It's a double movie feature of heartwarming Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel tonight, starring Nikki DeLoach.
The first movie is CRANBERRY CHRISTMAS at 6pm/5c. starring Nikki DeLoach with Benjamin Ayres.
Storyline via Hallmark:
Dawn (DeLoach) and Gabe Hughes (Ayres) are the beloved husband and wife co-founders of famed lifestyle brand Cranberry Lane. Little do fans know that the supposedly blissfully wedded “Mr. and Mrs. Cranberry Lane” are in truth separated as they question if they want different things and should remain married. Although Dawn and Gabe intend to keep their distance over the holidays, fate has other plans when they learn they’re still spearheading their town’s Christmas festival together. Complications mount when a popular TV personality wants to feature them, their festival, and their “perfect” Christmas on her show. As Dawn and Gabe pretend to be the happy couple, they find themselves reconnecting as old feelings resurface and their love is rekindled. However, when new job opportunities arise for both, they must question if they will give their marriage a second chance or if – as they originally worried – they really do want different things.
Cranberry Christmas is currently available on DVD at Amazon for a great low price - see here!
The second film is THE GIFT OF PEACE, the first DaySpring movie, starring Nikki DeLoach and Brennan Elliott, which is premiering for the first time on the Hallmark Channel at 8pm/7c.
Storyline via Hallmark:
Traci (DeLoach) is an artist who was a once-devout Christian but stopped believing in God after her husband tragically died despite her prayers. As her second Christmas without him approaches, her creative spark has dimmed right before her important Christmas Eve gallery showing. Seeking refreshed inspiration and missing her husband, she joins a support group one night, only to discover it’s a faith-based gathering. Realizing she chose the wrong group, Traci leaves abruptly. While Christmas shopping a few days later, she runs into Michael (Elliott), the leader of the group, and apologizes for running out. He convinces her to give the session another try and if she still feels the same way, she doesn’t have to stay beyond Christmas. Although skeptical, Traci agrees. As she participates in Christmas activities related to each week’s theme of comfort, peace, hope and joy, she bonds with her vibrant, new spiritual community and her art becomes more inspired. Traci finds the strength to keep moving forward and open her heart again, realizing that true faith is more than just answered prayers and that love surrounds us, always.
For those of you who don't have the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel, I hope you will be able to catch both movies, especially the DaySpring movie, The Gift of Peace!
Here are the reviews of both films...
Cranberry Christmas
🎄"Cranberry Christmas" is a family-friendly, lovely movie with a deeper storyline like HMM is known for. I think the leads did a nice job of showing two married people holding on and working together through the difficulties that come with life and love." ~ Alicia
🎄"My two "must watch" picks from the weekend were "Cranberry Christmas" (because we don't get many movies about an already married couple and the story sounded good) and "On the 12th Date of Christmas" (because Tyler Hynes is my favorite Hallmark leading man and I'm pretty much guaranteed to enjoy whatever Hallmark movie he's in). I've only had a chance to watch those two so far but just wanted to say they're both family friendly and I loved them both for the same reasons they were my "must watch" picks! Tyler Hynes was fantastic in his role, as always, and I thought he was well matched with Mallory Jansen. I loved watching their characters fall in love, enjoyed their interactions with their respective families, and thought the scavenger hunt theme was fun. "Cranberry Christmas" is wonderful, and I highly recommend it if you're someone who enjoys the deeper, richer stories on HMM. Don't get me wrong--I enjoy the fluffy romantic fantasies too, but it was refreshing to see the more realistic picture that marriage takes work and it's worth the effort. Nikki DeLoach and Benjamin Ayres did a beautiful job portraying a couple working through a rough patch and growing closer together through it. The ending made me tear up." ~ Amy Lama
🎄"Cranberry Christmas--I liked it, but...….The Covid stuff is making these movies hard to watch. I did not believe those 2 loved each other at all. I am sure it is from covid, but I would think if you are on set with someone for 3 weeks you could hug, or come close to one another. I loved the festival stuff, the house was beautiful, the farm, but even at the end, they almost kissed and it was weird, cause I didn't feel love with them at all." ~ Sabrina
🎄"I loved the movie Cranberry Christmas. Nikki DeLoach and Benjamin Ayres were wonderful together. I hope to see them in other movies together." ~ Namegirl
🎄"Cranberry Christmas. LOVED it!! Totally agree with what Alicia said. Definitely a keeper for my dvr and will purchase whenever the dvd comes out." ~~Jane
🎄"What a diverse bunch we are. As I should have known these Christmas movies aren't turning out as I expected. I was so looking forward to Cranberry Christmas because the plot seemed like a change in direction for Hallmark but what a disappointment, in fact I'd have to say it was rather dull. Nikki DeLoach has become one of my favourite Hallmark actors and she tried her best but the weak link was Benjamin Ayres - whoever thought that the heavy designer stubble would be attractive? - he really needed some life injected into him. I just couldn't feel that spark between them except a really deep friendship. Not a patch on Ms DeLoach's recent Sweet Autumn Fall Harvest Movie. Not one for the re-watch pile." ~ Anonymous
