Nostalgic Christmas (2019 Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
Nostalgic Christmas (2019 Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)
Cast: Brooke D’Orsay, Trevor Donovan, Chad Willett
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Synopsis (via Hallmark)
Anne Garrison’s (D’Orsay) annual holiday visit to the small town in Maine, where she grew up, is somewhat bittersweet this year. With her dad set to sell his toy store and retire from his wood-carving career, and the town’s lumber mill up for sale, this will probably be her last Christmas there. But when Anne is drafted and paired with handsome local widower Keith McClain (Donovan) to co-chair the town’s Christmas celebration, she begins to question what she wants in life. Soon, Anne becomes torn between returning to her fast-paced career in New York and remaining in the small town to take over her dad’s hand-carved wooden toy business and seeing where a burgeoning romance with Keith might lead.
Thoughts
New York City! The land of working blonde white women who leave their hometowns to put work before everything. Anne is one of those women. She is a toy buyer for a department store, just like her father, who owns a toy store in her hometown of North Bay, Maine.
After landing her big account. (Which is a talking horse doll.) Anne heads home to her father, who is NOSTALGIC FOR CHRISTMAS. Her father is selling his business and his home. Anne is hiring her high school ex-boyfriend, Tom Novak, to help with real estate sales. (She is also working with high school BFF Colleen on the town Christmas committee.)
Widower Keith and his daughter Jesse are on their way to the Christmas pageant auditions and stop at the town toy store. After he drops off his daughter, Keith goes to a lady in a blazer to ask her not to sell the town mill. It employs over half the town! He wants to buy the mill because it means a lot to him. (He can’t afford it.)
Somehow, Keith and Annie get roped into planning on the Christmas committee. They think that it will be easy, even if they are unwilling to do it. At every turn, they run into obstacles. These roadblocks only work to bring them closer together. Jesse approves of the pairing. She asks Anne for help with her solo in the pageant while decorating for Christmas. (Cue a Christmas decorating montage.)
Tom Novak keeps butting into their budding romance. This is threatening to Keith, while Anne is oblivious to the situation.
A Christmas Tree (or multiple trees) lighting happens, Christmas Festival, and the Christmas Pageant is looming. All three of these events require a lot of logistical planning, and we are lucky enough to see every detail. Keith, Anne, and Colleen have multiple meetings. (Like, why am I watching people work in a Christmas movie. I seriously do not care.) Anne takes over as musical director for the pageant, after a lot of pressure from her friends. (She and her mother used to play piano together before she passed away.)
Anne is overwhelmed with all the decisions and logistics she has to make. Things in her hometown are WAY more stressful than in New York. To take her mind off all of her responsibilities, Anne goes to her father’s woodshop, where she carves a creepy-looking wooden Santa. Keith is overwhelmed too. The mill is getting sold, and he accepts a job at another mill in Vermont. His wise black friend, Felicia or Alicia, advises him to tell Anne ASAP. (This trope needs to die. POC characters are more than just sounding boards for the white protagonist.)
On his way to tell Anne, Keith sees Anne and Tom hugging. It isn’t what he is thinking. (of course.) Keith runs off. Anne learns Keith is taking a job out of state from his sister-in-law. She runs off too. BIG MISCOMMUNICATION AS A PLOT DEVICE.
The Christmas pageant is finally here! (Which means the movie is finally over!) Jesse sings, “Come All Ye Faithful.” She is pretty good. The singing may be the only good part of this whole movie. Keith and Anne are both proud of her. Keith has a big announcement at the pageant, as well. He received a “ Wooden Santa of Love” from Anne that inspired him to ask the lady in the blaze to give the mill to the town. Keith will run the mill for a long, long time.
Anne wants to buy her father’s toy store and give up her New York lifestyle. Keith and Anne forgive one another and agree to stay in the town together. They kiss as the snow begins to fall.
Side Note
This movie should have been called Event Logistics Christmas.
Trevor Donovan needs to shave his face. This patchy flesh-colored beard is not doing it for me.
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Overall rating: Put a cork in it
🎄 (1 Christmas Tree)
🍷(1 glasses of wine required)
*Photo Credit: © 2019 Crown Media United States, LLC
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