Embrassez l'esprit de Noël

For Hallmark movies, this one was especially poignant and not simply sappy. Really liked the ending, though I could tell that was coming. Well acted. It's a keeper.

This movie was so sweet. I love Jill Wagner but this was not her best role. And Luke MacFarlane was amazing. The chemistry was good. But I did feel that there wasn't enough moments between the leads - even though there were a few - and maybe that's why it feels a bit off.

Look, I should have seen that "plot twist" coming but I didn't. So, I was pleasantly surprised. And kid, him questioning everything, from science to religion was on point.

This doesn't even count as a review, i'm writing it a year and two months after its release, but you should give this a chance. It's worth watching once.

A seemingly odd Christmas movie in that there is not a lot of Hallmark's typical Christmas branding in this story. However, true to most Hallmark movies, the storyline becomes pretty predictable early in the movie. Some may object to the story including several mentions of "God" throughout the movie but I personally think it adds that bit of realism needed in this story. From the opening scenes to the closing scenes, you have to keep in mind that this a Christmas story that has a pleasant Hallmark ending!

This is definitely one of my favorite Hallmark Christmas movies (even if it is a little more religious than most). First of all, I really like Jill Wagner and Luke Macfarlane in other things and I thought they made a great couple in this. I didn't quite find it as predictable as some other movies, but maybe I should have (it might be because I was distracted at the beginning and forgot). Anyways, I really enjoyed it. I also loved the scenery, decorations, music and costumes.

It should be noted that this is a Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Movie. Hallmark advertises these as more serious and not as lighthearted as the classic Hallmark Channel movies. The cast was better than some of the Hallmark movies I've watched in the past - Hallmark has a habit of reusing many of their actors and actresses and while this is sometimes endearing (Candace Cameron Bure, Catherine Bell), sometimes it's like nails on a chalkboard (Erin Krakow, Alicia Witt) where they shoehorn one of their favorites into movies that they don't fit, just because they've worked with them in the past - in spite of what fans vocally prefer. I didn't find that to be the case here. I was only familiar with Luke MacFarlane's past movies and he fit this role nicely. The other lead who played Maggie seemed to be a nice mix of overbearing cynic meets slowly awakening optimist.

I've never read the book, but this was such a sweet movie. The thread of healing and hope that tied it all together made for an uplifting theme. This movie had more religious aspects than the typical Hallmark stories, which I appreciated. It was refreshing that a Christmas movie actually acknowledge the reason for the season. And even if this plot point wasn't exactly front and center, I loved that it was woven throughout and tied together. I'm optimistic Hallmark will continue to expand on this type of movie for the future Christmas seasons.