🎄"Cranberry Christmas - Nikki DeLoach and Benjamin Ayre were great in this. I do like the separated couple story. I just don’t feel that it was believable enough that they were separated to begin with. They were too sweet to each other to be a separated couple😆. There was no sense of estrangement. It was still a sweet movie and the apology/ring scene when Benjamin Ayre got teary eyed was soooo beautiful. I love what grandma said, “Express what you’re thinking because he can’t read minds. Admit your shortcomings because they’re obvious anyway. Do the work because making your marriage last is the most beautiful, challenging, terrifying and worthwhile work you’ll ever do” ~ CH Mom
🎄"Cranberry Christmas – First, I agree with CH Mom, it was hard to believe, at times, that this married couple is separated. Sure, they have some communication problems, but it’s nothing a good sit down conversation shouldn’t be able to fix. I enjoyed the fact that they weren’t quick to truly separate, but they both wanted to hold on to their marriage, even when business stood strongly in their way and sometimes, it was the only thread that held them together. I liked how these two realized they had to fight for their marriage, and another bit of advice I liked from the grandmother was, “…there are no perfect marriages, just imperfect people that don’t give up on each other.” Overall, I enjoyed this family-friendly film and the message behind it." ~Net
The Gift of Peace
🎄 "A Gift of Peace is a wonderful movie! A story of healing and dealing with grief. Tear jerker for sure. All the actors did an out standing job! It's family friendly, but I would use caution with smaller children." ~Joyce in Carolina
🎄 "My long-ish review of The Gift of Peace: I really loved this movie. I've been having fears of losing someone I love for the past week, and this felt really good. I'm glad Dayspring made this. Except, I couldn't help but wonder if this movie feels really out of place on this network given how so much of this new lineup this season has nothing to do with faith? Movies like this, or similar to it is how Hallmark built it's core audience and became the movie destination it is today. It's core audience is mainly conservative and Christian because of these kind of movies. To see something as wonderful as this, and to have to remember that Hallmark has mostly rejected it's core audience over the last 2 years, makes me sad inside. Because the kind of audience that Hallmark is trying to aim for will never truly care about this network like it's true audience does. Because the type of movies they want have nothing to do with what made Hallmark so famous in the 1st place. I hope Hallmark doesn't completely give up on faith based movies, but at the same time, I don't want them to feel out of place in a new movie lineup. Anyone else feel the same?" –Maria
🎄 "The Gift of Peace may be my favorite Christmas movie of the season. Yes, it was sad in parts, but it was also full of hope. The cast and the acting was fantastic, portraying grief so honestly. The theme of faith and prayer was also well done ( that God is always listening , he just doesn't always answer the way we expect). In some Hallmark movies, widows and widowers seem to kind of rush into a new relationship, but this movie handled that so much better. I also loved the music used. Although - did anyone else notice that the singer's lips didn't match the words in the flashback of Regina singing with her mom? But, if that little nit picky complaint is all I've got, then that means this one is a keeper. Maybe I should only watch the Day spring movies!" ~melnewlife
🎄 "The Gift of Peace is family friendly about Traci is a once-devout Christian who stopped believing in God after her husband named Greg tragically died despite her prayers. As her second Christmas without him approaches, she tries going to a support group for inspiration & comfort. Traci Fremont is an artist who is grieving the loss of her husband named Greg. Two years after his death, Traci’s grief is clouding her creative abilities in her work, but it also really challenged her once devout faith. At the encouragement of a friend, she reluctantly joins a grief support group. The group meets at a church and they begin with prayer, which is something Traci finds difficult. She has lost her way in terms of her faith because her prayers were not answered. But she begins to form a connection with the group’s leader, Michael & learns that he too has lost a loved one. Traci participates in various Christmas activities with the group and her heart begins to heal and open up again. This is a beautiful story, but you will want to keep the tissues close by for this one, y'all. Traci & Michael have a deep faith." ~Anonymous
🎄 "A Gift of Peace. Just watched and had to keep checking to make sure it was Hallmark. More faith based than even the older better Hallmark. Sad that it’s so unbalanced with other terrible offerings. Fast forwarded through commercials so not sure about them. Agree with Joyce in Carolina on main actors and actresses." ~JoCo
