Où la magie commence...

If you are familiar with other Hallmark holiday romances, this one is different than most. Neither of the main characters has a bubbly, festive personality. This might be considered a more serious film. And there is a reason for that.

The main character is Cody Cullen (John Newton), an American soldier stationed in Afghanistan. Through a community outreach program, he receives a letter from a small town named Nevada City. When he is sent stateside to deliver the dog tags of a fallen soldier to the widow, he decides to travel to Nevada City.

Through a series of coincidences, he connects with a family that runs a lumber mill. The daughter is Faith (Alice Evans). She might be interested in him if she didn't already have a steady boyfriend.

One of the best aspects of this film is Ed Asner, who plays Faith's father with positivity and mirth.

The film hits all the right emotional buttons for many who watch the Hallmark offerings, with scenes that reinforce the values of hard work, patriotism, prayer, small-towns, the family dinner table, and nature's beauty.

An emotional pay-off comes at the end of the film, but the ending is too abrupt, as many other reviewers have written.

Lord knows I'm a sucker for Christmas time and Christmas movies. Each year, I cannot wait until after Thanksgiving so I can begin the ritual of watching Hallmark each night. This movie warms my heart like no other one has. From the scenery at the log cabin, to the Spellman mill, a sleigh ride on a winters night and the singing in the church...it just doesn't get much better than this. This movie made me remember all the happy memories I had when my dad was alive...he loved Christmas and the snow, he couldn't wait to light a fire and relax while listening to Johnny Mathis music. I've watched this movie a dozen times and it never ever gets old...I love it so much so that I ordered it from Walmart and just watched it again on a cold winters day while waiting for a few inches of snow to arrive later on! My only wish is that the producers would have allowed us to see the family together that day eating Christmas dinner, sitting in front of the fire sipping hot chocolate with the Christmas carols in the background...I think they ended the movie without really wrapping it up for US, the viewers. They could have even made a sequel as I'm sure so many people would have loved. I think the actors cast in this movie were spot on... I loved each and every one, especially Ed Asner:) It's not very often a movie this good comes along, I'm so thankful for this one!

I thought it was a truly heartwarming picture with a lot of scenes that make a person feel nice and cozy inside. I love the reference to the Vietnam veterans which is another war that seemed never to end and the fact that the characters were very believable.

Ed Asner's performance as usual is fantastic and very realistic.

However, on the downside, I felt that the Faith character needed more strength in her performance and that it definitely needed a better ending. The ending was way too fast for such a build-up. I mean, there are some assumptions that viewers can take for granted but for there just to be a quick embrace after-wards was just too fast.

Goof: The question I had is how or why was the diner open on Christmas day so that Faith could buy Cody the meal that she was carrying at the end of the movie. Seemed a bit far-fetched.

Nevertheless, I hope to purchase this movie for my collection.

This plays out like a good drama . I was so engrossed in the story, I kept forgetting it was a Hallmark movie - that's how good it is ! The 2 main leads Alice Evans(Faith) & John Newton (Sgt Cody Cullen, the strong silent type) do a good job, as does the team of supporting actors, especially Peter Jason as Faith's Uncle. However, the tour-de-force belongs to Ed Asner who plays Faith's Dad, Luke. He's so good, so believable and has loads of good lines to deliver. The story itself is best left to others to describe, but it just conveys a love for Family , honour and tradition that tugs at the heart. It's a feel-good film - way better than you were expecting, I'll bet !

A good Christmas TV movies for all the family. Well directed and acted. Nice to see a movie focusing on soldiers serving overseas. It's soppy, but just what you need at Christmas.