Category: My Hallmark Obsession

Do I think Hallmark is super cheesy? Yes. Will this stop me from watching ALL OF IT? Never. Did I create and host a Hallmark Christmas Showdown Bracket? ABSOLUTELY!!!! Let me know if you want in!

My Hallmark Obsession

Hallmark Movie Review: You, Me, & the Christmas Trees

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The NEW 2021 Hallmark Christmas Movies have begun, and I am here for all of it!

If you’re new to my blog/website, you may be wondering “Why in the world is she talking about Hallmark movies when I came here for crafts and sewing projects?!?” GREAT QUESTION! Simple answer: I have many interests….so instead of making multiple websites, you get all of me here.

I’ve been so busy, that I haven’t taken the time to review the “off season” movies as much….but I will NOT miss out on Christmas! So let’s get our Merry On, shall we?

First up this season, we have Danika McKeller & Benjamin Ayres starring in You, Me, & the Christmas Trees

I wanted so badly to LOVE this movie.

Look. I AM a scientist. 👩‍🔬 I SUPER appreciated the gigantic nod to science, the scientific method, the fact that science (and experiments in particular) 🔬 can take trial & error AND longer periods of time….so yay! Real Science REPRESENT! However, that leaves very little room for the MAGIC of Christmas and the MAGIC I’ve come to love from my Hallmark movies. Also, I never claimed that lab work was romantic….so not a huge surprise it fell flat there as well 🤣

Another REALLY REAL aspect I just LOVED: REAL TREES!!! My kind of Christmas trees! They weren’t perfectly shaped or colored…and I LOVED IT!

So here’s how I break it down:
5 categories, 5 hearts possible in each:

CHEMISTRY (between the leads)❤️❤️❤️ I feel like I’m being generous with 3 hearts here. Jack and Olivia had their moments, but if I’m being honest, I just wasn’t feeling much between the two of them. It was just meh for me. I love both Danika & Benjamin, so I’m so sad this combo didn’t work for me….

STORYLINE (overall plot of the movie) ❤️❤️❤️ Here’s the deal. I loved what they were trying to do with this. Real scientific method. A laboratory mystery….but, did you all notice that we ended this movie WITHOUT EVEN AN ANSWER?!?! We still don’t know what was wrong with the trees!!!! Did this bother anyone else? And the big conflict between Jack & Olivia just didn’t make me care at all. This seemed like a fight that a couple that had been together for years would have, not one that a newly dating couple would let halt their romance.
SUPPORTING CAST❤️❤️❤️ I was so excited for the Wonder Years reboot….but…..I’m sorry, was Kevin’s older brother much better to watch when he was younger? Sorry DuWayne…my bar must have been set much lower back in the day…. I’m giving 3 hearts to one person specifically, and that is Jack’s mom. She might have been my favorite character in the whole movie. She sounds like a fun time, and I’d love to hang out with her someday at her new senior living pad.

FEELS❤️❤️ The absolute only thing that gave me the feels this entire movie: Danika’s (sorry, Olivia’s) monologue to her parents. I’m not sure what Danika’s childhood was like…but it really felt like she pulled from a very personal space for that scene. I almost cried right along with her. Best scene of the entire film.

HALLMARK SURPRISE ❤️❤️The big surprise for me was the commitment to the REAL tree throughout. It was quite a refreshing change to almost all Hallmark Movies and their Balsam Hill ads. Also….the flatness of the whole story until Olivia sees her parents face to face. Oh, and one more thing …..was there an unusual amount of alcohol in this movie? Even morning beverages? Hmmm……no judgement….just surprising…

NEW (ungraded) CATEGORY no hearts given, but I feel like some of the “traditions” or decor in these movies NEED a little spotlight. I mean…

WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT?!?!

  1. Cocktail Competition….not sure I want to participate, but I’d definitely be a judge!
  2. Bake an ornament inside a Yulelog…and the first to find it gets to hang it and light the tree!

13/25 Oof! Not the way I thought we’d kick off the Countdown to Christmas Season….but I don’t think I could sit through this one again…I would probably rather sit in my couch all night and watch Christmas needles fall off my tree…

My Hallmark Obsession

Christmas in July: Hallmark Christmas Movie Showdown Recap 2020

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You would think that with my love for Hallmark Movies….and ESPECIALLY Hallmark CHRISTMAS movies, I would be all over the “Christmas in July” craze.

I’m not.

I’ve had the pleasure of living in Wisconsin my entire life. I love my seasons. I NEED my seasons to match my Hallmark.

My Christmas/Winterfest needs to have SNOW….my Spring Fever must BLOOM…..my Summer Loving must be HOT and SUNNY …… and my Harvest Fest must have gorgeous Orange/Red leaves. It’s how I was raised. I mean, I will not even plan warm vacations if they fall over the Holiday Season.

So, I will not be watching Christmas Movies in July….but that doesn’t mean I am not HERE FOR YOU to help you make the hard decisions in your life.

Like……. Which of the 100s of Hallmark Christmas Movies are worthy of your sweet time?

