A Vintage Christmas

Here we have another "big city developer comes to the small down to knock something down to build something new" trope ... which happens in far too many of these Christmas movies.

This time, it's an old-fashioned post office building which is FAR too large for that town, and hasn't been used in decades. But the woman who runs the town's historical society wants to keep it, especially since her father was the Postmaster there for most of his career.

Christopher Russell and Merritt Petterson do a nice job with the antithetical romance, but that element gets dropped too soon, which is often the case in these cable movies ... this one happens to be GAF, not Hallmark.

The writers put them together over a batch of "found" Christmas letters to Santa, and the leads come together over making some of those childhood fantasies come true. However, the movie doesn't really make enough of that plot element, and develops no real angst at the end. Writers aren't even trying hard these days.

The premise is based on plot elements that include very common ones (save the town building, unrestrained commercial progress is bad, fulfilling others' Christmas wishes, a secret by one lead that comes out inconveniently), and at least one that is unusual (the Christmas letters are over 30 years old). In the secondary romance story there is a variation on another (a woman coaches a man on relationships with women) with it also being a little unusual in that the woman is not herself a really qualified coach but rather speed reads relationship books and summarizes them for the man. On paper all these elements may be a lot, but they provide a lot of potential for an entertaining story.

I was entertained, but subconsciously I think I felt like things were piling up too quickly. Barely noticeable, but something was ever so slightly off. Transitions perhaps.

Speaking of too quickly, Hallmark-like movies are notorious for people falling in love very quickly. In this case, it was both the initial ease with which these two rivals over the building started working together, and then later the falling in love. I think this is where I felt it was off because it seemed like a leap rather than building into it.

Merritt Patterson and Christopher Russell do have chemistry. I would have liked to have seen more of that.

I have long been a fan of Patterson. To say that she is a beautiful woman is an understatement. It is her eyes that can really grab your attention. I'm not joking here to imply something else. I've noted this before. There is one scene where she wears a green outfit, and I swear her eyes are bright green. Later she is back to blue, even when Russell in green is right up close to her. Also, interesting that the math puts the letter writing Tessa at close to or older than 40 and Patterson is merely 34.

Some of the fulfilled wishes make for nice moments. I did find it unlikely that you would but a singer on the spot to perform with no warning or preparation and consider that a gift.

Overall, this is an enjoyable Christmas movie in part because of the unusual story elements. I'm not sure how eager I am to watch it again, although I am drawn to movies with this particular actress.