parents. It’s actually intended to be a bit overdramatic (especially with her uber-protective father) but they took it too far and it just felt kind of ugly and uncomfortable at times. I think I was supposed to laugh at certain things but I just didn’t find them funny, they instead felt tactless and unkind. Throughout the movie they make a big point of saying the Singh family is “Christian” instead of Hindu, and the mother converted when she married the father, and the father takes pride in carrying on his father’s tradition of reading the Christmas story to the children in church every year. I suppose that all sounds good, but it just didn’t quite feel right to me. In their family home they still carry out some Hindu superstitions and traditions such as a ritual to keep the evil eye away, and lighting candles and praying before pictures of deceased ancestors and referring to the biblical Christmas story as the magic of Christmas. I understand that magic can often be interpreted in these movies as “sparkle” or “specialness”, but the “Christian” label felt like just that… a label, an identifier (Christian vs Hindu). It felt like whoever wrote or directed this didn’t really quite understand the Christian faith; plus, they should have toned down the overall unpleasantness a bit. I suppose the movie, as a whole, was maybe okay for a one-time watch, especially since the main couple are so cute and well matched (and Jake’s outdoor Indian dance scene was funny); but the rest of it just felt rather uncomfortable at times. I would also say it’s not family friendly for young or impressionable kids. Little comments here and there make it clear that the main couple live together (when they go to stay at her family home, he actually acts surprised when the mother puts them in separate rooms and he asks her why he’s not sharing a bedroom with his fiancΓ©!). Also, there was a discussion of divorce that felt ugly. Needless to say, not a keeper. ~~Jane (aka Sugar & Spice)

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  29. Christmas on Call was not your standard Hallmark Christmas movie, and I liked that about it. It was also family friendly and heartwarming. It follows several people through the holiday season: a new doctor in the ER far from family for her first Christmas, an ER nurse missing her military daughter, a fire chief who is trying to be more present with his family, and a couple of cops and EMTs. All their lives intersect, and each one plays a part in making the others' holidays happier. There are two romance storylines. The one between the doctor and the EMT was sweet, and the actors had great chemistry. However, the one between the two cops fell flat for me. I didn't see any chemistry between them at all. Because this is a Hallmark movie, there isn't much in the way of the true danger of these professions. There is one fire that's intense by Hallmark standards, but you sort of know everything will be fine. The "crime" that the cops face is almost laughable. I have a feeling Philadelphia cops do more than chase vandals and settle disputes between neighbors over Christmas decorations. But, this is a Hallmark Christmas movie, after all. Overall, this one had enough to set it apart to make it enjoyable while still retaining the feel-good vibes Hallmark is known for. One final nit-picky thing: I may have misheard, but towards the beginning of the movie when the nurse is listing all the couples she has worked her matchmaking skills on, one sounded like two men. I thought I heard her say "Devon and Steve." Of course, I could have misheard (she was rattling off lots of names), and Devon could also be a woman's name. Just thought I should mention it. (And these days I think I'm paranoid!) No other hints at all of same-sex relationships that I noticed, however.

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  30. Three Wiser Men and a Boy was meh. The three brothers, in my opinion didn't seem any wiser. In the first one, they started out selfish and immature, but the baby made them grow as people. In this one, they are still selfish and immature, but now it's just flat out annoying. The only redeeming thing was that the little boy was cute. I couldn't stand a single one of the brothers by the time it was all over. Though it's family friendly, it just wasn't an enjoyable two hours. I recommend skipping this one.

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  31. Review: Three Wiser Men and a Boy -
    Family-friendly? Yes -
    Recommend? No -

    I am in total agreement with melnewlife's review. The main missing ingredient in this one is...charm. The first movie was charming in watching the guys trying to cope with handling a baby and maturing as a result. This one lacked charm. It's like the guys didn't learn from their experience five years ago, or reverted back to their old ways. To use melnewlife's word, they were annoying. And the humor was so much better in the first one (because much of it had to do with the guys and the baby - here, no baby and no real humor). It was obvious that they were stretching to make a sequel. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

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  32. A 90’s Christmas. Not family friendly. The first scene of the movie shows the lead character (an attorney) telling her sad client to look at the signing of her divorce papers as a second chance at life that everyone deserves. Then her gay assistant comes into her office and invites her to celebrate Christmas with him because “my boyfriend got a 10-pound ham, which is way too much for two people”. But, wait… there’s more, because Hallmark couldn’t let two ugly scenes be it. The next scene is her talking to her sister on the phone and we find out that the sister is getting ready to go on a date with another girl. Time to DELETE!! Man, I love clearing out space on my dvr! Thank you Hallmark. ~~ Jane (aka Run Run Rudolph!!)