This past Holiday Season marked my 2nd Annual Hallmark Christmas Movie Showdown Bracket.

Yes, I turned my Hallmark Movie Obsession into an interactive game/competition. Yes, other people participated in this with me….and YES, YEAR 2 was an OVER THE TOP SUCCESS in more ways than one.

We watched MORE MOVIES. We had MORE PARTICIPANTS. We gave away MORE PRIZES!!! I even reviewed almost all of our bracket movies on this blog.

It was AMAZING….and exhausting. I may have even had a little Hallmark burnout towards the end. (Hence why not all movies got reviewed)

However, with the help of my fellow Bracketeers, we crowned a 2020 Hallmark Christmas Movie Showdown Champion.

We also answered the ultimate question: Would you watch this movie again?

So, without further ado. Here are our 2020 Stats.

Hallmark Christmas Movie Showdown 2020

Bracketeers: 54 brackets were filled out

Movies Watched: 32 movies in the bracket (yes, this means some 2020 premieres were left out)

Overall Bracket Winner: Good Morning Christmas

List of Movies in Bracket that we’d watch again. This is polling from 52 of our 54 bracketeers…not all voted, so percentage is skewed a bit. However, it’s a good idea of which flicks were the most well loved. The following percentages are the percent of our viewers that would REWATCH each of the bracket movies:

Now, there are some very important things to note:

8 of the 2020 premieres did not even get placed in the bracket to begin with….and of those, in my humble opinion, 3 of them were some of THE BEST MOVIES of the season: The Christmas Bow, Deliver by Christmas, & Project Christmas Wish. All three of these mentioned could have competed with the Elite Eight hands down.

Want even MORE info??? If you click on the Movie Title in the Above List….you’ll find my blog review. Looking for a second opinion? One of our bracketeers, Jamie, gives her Two Cents HERE.

Also, I know Hallmark is showing many more Christmas movies from their stash. HERE are our 2019 rankings!

and if THAT is enough…..feel free to ask me anything! I love chatting Hallmark movies! Man, this recap has really got me jacked for Christmas 2021!!!!

I can’t wait!

My Hallmark Obsession · Sewing

Week 11 Sewing Challenge: Act of Craftivism

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This week’s prompt “Act of Craftivism” was something I had to look up. Depending on who you ask or where you look…the definition of CRAFTIVISM varies.

The simplest one I found is this: using hand-made art to express opinions or to support a movement, a combination of craft and activism.

As an added bonus this week, three of our kiddos were on spring break…so I wanted involve them in this challenge.

It was only a year ago that our children came home from school for Spring Break….and they remained home for the rest of the year. I know, join the club, right? What it does mean, though, is: the majority of the country (and the world) started to relate to the struggles of each other.

This past year was hard. It’s been a lesson in patience……in perspective…..in compassion….in resilience…. These things are what our family tried to focus on.

However, these are not new concepts for our family. In fact, since our oldest daughter was born we’ve been learning this daily.

Our other 3 younger children have grown up in a house where they’ve known nothing else. We include everyone. We love everyone. We acknowledge differences, yet embrace and celebrate them.

As they all grow older, it becomes more obvious. The gap is more pronounced. It also is very apparent that they all have hearts full of love and understanding.

So, the “cause” we chose to act for in this week’s challenge:

Inclusion. Love. Anti-Bullying. Encouragement.

“Be Kind“

We planned out what we wanted to say…..

Chose our fabric and cut out pennants to make our banners.

“You are Cool“

A couple of the kids even got behind the sewing machine

(Bonus: you can totally do this with HOT GLUE if you’re not a sewist)

“U R L❤️VED“

Then, we went out around our city and hung our messages.

Smile

We Pray our Small Acts touch some Hearts in a BIG way!

“Be the GOOD“

P.S. Last night we sat down for a Family Movie Night and watched one of the Hallmark Movies that have been recommended to us for awhile now….

What a powerful message!

Many questions and conversation starters for you and your family if you are looking for a way to talk about friends with Special Needs. Our kids loved it! (even if some parts were really hard to watch…)

We’d love to hear of you’ve seen one of our banners!

Or even better….if you make some of your own!

My Hallmark Obsession

Hallmark Movie Review: It Was Always You

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Countdown to Christmas 2020 really burnt me out. Out of the 40 new movies, I only chose 32 to be in my Hallmark Showdown Bracket, and it still felt like a bit much.

Then Winterfest ❄️ 2021 came….and albeit from a few good moments, none of them hit the mark for me.

Love Ever After 2021 ❤️? I thought, for sure, this will get me back in the spirit……nope. Nothing….

Until this. Until Them.

Apparently, my good friends, Tyler Hynes & Erin Krakow….

You two were just what I needed to get my Hallmark Mojo back……and I thank you. 😍

Well, yeah, and you know, love and stuff 😉

AHH! Tyler, staahhpppp being so dang lovable!

So here’s how I’m going to break it down:
5 categories, 5 hearts possible in each

CHEMISTRY (between the leads) ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ David. (Well, Tyler…let’s be honest) Perfect blend of sarcasm, wit, timing…..and then hits you up with some of the most romantic monologues in Hallmark history. If you think I’m exaggerating, you haven’t watched this one yet. Elizabeth and David together were end game from childhood. It was so fun watching her realize it!

