Welcome to Christmas: Where the Heart & Happy Home Is
If you’re tired of all of the hubbub that surrounds the TV Christmas films, I’m sorry. I am a girl who is not (yet) weary of them, which means my reviews shall continue. What I will say is, among the reviews like this one for Welcome to Christmas will be other articles and reviews. This I promise.
Welcome to Christmas (2018) Hallmark Review
For too many years, Gage McBride (Eric Mabius) has been the sheriff of the small Colorado town of Christmas. He’s happy here, but home also holds painful memories. If his job doesn’t, his two girls Lily and Annie (Payton Lepinski, Lauren McNamara) keep him busy. Then there’s his aunt Nell (Susan Hogan). Her current project (aside from the care of his family) is to ensure their town becomes the sight of a new ski resort.
Madison Lane (Jennifer Finnigan) is the executive tasked with finding the location, and to her, Christmas is not the place. But her boss ignores her recommendation – at least for now, and sends her to get a close up look on the town. Once there, she discovers, the town has more to offer than what’s on paper.
Apart from an appreciation of their brand, what I also like about Hallmark is that we get to see certain faces step into such different character shoes. In the cast of Welcome to Christmas, here we see Eric Mabius play a role that’s very different that who we once fell in love with him as.
@HallmarkChannel's Welcome to Christmas – 'Where the Heart & Happy Home Is,' is a must-see for fans of #SignedSealedDelivered! #SSD #Hallmarkies Share on XTV FILM REVIEW | A Majestic Christmas: Romance at the Box Office!
Of course, Eric plays the lovable (and crushable!) Oliver O’Toole in Hallmark’s on-going film series, Signed, Sealed, Delivered. In this Christmas festooned world, he plays the exact opposite of Oliver (a dad? a sheriff? Whaaat!), and I love it! The only recognizable traits are 1: he’s still an upstanding guy, and 2: he does like to fix and/or make things. Either way, he remains a likable character. He’s also from ABC’s Ugly Betty.
I haven’t seen Jennifer in much, but I do like her in this role. She’s recently been in Salvation, which became a kind of instant TV “cult” classic. What I also appreciate it that while this isn’t the most romantic of Hallmark’s originals, it’s a more realistic approach. The story gives us the promise of what if rather than a declaration.
A writer who’s no stranger to Hallmark pens the script, and the same goes for the director. In fact, Rick Garman (writer) has already written a handful of the 2018 premieres including a favorite of mine, A Shoe Addict’s Christmas. This is also based on the novel, The Trouble with Christmas; the story is infused with warmth, laughter and family. Plus, there are a few quiet moments within the story that leave us hoping for the inevitable happy end conclusion.
Those of us who adore Signed, Sealed, Delivered need to know, this is a must see. It’s a darling story and film, and the McBride girls are adorable. In short, as each one does, Welcome to Christmas will melt your heart.
Content: as usual, this film is TVG, and contains nothing bothersome.
Photos: Hallmark / Crown Media Press
Eric Mabus!! I’ll watch anything with him in it. Did you know Rachel McMillan based her hero in Rose in Three Quarter Time on Oliver O’Toole?
I did – and I love that Rachel does this. She’s a big fan of Oliver as a character. :)
Let me know if you like this one, Brittaney. I though it was all about the darling factor.
While not my favorite new Hallmark film this season, I did enjoy this one. It’s nice seeing Mabus in a little bit of a different role.
I didn’t know this! I just bought the book…it sounds great!