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  33. To Have and To Holiday. I don’t know what to make of this one. Part fun, part odd, part original, part ridiculous, part delightful, part annoying. It felt like the writers were trying too hard to be quirky. Overall, I’d say it was rather cute for a one-time watch and the actors were all good, but it’s not a keeper, for me. The pastor in this one is, at times, uncharitable, rude, and immature in relation to his daughter’s new fiancΓ©; and the whole pre-marriage bootcamp is kind of fun and unique but it just becomes too much and highlights the unkind side of her father’s character. I understand that he’s protective of his little girl but it just goes overboard and drags on for too long. It is still an okay movie but I would advise parents about a scene at the beginning. Lead actress is talking on phone and says “I gave up my apartment and I’ve been staying at Jason’s apartment [her boyfriend]” and then we see them in reindeer pj’s doing a creative, sort of fast-forwarded Christmas-Day-in-one-hour celebration together before she has to get on an airplane and go home for Christmas (but then later, their plans change and it turns out they both end up going to her parent’s house for Christmas). If I remember correctly, that’s the only bit that is not family friendly. ~~Jane (aka Parson Brown)

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  34. Three Wiser Men and a Boy. Felt like they were trying too hard in this one and it just didn’t live up to the first one. It was more awkward and uncomfortable, and not always funny where it was supposed to be. But, nonetheless, it was still fun for a one-time watch and the three main actors are perfection at fast quips and priceless facial expressions. Perhaps the funniest line this year was “Question. What’s the School Board’s policy on black market penguins?” And the scene where they sit around in a tent in the living room was sweet and sad and poignant. The tacky school play ended up being adorable, and this year’s rendition of the brothers’ famous dance was almost as fun as last year’s. I loved the warmth of their family celebration at the end. I think that warmth seems more real because we see all their flaws and disagreements and vulnerabilities throughout the movie and it makes them more realistic and genuine in their love for each other and not as saccharine sweet as in other movies. Family friendly warning: it’s briefly mentioned in the early parts that Paul Campbell’s character and his girlfriend from the last movie have been living together for five years now. Nothing more about it is mentioned and he and his brothers all temporarily movie into their mom’s house, so nothing is shown of their living together. ~~Jane (aka Rooty Toot Toots)

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  35. Deck the Walls. NOT family friendly. I should've looked at the writer and cast members first; two are openly gay with agendas. I'm so disappointed since I love Wes Brown in movies. Oh, well, another opportunity to delete and make space on my dvr! ~~Jane

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  36. I just finished Believe in Christmas, and it is family friendly. If you've ever read or seen the movie Austenland, it follows the same basic plot. Loved Austenland and also loved this. Basically, Christmas Land is an immersive Christmas fantasy. The two friends each meet a guy and start to fall in love, but how much of it is real and how much is an act? This allows for some mishaps poking fun at Hallmark movies themselves, but not in a mean or cynical way. If you've seen Austenland, you'll know how it will end (like me, haha), but it won't take anything away from the charm of this movie.

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  37. The Christmas Quest was family friendly as long as you don't mind the emphasis being on mythological elves, goblins, and giant cats. Overall, the movie wasn't my cup of tea even though Lacey Chabert and Kristoffer Polaho did their best and had great chemistry together.
    * Spoilers Below!*

    It was the ending that really ruined the whole thing for me. They finally get to the end of the quest, and the "treasure" is a room full of Christmas decorations, Christmas treats, and a record player? My first thought was, who lit all those candles? Who replenishes the cakes? Why is there a record player when this treasure supposedly dates back to the 1600s? Then they find a note from her mother, who found the treasure all those years ago and realized it was . . . family? the spirit of Christmas? Ridiculous. And why are their protectors of this treasure when it's a bunch of junk? The whole thing made no sense. And my kids and I were still like, "who is lighting the candles!!??" As they go back down the tunnel, you hear elvish laughter and then the rock blocking the "treasure" crashes down supernaturally. So I guess the mischievous elves are keeping this Christmas room stocked? Really? Massive let down of an ending. Wasted two hours on this one.

