FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

cammietime Leading lady lives in New York City - check. Leading Lady is from a small town - check. Leading lady visits small town in movie - check. Leading Lady falls in love with some guy in the home town - check. Leading lady has a big fancy job in New York City that causes conflict - check. Santa appears with magical items - check. Leading lady gives up her lifelong dream - check. Mother of leading lady is really good at baking and encouragement - check. You get the idea this movie follows the same plot formula as all other Hallmark Christmas movies. The only things this movie does not have is that the leading lady is NOT a Marketing Director, this time around she is an actress. Also, the confident wise old grandpa character that spews philosophical sayings is missing from this movie, and this of all movies could have really used him. After watching this movie, I do have to ask - why are small towns better than NYC? Why are part time teaching jobs better than a Broadway acting career? Why does the leading lady always have to give up her career ambitions and dreams every time in these Hallmark movies?Beth seems a bit bored in this movie, or, really more so confused as to why she is even there. It seems to make no sense to her. Dean, the love interest is pretty wooden and does not really do much more than spout sweet nothings at Beth, or lecture her about what it means to be great. Both Beth and Dean are a bit odd, and maybe that is why they sort of have chemistry in this movie. The mother character is a bit overbearing in this one, and less endearing than other movies like this I've seen. The Dad is gone and like I already said, there is no grandpa, and both of those characters would make sense in this movie given how much everyone likes to give Beth advice about life and what is truly important.All in all, not a bad movie to have in the background while you make cookies or something, but certainly not something to spend a night focused on.

Ed-Shullivan Sarah Lancaster stars as an actress trying to make it in New York on the stage but after 10 years of not succeeding she decides to take a break from her struggling actress profession to spend Christmas in her hometown during the Christmas season. When she arrives home she just seems to continually be disappointed by bad news until.....yes you guessed it, the magic of the Christmas season!The actual word "Christmas" was stated at least a hundred or more times during this so-called Romance/Christmas themed film but even for a made for TV movie with all the cheerful music and all the Christmas decorations and Christmas themed fireplaces trying to warm the inside of our heart, simply put, this film only gave me heartburn. This to me was a total waste of my time and I am a big sucker for Christmas themed films. I suggest you avoid it especially if you are trying to find a movie to get you in to either a romantic mood and/or the Christmas spirit. Too mushy would be providing too nice a compliment about this stinker.

heatherdavidson-45195 Spoiler... Why do Hallmark movies in general feature a woman who either gives up her dreams or changes who she is to please a man?In this case she drops her life long dream because the 2nd man in her life isn't willing to make sacrifices or move to support her dream, so she has to drop what she's always wanted to stay in a podunk town so a firefighter, who could easily get a job in NY, doesn't have to give up a single thing. Are these movies written by people who are jealous of those who made it out of their redneck small town? They make it seem like anyone who leaves is missing something and can't have love and happiness outside those small nosy, dead-end streets. I grew up in a tiny town and there is nothing, not a single thing, as idyllic as they try to make it appear. Especially not worth giving up your dreams for. What a condensing, annoying movie.

utgard14 The lovely Sarah Lancaster stars in this predictable but enjoyable Hallmark Christmas movie. Sarah plays a struggling actress who returns home for the holidays to the small town she left years before. She returns having never realized her dreams of stardom and discovers her ex now has a happy small town life, married with adorable kids. This makes her wonder if she made the right choice leaving all those years ago. Then there's some weird stuff with Santa Claus and you'll just have to see the rest for yourself.I really like Sarah and will pretty much watch anything she's in. I can't say I loved this movie but I also can't say much against it, since my expectations are generally low on TV movies. Every now and then you watch a Hallmark movie and feel like someone just mashed together a few previous Hallmark movies and came up with something that seems to be new but doesn't really feel like it. That's what we have here. But even the weakest of scripts for these things can often be saved by the charisma of the leads and how well the romance works. The problem there is, while Sarah is certainly beautiful, she just seems kind of bored in this. There also isn't much of a spark between her and love interest Brendan Penny. It's not a bad seasonal romcom by any stretch, just not particularly great. If you're a fan of Sarah Lancaster, you'll probably like this fine. Otherwise you might find yourself trying to put together the puzzle of which Hallmark movies you previously saw the different pieces of this one.