Entertaining Christmas Review: How to Be the “Perfect” Hostess

As we press on towards Christmas, Hallmark Channel invites us to the table of a “perfect” family Christmas. This time it’s about a family who wants to give their returning hero the best kind of homecoming in Entertaining Christmas.

Entertaining Christmas (2018) Hallmark Channel Review

As the daughter of the Liz Livingstone, Candace (Jodie Sweetin) has a lot to live up to. Part of the Livingstone Lifestyle magazine, Candace is best behind the scenes which leaves her talented mother to do the cooking and craft how-tos for the publication. When the company learns of a video that asks the Livingstone’s to help surprise a little girl’s returning veteran father, Candace agrees. The trouble is Liz is already committed to another event.

This means it’s up to Candace to help this family, all without giving away the secret that she knows nothing about cooking or crafts. A task that’s more difficult when her young hostess’ uncle John (Brendan Fehr), an inquisitive reporter, begins to ask questions.

If there is one thing Hallmark does with frequency it’s a parade of familiar faces. If I like an actor, I always enjoy seeing them in another Hallmark film, but the best situation combines the familiar with new faces. Entertaining Christmas does this with these lead characters.

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Though Brendan is no stranger to Christmas films, I don’t remember him in any of the Hallmark originals. Jodie Sweetin you may remember from Finding Santa part of 2017’s Countdown to Christmas. She is also well-known from the Netflix revival Fuller House. Though they aren’t my favorite together as a couple, I feel as if the timeline is more to blame than the actors. Most films give their couple 2 weeks to work with, and by comparison, that’s a lifetime.

What I do appreciate about this one (as I say often), is how their story ends. They are going to try to make a relationship work as opposed to the more frequent love-at-first-sight -I-love-you end.  It’s the little things like this that balances the other fairy tale qualities of these stories.

As is always the right way to end any of the reviews I write about this channel, Entertaining Christmas is another bright spot in the lineup of Christmas movies.

This one premieres tonight (December 15^th) on Hallmark Channel.

Photos: Hallmark Channel / Crown Media Press