Starring: Lacey Chabert and Tyron Leitso
Released: 2015
Summary: A woman who ended a promising relationship in order to further her career is given an opportunity to experience the life she could have had with her true love.
How Important Is Your Career?
Hannah Dunbar (Chabert) is a very ambitious investigative journalist for Channel 8 News. Ten years earlier, she allowed her relationship with Ben (Leitso) to end because she prioritized a career over the love of her life.
Now, she is dating a co-worker, Grant, but when he learns she has received a promotion and will be leaving San Francisco for a special news correspondent job in their New York Bureau, he isn't at all saddened or interested in maintaining a long-distance relationship. In fact, Grant admits when you're a journalist, "the only thing you can really love is your career."
Grant's casual dismissal of their relationship gives Hannah pause. Out of the blue, she receives a "friend" request from Ben on social media. She begins to wonder "what if?" What would her life have been like if she had stayed with him?
A man she assumes to be only playing Santa for the Christmas season gives her the wish of her heart. She wakes up one morning to find she's married to Ben, has two daughters and a dog, and is a stay-at-home suburban mom who is very active in her kids' school.
Career-oriented women can't typically imagine sacrificing their goals to be domestic. They want to be empowered and pursue their own interests. Stay-at-home moms, however, feel they have their dream job. Others strike a balance of working part-time so they can make money and use their talents while still being home with their families more often.
Where do you fall on that spectrum? Are you happy with your life choices? Take the poll below:
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Hannah is in shock. She can't imagine ever choosing mom life in the suburbs over her demanding career in journalism. All she can think about is how to get back to her "normal" life. In the beginning, she is disappointed every morning she wakes up and still finds herself married with kids.
As she tries to make the best of this crazy situation, she slowly adapts. When she interviews for a job at Channel 8 News, she taps into the excitement of getting back into the professional groove again; however, Ben is upset she plans to commute to the city and be so far from her family. It's at this moment, Hannah realizes how much more her family means to her than her career, and she passes on the position.
This might anger some women's libbers who are appalled a woman would give up her dreams to take care of her family. The rest of us understand there's no better job than being home with your spouse and kids. Hannah doesn't give up her dreams. Her dreams change, and so does she.
Image: Crown Media
Did Family for Christmas End Like You Expected?
When Hannah grasps how happy her life is with Ben, Caitlin, and Hailie, she shares a special moment with her "husband" and urges him to remember and never forget their time together. Ben is puzzled, but he agrees.
When Hannah wakes up, her life has returned to normal. She panics and looks for Santa, pleading with him to send her back. Santa tells her, "It's not about changing the past, but changing the future."
I somehow expected Hannah to stay in the alternate reality, but it was more of a look into Christmas future than Christmas past.
Hannah responds to Ben's social media friend request. Turns out, Hannah has been on his mind (flashback to Hannah pressing Ben to remember their special moment). The two reconnect, and we can easily imagine what will come next.
Do You Ever Imagine "What If?"
Our life choices have consequences that are either positive or negative.
What if I had pursued a different college degree?
What if I had moved out of my hometown?
What if I had eaten healthier and exercised more?
Are there "what ifs?" that dance across your mind from time to time? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
If you are plagued with regret, there's nothing you can do to change the past. The good news is, as Santa points out in the movie, you can make different decisions now to change and reshape your future.
Whatever Happened to Tyron Leitso?
We all have different tastes when it comes to gauging attractiveness, but Tyron Leitso is so boyishly cute and charming in this movie, yet he's been missing from the acting scene since its 2015 release.
Even his Facebook fan page hasn't been updated since 2014, but here's a brief synopsis contained in it:
Tyron grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia, and he was very creative as a child. He loved to build things, like tree forts, bicycles, and eventually a log cabin (he, his mom and brother actually lived in it for two years). In high school, he drifted towards the sciences, though the arts appealed to him. He was stopped by a talent scout in the street when he was 18 and asked if he'd be interested in doing commercials. He didn't jump at the opportunity immediately, but eventually he accepted. Acting took a back seat for a while due to the demands of modeling and commercials, but he worked to hone his skills until directors noticed him. Eventually, he began snagging leading roles in various television shows.
With such success, why has he dropped out of sight?
Age 44 looks good on him. Hallmark needs to find him and lasso him back into another Christmas movie!
Image: Crown Media
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