Angels and Ornaments

Harold is out to get his wings, but first he must help a heartbroken woman see what is right in front of her. He must match her with her childhood friend before Christmas Day.

So the "angel" is Harold the "ornament" is a family heirloom that her grandfather gave to her grandmother when they met. As she places the ornament on her tree, ding-dong the woman's doorbell rings and she finds carolers dresses exactly like the ornament. Coincidence?

The movie that follows is delightfully funny and charming.

Worth a view.

This is a Hallmark movie, so the ending is predictable, but it features an excellent performance by Sergio Di Zio who plays an angel tasked with bringing two people together. That alone makes this worth watching once.

My wife asked, "Why do you like this movie but don't like movies about Santa?" There are two classes of formulaic Christmas movies produced by Hallmark. One class succeeds most of the time, given a good script and good actors. The other doesn't. To be successful, it must be believable if we can suspend our prejudices. When it comes to angels, etc., we all want to believe they exist. Even an agnostic like me, wishes this to be true. On the other hand, when it comes to fantasy Christmas involving Santa, we all know it isn't believable so we just ride with it because, after all, it is fantasy. With Angels and Ornaments, we have a wonderful script and a mesmerizing Sergio Di Zio (H). Coupled with Jessalyn Gilsig…well, the magic works. This is on par with The Christmas Card, one of the best Christmas movies made in recent years.

Corrine is a musician who works in a music store; her boss Dave is an old friend of hers, and is sweet on her but would never show it because she has never seen him as boyfriend material. However, Christmas is coming up and she is fresh off a break-up with Tim, who keeps calling her hoping for a second chance. We know a bit about Corrine's background: her grandfather, overseas during WWII, sent her grandmother songs instead of traditional letters. The last one she got was on a Christmas Eve before he was reported killed, and when she died, she gave the song to Corrine as a keepsake, which she treasures. Her favorite ornament, also from her grandmother, is of a group of carolers, and one night, when some carolers come to her door, she notices that the front-and-center singer, Harold, is wearing the same snowflake scarf that one of the ornament carolers is wearing. Wouldn't you know that, a couple days later, Harold winds up as a seasonal worker at the music store. This is when the movie takes a "Wonderful Life" twist: Harold is actually an angel who has been assigned to get Corrine and Dave together. If he succeeds, he'll win his wings. But Harold has his hands full since Dave is a little gun-shy because of his own failed romances, and just as it looks like Corrine is starting to see Dave in a romantic light, that rat bastard Tim comes back in the picture. Can Harold get everything straight before midnight on Christmas Eve?

I give this Hallmark holiday movie a few extra points for its somewhat original plot. Yes, it's stolen from It's a Wonderful Life but it does have a couple of nice variations, and in its plot point involving an old song written by a dead loved one, even borrows a bit from the climax of The Bishop's Wife. The mostly Canadian cast, none of whom I remember seeing before, is fine. I like that Dave (Graham Abbey) is a little rougher-looking than the usual shiny bland romantic leads, and Sergio Di Zio, as the angel, gives an almost eccentric performance that ends up working well. I had some problems with plot loopholes that I can't discuss here, but I recommend this as something just a little different from the Hallmark Christmas Factory.

I absolutely loved the way it was done! Very powerful story of Christmas, love, and hope!!mi really would like to buy it ASAP! The actor that portrays H is amazing!! I cried more with his acting abilities than I have seen in a very long time! I highly recommend this movie not only to watch but a great addition to my home video collection! The whole plot is wonderful and you honestly feel like you are suffering right along with H. They are perfect together and he sees that and in the end they finally figure everything out after her ex tries to come back!! I love, love, love this movie!! Please inform us as to when it will be available for purchase!