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    1. Melnewlife, I'm just now reading the "spoiler" part of your review. Wow! I'm glad I deleted at the two-thirds point of this movie because that ending would have had me screaming at the tv!! :) Lacey and Kristoffer are great but this movie was a dud, for me. ~~Jane

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  38. Believe in Christmas. It must just be me and my mood. Idk?? But this was another blah movie, for me (however, I believe others will think it’s cute!). This should have at least given me warm fuzzies since the whole thing is set in an idealistic town in Massachusetts called “Christmasland”, but it ultimately felt fake and kind of missing the true warmth of Christmas. Meghan is beautiful (I especially loved her blue coat and hat in the opening scene!) and the North Pole Inn is beautiful and cozy, but something in this one just seemed “off”. Possibly it was the acting and the lack of chemistry?? Or, perhaps it was the “magical” town where you have no idea what or who is real and who might just be an actor playing a part for the tourists to make them feel like they’re in a Christmas movie. Was the romance even real or was it manufactured for the paying guests? It just felt implausible and shallow with no true warmth (and kind of creepy if you think about it too much!). I found I was enjoying the car commercials more than the movie, so I decided that half of this movie was enough time spent in Christmasland, for me. (To be fair, I am in the market for a new vehicle but the movie should have enticed me more than the shiny ads. 😊) The half I watched was family friendly, although there were two things that I wasn’t thrilled about. The two friends spend every Christmas season together and they refer to it as Friendsmas, a term that changes the celebration of Christ into a celebration of friends – not at all the same thing! Also, as others have noted, they sang Go Tell it On the Mountain and changed the lyrics to leave out the most important point of the song and the reason for the whole celebration that the town is named after… that Jesus Christ was born!! ~~Jane (aka Who Wouldn’t Go?!)

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  39. Not to sound too depressing, but does it seem like most on here are just being too gloomy about Hallmark?

    I know we all want the old network back, but does that mean every single movie they make now is automatically bad?

    I know showcasing gays and insulting Jesus is never acceptable, but not every movie has that!

    I know it's infuriating that 1 network is focused on the true meaning of Christmas while this 1 clearly doesn't care about the content, but sometimes it feels like some just want to make up an excuse to hate on Hallmark. -Maria

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  40. Leah’s Perfect Gift. I really think this one came from the Island of Misfit Movies!! And that’s putting it mildly! So, in the very beginning of this movie the writers inject a brief scene where we see the sister character hiding from her ex-girlfriend. I watched the rest of the movie in fast-forward and from what I can ascertain that was the only indication of her being homosexual. So, basically the writer’s and Hallmark were trying to get their own viewpoints across, while also getting bonus points from the woke, DEI mob, and snubbing their longtime viewers. That would have been a big shame had the rest of the story and movie been any good, but this whole thing was a massive train wreck. When the blurb mentions “uptight family” and “awkward moments,” just know that that was a HUGE understatement. With the exception of a few sweet scenes, almost everything about this movie was a HOT MESS. It was supposed to be somewhat chaotic and crazy but it was just more ugly than anything else. It was not warm and cozy, or even funny; it was, instead, uncomfortable, and mean-spirited, lacking the warmth, kindness, and romantic chemistry I want in my Christmas movies. The characters were either too far over the top or too milquetoast; and, actually, the best character in this thing could have been the sister but they ruined that by turning her into a lesbian. Needless to say, it was not family friendly and was a big “fail” for me. And what I really want to know is how do these obscure authors get their mediocre books turned into Hallmark movies when there are so very many better authors and books out there to choose from??? ~~Jane (Dash away! Dash away all!)

