Our Holiday Story

When you already know the ending of the A story, the movie needs to do a good job of showcasing the journey, since the destination is already set. Our Holiday Story brings us on this journey, but the stakes are low and does only a passable job at entertaining along the way.

The A story is the retelling of how Dave (Warren Christie) and Nell (Nikki DeLoach) met 8 years earlier. When we first meet them they are together, married and parents. They are asked to retell this mild tale by the boyfriend of Dave's daughter, who missed a train, forcing her boyfriend to meet the dad and step mom alone.

If the story focused on their nearly decade old romance alone, we'd be in for a snoozefest, but never fear, the B story is here! Johanna (Sydney Scotia) and the aforementioned boyfriend Chris (Gavin Langelo) are having trouble (sorta) expressing their very strong and lasting love for eachother, because you know . . . When you really love someone in that mutual way, the real trouble is saying it . . . Right?

Throw in a job title of comptroller, a Christmas festival, lots of talk of fruit cake and ugly sweaters, missed trains, dead phone batteries, and missed opportunities- oh, and constantly lying and you have the makings of a low stakes, albeit sweet movie.

Cast Kudos: 9 stars for Sydney Scotia. She plays 16 and 24 (I think), well and differently. She's just a joy to watch in this movie because she's so happy with a great smile, but then things go south and you can feel that too.

Alternative titles: A Christmas of Missed Chances; How a Comptroller stole Christmas; Meet the Christmas Parents.

7.9 stars.

I was a bit skeptical at first, but the story requires a well developed back story to deliver full effect. Once the background is clarified, the film takes on a whole new meaning and becomes quite entertaining and well rounded.

There are four fully developed characters. I was impressed they were able to develop all of them the way they did. The young man is the least developed of the four however, they found ways to bring out his personality, and it was genius. The young woman is a bit more developed, and then the mom and dad are basically the main characters.

What seems very strange to me, is watching the evolution of two major Hallmark actors, becoming "older". In other words, this was the first transition for them to become middle-aged characters. I find it a bit unnerving, because I've been watching 15 years of them portraying adults in their thirties and early forties, but this is a transition into older adults with adult children. It feels weird mainly because it reminds me of my own age and how these two actors, younger than myself, are not so young anymore. I digress.

Wonderful story. It's really great at the end. Adorable and vulnerable characters. It doesn't get much better than this.

Every year there are dozens of cookie cutter cable Christmas movies. Some are okay and some are rehashed cliches. The movie broke all the cookie cutters and sent cliches off to die. Love it.

We get a story of one romance inside the story of the "current day" romance. However, the "romance inside the romance" is the REAL story, and the story with all the depth.

Two people keep meeting and circumstances keep them from ever closing the deal on exactly who each other is.

However, it turns out that the man is organizing a Christmas festival, and the woman determines the budget for the festival and they communicate only remotely about the festival, but are always at odds. But when they meet in person, their relationship is magic.

The story is funny and moving, both, and the suspense about when they'll both know the truth carries the movie. Another plus, the acting is spot on.

Highly recommended.

The premise has a common element (a couple keeps missing each other) but is done differently than any I can remember. The find each other more quickly than in some stories, but what makes this different is that the couple's story is a flashback as told to their daughter's prospective suitor. The story of the younger couple becomes just as prominent as the flashback story. The issue with Dave and Nell's story moves from missing connections to an important hidden fact about Nell. The audience knows right away and the daughter finds out pretty quickly, but Dave not knowing becomes the potential problem.

Meanwhile, the younger couple struggle with a less obvious missed connection, or should I say miscommunication. Defining what real love in a relationship is common in this genre. I don't always agree with how much "being in love" is stressed. I believe love is a choice. There is an element of both in Chris and Jo's relationship. I didn't really resonate with Jo's uncertainty, but it was a necessary counterpoint to the issues her parents had in the flashback story. The overall story develops a parallel as it brings both couples together (one in flashback and the other in real time).

The dialogue is witty. The acting is decent. Nikki Deloach is one of my favorite for Hallmark, but I didn't resonate with Nell's self struggle as much as I would have liked. I am wondering if it because I have come to see Nikki's characters a certain way and just couldn't accept that with Nell.

This is a movie I will probably look forward to watching again down the road.

I watch a lot of Hallmark/GA Family movies (a secret hobby) and they have a certain grading criteria and expectation for me apart from other genres. My 9/10 is purely for this niche and shouldn't be compared to mainstream and blockbuster films. This movie has relatable characters with better than average acting on the whole and a likable plot that deviates from the traditional "script." Sure, there is no shortage of miscommunication as the main antagonist, but I think that the flashback storytelling is compelling. There is no weird love triangle or an ex trying to get back into the picture by stirring things up. It is an enjoyable, lighthearted hallmark movie that also packs plenty of real emotional moments that tugs on the heart. Definitely deserves a watch. Hoping for more releases like this- good start to the season!