You've seen this movie a dozen or so times before (at least) if you regularly watch Hallmark/Lifetime/GAC Family movies,.
That said, the distinctive southern setting (the movie is set in Youngsville, Louisiana) and a very good cast - Beverley Mitchell, Stephen Colletti as estranged high school sweethearts + Dony Boaz, Brian McNamara and the always-gorgeous Erin Cahill, to name just a few - make this box-ticking smalltown Christmas trope movie hum along nicely, fuelled by the chemistry that zings between Colletti and Mitchell. There are plenty of nods to southern Christmas traditions as well.
I'm a sucker for Christmas nostalgia, of which there was ample helpings, and the subplot about the two single parents getting a second chance at love was a nice touch.
The nativity performance angle was a nice way to finish a pleasant movie and Mitchell's rendition of 'O Holy Night' is stunning.
That said, the distinctive southern setting (the movie is set in Youngsville, Louisiana) and a very good cast - Beverley Mitchell, Stephen Colletti as estranged high school sweethearts + Dony Boaz, Brian McNamara and the always-gorgeous Erin Cahill, to name just a few - make this box-ticking smalltown Christmas trope movie hum along nicely, fuelled by the chemistry that zings between Colletti and Mitchell. There are plenty of nods to southern Christmas traditions as well.
I'm a sucker for Christmas nostalgia, of which there was ample helpings, and the subplot about the two single parents getting a second chance at love was a nice touch.
The nativity performance angle was a nice way to finish a pleasant movie and Mitchell's rendition of 'O Holy Night' is stunning.