This pains me in ways you can’t imagine, but…

I did not enjoy this movie.

So many things about it did not make sense to me: the casting choices…the camera angles….the storyline…. Ugh. 😣. None of it worked….I’m so confused

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

CHEMISTRY _{(between the leads)} ❤️ Ok, listen, I adore Paul Greene. ADORE HIM. And I like Marisol Nichols, so I’m not sure why they were given this storyline. I’m not trying to be age-ist, but this would have been so much more believable for a younger couple. If he was so in love with her, how did he never say anything their whole life?!?!? And even through adulthood…and starting a company…and now after 7 years of not speaking? Not buying it. Joe seems like a very fun, charismatic dude….make a move buddy. All the “moments” were wierd/forced/awkward…. The strange fall on the roller rink that the camera was so far away you couldn’t even see their faces …and What was with the circling each other at the end???? Don’t even get me started on the cringey kiss 😳

STORYLINE _{(overall plot of the movie)} ❤️ I do not understand this story. A Toy company without toys….I’m with everyone on this….then they made Chris so un-likable for most of the movie, I couldn’t believe her turn-around in the end. And am I suppose to believe that a tween/teen girl is into toys that a 5 yo would play with? And thinks electronic toys are lame?

SUPPORTING CAST ❤️❤️ Emma was cute and a very good singer…but they really missed the bar on casting here. She should’ve been much younger. Or they should have written this part for a child her age. It was just off. And can we talk about “Nick”? That was a rough looking Santa…. Yikes!

FEELS I don’t think this has ever happened before…..no hearts ….no feels to name

HALLMARK SURPRISE _{(what made this different from typical Hallmark movies)} ❤️❤️ “let’s go ice skating”….and bam Rollerrink? Lol! I had to rewind it to see if that was right. Honestly, the biggest surprise to me was Chris’s full given name reveal. 🎄 did not expect that!

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. I love love loved that bed that Emma slept in…the triangular canopy with lights…like two Christmas trees 🎄 🎄

6/25 big ol Nope from me.

Everybody…..CATS! Cats! CATS CATS CATS! CATS CATS CATS CATS cats Cats ! (please read and sing to he tune of “Shots!” If you haven’t already done so….go back, I’ll wait)

So, many cats.

Real talk. Not a cat person. at all. I will not apologize for this. The allergy induced eye itching and sneezing that they ail me with is reason enough…..and also, my dog is bomb.

I don’t like cats so much that my Hallmark love couldn’t even get me to watch the first installment, The Nine Lives of Christmas, from back in 2014 until my friends assured me it was worth it. They were right.

But would this sequel live up to the hype?

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

CHEMISTRY _{(between the leads)} ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Here we are again with Zachary & Marilee: what I LOVE about these two lies mainly with Kimberly Sustad’s ability to be quirky and awkward in such an endearing way that I fall in love with her every time. Together, they do have good chemistry, but she kind of carries them both. I mean, you saw that kiss in the fire station, right! FIRE!

STORYLINE _{(overall plot of the movie)} ❤️❤️❤️ They really threw me when the movie started out with Marilee with another man… (which I also was kind of into–she works with everyone!) especially since the last time we left them they were so in love and speaking of forever. I did like that she was able to follow her dreams of becoming a vet! I don’t know how to explain it…aside from having cats and kittens EVERYWHERE at all times, the plot of this one was a little lost on me. I’m glad they found their way back to each other and found homes for all the little furry nuggets though!

SUPPORTING CAST ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Chief Sam= Silver Stud! I LOVE him and his wife! They were so cute! Also, HAPPY RETIREMENT, SIR! He was so touched by his AWESOME gift! And, I really loved Marilee’s sister in this one! She gave great advice while still steering her in the way she wanted her to go 😉 Isn’t that what sisters do??? Since the kittens played such a huge part in this…I gotta shout out the fact that they named them after the reindeer…that was flippin’ adorable!

FEELS ❤️❤️❤️ I really felt for Marilee as she struggled with her feelings about work/life/love. But I FELT that first kiss at the fire station! WOWZA! And then when she just ran away….so good! Of course, the final scene was ADORBS…and I LOVED the first “ring” even more than the second 😉 As for warm hearted feels: all the memories Marilee & Jaclyn shared remembering their mom really pulled at my heartstrings: the making of the bundt cake and the advent calendar. ADVERSE FEELS: I’m not trying to DOG on the cats….but you have to admit there was a little too much dialogue with the cats in this movie, right? Or do all cat people talk to their feline friends like that?

