WARNING: Spoilers for Finding Christmas
My love for sweet, sappy Christmas TV movies has turned into an annual addiction. And I love Hallmark Channel for continually providing the opportunity for me to satiate this need. Tonight, is a little ditty I absolutely fell for — it’s called Finding Christmas.
Synopsis: Sean, a New York adman, swaps his swanky loft for an aspiring musician’s North Carolina cottage after a proposal gone wrong leads him to find a holiday escape. Sparks fly when he meets single mother Ryan. On the other end of the swap, singer Owen is charmed by Sean’s sassy assistant, Mia. As these singles open up their homes, they also unexpectedly open up their hearts for the romantic possibilities in store this Christmas.
Finding Christmas is such a cute movie even though we know exactly what’s going to happen from second one. I never seem to care about that with these types of flicks, however. It’s all about happy endings and joy to the world and letting the holiday spirit do its job. I like the moral of the story as well. Sometimes you have to mix things up in your life in order to find what you want. And when it does happen, don’t talk yourself out of it. Don’t try and sabotage it. Give into it. Accept love into your life. And go for your dreams. It’s the perfect message for this season.
About the cast
- Tricia Helfer is Ryan, a divorced mom who hasn’t been able to get back in the dating game yet. That may change when a Type A ad exec comes to town. It’s cool to see Helfer play sweet because you know we’re used to her being edgy and badass as Number 6 in Battlestar Galactica and her upcoming mid-season ABC series, Killer Women, which premieres Jan. 7 @ 10/9c. Helfer has also starred in the TNT series Dark Blue and done guest spots on everything from Chuck and Human Target to Two and a Half Men.
- Mark Lutz is Sean, the big city adman who receives a wake-up call when his relationship suddenly goes south. That’s when he heads south to the country in order to put his life into perspective. Loved seeing Lutz in Finding Christmas. He’s probably best known for playing Cordy’s Pylean boyfriend, the Groosalugg, on the hit cult series Angel. He also starred in a companion web series for CBS’ Ghost Whisperer. It was called Ghost Whisperer: The Other Side. He’s also appeared on Friends, E.R., King & Maxwell, Flashpoint and Queer as Folk.
Photo Credit: Hallmark Channel
- JT Hodges is Ryan’s brother, your typical nice guy who just wants to be loved. Hodges makes his acting debut in Finding Christmas and he actually does a great job. Major kudos to him. Owen comes across as a good guy a little out of his element when he heads to the Big Apple to put a little spice in his life. He quickly figures out he made the right decision to swap homes with Sean. Hodges’ day job? He’s a rising star in the country music world. And I’m good with that because I enjoyed the couple of Christmas songs he was able to sing in the movie. And he gives great guitar as well.
- Cristina Rosato is Mia, Sean’s assistant who is in a dead end relationship. Good thing Owen comes to town and gives her a much better romantic option. Rosato is a Montreal native, who recently appeared in a two-part mini-series called Exploding Sun. It aired on Reelz and starred David James Elliott and Julia Ormond. Rosato was in an episode of the popular Canadian series, Republic of Doyle. Some of her other credits include Flashpoint, Lost Girl and she has a recurring role on the upcoming French soap opera, Les Jeunes Loups, which in English means Young Wolves.
Bonus Moment of Goodness: I usually give my Moment of Goodness after something airs. But I don’t think it’s giving away too much to tell you guys right now: JT Hodges does an amazing rendition of “Joy to the World” at an open mic night in the movie. He and Stacey Hersh arranged the song — it had me immediately wanting to hit the rewind button and watch it all over again. Hodges kind of won me over with this simple, wonderful scene.
Finding Christmas premieres tonight at 8/7c on Hallmark Channel. It will most probably repeat throughout this holiday season so check your local listings for airdates.
Finding Christmas Promo
JT Hodges’ Finding Christmas rendition of “Joy to the World” (not the scene from the movie) — you can also download the song on iTunes
MORE PHOTOS
Photo Credit for all following images: Hallmark Channel
  
4 Comments
Leave a Reply
Kelly McCormack Talks Favorite Moments in A League of Their Own
[Warning: Mild spoilers for season 1.] Now that you’ve had a chance to watch A League of Their Own, here’s the rest of my chat with Kelly McCormack about her favorite moments of the season. Seeing the iconic Peaches uniforms for the first time wasn’t just a goosebump moment for…
John Griffin and Harold Perrineau Talk From on EPIX Season 1 Finale
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] How are we doing, #FROMily? In case you missed it this morning, the very good news is that that cliffhanger will be followed by a second season, which was gifted this morning ahead of the linear broadcast of the finale. I always legitimately appreciate when we…
Elizabeth Saunders Talks EPIX’s From
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] One of the things that makes EPIX’s From such a fun ride is the abundance of Canadian cast members. Elizabeth Saunders, who plays Donna, is a favorite from her turn on the third season of Mary Kills People [streaming on Global TV in Canada and Roku…
Corteon Moore Talks From “Broken Windows, Open Doors”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight’s episode of From had us all in our feels as we learned through flashbacks about the Sophie’s Choice Boyd had to make to save his son, and back in the present as Boyd said his piece with Ellis before heading into the woods with…
Pegah Ghafoori Talks From “All Good Things…”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode] Tonight on From, Fatima’s anniversary celebration turned into a Colony House of horrors when a misguided Kevin let his monster bae in and she promptly killed him and left the window open for her crew. While the party devolved into terror and sent everyone running,…
Shaun Majumder Talks From “Book 74”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight on EPIX’s From, Father Khatri made a bold move, kidnapping Sara instead of turning her in, and then recognizing her as a vessel for some big messages. That startling realization speaks to him on multiple levels–as a man of faith, a man trapped in…
Avery Konrad Talks About Sara’s Struggle in From “Silhouettes”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Over the course of the season so far on From, we’ve witnessed Sara’s battle against the voices telling her to to do terrible things, and tonight we saw her unravel further, threatening the Matthews and lashing out in a moment of terror with horrifying results….