STORYLINE (overall plot of the movie) ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ loved 🥰 all of it. They did such a great job of portraying childhood friends to romantic love in adulthood. I love that a huge part of the story was Elizabeth finding herself again… I love that the secondary character wasn’t thrown under the bus, I even 95% love how they ended it coming full circle.

SUPPORTING CAST ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Here’s where this one could’ve use some work. I was so wrapped up in the main characters, that I cared very little about anyone else…..Which doesn’t bother me really, but since it’s a rating system that I’ve made… I have to talk about it. I did love grandma! She always knew what was up 😉

FEELS ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ so SO SO MANY! The Dancing…the tv watching…the wedding registry!!! The hidden letters. So many swoon-worthy moments with these two! I’m not going to wreck it by trying to explain them….

HALLMARK SURPRISE (anything that really jumped out from the “norm” Hallmark Movie equation) ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ The patience of this man! Normally Hallmark banks on the whirlwind romance. I was shocked by this change….especially the ending. My only wish was that the ending would have been set in Italy. I mean, missed opportunity, don’t you think?

24/25 absolutely Watching again! This one is going to be one that I come back to time and time again. 💕

My Hallmark Obsession

Hallmark Movie Review: Project Christmas Wish

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Friends.

THIS IS HALLMARK GOLD RIGHT HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!

I took a bit of a break from my reviews the last couple weeks because, well, Christmas gets a little crazy the closer it gets, ya know. In my house, I add to that by making many of my gifts….trying to maintain a bit of normalcy for my fam in 2020…..on-and-off virtual schooling 3/4 of the kiddos…..finsihing up custom Christmas orders for LadyBeez Designs…..oh, and working night shift at the hospital……….so, there you have it.

I continued to watch Hallmark Christmas movies, but let my blog reviews fall to the wayside.

I COULD NOT. LET. THIS. ONE. PASS. Though……

It’s movies like this that restore my love for Hallmark and re-energize my Christmas Spirit….and I watched this on December 29th, so that’s just how powerful this one is!

Hello, Mr. Van Winkle! so, honestly, I googled this guy, and I HAVE seen him before….but this is OBVIOUSLY his best Hallmark performance.

Averie Peters……Sweet MAX! This little sweetheart is GOING PLACES! You’ve seen it here first! I just want to squeeze her!

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So here’s how I’m going to break it down:
5 categories, 5 hearts possible in each

CHEMISTRY (between the leads) ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Lucas & Lucy. LUCAS AND LUCY!!!!!!! Where in the world do I even start?!?!? I loved every single second of these two. I laughed, I cried sobbed like a baby, the butterflies crept up from my stomach to my throat, I blushed like a preteen in front of my children. The funny banter at the beginning….the reluctant pairing….the DANCE…..the Fire pit scene….THE END. I’m a puddle, can you tell?!?!?!?
STORYLINE (overall plot of the movie) ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ YES!!!!!! This is how you make a WISH movie! 1000% to the whole thing. I loved the REAL-NESS of it all. Lucy is BUBBLY OVER THE TOP…(but even those CHRISTMAS LOVERS have their limits) Max’s wishes changing….so good! Lucas’ healing journey. Man, THE TEARS that I shed!!!! The explanation of grief….it reminded me of “Two Turtle Doves” from last year. I don’t want to spoil a SINGLE second, because you MUST watch!

SUPPORTING CAST ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Everyone and EVERYBODY was so good…..MAX is just the cutest little girl on the planet! That smile! I can’t believe this is the only film on her IMDB! I loved Lucas’ parents—great support and one-liners. Lucy’s mom with the MAD sewing skills making some amazing dresses! I wonder if she sews anything but Velvet? (sorry….sewist nerd observation) I LOL-ed at her reaction to the first dress…I may have done that to my own mother once or twice 😉 Lucy’s friends Cullen & Joan’s story was also adorable……it’s all GREAT, ya hear?!?!?!?

FEELS ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ PLEASE SEE ALL THE ABOVE. At the end after sobbing into my 8yo’s arms….we were bouncing up and down on the couch. Things I haven’t mentioned yet: The bracelets. The GINGERBREAD HOUSE (and every scene and revolved around it) The scene with Lucas and his Dad toward the end is when I lost it…….and then basically, Travis Van Winkle speaking anything throughout this whole movie. And Also, maybe when he wasn’t speaking too.

HALLMARK SURPRISE (anything that really jumped out from the “norm” Hallmark Movie equation) ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ I wasn’t prepared for how much I LOVED this whole thing. I was actually SHOOK at the ending. The whole ending surprised me…and Cullen’s extra line…and just…………EVERYTHING. WATCH IT!

25/25 I feel like this was the movie of the YEAR. I’m not even joking. I loved it so much. I will watch it many times. Max, I CANNOT wait for your wish next year!!!!! (PLEASE MAKE A SEQUEL)