HALLMARK SURPRISE _{(what made this different from typical Hallmark movies)} ❤️❤️The little surprises for me were the throwbacks to the first movie: the Christmas Tree test and the Ice Cream in the grocery store 🙂 Made me chuckle! AND ANOTHER CAMEO!!!! Paul Campbell as a cop…..adopting a kitten!

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. Charm bracelet Advent calendar….I actually already bought our girls each one for this year 🙂 I love that it’s something they can wear longer….and it reminds me of Molly Shannon’s character in the Santa Clause 2 “CHRISTMAS BLING!”
2.  Do you do a Christmas tree test? I simply go by my sight/looks….

16/25 Even with the cats, I liked this one. 😉 I love seeing “where are they now?” sequels….however, I don’t think it surpassed the original…

Were you a Desperate Housewives fan? I watched it for awhile back in the day…but it’s been so long, I can’t really say I was super into it…..but that doesn’t mean I forgot my love for Mike & Susan!

So, we already know these two have what it takes in the chemistry department….it was just a question of what Hallmark hand they got dealt…

CHEMISTRY _{(between the leads)} ❤️❤️❤️❤️ I love these two. So why am I having a hard time giving 5 hearts? So glad you asked. Imma tell you. A huge draw for me is the woo-ing….and the way this storyline was written (which I loved btw) there wasn’t a lot of “woo” But, oh, the last 20 minutes had me in tears! And it was all due to the love Ethan and Joyce poured out for each other! So freaking sweet and beautiful! 😍

STORYLINE _{(overall plot of the movie)} ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Don’t question God’s plan! Now I know they didn’t make reference to the Good Lord…but that’s all I kept thinking while watching this. “What if…” I loved this plot! Getting to see how your life would be different if you turned left instead of right…and realizing in the end what’s truly important.

SUPPORTING CAST ❤️❤️no one aside from James Denton & Teri Hatcher stood out for me. Is that horrible? I mean, it almost felt like the other characters could have been completely switched out and I wouldn’t have noticed. 🤷‍♀️

FEELS ❤️❤️❤️❤️ I can tell you the exact moment this whole movie blew me into “ALL THE FEELS” cuz up until this point, the only ache in my heart I got was when Ethan saw his kids and realized in this alternate life they weren’t his 😦 the moment: at the Christmas Eve party when Ethan doesn’t remember his old life and Joyce remembers for him. Oh my goodness…the scene made this whole movie worth the watch! Of course when he got “home” was amazing too! 😉

HALLMARK SURPRISE _{(what made this different from typical Hallmark movies)} ❤️❤️❤️ I loved that our main couple resolved their conflict very quickly. The misunderstanding didn’t last very long at all….and LOVED the scene I described above…it was just the twist needed to make the storyline unique

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. That COFFEE MAKER! Where do I get one of those???? ☕️

18/25 Solid flick. Gave me all the family feels …..different twist on the “be careful what you wish for” plot. I liked it.

Right off the top, I love when Hallmark does movies set in different cites or in countries that I’ve never been to. The opening scenes walking along with the mailman got me really excited that we were going to be “traveling” to Harlem and experiencing what locals experience. Now, while I think they tried to give us the idea or feel of that….it wasn’t as enlightening as I expected.

CHEMISTRY _{(between the leads)} ❤️❤️ Jazmin & Caleb…I don’t know about these kids….they could have been so flipping cute. They had so much history together, and I will admit that got me more interested in this paring. Most notably for me was the little drummer boy story and the basketball scene….but Caleb: he could have tried a little harder to win his girl….and Jaz, I couldn’t tell if she was even in to him most the movie. Ugh, I just wish they would have worked harder to show their true feelings, THAT’S WHY I’M WATCHING! I mean, Olivia Washington & Will Adams are beautiful people….give us more!