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  41. Private Princess Christmas. Where is Hermey when you really need an elf dentist to just pull the dang thing and get it over with?!?! I only made it halfway through this one and I’m surprised I made it that far. The first half of this movie was cringeworthy and lacking in romantic chemistry and any kind of warm, Christmas charm. The director for this one has a lot of very good movies under his belt in recent years so I’m going to guess most of the blame for this dud is probably on the writing and the actors, both were equally bad (with the exception of the actress playing Squibby, who was the only bright spot in the movie). The whole storyline of sending a spoiled and aimless, twentysomething Princess to American bootcamp to get her ready to be a Queen in, say, twenty to fifty years was just ludicrous. And the last straw that got her sent there was even more outrageous: she was late bringing her goat (named Sir Something-or-Other) to the fancy ceremony in the snowy woods at which the goat gets to pick this year’s majestic Christmas tree for the whole kingdom of Wingravia; and then somehow the goat gets loose and goes to stand in front of a 2-foot wimpy tree, thereby making that this year’s official tree, and thus it’s the fault of the princess and her goat that the grand Christmas tree is a flop and not so grand. SAY WHAT??!!?? Who writes this kind of drivel? I don’t even think we can blame this on AI. And it wasn’t just one instance of absolutely absurd and ridiculous writing, it was an inundation of it. The two-dimensional characters and fake accents just added to the mess, along with the weird soundtrack. I thought at one point I was going to have something to cheer for because they say grace before meals at bootcamp but, nope, it’s not to thank God, but more of a tacky, self-affirmation, mumbo-jumbo followed by “Amen”. Also, I wonder was anybody in charge of content editing or fact checking kinds of stuff? For instance, there’s a scene where the cadets are given the task of baking Christmas cookies (unsupervised) and they set the oven on fire, supposedly because the princess turned on the oven to a super high temperature because she was familiar with Celsius vs Fahrenheit. Seriously, somebody needed to do their research. A typical cookie-baking temperature is 350F which equates to about 180C; therefore, if she set an American oven at 180, they would’ve had raw cookies as opposed to setting the oven on fire. And I don’t know for certain, but I question whether American Sign Language is the same as European or British Sign Language, which is what one would assume the Princess of Wingravia knows; so how was she able to communicate so quickly and accurately with an American driver? Perhaps the movie improved in the second half but I chose not to stick around and find out. What I saw was family friendly and would probably be more appreciated by kids and tweens than adults. The brief cameo by Brendan Penny didn’t even save this one, for me. ~~Jane (aka I think even Barney & Ben and Janice & Jen are wishing and hoping this movie would end because it was not beginning to look a lot like Christmas!)

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    Replies
    1. Jane, Oh my goodness... I am so cracking up over your review here! You are hilarious! I'm absolutely loving the Hermey reference! You are so witty, my friend!!! :) :)

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  42. Debbie Macomber’s Joyful Mrs. Miracle. I think perhaps Mrs. Miracle had way too many peppermint lattes (and added a little bit too much twinkle dust to them)!! But despite the occasional whiplash from perkiness and hokiness, I still enjoyed the movie (and I’m a little surprised to be saying that!). It was sweet, warm and cozy, with both an adorable child and a rekindled romance that was maturely handled. The siblings squabbled and were ugly to each other in the beginning but I liked how they began to work together as the movie progressed, like a truly loving and caring family, thanks to Mrs. Miracle’s timely interference. I still miss Doris Roberts as Mrs. Miracle, but I felt like Rachel Boston was quite well suited to take over the role; and actually, all of the actors were good in their roles and, likewise, Peter Benson with directing. The writer for this has some other good movies under her belt, including Double Holiday, Coming Home for Christmas, Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater and Pumpkin Pie Wars; her experience and talent in writing these types of fun holiday movies was evident again in this one. I’m not sure if this one’s a keeper for me; it wasn’t quite as good as the original two movies with Doris Roberts; yet, it was still sweet with just a touch of silly whimsy. Family friendly. ~~Jane (aka Twinkle Bells)

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  43. Christmas on Call. Warm, fresh, feel-good movie with good acting, dialogue and directing. Multiple, intersecting storylines and more than one romance. The lead couple were excellent with great chemistry. Nice tribute to first responders but I doubt most of them live and work in such an idyllic, warm-fuzzy world. This heartwarming movie is a keeper for now, and definitely worth watching again next year. Family friendly. ~~Jane (aka Caroling Through the Night)

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  44. The Santa Class is family friendly. It's also quirky, bizarre, and absolutely ridiculous. And I loved every minute of it! Just accept going in that it's a screwball comedy. If you do, you'll just laugh and have fun. Paul Campbell was also hilarious in his cameo in which he poked fun at himself.

