Cher père Noël...

Nice movie about a guy who answers letters to Santa. He meets a woman and her daughter and forms a relationship with them. The woman's "boyfriend" is, as usual, a pain, but eventually all works out. Cute and moving.

With the glut of Hallmark Christmas cookie cutter plots, this one is a refreshing change of pace.

A writer becomes pen pals with a widowed mother, and they develop a connection. Of course, when he goes to her town without letting her know who he is, complications arise. I'm not a fan of the specific ending they chose, but it's bearable considering the great story preceding it.

The characters are warm, and there are plenty of chuckles. This isn't one we'd watch every year, but it certainly bears repeated viewings. :-)

The letters between the two leading characters was very effective in establishing their character and their relationship. This was the best part of the movie and it was well done. The things they said to each other were very memorable and the movie should be watched just for that. The little girl was precious and contributed greatly to the success. I would guess the movie was pretty low budget and that did hurt its appeal. I spent most of the movie wondering if it was a foreign film that they just dubbed over the voices. Seemed the sound track was just a bit off to me. My family did not notice that and they liked it. We had real snow. I was not quite sure why the man was answering letters from Santa.

I am not admirer of Hallmark Christmas films. Sure, each is a hot chocolate, some cookies and a slice of cake -like. Or warm milk in frozen morning. In this case, the things are different. Sure, romance, the widow and her child, the charming stranger and the expected end. >But the humor, the performances, the idea itself are more than seductive, working in nice manner. A film about hope and letters and Santa in a manner special for the nuances. Isadora Swann and Marguerite Moreau chemistry, a Prince Charming who gives new sense to his status by Mike Faiola and, sure, literature as perfect cover. Short - a special film. Or a smart one.

OK, I'm an old guy who loves Christmas movies I admit it. When I saw this was coming on I expected the usual formula of a kid helping Santa Clause out of a fix but to my surprise although frequently mentioned the old guy didn't appear in it, basically it was a love story, with likable characters. I thought it was well acted and was particularly impressed with the acting talents of little Isadora Swann, this appears to be her only acting role to date but hopefully not her last. If you see it coming on watch it, I'm sure you'll enjoy.