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Christmas Comes Home to Canaan
This movie originally aired in 2011 and stars Gina Holden, Billy Ray Cyrus, Liam James, Emily Tennet, Matt Ward and Jacob Blair. This is a sequel to Christmas in Canaan that aired in 2009. You can find this one on the Peacock app currently.
Both of these movies deal with serious issues. I enjoyed the first one a bit more but it is also more intense.. be warned not a ton of Christmas feels like your current Hallmark movies.
This movie deals with people moving on from grief, recovering from spinal surgery, persevering and doing what’s right.
It’s a more serious movie that has real life intense problems occurring but done in a way that feels more genuine than the movies that just try & make you cry.
It takes place on a farm so you know that always has an extra star from me just for the setting alone!
3.5 out of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
The Christmas Secret
This movie originally aired in 2014 and stars Bethany Joy Lenz and John Reardon.
I really enjoy this movie. It is one I usually watch each year. I think it’s a movie that has real life problems and situations woven in the movie. The ex-husband is the worst as is the original diner owner.
There is some major Christmas magic in this movie that has three families meeting and an amazing social worker who is there in service of the kids.
A young struggling mom doing the best she can to raise her kids in a small town, a young man trying to decide big city dreams like his dad or is his heart in the small town. I must say the real life elements of the movie really drew me in.
Having a true villain in the ex-husband and the beautiful ending that I didn’t see coming the first time I watched it.
This movie is a 5 out of 5 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄 Christmas trees for me.
Karen Kingsbury The Bridge Part 2
This movie originally aired in 2016 and stars Katie Findlay, Wyatt Nash, Faith Ford, and Ted McGinley.
I will say watching part 1 before part 2 might have been helpful. Did I remember what happened in the first movie fully as I watched it over two years ago? Nope.
Did this movie start off with a bang in the first 20 minutes? Oh yes.. This is an older Hallmark movie where they weren’t afraid to throw in some serious feels into their movies and this one starts off with two horrible things that have happened.
Overall this movie is a bit slow, and the father is horrible.. He tries to control his daughter so much that he has picked her spouse, job, and feels the need to fly down to see that his daughter will stick to his plans for her. Very old Hallmark in that regard.
It just felt like it was slowly moving along that is why the low rating.
2 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️
Most Wonderful Time of the Year
This movie originally aired in 2008 and started Brooke Burns, Warren Christie, and Henry Winkler. This was a killer cast and a funny movie.
Brooke- He’s kind, strong, stable, and solid. Henry- Wow, he sounds like a bookcase. 😂😂
This movie had someone get hit over the head with a garbage can, two attempted robberies, and smoking chemistry between the leads. This is a Hallmark movie with a little edge and I’m here for it!
If you haven’t watched this one, add it to your list of throwbacks to check out. It has a sweet airport ending that is a classic in romantic comedies.
4.5 out of 5 🎄🎄🎄🎄.5
The Santa Suit
This movie originally aired in 2010 and stars Kevin Sorbo.
This movie had Kevin playing himself but a magically santa at the start of the movie turned him into Santa to the outside world. It’s very much like a knock off version of The Santa Clause with Tim Allen in some regards though I prefer The Santa Clause to this movie.
Kevin started as a greedy business owner who only cares about the bottom line and not the people that work for him. He learns his lessons from his old secretary, and a young girl whose mom works for his company and gets fined if she doesn’t reach goals in the production line.
There is also a slow burning love story between Kevin and the gal who works at social services office which is really sweet.
Overall this movie relies heavily on Kevin Sorbos acting chops and he delivers for the most part. For me, it is a middle of the road movie. Not one I would seek out again, but maybe would dip in for 20 minutes.
3 out of 5 🎄🎄🎄
The National Tree
This movie originally aired in 2009 and stars Kari Matchett, Andrew McCarthy, and Evan Williams. You can find it on the Peacock app currently.
It is about a high school boy who is an aspiring film student and wins a contest to donate his Christmas tree to the White House. His widowed dad and him set out via semi truck to drop off the Christmas tree and adventures ensue.