Hannah Cheramy Talks From “Choosing Day”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight, on EPIX’s From, the Matthews participate in the show’s version of the sorting hat, choosing where to call home–the town or Colony House. At the end of the episode, Julie makes the decision to split from her family and instead settle in with Fatima…
Ricky He Talks From “The Way Things Are Now”
[Warning: Spoilers for episode 102 of EPIX’s From.] Epix’s new series From is two episodes in and it’s already laying the groundwork for a seriously spooky season. Tonight’s episode demonstrated the careful balance of relief and horror that the show hits, with our characters’ worst fears realized, just not when…
Catching Up with Ted Lasso and Previewing Season 2
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] The not so dirty little secret about how I approach a new series is that I sometimes make a call based on the headspace I’m in at the time. It’s been a minute since I’ve picked up a show after the first season and then binge…
What They Said: Three Revealing Conversations from Survivor’s Remorse “Closure”
WARNING: Spoilers for Survivor’s Remorse “Closure” The latest episode of Starz’s Survivor’s Remorse featured conversations that showed characters really digging deep into their thoughts, emotions and motivations.
Two Takes: The Catch “The Knock-Off”
Who can you trust? If this episode of The Catch was any indication, the answer is just about nobody. Betrayal was running rampant as Felicity (Shivani Ghai) arose from the dead to seduce-con Margot, Gretchen (Maria Thayer, Gotham, The Mindy Project) played gold-hearted Alice 2.0 before swindling Ethan, Tessa jumped…
What They Said: Top 3 Quotable Moments from Preacher “El Valero”
Both Quincannon and Jesse refuse to give up on what they each think is rightfully theirs. While Jesse is struggling to face the consequences of his actions, Quincannon has laid his past demons to rest and is hellbent on moving forward and putting Annville on the map again. Despite a…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Supergirl “Worlds Finest”
Oh, Supergirl. That ending was cold. But I can’t hate on you because the latest episode has quickly become one of my favorites.
What They Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Black Sails “XXIII”
The dialogue in “XXIII” is phenomenal. It’s always a fun ride when Black Sails carries its viewers along without giving them the chance to catch their breath. When an episode moves at this unforgiving pace, there is no chance for a breather nor is there a respite from the information…
What Lucifer Said: Favorite quotes from Supernatural “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Supernatural episodes are almost always funny but thanks to the dialogue and a certain man speaking said dialogue, I laughed a lot during “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” You know, when I wasn’t busy fearing for Sam’s life or wondering what in the world was going on with Dean and…
What They Said: The Flash, “Legends Of Today” and Arrow, “Legends Of Yesterday”
Two nights of Arrow + The Flash = what more could we ask for?! I don’t know what it is about blending these shows, but I can’t help but feel that every time they come together, they somehow become greater than the sum of their parts. And that’s saying a lot…
What they Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Graceland “Little Bo Bleep”
Shoot outs. Fake outs. And long-awaited revelations. “Little Bo Bleep” was a jam-packed episode that wrapped up some loose ends and totally frayed others. Â It finally gave us one Sarkissian in jail and pulled back the curtain on Briggs’ master plan, but it also set up Jakes for a world…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Poldark “Part 4”
“What have I told you, I don’t require my wife to crochet and sip tea, but I do require her to remember she’s not a beast of burden.†No, I’m not talking about The Rolling Stones! I have to admit though, just for a second, the lyrics popped into my…
Great review. I thought this movie had some very intelligent dialogue and some terrific acting all around. I especially enjoyed Rosato’s luminous Mia and I agree, JT’s rendition of Joy to the World was a special highlight.
So far, I like Let It Snow the best of all the upbeat Christmas movies. And Christmas in Conway was just a staggeringly good movie, period.
With these romantic movies, it’s the chemistry between the leads – not the contrived plots per se – that make or break the movies for me. Tonight’s movie had some credible chemistry; sadly, the Hayley Duff movie from Saturday did not. But all in all, I truly look forward to Hallmark’s premieres and I DVR them all.
Thanks for commenting. And I saw that a Haylie Duff Christmas movie was going to be airing and…I just couldn’t do it. lol
I really liked Finding Christmas. I loved the chemistry between the characters/actors.
If you liked this one, look for Debbie Macomber’s Trading Christmas from last year — same sort of house-swap theme and really nice chemistry among the leads. Also skewed a scoche older, which I liked. It airs overnight tomorrow night on Hallmark Channel — http://hallmarkchannel.com/debbiemacomberstradingchristmas.
Thanks for the recommendation, Heather! 🙂