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| Image: Crown Media, United States LLC |
Starring: Ali Liebert and Peter Porte
Released: 2019
Summary: Aiden and Darcy get ready to celebrate their second Christmas together, but an unexpected guest arrives and unites everyone for an unforgettable holiday.
Hallmark Fans Love Sequels!
After every Hallmark Christmas movie season, fans buzz online, crossing fingers for sequels to all of their favorite premieres.
Sometimes, Hallmark delivers.
In the original A Gift to Remember movie, Darcy runs into Aiden with her bike, knocking him unconscious. While Aiden's in the hospital, Darcy cares for his dog, Bailey, until she can reunite him with his owner.
Naturally, the person who nearly kills you is bound to be your true love.
What is the "
cherished memory" in
A Gift to Remember 2?
A Christmas village! Darcy's dad was a woodworker who created many of the buildings from her mom's hometown. It's Darcy's treasured keepsake. As in many Hallmark movies, both parents tragically died while a main character was practically in diapers.
Only one piece is missing from the set because her dad passed away before he could make it----dun, dun, dun--or so we thought.
The Most Thoughtful Gifts EVER!
Don't you love how Hallmark gift giving isn't about ordering items online from someone's wish list? That's too easy! Instead, we watch characters select meaningful gifts that deeply touch the hearts of the recipients.
Sniff.
Aiden, an artist, decides to replicate Darcy's dad's idea and creates a village that contains his and Darcy's shared memories. Naturally, this enormous and intricate masterpiece is created in a nano second, with the help of Mrs. Henley's nephew, Marcus.
Marcus--a modern day Picasso because what kid his age can flawlessly paint village pieces and never make a mess?
If you look out your front window and see someone snapping pictures of your house, would you be alarmed? Aiden is busted by the new owner of Darcy's old house, but it's all good! When the homeowner hears of his mission, she reveals that Darcy's dad
had made a replica of the house before he died. It was even gift-wrapped and hidden in his basement wood shop.
If only she could have figured out who the rightful owner was sooner (head scratch).
Have you ever prepared a house for the market? Typically, the house is either staged or completely emptied. This means the basement wood shop would have been cleaned out prior to the sale. How it remained in enough disarray to obscure a honking present clearly defines this as fiction.
Aiden's mom used to bake bread in large, steel cans, so Darcy whips up a thoughtful batch for her beau. She burns the second batch, but at least she tried.
For Christmas, Darcy buys Aiden a book by his favorite author, ironically titled
Found in the Street. Wouldn't,
Run Down in the Street or
From Bike Treads to Coma be more fitting?
Darcy worries Aiden's gift is going to out-do hers. Let's see--he invests hours of pain-staking labor into creating an intricate Christmas village, PLUS he gives her an engagement ring. She buys him a book. Oh, Darcy, you shouldn't have! Really. You shouldn't have.
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| Image: Crown Media, United States LLC |
Creative Engagement Stories
It's so fun to hear the creative ways some men propose. Many go to great pains to make the moment memorable.
Aiden puts an engagement ring in a gift box under the decorated Christmas tree outside of Darcy's bookstore. What could possibly go wrong? In real life, the package would have been stolen the second he turned his back. At the very least, to make this realistic, he should have been sweating bullets and keeping a watchful eye on it.
Do you have a creative engagement story? Share it in the comment section!
My Favorite Movie Line
Every time I watch a Hallmark movie, I wait for that one line that always stands out--the line that holds a life lesson or nugget of wisdom.
In this movie, Chaucer's Book Store's competitor is Books, Books, Books, managed by Mary Shaw. Even though Mary "steals" Darcy's guest author and puts their annual Christmas gathering on steroids to overshadow Chaucer's, Darcy has a chance to "get Mary back"--but she doesn't take it.
The power goes out at Books, Books, Books, so Darcy opens up Chaucer's for Mary and her clientele to save the party. Darcy could have gloated, but she didn't.
Darcy's willingness to show grace and kindness to someone who doesn't deserve it changes Mary's perspective. Mary says she should "see competition as part of the community."
I love that! Especially since I admin three Facebook groups and maintain five blog sites. You would be surprised how many people won't let you post in their groups because they never learned how to share or place nice in kindergarten. One Pinocchio Facebook admin says to ask for permission before sharing a blog post, but when you ask her for permission, she deletes your request instead of responding. Such people are selfish climbers. Social media is about creating community, but when others are viewed as "competition" instead of part of the "community" you get an isolated island run by a dictator.
Fortunately, there are a LOT of others who offer a hand up. These people recognize that it's in blessing others that they themselves get blessed. They give, and it floods back to them. You post in their groups, they post in your groups--it's give and take, and everyone wins. Investing in others builds community. Darcy demonstrates this in the movie.
Speaking of
Facebook, if you aren't already a member, you are cordially invited to join our two Hallmark groups! We love community! We share thoughts on movies, do trivia, take polls, relay fun facts, and have an occasional contest. One group is dedicated to Hallmark Christmas movies, and the other group focuses on all the other Hallmark seasons. You can find us here:
If you are a blogger or content writer, you are also welcome to share your Hallmark-related posts in our groups! Plus, if you admin a Facebook group of your own, you are welcome to group-share in ours!
I Have to Say It
Voicing a criticism about Hallmark movies is tantamount to standing in front of a bullseye during target practice.
Do you know some Hallmarkies claim it's "toxic" to utter a playful jab about these movies? Get a grip! It's okay to have differing opinions. It's this crazy thing called "freedom."
Brace yourself--Cherished Memories: A Gift to Remember 2 is not one of my favorite 2019 releases. (I'm curled up, arms over head, like in a school tornado drill).
How dare I utter such smack?
I could tell the actors were acting, which equals bad acting.
Peter Porte (Aiden), cutie pie though he is, has a vacancy about him that is....well... empty. He reminds me of an old flame though, so I'll give him a pass.
Ali Liebert's (Darcy) acting is just plain bad.
Tina Lifford (Mrs. Henley) is full of enthusiasm and personal flair, but she OVER-acts. She's totally lovable, but her lines are all exaggerated.
The best actors in this movie were:
- Dominic Mariche (Marcus)
- Bailey (Aiden's dog)
And seriously? ANOTHER Hallmark movie about a rec center that is going to be closed down until it gets listed as a historic landmark?
AREN'T THERE ANY OTHER PLOTS WE CAN TRY???
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| Image: Crown Media, United States LLC |
I love the Christmas village, gifts from the heart, helping a boy deal with his parents being deployed, and the life lesson of being good to those who do you wrong, so this movie had a lot of redeemable moments!
#CherishedMemoriesAGiftToRemember #HallmarkChannel #CountdowntoChristmas #Hallmarkies
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