STORYLINE _{(overall plot of the movie)} ❤️❤️❤️I really love the idea of Jazmin coming home and reconnecting, not only with Caleb, but her family and her community! This Christmas Jamboree gave me so many items to add to my Christmas activity wish list! Here’s the issue I had though….if my family treated me the way Jaz’s did, I wouldn’t want to come home either! Why are they mad at her? Because she has a successful job? Her parents were even clueless to the fact that it’s “not ideal” to grow up with divorced parents that don’t get along. Really? You want to try and sell me on the fact that shuffling back and forth between 2/3 homes is suppose to be fun? Sorry. Might hit too close to home for me…but I did not enjoy that angle.

SUPPORTING CAST ❤️❤️❤️Lots of Love for Mama Belle. She tries to take care of the whole block and I just love that. While I also love that she dishes out some tough love—it kind of broke my heart that she never seemed to choose Jazmin’s side. Maybe I am just needing more tenderness in my Hallmark mamas/moms this week……………..Also how cute was Catrina, Caleb’s preggo sister? She was such a sweetheart to Jaz and Caleb! Plus she was funny and sassy ta boot!

FEELS ❤️❤️Unfortunately, I got more uneasy feels in much of this instead of the warm and fuzzies. The Little Drummer Boy/Ace nicknames and their meaning were super cute though….and the Fashion Bash left me with a PERMAGRIN!

HALLMARK SURPRISE _{(what made this different from typical Hallmark movies)} ❤️❤️Just having a movie set in Harlem and showing all the ways a community can come together to celebrate as one big family was different.

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. Santa Basketball Jam….YESSSS!!!!!
2. Holiday Fashion Bash…those suits! LOVE!

12/25 So, even seeing this 12 makes me want to rethink my ranking….I feel like I enjoyed this movie much more than that. However, due to the lack of romance I got from it….probably wouldn’t watch again…

I really had to think about how I was going to go about reviewing this movie. The cast and storyline was so unique to what we normally expect from Hallmark….

I couldn’t put my finger on what I liked so much about it….until I sat down to write this review: it’s like COLD CASE meets Hallmark…the only think missing was the black and white flashback scenes. Although, I must say, Harry Lennix did a fantastic job painting each picture in my mind….so I was able to see it there as the music played ….

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

CHEMISTRY _{(between the leads)} ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ another movie where this category doesn’t truly fit in the Hallmark box. On paper, Niall Matter & Laura Vandervoort are portrayed as the romantic leads….but their story really felt secondary——nay, tertiary. (Big word-eh?) but this is my system, so I gotta stick with it. Megan and Steve…..if this was left up to you, we may be looking at a solid 3, possibly 4 with that banger of a kiss at the end…..HOWEVER, I must factor in Frank & Claire AND that puts the Chemistry at 5 hearts, no question

STORYLINE _{(overall plot of the movie)} ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️COLD CASE + HALLMARK LOVE STORY. What could be better? I loved the relationship between Megan and Frank! Such a sweet friendship to get to ride along with. Now, normally when the secondary love story outshines what should be the main one, it doesn’t sit well with me, but finding Frank’s long lost love was done so well, I 100% approve!

SUPPORTING CAST ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️Frank & Claire. STAAAAHHHPPPP!!! This story was so captivating and emotional. Both Harry Lennix & Liza Huget killed it! They made my heartache for BOTH of them! To be honest Niall’s character Steve seemed more of a supporting role in this! My daughter even said, “I don’t get it, Mom…which couple is this one about?” LOL! I assured her it was okay that there were TWO to root for 😉

FEELS ❤️❤️❤️❤️The Music! Music memory is SO strong! I bet we can all think of a song that takes us right back to a place and time, especially if it’s connected with a love interest! Every time Frank shared a memory….when he SANG! Loved Watching the WOO! Claire’s broken heart….Frank’s broken heart…..the reunions at the end. GAH! Love lasting the test of a whole lifetime…..and if that wasn’t enough, Megan finally allowing herself to love again! GREAT FEELS in this one!

HALLMARK SURPRISE _{(what made this different from typical Hallmark movies)} ❤️❤️❤️ Well, I’ll tell you what, that Max sure surprised me! Also, the unconditional love Megan had for Frank. So focused on your friend’s happiness that you ignore your own. We don’t see that too much these days, do we?

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. Was that a giant Ornament Hot Potato Game? I kind of LOVE it!

22/25 Again, Hallmark making me love a movie for reasons I wasn’t expecting to! I was so focused on Frank & Claire that I might have missed some Megan/Steve action. Might have to watch it again 😉