
For my last pick of the 2017 12 Days of Hallmark Holiday Favorites, I’m cheating (again). Alison Sweeney gets the nod and I have to give Warren Christie an honorable mention.
Sweeney has two Christmas titles, one of which isn’t in rotation this holiday season but is available for purchase. The one that is running on Hallmark is a 2017 newbie, Christmas at Holly Lodge It’s sort of a reverse Let It Snow as Sweeney plays a lodge owner struggling to make ends meet when she finds herself attracted to the guy (Jordan Bridges) who arrives for Christmas at the behest of a developer interested in taking over the property.

Similar to the earlier film, he realizes that the lodge isn’t broken; it just needs a little help, as does its proprietress, and he sets out to do what he can on both fronts, while finding romance, too. The movie repeats Christmas Eve at 11 pm/10c on Hallmark Channel and three more times next week.

Everything I said in my Cameron Mathison piece about 2015’s Murder She Baked: A Plum Pudding Mystery holds true here for Sweeney. I enjoyed it for her because, same as with Mathison, it was the film in the franchise where she found her rhythm as Hannah, and the relationships started to really gel between Hannah and her Mom, Delores (Barbara Niven) and sister, Andrea (Lisa Durupt).
I do hope we get more from this franchise. You can watch the movie on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries January 14th, or buy it now on DVD or Amazon Video.

Outside of her holiday titles, Sweeney has done two mainstream films that I adored — 2015’s Love on the Air with Jonathan Scarfe and 2016’s The Irresistible Blueberry Farm opposite Marc Blucas. In both films, she played wounded women who were trying to move forward in the wake of significant losses and then suddenly found themselves pulled toward someone they were neither looking for nor expecting.

When each came out, I mentioned at the time how much I appreciated that they were a little more wistful and earned in their relationships. Both movies tend toward the tearful and serious, but they’re not maudlin, and that’s a fine line to walk, especially when you’re catering to a feel good brand. Keep an eye out for both in 2018. The Irresistible Blueberry Farm is also streaming on Hallmark Movies Now.

My honorable mention for Warren Christie is related to The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, his nine-year-old Hallmark Channel film, which is one of the oldest in the network’s library that still reruns several times a year. When you do a holiday movie this right, one is plenty.
Christie plays Morgan, a world-traveling free spirit who steps in to help newly retired cop Ralph (Henry Winkler) when the latter is overwhelmed at the airport while on his way to see his niece, Jennifer (Brooke Burns).
Once they land in Denver, Morgan is unable to catch his connecting flight because the airport is snowed in, so, as you do in Hallmark-land, Ralph invites him to stay with him at the home of his niece and great-nephew until the weather clears. If this were on Lifetime, it would have gone so wrong eleventy times over.

Because it’s Hallmark, it turns into a sweet story of learning to let go and live in the moment, something Jennifer has been unable to do as a single parent and career woman. She’s in knots about Christmas and procuring the perfect gift for her son, Brian (Connor Levins), fixing a multi-course holiday meal, and maintaining a rote relationship that seems more professional than personal.
That is until Morgan makes her step back. It’s really just a fantastic, silly, sweet movie that yes, I do watch every year, and usually again every July. If you haven’t seen it, it’s on Hallmark Channel again December 30th at 2 am/1c and New Year’s Eve at NOON/11 c. It’s also on DVD and Amazon Video. We haven’t seen Christie on Hallmark since 2014’s The Color of Rain but I’d love them to get him back again.
Heather M
Related posts
2 Comments
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Classics
Thank Me Later: Will Trent
[Warning: spoilers ahead.] I’m on record as loving and losing shows over at ABC so I’m usually very reticent to pick something up on the network until it’s been renewed, and I seriously hope I’m not jinxing it, but I took a chance on the deeply odd and very sweet…
Dennis Heaton Talks The Imperfects
Longtime readers at TV Goodness will know that Motive is one of my ride-or-die series, and as such, I am fiercely loyal to its creator, Dennis Heaton. He followed up that fantastic reverse procedural with Netflix’s The Order and is back on our streaming screens with The Imperfects, which dropped…
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…
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…
3 Moments of Goodness from Brooklyn Nine-Nine “Johnny and Dora”
The most satisfying part of this season’s finale has to the Jake and Amy kiss. Well, they kiss three times but the last one is the best one — and it means something. The Charles and Rosa dynamic was also great. I love how she’s convinced he doesn’t know anything…
will there be any more new She Baked Recipe movies on Hallmark Channel in the coming future?
No official word one way or another yet.