Trois Noëls à la maison

I really enjoyed this movie and appreciate how Hallmark upped its game in terms of telling the stories of different families who share something special in common. Basically, things center around 7 Cherry Lane, a house called home to three different families spanning over five decades. Though each family's storyline is separate from the others, there are people and details of each storyline that are interwoven with the others, creating a vibe that's similar to This Is Us.

The families are young marrieds Lizzie and John, who are awaiting the birth of their first child; this takes place in the '70s. Then there's Regina, a forties-ish widow with two young-adult children, who's ready to move on with her life in the 90s era. Lastly, there's Mike and Zain, ready and hoping to welcome a child into their family in the present day. I don't want to give any more details because this movie is best enjoyed by discovering who's tied to who, how and when by the viewer. Wonderful cast of actors who had excellent chemistry with each other! Highly recommended watch.

I enjoyed this movie. It's well constructed and acted with good performances all round in particular I liked Vincent Rodriguez III as Jonathan Bennett's long-suffering carol singing partner. The 3 story lines weave seamlessly if somewhat confusingly together and there is a heartwarming end. What more could you want from a Hallmark LGBT inclusive Christmas movie? Well, I for one would like to see Hallmark (and others) push just a little further. For all its diversity credit, this film is still wholeheartedly about the conformity of the family ideal. The gay men are cute with the children. The adopted girl is set firmly on the path to become a little princess. Religion rears its secular head through the singing of carols. None of this bothered me too much - but one detail did. The gay kiss. This was very much a 'no sex please we're hallmark' movie. No shirtless reveal. No steamy shower scene, and the kiss between the two men is blink-and-you'll-miss-it brief, and shot carefully to be out of sight of the child. A pity.

This is another great movie and Hallmark is really hitting home with some of their recent releases.

The only thing is you really have to be paying attention or re-watch the movie.

There are three families across three different time periods (the 70's the late 90's and current time 2023). The time periods and families are not shown sequentially (since their connection is more than sequential).

The connections to the other families and time periods is more than just the home, it's in the people themselves and their connection to each other, but that's not the focus of the story. Even though these people's lives have some connection or overlap, they each independently have life changing events occurring and the struggles that go with dealing with these events. As they overcome or accept these life changes they find strength in the people around them and the viewer sees connections that are hinted at but slowly revealed as the story progresses.

I wish the changes between the time/families had been a little more clear, but do like the way it was showing the families and the overlapping storyline.

Bravo, Hallmark.

Loved every second. Tough competition in 2023 with the brilliance of 'Holiday Road' and 'A Biltmore Christmas' but the ensemble cast and the three intertwining stories (the 70's, 90's and present day) made for a proper Hallmark classic. Leaning more into the nostalgia of the season and the importance of family over place, 'Christmas on Cherry Lane' continues the Hallmark trend in 2023 of moving away from the (pardon the pun!) cookie-cutter movies they have become famous or infamous for.

Whilst it was a little bit of a shock at the end of the first stanza of the film to see the years flash up on the screen, it was fun figuring out who was related to who, and how everyone knew each other through the years. You had to pay attention, but it was worth it.

Catherine Bell's best work for Hallmark. Erin Cahill's best work for Hallmark. Jonathan Bennett finds himself in another classic (I'll never stop seeing him as the brother from the Christmas House movies) and a well-cast group of supporting characters. James Denton didn't get a tonne of screen time, but he was good. Brandi Alexander as Daisy tied everything together.

Great sets, great music, great acting, great story -- no, an unforgettable story.

The finale hits you right in the feels.

This is really interesting that I'm saying this about a Hallmark movie. That's because it's incredibly different from any other Hallmark movie. Yes, they have the love. Yes they have all the other blah blah blah, yada yada yada. But I love the way that they took three different storylines from three different years in the same house and tied them all together. You just don't see that sort of thing these days. And, just when you think you've got it all figured out, they throw you a curveball. I like a nice curveball. I like it when a movie keeps me on my toes and I don't honestly see what's coming till almost the end. That's why I'm giving this one 10 out of 10. Well done whoever wrote this one.