On the Twelfth Day of Christmas

Seems like I either hate Hallmark movies or love one so much I can't stop watching it over and over.

This movie is a watch over and over one for me. Loved it. The main two leads are wonderful. They are spot on in their acting and seem to get the plot and their characters exactly.

This is also a movie where several side actors are so excellent that they add a lot to the movie. For example the female lead's editor and male lead's program manager were amazing.

The plot is thoughtful, believable, realistic, and charming. It seems to have a sense of carefully constructed scenes throughout that make the entire production a joy.

There are few Hallmark movies that don't have a few glaring errors. But, you would be hard-pressed to find some in this movie. So, go ahead. Watch it over and over like me.

Of all the general plots of the Hallmark movies, Christmas and otherwise, my favorite is the quiet, reserved, crushing female lead doing battle with the aggressive, flashy, or sometimes even a little bit evil, hussy for the heart of a tenderhearted prince. This movie has that plot and a Christmas theme as well.

The three key factors that make a movie like this one are, is there a real romantic story, are the supporting characters or story lines funny and/or interesting, and is the plot relatively believable and the Christmas theme well done.

This movie has all three. While not laugh out loud funny the supporting characters do provide laughs and a base for the movie. The story is told in a subtle way allowing the characters to have a little dimension. It has a nice believable backstory that adds to its charm. It ties Christmas into its plot very well.

Needless to say the result is predictable but if you were looking for suspense you will not be watching the last ten minutes of this kind of movie. However, for a nice two hours of Christmas diversion while you are wrapping some presents, this will work.

My first....yes first Hallmark Christmas movie I finished to completion. Gasp! In my 41 years of life. Just never really cared for them. I tried watching a couple but always just got bored. This was very good. I love the main girl character. She's quirky and cute and very believable. I am looking forward to watching more Hallmark bc of this. You will enjoy this so if given the chance watch it for sure!

Compared to all movies: 8.0. Compared to Hallmark Movies: 9.7.

I'm seeing a pattern, so my next task is to modify my rating system. Surprisingly half of the Christmas movies in my binge-fest are actually out performing what I anticipated. This film outdoes itself, and consequently is my new fav. I know more favorites will emerge as I continue this journey for another 90+ Christmas movies.

A naive college girl is the recipient of a selfless act of Christmas cheer. Her ride home falls through, but a male student, also a communications major, does her a big favor by giving her a seat on his way home for the holidays. They get stuck in a blizzard, and he gives her a mini-adventure to pass the time. Eventually she arrives home, and they part ways - leaving us to anticipate a pleasant reunion after the holidays.

To our surprise they jump 10 years forward. We discover he did not return to school, and they lost touch. As fate would dictate, they eventually bump into each other. He has accepted a job as a radio deejay in her hometown, and she is a writer for the newspaper.

She discovers that somewhere along the way he cultivated a total disdain for Christmas. Of course she is curious about this, and longs to inspire him once again. She decides to be his anonymous benefactor (secret Santa). What begins as a benign gesture, turns into the talk of the town. Word of her private gifting of the 12 days of Christmas spreads to the radio and the newspaper, and takes on a life of its own. All the while, nobody knows she is the secret Santa.

I was greatly trepidatious that the ending would be lifeless and trite, but astonishingly, it was wonderful. The endearing and heartfelt gestures that she fashioned were quite revitalizing, and I could not help but fall hopelessly in love with her irresistible, and adorable self. Refer back to the heading: Never had a secret Santa quite like this one. She comes right out of a fairy tale.

The mystery unfolds bit by bit leading to a wonderful climax at the end of this absolutely marvelous and elegantly wrapped film. I had to wipe the tears off of my rose tinted glasses a few times, but I deign not concern myself over it. The probability is very high that I have had a starry-eyed reaction to a disproportionately lovely creature named Brooke.

Yet another Christmas movie that will be assigned to my yearly Holiday watchlist.

One caveat for truly adoring this film: you must be in love with one of the lead characters. If not, this adventure may fall flat. Why? I figure it's because this movie puts all its eggs in one proverbial basket: the two main characters' ability to tug at your heart-strings.

What magical land of unicorns and fairies did a creature like Brooke Nevin venture out from? I mean, if I had to describe the perfect caricature of a Christmas love interest/angel/goddess...

And Robin Dunne, I'd imagine the ladies swoon over him similarly, especially for his radio voice, and satisfactory acting skills. He nails the part, probably from a female perspective. As a male, I can say he did ok.

Hallmark hit it out of the park with this one. Dunne is a college DJ who is full of Christmas spirit and who does a fellow student (Nevin) a good turn at Christmastime, and then inexplicably disappears. 10 years later, they end up in the same town, but now he has turned his back on Christmas. She can't understand how he became so sour on the holidays and is determined to help him get his Christmas spirit back.

It's a wonderfully done story from so many angles, and the chemistry between Dunne and Nevin feels very real. I've seen Dunne in several movies now. I would guess that he is probably not considered one of the Hallmark hunks, but he has an everyman quality about him and always seems to put forth solid performances. He and Nevin are very well matched in this one. The way she goes about helping him makes a lot of sense and is very heartfelt. And unlike some Hallmark movies where the romantic feelings seem to spring out of nowhere, the two actually spend a good amount of time together and the growing bond between them feels very legitimate.

I highly recommend this. With all the newer movies that Hallmark shows, it only seems to appear now a few times during the holidays so keep your eyes peeled and set your DVR. You'll be happy you did!