🎄 "The Gift of Peace is family friendly about after Traci Fremont’s Husband named Greg’s death, long-time devoted Christian Traci stops believing, and on her second Christmas without him, she visits a support group in search of comfort and inspiration. It’s based on the story by Michael Grimm is about healing, faith, & community. Hope it brings people who have lost someone hope and joy this Christmas. (Review may contain Spoilers) Traci, who is two years into her grief. She lost her husband & is very stuck in her life. She can’t paint anymore, she used to paint with her husband so their work and their lives were completely intertwined.” This is where I feel closer to God right here the closer to proximity to Heaven. It’s a place to you can look out. Traci Fremont is an artist who was a once-devout Christian but stopped believing in God after her Husband named Greg tragically died despite her prayers. As her second Christmas without him approaches, her creative spark has dimmed right before her important Christmas Eve gallery showing. Seeking refreshed inspiration & missing her husband, she joins a support group one night, only to discover it’s a faith-based gathering. Realizing she chose the wrong group, Traci leaves abruptly. While Christmas shopping a few days later, she runs into Michael, the leader of the group, and apologizes for running out. He convinces her to give the session another try and if she still feels the same way, she doesn’t have to stay beyond Christmas. Although skeptical, Traci agrees. As she participates in Christmas activities related to each week’s theme of comfort, peace, hope & joy, she bonds with her vibrant, new spiritual community & her art becomes more inspired. Traci finds the strength to keep moving forward and open her heart again, realizing that true faith is more than just answered prayers and that love surrounds us, always." ~Anonymous
🎄 "The Gift of Peace is family friendly “it’s about something that everybody can relate to. And if you haven’t at this point in your life, you will wrestle with grief.” artist Traci Fremont, who is facing her second holiday since her husband named Greg’s tragic death from a brain tumor, and she’s struggling creatively. But she’s also lost a vital part of the life she shared with him. “Any time we experience a loss like that, our faith is shaken.” Just before an important Christmas Eve gallery showing of her work, Traci seeks guidance at a support group run by kindhearted Michael, who connects with the group more than initially seen. “The irony is that Michael might be the most messed up of all of them and he is playing with his own grief. He feels that in helping others, he doesn’t have to really deal with my own.” Over time, the possibility of love presents itself for Traci & Michael, amplifying the film’s message about community. Says DeLoach, “The power of being with other people and its capacity to heal you by sharing your story…is one of the greatest takeaways.” ~Anonymous
🎄 "GIFT OF PEACE Family friendly. This was a beautiful movie about grief. It was faith based too, which was refreshing to see in Hallmark. This was a tearjerker as expected, and reminded me of the time when I lost my dad. Grief is truly hard, but I loved that Traci was healing as she helped others heal too. One scene I loved the most was when Traci reminisced about the time when she was dancing with Greg and Greg told her to never stop laughing, loving, and living... man that made me cry big time. I really like the fact that they didn't kiss in the end... it just wasn't the right time yet. As wonderful as it was, I just wish Hallmark would do MORE faith based movies like this. It reminds me of the good ol' days when they still had the SSD series. ~CH Mom
🎄 "Review: The Gift of Peace - Family-friendly? Yes - Keeper? Oh Yes! - A wonderful movie about struggling with your faith because of the loss of a loved one, and finding it (and love) again because of the help of others. Nikki and Brennan are among my long-time favorite Hallmark actors, and they are at the top of their game with this movie. You really feel their grief! One of the best of the season for me! ~Mark 25
🎄 "I have to start that I have been over whelmed by the number of Christmas Movies that have come out this year. There are quite a few that I have chosen not to watch because of my personal beliefs, likes and dislikes. Whichever movies each person chooses to watch, I hope they enjoyed them. At this point, I am still working my way through the DVR. But I just watched "A Gift of Peace" last night and it touched me deeply. I cried, I admit it. This is my second Christmas without my Mom. I am still processing my grief, anger and sadness. As many who have lost loved ones, the holidays are always harder. Its not the whole Christmas Holiday, its the little things. I look at old recipes that are written in her hand writing, the Christmas Cookies that my sister and I bake but its just not the same as when she made them, getting my Dad from house and seeing that there are no decorations up (because he doesn't want them, it just makes him sad. They were married for 54 years and together for 59 years), the list goes on and on.... But this movie just hit home hard. It was well written and the actors did a great job in portraying different types of grief and loss. Last year it was Five More Minutes... I would like to say my Mom loved all the Christmas movies and the Christmas Holiday but her favorite was "The Christmas Card". Happy New Year to all!" ~ aliciablythe1013
🎄 "This faith-based movie from DaySpring truly pulled at my heartstrings. I’m not one who typically enjoys a somewhat sad movie, but this film was done in such an uplifting, encouraging way. I pray “The Gift of Peace” truly touches the hearts of those who are dealing with grief, loss, and loneliness at Christmastime. It was beautiful to see how this support group prayed together and was there for each other. I also liked how a new romantic relationship wasn’t rushed into; instead, it was a heartwarming story of finding hope and rediscovering one’s faith and a renewed joy in Christmas again! This film is a definite keeper!" ~Net
If you'd like to share your thoughts on these movies, please do so in the comments below.
Happy Christmas in July!
Net