A giant wildfire breaks out in Utah, no self service, does the dad stop when people pulled over on the side of the road tell him not to entire? Of course not, the fire rages around them and the Christmas tree they are supposed to drive across country. This is probably the largest action scene I’ve ever seen in a Hallmark movie, it also reminded me of a universal studios ride with the fake fire shooting out 🔥
There was a stowaway high school girlfriend, vlogging happening throughout the movie from the teens. If you want Christmas feels, this one won’t give you many. But it does feature Thanksgiving which is rare in the holiday movies.
There is a classic misunderstanding at the end and a fight over planting the tree vs putting it in a tree stand and letting it die. The father is attached to the tree since he planted it when his son was 1. Not even the presidents phone call could save this movie.
Overall this was a snooze fest even though there was a road trip, with activities along the way. Watch to check it off your app but come in with low expectations and it might surprise you 🤷🏼♀️
2 out of 5 🎄🎄 trees
Dear Santa
This movie originally aired in 2011 and stars Amy Acker and David Haydn-Jones. You can watch this one on the Peacock app.
The premise of the movie is a 30 year old woman who comes from money is cut off financially from her parents. A letter to Santa magically gets blown her way and she tracks down the letter to a 7 year old girl whose father runs the local soup kitchen.
This is a movie that has a lot of b-roll footage where nobody talks and we are just watching someone get ready, walk into rooms, drive their car with music in the backdrop. There is definitely a different quality to the older movies. The one thing that is nice is they are in homes that aren’t $750,000+ homes so it feels more real for the majority of the population.
The movie fashion seems surprisingly dated as well. It also puts two women against each other vying for the same man, in a pretty mean & ruthless way that I don’t see Hallmark do anymore. Plus the leading man is just looking to get married and throwing a ring at the first woman he thinks would say yes, super cringe 😬
Overall this movie is a bit slow and boring. Save your time and skip this movie.
1 out of 5 🎄
Christmas Camp
This movie originally aired in the summer of 2019 and starred Bobby Campo & Lily Anne Harrison. This was my first viewing of this movie, I’ve been trying to watch it for 4 years and finally caved for the Hallmark Now app at least for a few months so I could catch old movies I’ve missed.
I love the premise of a Christmas Camp to help people get in the Christmas spirit. It is a fun unique approach to a movie. There were fun characters at the bed and breakfast but it just felt like it was missing something. It felt a bit slow and like people were acting vs having it feel natural.
2.5 out of 5 🎄🎄.5
Midnight Kiss
This movie originally aired in 2018 and stars Carlos PenaVega and Adelaide Kane. It was my first time seeing this one, also one I’ve been trying to catch but never replays on the Hallmark Channel, maybe a reason it never re-airs 🤔
This movie was a party planning movie for a last minute New Years Eve party. I must say the party planning movies aren’t my favorites so that was strike one, strike two this movie was pretty boring, strike three the leads didn’t really have great chemistry.
I found myself drifting off on this one quite a bit and the way it was filmed it felt really dark and dreary. More like a mystery movie camera work vs a happy holiday movie.
You might enjoy this one if party planning especially at the last minute is of interest to you. Otherwise it is one you don’t need to add to your must watch list.
1.5 out of 5 🎄.5 trees
One Christmas Eve
This movie originally aired in 2014 and stars Anne Heche, Kevin Daniels, Carlos Gomez and Ali Skovbye (who plays the young Tully Hart in Firefly Lane) If you are wanting a traditional Hallmark flick skip this one, because this movie is wild! It had Home Alone vibes with the kid in the warehouse who ended up getting hurt but at least his newfound puppy was with him.
Between a broken ankle, a broken arm, and hypothermia plus an armed robbery after their car dies in a snowstorm it’s quite a movie out there! Next you have a tow truck driver losing the car he is towing which of course rolls into a lake. The dog knocking down the Christmas tree at the police station while everyone slept causing a fire to erupt and almost getting hit by a fire truck. One antic after another in this film!
I must say I did enjoy the wild ride of this movie and would say if you’re in the mood for Hallmark but something you’ve never seen Hallmark do before I think this film would fit that bill!
This was also a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie which is unlike any Hall of Fame movie I’ve ever seen but it’s worth the watch!
4 out of 5 🎄🎄🎄🎄
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