Una famiglia sotto l'albero

This is another story about searching for lost family. Hayley's mom was separated from her brother by the child welfare system when he aged out. The story includes a potential budding romance with a business partner of the possible family member. It seems like the two threads are about equal.

Most of the story wanders from one holiday activity to another while Hayley tries to stay close to her target, at least through half the movie. Hayley is pushy prying into the life of her possible Uncle Gordon. He is coy about his past which prolongs the search.

While Hayley searches, her mom deals with bittersweet memories while trying to get back out into the world after the recent loss of her husband.

Benjamin Ayres and Taylor Cole have quiet chemistry. The acting is good. Dialogue is decent but not sparkling. There isn't a lot of comedy with this movie focusing more on sentimental drama which is the norm on the HMM Miracles of Christmas.

There is a twist leading into the conflict, but it is one that I pretty much expected despite a red herring along the way. I was taken aback by Hayley's reaction. But that does not take away from a nice ending

Kudos to writers who actually know something about Astronomy acknowledging that shooting star watching is best leading up to 5 AM and on a moonless night. That doesn't stop the director from ruining it all with hundreds of Christmas lights which would wash out the darkness in the same scene.

This is a fairly common Hallmark trope ... looking for estranged family. It's done well ... and with some beautiful buildings inside and out, since we have a builder and an interior decorator.

The actors all do a good job, I believe "as directed", but this is one of a long list of Hallmark Christmas films this year I find to be rather drab. The characters are all very reserved, even in their happiest moments. In the movies I REALLY enjoy, the actors bring some real life and personality to the roles, and I simply didn't get that from this movie.

It's absolutely worth a watch, but it's not one I'll look for again.

Taylor Cole has never been a huge favorite with me but in the past year or two, she has really grown on me. She is very beautiful but does best playing more down-to-earth family-oriented characters. In some roles, her beauty is a almost little off-putting. And she finally settled on a hairstyle that works. This quiet well-paced story really worked for me.

Haley finds out that her mother, who was adopted, had a brother from whom she was separated as a child. Her mother, beautifully played by Jacqueline Ann Steuart, has been sad and reclusive since the death of her husband. As the perfect Christmas gift for her mom, she decides to see if she can find this mysterious brother. With the help of a friend, she narrows the possibilities down to a builder of mountain cabins in Colorado. She goes to visit and meet him to see if he could possibly be her long-lost uncle. Is he or isn't he? Of course we know he is, because otherwise why are we there for an hour and a half? But why is he being so secretive and denying his past?

Benjamin Ayers, who plays a protégé of the possible uncle, and Taylor made a good couple. She needs a strong-looking male lead, and Benjamin fits the bill. The romance seemed right and definitely added to the story. The actor who played her uncle had a strong impact as well. He had a lot of charisma. The other aspects that really added to the story were Haley's friendship with the uncle's daughter, her mother's personal journey back home, and Taylor's career-defining interior design project and its setbacks and successes.

Finally, I do want to give Hallmark props for doing away with the bottomless suitcase. Taylor plans only an overnight trip to Colorado and packed accordingly. In the past, regardless of only bringing minimal luggage for a trip, the leading lady pulls out outfit after outfit with different bulky and matching coats out of the magical suitcase. In this one, Taylor actually wears the same sweater two days in a row and makes a point of having to go shopping for more clothes when her trip is extended. Proof positive that Hallmark reads their reviews, as this phenomenon has been a favorite topic with Hallmark commenters for quite some time. The more I think about it, such an issue is made of her not having enough clothes that I think Hallmark is indulging in a little self-deprecating inside humor. Well Played.

I usually enjoy Taylor Cole movies. She is absolutely beautiful and very charismatic. But not all of her Hallmark Christmas movies have been top tier movies. I liked Unlocking Christmas but I didn't really like Making Spirits Bright. But she's always worth watching.

Long Lost Christmas is one of her best Hallmark movies. And it's directed by Michael Robison who also directed two recent Hallmark movies that I really enjoyed (Autumn in the City and Unexpected Christmas).

She plays Haley, a loving daughter determined to try and help her mother reconnect with her mother's long lost brother. Haley didn't even know she had an uncle and is understandably more than a little curious. Jacqueline Ann Stewart plays Haley's mother Patricia. One can only imagine how traumatizing it must be to grow up as an orphan and then lose touch with one's only sibling. I thought both actresses were very effective in conveying the powerful and conflicting emotions that they felt. Haley wants to know more but she also wants to shield her mother from further pain. It was an interesting and often emotional journey and although I didn't think the "reasons" given at the end were justified, I like stories that reconnect people torn apart by forces beyond their control. And we all know well meaning people who've made bad decisions. Heck, we've all made bad decisions.

Gordon was something of a cipher, but he seemed like a good father and I liked the relationship between Haley and his daughter Brianna, who designed and made wood furniture. The big design showcase opportunity subplot felt a bit off though. It was a last minute opportunity, with a short amount of prep time, during the holidays, and Haley decides that's a good time for a road trip? I also wasn't clear on how Brianna's furniture played such a big role in the showcase. But those are minor issues. The gist of the movie was the heart wrenching story of orphaned siblings who lost each other when they were young and how they find each other again later in life, through the love and dedication of a devoted daughter.

Haley's love interest, Blake, was played by Ben Ayres, who starred in Falling For Vermont, one of my all time favorite Hallmark amnesia movies. He was pleasant and obviously infatuated with Haley (like any heterosexual man with a pulse). They had a nice growing chemistry and seemed like a good match, to at least date.

This is top tier Hallmark. I cried several times. It made me want to hug my sister.

Not sure where this was filmed but it is set in Colorado, Denver and a fictional town four hours away near Aspen. The 30-something single lady is an interior designer, after her dad dies it is just her and her mother. Mom's old photo from 1973 shows her as a small girl and her brother, seven years older, in a foster home. She was adopted, he wasn't, and they lost track of each other.

With modern internet technology, and the help of a computer-savvy friend, they come up with a list of possible people for her brother. The prime candidate has a business in the small mountain community. He also has a single partner, and 40-ish man who might be a perfect match for the interior designer.

My wife and I watched this Hallmark movie at home, streaming via NBC's Peacock site. We enjoyed it, a good story about reconnecting with family in a "long, lost Christmas" celebration.