This sequel to the first Christmas in Evergreen (also quite good) did not disappoint. It's got everything that you could want: tree decorating, ice skating, overly-joyous cookie baking (it was excessive, but I'm not mad), an adorable small town, touching flashbacks, dramatic yet completely obvious mysteries, carol singing, and multiple unfortunate misunderstandings.
Hallmark made a brilliant marketing decision to appeal to the HGTV crowd with this movie. Admittedly, there is likely overlap in the two audiences already, but it doesn't hurt to create a storyline around remodeling an old, run-down space. It was fun to see the characters picking finishes in the hardware store, and when Lisa mentioned wainscoting, I'm sure it won over a few hearts. Now if she had thrown in an open concept, en-suite, or farmhouse sink, it would have been HG/Hallmark gold.
On a slightly critical note, I feel that Hallmark needs to put more into their driving scenes. The in-car scenes in this movie remind me of Toonces the Driving Cat. If Hallmark can do beautifully-elaborate cookie montages, artistic views of church bell mechanisms, drone-footage of the Vermont countryside, and sepia-filtered flashbacks, they can certainly step up their car game.
Hallmark gets an A on: Decorating; Leading couple chemistry; Fun banter; Ice skating scene (did you see Oliver's double axel?); Artistic cinematography, especially when a table is being set; Church bells
Hallmark gets a D on: Displaying characters' cell phone screens (hate it); Any scene that takes place inside a car
Grade: B+
* Note Grading Scale:
A = This is seriously a good movie. It will remain on my DVR for the season.
B = Totally exceeded my expectations. I'm happy to recommend.
C = This is an average Hallmark movie. Good holiday fun.
D = I'm disappointed... but I watched it. Why not?
F = I actually had a hard time getting through this one. And that says a lot.
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