Christmas Under the Lights

I enjoy Heather Hemmens in most of her Hallmark movies. I thought this one was good, and she played the emotional story beats very well, mostly in trying to grapple with her mom's death and the regret associated with that. The romance as usual was a slow build over the course of maybe two weeks (lol), but I liked that it wasn't your typical "I'm in love with you" but rather "I really like you and want to see where a relationship could go".

For my first '24 Hallmark offering, this fit the bill. But it wasn't anything particularly groundbreaking. Still, even the most casual of Hallmark fans will find something enjoyable in this one, so I say give it a watch!

Emily - Heather Hemmins - is called back to her small Washington state town by her brother around Christmas. She's in marketing in Los Angeles and doesn't want to look back. But, her Mother ran a small petting farm and put on a famous Christmas carnival. Now, Mother has passed away and Emily is torn up inside. But, she goes. Driving near the farm, her car almost collides with a new farm worker, Luke - Marco Grazzini. They trade snarls. Yet, as Emily gets involved in the Carnival plans, she begins to see value in Luke's help and presence. She likewise begins to heal from her Mother's death. Will she return to Los Angeles after the Carnival? Hallmark continues to deliver sweet, touching films for holiday romance fans. The two stars, Hemmens and Grazzini, were delightful, charming and good looking. Fans will welcome another heart warming Christmas flick.

Christmas Under the Lights is easily one of the best Hallmark movies I've seen in years, and I watch plenty of them! What sets this one apart is its calm, realistic tone and the maturity in its storytelling. The acting is wonderfully natural, the characters feel genuine, and the story has surprising depth. Instead of relying on clichés or forced drama, the film focuses on heartfelt relationships, emotional growth, and a community coming together.

It's a refreshing, feel-good movie with just the right amount of holiday magic. If you're craving a Hallmark movie that feels authentic and meaningful while still delivering all the festive charm, this is a must-watch!

This is an example of a Hallmark movie that seems to be made with a low budget so it is just a series of endless scenes where the characters just talk on and on and nothing really happens. Plus, the scenes are very repetitive with the lead character, Emily, constantly agonizing over the loss of her mother. At times, Heather Hemmins, as Emily, even seems bored with the script herself. Usually, a very good actress, Hemmins just appears to get lost in all the word salad. Marco Grazinni, as Emily's love interest, Luke, tries valiantly to breathe some life into the story - but there's little he can salvage from this weak script. Sharon Taylor plays Emily's mother in flashback and she is the most interesting of all of the characters - she manages to add some spark to what is, ultimately, one of the biggest disappointments of this 2024 Christmas season at Hallmark.

I really enjoyed the stars Heather Hemmens (Emily) and Marco Grazzini (Luke). The film was supposed to be set in a small town near Seattle and in Seattle, which it so clearly and annoyingly was not.

Emily heads home to help her brother run their family farm Christmas carnival, the first since their mother passed. There she meets the famous artist Luke. The two initially have conflict, but then come up with the brilliant idea for Luke to do a "special" Christmas art installation for the carnival.

The conflict in this one seemed very manufactured and artificial. Luke's divorced and lost his artistic muse...he's helping on the farm to find himself and discover his next chapter...and Emily has guilt for not going home to help out her mom, but her home town is not big enough to support her successful career (talk about first world problems).

I did enjoy the hallmark actor cameo, that was fun but there was very little Christmas besides the white elephant gift party. I loved seeing the alpacas and goats...but their is no way they were drinking fresh out of the goat milk, and they certainly weren't whipping up goat milk eggnog that quickly!

For me this was very unrealistic and kind of middle of the road for a Hallmark holiday romance and I can't recommend it unless you have a crush on Marco Grazzini, he really is the best part of this film.