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!

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)

I’m always amazed with how hallmark incorporates Hanukkah into their Christmas movie countdown…

This movie, by far, has been their best one yet!

Somehow, they intertwine Christmas and Hanukkah celebrations/traditions in a way that makes them both so magical and important (very smart in appealing to a larger market….which seems to be the Hallmark way this year)

Christina’s entire journey had me captivated from the start. I was so invested that I cried multiple times in the first 30 minutes…..and normally that would make my walls go up, but the sweet moments kept coming and goofball, Fred Savage, kept reeling me back in!

*******Now, because this is my personal blog…and I get to voice my personal feelings and beliefs…if Hallmark is listening(reading)..here’s food for thought. You’ve gone above and beyond to show that your channel is “all inclusive” this year. I’m not going to spell it out, because anyone who has been a Hallmark fan for any length of time can see the many different directions you’ve taken this year. Do you know what hasn’t been represented? Jesus’ birth: The Christian Christmas story. Sure, you’ve played Silent Night and Joy to the World a few times….but this movie in particular really was heavy on the explanation/celebration/reason of Hanukkah, and we have yet to have a story that features my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Don’t get me wrong, I love all the fun stuff of Santa/Rudolph/Frosty/Gingerbread/etc. but they all pale in comparison to the Reason Christmas is so special to me: the Gift of Jesus. *******

And now that I’ve said my piece, I really did love this movie! Mia Kirschner, you, my friend, are lovely!

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

CHEMISTRY (between the leads) ❤️❤️❤️ David & Christina. Fun to watch….I really enjoyed this pairing manily due to the fact that they were more of a “slow moving” coupling then we’ve seen so far this year. Let’s face it, Christina was hit with so much emotionally in her personal life, I really agreed with her assessment that she just wasn’t ready to pursue a romantic relationship. That played out very well….and then not so much. The end of the movie got jumbled up with these two. It was fun and cute….then over before it started…then serious all so fast. Kind of made my head spin…but loved it anyway!
STORYLINE (overall plot of the movie) ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Probably the first movie this season I would need more hearts for the storyline rating. From the loss of Christina’s mom, the ancestry.com research(very timely), adoption, finding new family to all the implies and entails throughout. Learning a whole new religion? or was it just tradition/celebration? (still confused on that) Either way, I cried, I laughed, I cried 4 more times….the story was amazing.

SUPPORTING CAST ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ ALL THE HEARTS for EVERYBODY! Parents, siblings, kids, and friends…they ALL NAILED IT! Marilu Henner, my heart couldn’t take it. I just wanted to hug her and Mia in every darn scene. These women, AHHH! Loved them. And don’t even get me started on Georgio.

FEELS ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️Was there a moment I wasn’t feeling???? I can’t even remember one. If I wasn’t crying, I was visibly smiling. There were too many scenes to even name! Each reveal: I was a puddle. Even Happy tears during the gift opening toward the end……and can we talk about the scene with Christina on the phone, Ruth over her shoulder…the angel statue over Ruth’s shoulder???? Come on.

HALLMARK SURPRISE _{(anything that really jumped out from the “norm” Hallmark Movie equation)} ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️I was shocked at just how much I loved every minute. I don’t want to spoil anything, so go watch. Have you tissues at the ready!

23/25 Heart.Warming. would highly recommend….not a re-watcher for me…but it’s a must see at least once!

oh boy.

I’ve got a lot to unpack with this one….

Danica McKeller is often a Hallmark guarantee as a leading lady….and I have been known to enjoy Dylan Neal in the Cedar Cove & Gourmet Detective series on occassion…..so I really expected to love this one….

I didn’t.

In fact, the writing/acting was so awkward for me that there were moments I had to check to see if I was watching Hallmark and not Lifetime…..

Tripp Wyndym. Can we just pause here and acknowledge the ridiculousness of this name? (I laughed the first 15 minutes of the movie for this alone.)

What bothered me the most though: Tripp. The character is horrible. He’s tasked with firing everyone…but never actually feels bad about it…..Then, he flies across the country pursuing Kayleigh to return to the job, but also romantically pursuing her…..over stepping is the understatement of the century here. Oof!

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

CHEMISTRY (between the leads) ❤️ Tripp & Kayleigh. Shouldn’t happen. This romance is inappropriate in so many ways…..even if I could get past the employer/employee (which I’m sure I could since it’s Hallmark and I’m sure it’s been done before…and I probably loved it) These two weren’t genuine. Tripp could drive a Hallmark Truck COVERED in RED FLAGS with the creep vibes he gave off. TOO MUCH. Did not like. Was it the age difference? Not sure. Just didn’t sit right with me.
STORYLINE (overall plot of the movie) ❤️❤️ OK, I liked the different ideas Kayleigh wrote about in her column to inspire the town to get into the Christmas spirit. I’m 100% on board with the Christmas Cocktail Party!……aside from that…..none of the rest of it really connected with me

SUPPORTING CAST ❤️❤️❤️ DR.DAN! Now, this is the man for you, Kayleigh! How was I more invested in the “wrong guy” then the supposed “right guy”?!?!? Ultimately, that can’t just be chemistry, right????….that has to be the writer’s job, no? The little bit of Tripp vs. Dan dueling for her affections was cute. Glad Kayleigh has a great best friend in Stephen and an awesome sister….(still think Stephen knows what’s up with Tripp, and, girl should listen to him!)

FEELS ❤️❤️I think I’ve made most of my “feels” clear so far….if we need to point out some others…I could mention all the excitement feels I got about thinking about having that cocktail party….with drinks on Tripp and Dan for the first 1 1/2 hours 🙂 …….on a serious note, Danika hit it out of the park with her reaction to Tripp’s overstep with her novel. She could have been a bit harsher, though, if you ask me. 😉

HALLMARK SURPRISE _{(anything that really jumped out from the “norm” Hallmark Movie equation)} ❤️THIS whole movie. I am shocked this made it past the editor’s desk. Tripp should’ve fired them.

9/25 and that’s all She Wrote!

Have your tissues at the ready!

My emotional radar started blaring within the first few scenes of this movie. So many triggers for me.

Needless to say, I cried more than once. I don’t like crying during my Christmas movies in this way. Grief. Having people you love not with you is especially hard during the holidays.

That being said, this story was pretty good.

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

CHEMISTRY (between the leads) ❤️ Sarah & Ben. I felt like this movie didn’t need this attempt at romance. For one, there was just too many other emotional things happening… And two, I didn’t really buy it.
STORYLINE (overall plot of the movie) ❤️❤️❤️❤️ The story was so sweet. I really loved the unveiling of the truth about how each guest was brought to the inn! Although the sender wasn’t a huge surprise….The reason was so thought-out and believable. Modern Miracle of sorts.

SUPPORTING CAST ❤️❤️❤️❤️ Loved all the different storylines! They really got me invested into each one…..especially Jasper. Who, once I got the “COOL RUNNINGS” tag lines out of my head…Was my favorite to watch. (Even though he made my heart ache the most)

FEELS ❤️❤️❤️ Sarah’s and Jasper’s grief really got to me. The church scene had me unglued.

HALLMARK SURPRISE _{(anything that really jumped out from the “norm” Hallmark Movie equation)} ❤️ I’ve got to mention the reason behind the invitations again. The explanation was very clever….but other than that, nothing jaw dropping

13/25 A good emotional flick….Not my Christmas happy jam though