Starring: Lacey Chabert and Adam Mayfield
Released: 2012
Summary: As Melanie looks forward to a romantic weekend with her boyfriend at his family's lake house, events transpire that cause her to spend more time with his assistant, Dean. Santa orchestrates a series of events to finally answer her Christmas wish from when she was a little girl.
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| Image: Crown Media, United States LLC |
Not a Priority
Despite this movie being an oldie from 2012, Lacey Chabert looks the exact same now--the woman never ages! Let's hope she'll keep cranking out Hallmark movies for a long time to come.
This classic throwback incorporates the magic of Santa, which seems to be an ingredient newer Hallmark movies have ceased to include.
We learn that some childhood wishes have to be put on hold until the child becomes the ideal age to receive an answer, and Santa never forgets 9-year-old Melanie's wish to find her own Prince Charming. She admires the love her parents share and wants the same for herself.
Think back to your parents' relationship when you were growing up. Were they good role models who set the relational expectations high, or did you vow to find the exact opposite?
Melanie finds herself at the bottom of her CEO boyfriend's priority list. Justin sends his assistant, Dean, to pick her up, drive her to their date, meet her at the airport, and even buy her birthday present. In any girl's book, that should earn Justin the Crappiest Boyfriend of the Year Award, but Melanie finds herself making excuses for him.
Let that be a lesson to us all--when people don't treat us right, we should question whether they deserve the place in our life we've given them!
Just imagine if Melanie and Dean hadn't found romance while in Buford Falls together. She would have flown all that way, expecting a romantic weekend, only to be kicked to the curb. That's the type of experience that scars someone for life!
Christmas Magic
Do you miss Santa magic in the latest Hallmark movies? It would grow old and cliche to have Santa in too many of them, but the magic Santa creates opens up the plot possibilities. Happy endings might seem less contrived and cookie cutter when you throw in a little Christmas magic from Old Saint Nick.
In
Matchmaker Santa, Chris appears on the plane with Melanie, as part of a road crew from a "logging accident" to block the main road, and he's the Buford Falls Santa. Chris arranges for Blair to meet with Justin instead of her father, makes sure Dean's rental car isn't fixed too soon or replaced, conjures a snow storm to keep Blair and Justin together, and even manages for a bear to guard Justin's car so he can't pick up Melanie. Santa is everywhere he needs to be to make sure everyone finds their best romantic match.
Occupational Vagueness
Have you ever noticed the lack of detail surrounding the occupations of some Hallmark characters?
We know Justin recently became the CEO of his dad's company, but we're not told what kind of company he even has. Justin intentionally intersects with Mr. Tisdale, a board member, on his daily walk, to express some of his new ideas for the company. Mr. Tisdale invites Justin to join him on the walk and agrees to hear him out, but then viewers rejoin the two at the end of their trek without ever hearing any of the brilliant ideas.
When Blair visits Justin at his the lake house, he asks her to be a sounding board for his new ideas, which again, we never hear. He then pulls up his laptop to get her opinion on something, and we can't make out what it says on the computer screen. Blair looks interested, but doesn't comment, so viewers remain in the dark.
In Hallmark's defense, knowing the exact details of a secondary character's livelihood has no major impact on the story. Hallmark operates on a tight budget and films in a condensed time frame, so there isn't much wiggle room for unnecessary details. However, even a passing mention of technical business terms as it relates to a character's occupation would add an extra level of depth. I suspect the writers aren't knowledgeable on the careers they select for their characters and don't want to take the time to research to find a few lines of applicable jargon to add to their scripts.
I call this "occupational vagueness." You won't find it in every movie, but keep your eye out just for giggles.
Florence Henderson--Icing on the Cake!
An extra treat with this movie is the special role of Peggy, the inn keeper, played by Florence Henderson.
If you grew up with The Brady Bunch, you know there's no better TV mom than her!
Sadly, Henderson passed away from heart failure at age 82, four years after this movie was made.
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| Image: Crown Media, United States LLC |
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