    A few things that might bother some people even though they didn't bother me:
    * The meaning of Christmas is wrapped up in Santa and magic. But this is a secular movie, so what else do you expect?
    * One of the Santas-in-training is a woman, and she gets offended whenever people point out that Santa is a man. However, this is played for laughs. She is 100% female (even dreaming of a doll for Christmas when she was a little girl), and no mention is made of her sexuality.
    * There's a lot of kissing for a Hallmark movie. I actually prefer that to the lead couple rushing to kiss in the last 30 seconds of the movie, but it may be an issue for others.

    Overall, this was a fun, slightly silly, yet heartwarming movie. Is it realistic that a person can make a living running a Santa school? Of course not, but this movie doesn't pretend to be anything but a goofball comedy. In that, it absolutely succeeds because my kids and I laughed through the entire thing.

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  45. The Christmas Quest. The pickle on my tree just came out of hiding and voted, “Nope” for this one. Kristoffer and Lacey are both so good at their acting craft but I couldn’t make it all the way through this film. I appreciate a Christmas movie with a different twist, as well as a mystery, and I like movies showcasing other countries, but this storyline felt clunky and just didn’t interest me, especially all the Norse mythology. I quit watching at about the two-thirds point. I guess what I saw was family friendly, if you don’t mind all the magical spirits and elves and goblins kind of stuff. ~~Jane (aka Over the Hills, and Ev’rywhere!)

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  46. Following Yonder Star is mostly family friendly except for a storyline of divorce and having a baby before you're married. That wouldn't have ruled it out for me necessarily as The Blessing Bracelet involved divorce. However, in The Blessing Bracelet divorce is shown as heartbreaking while in Following Yonder Star it's just no big deal (the lead character still spends Christmas with her ex, as is explained in the opening scene).

    More than that, however, this movie was a huge let down for me. I had high expectations because the other three Dayspring movies have been so good. The Blessing Bracelet is one of my all-time favorites! In this movie the faith aspect was just an afterthought, unlike the others. It really just seemed like your standard Hallmark fare, nothing unique about it. There's really nothing in the movie about the Bethlehem star, either. It's mentioned, but not emphasized or integral to the plot. I guess the "star" is really the actress. Disappointing. I was mostly bored watching this movie.

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  47. Review: The Santa Class -
    Family-friendly? Yes -
    Recommend? Maybe for a one-time watch -

    Wow, hats off to whoever thought of this far-out plot about how Santa loses his memory and is found by a couple running a Santa school, and who enroll him in the class to hopefully help him regain his memory. Certainly not your typical Hallmark Christmas movie! Anyway, I had read in advance of its airing that this was a really funny movie, so I went in with that expectation. So, maybe I had my hopes up too high, but I just didn't think this was that funny. The various Santa's-in-training, who look and act like they came from the island of misfit humans, I found annoying in short order (especially Paul Campbell). I will say that Kimberley Sustad and Ben Ayres were very good and easily the best part of the movie, although I thought they went from enemies to romantic partners too quickly. So I would recommend giving it a watch, and again, maybe it's just me, but after watching the super-funny Sugarplummed, I was hoping for a lot more laughs.

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  48. Happy Howlidays is safe (if you don't mind the poop). -Maria

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  49. My rankings of this year's Countdown to Christmas lineup:

    1, Following Yonder Star
    2, Sugarplummed
    3, Private Princess Christmas
    4, Debbie Macomber's Joyful Mrs Miracle
    5, The Christmas Quest
    6, To have and to Holiday
    7, Santa Tell Me
    8, A Carol for 2
    9, Trivia at St Nicks
    10, Our Holiday Story
    11, The Christmas Charade
    12, The Finnish Line
    13, Tis the Season to be Irish
    14, Holiday Crashers
    15, Twas the Date Before Christmas
    16, Happy Howlidays
    17, Believe in Christmas

    -Maria

    ReplyDelete

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