Memories of Christmas (2018 Hallmark Movies and Mysteries)

Memories of Christmas

Stars: Christina Milian, Mark Taylor, Brandi Alexander

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Synopsis (via Hallmark)

Noelle (Milian) was raised by the queen of Christmas. When she inherits her late mother’s house, she finds out that her mother had been hiring someone to decorate it – Dave (Taylor). The deal is off, but Dave convinces Noelle to let him carry on the tradition. As the display goes up, Noelle’s defenses start to come down. She embraces the town’s Christmas gala that was her mother’s legacy, finds unexpected love, and develops a joy for the holidays that she never thought possible

Thoughts

We start off at a work Christmas Party in San Francisco, Christina Milian (Noelle) is working and doesn’t have time to do any Christmas craziness. Her pushy co-work tells her that she needs a break from work and books Christina Milian a flight back to her hometown (a small town a few hours “outside of Detroit”) Her mother threw a Christmas gala ever year and was the original Christmas crazy. He mother is also dead. They make a deal, no work or ELSE.

Back in her hometown, Christina Milian settles in and falls asleep. She is woken up by a handsome stranger on a ladder hammering outside of bedroom window. Instead of calling the police. Christina Milian invites him and her neighbors (who are randomly outside her front door.) inside for hot cocoa. They are decorating the house for the Christmas Gala and are surprised that Christina Milian will be selling the house.

I understand why this movie is called Christmas Memories, because Christina Milian spends MANY scenes reminiscing with her neighbors.

Christina Milian strikes up a deal with the handyman, Dave. She will let him decorate her house if he helps her with repairs on the house so she can sell. Her movers can’t get to her place to help pack it up due to icy roads. So Christina Milian books a flight back to San Francisco to get back to work. Dave offers to give her a ride to the airport to be neighborly. Her flight gets cancelled… due to Icy conditions. So she is doomed to spend the day with Dave running errands.

Rex, Christina Milian’s co-worker is very needy and calls her all the time about an account her is working on. They aren’t dating, but are they?

Christina Milian and Dave (With the help of Cory, a girl she used to baby sit who is not a lawyer.) pack up all the Balsam Hill/Hallmark decorations. They talk about memories while they pack and then have a snowball fight without gloves.

At the ice skating rink, Christina Milian visits Dave (who is coaching hockey.) The hockey team goes away and they skate romantically while being music plays and a spotlight follows them. (Dave’s nephew arranged it.) Then they go eat donuts and share more… Christmas Memories.

Then they hear Christmas carolers and FREAK OUT. They run back to the house to turn back on the Christmas lights. It is pretty intense and I don’t want to know what happened if they didn’t turn them on in time. I think the carolers would have killed them.

The lodge where the gala is gets sold by Christina Milian’s firm. Dave thinks that she has materminded this and that is the reason she is in town. He is mad at her and she is now rethinking her life choices.

Dave’s sister and nephew invite Christina Milian and Dave over for a Christmas dinner party. They decorate trees and Dave eventually comes around, especially when Christina Milian volunteers herself to MC the gala. Dave even gives her a snow globe as a peace offering, But, don’t get it twisted he tells her he is not interested in dating her (Because he thinks she is dating her coworker, Rex.) He shuts her down point blank and it is brutal for a Hallmark movie.

It is the night of the gala. Dave and Christina Milian ride in a limo to the gala. Christina Milian has “repurposed” her mother’s gala dress into something more sexy modern. (It is not even the same color) Christina Milian gives a heartwarming speech and realizes that her mom was a kind woman, bot just s Christmas crazy. The gala is a scholarship to raise funds to send a kid to college, and Dave’s nephew WINS!

Christina Milian and Dave dance and are almost back falling in love, until coworker Rex shows up?!?! Christina Milian goes with Rex, apparently he is there to help her back up her mom’s house. She forgot all about that and didn’t even reschedule the movers. The next morning, Christina Milian is trying to avoid packing and Rex is all about it or is her more interested in getting Christina Milian’s opinion about work.

Christina Milian hatches a plan and gets one if her other clients to but the lodge and save the Christmas gala for year to come. Christina Milian see that Rex is only using her for work and that he doesn’t want a relationship, she tells him to go back to San Francisco.

Dave meets Henderson (the new owner) and is very thankful that the lodge and the Christmas gala will be saved. He runs to Christina Milian’s house. She is trimming the tree, like her mom used to, and invites Dave into help her. In the tree is a box with a note her mom left her. Christina Milian won’t be packing up anything anytime soon. She moves her job to this small town and will be staying. They have hot chocolate by the tree and kiss. The end!

Side Note

Minority Report: Romantic Leads and Rex

When Christina Milian shook a snowglobe, I got really nervous she was going to get trapped inside.

Very, surprised Christina Milian didn’t sing in this one.

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Overall rating

🎄🎄 (2 Christmas Trees)

🍷🍷🍷(3 glasses of wine required)