La mission secrète de la mère Noël

If you only have time to watch a couple movies this Christmas, make sure this one is on the list!

In this Hallmark mystery with Kevin McGarry and Taylor Cole, we have a classic city-rich-girl meets nice-small- town-guy love story, Yet there were enough fresh twists to the genre, and spectacular talent from the cast, to keep a captivated audience delighted to the end.

The beginning of the movie was surprising and emotionally impacting with a precipitous birth story in a diner. The scene was visually sanitized -- not a single tear or drop of blood to be scene -- but none the less my heart was caught up in the drama.

Kevin McGarry's character is apparently the perfect man, but turns out he has 16 unpaid parking tickets, so not completely perfect. Who wants a perfect guy, anyhow?

The secret identity drama was resolved without huge fanfare. Holiday cheer was had by all, and everyone wishes the Kevin McGarry could be their own personal leading man. Taylor Quinn is a beauty who brought the vulnerability as well. (And has anyone mentioned yet that Kevin McGarry is a great on-screen kisser -- he's the master -- another reason to watch!)

This movie has an unusual take on a Christmas pay-it-forward story, or perhaps a charitable Secret Santa. It is an appealing approach to an already appealing premise. The opening scene works right into that.

Then there is the scene with mom's ridiculous do-or-die requirement for Evie/Mary to earn her Trust fund. I wish the writers would have toned the whole thing down a little. It appears to Evie and the viewer to be more of a Hail Mary (no pun intended) effort rather than a fair opportunity to prove herself. The requirement is reinforced a couple of times. Mom even acknowledges at one point that the task is more than difficult and that she has already failed once to make it happen.

I like Kyle's approach moving forward from the beginning. And the story develops very nicely. Meanwhile Taylor Cole and Kevin McGarry build some nice playful chemistry. And the spoiled arrogant rich girl quickly turns into a smart and kind lady. The acts of kindness proceed and in general terms the result is about what you'd expect. Strangely, the story lacked, at least in my view, a key element of all Christmas rom/com stories. To identify it would be a spoiler so I can't say more. The movie managed to succeed without it.

This was a heartwarming human interest story. I loved all the characters. It's the first of these types of shows I've watched in a while that gave me the warm and fuzzies without the boredom. Kudos to Kevin and Taylor for making their characters feel 'real.' I also loved the character of Jack, who was so sweet. The town felt like a resilient and loving community. II have to say that the premise seemed just novel enough to keep boredom from setting in. In fact, I would love to see a Mystery Movie series built around this town and these two characters. With such a loving community that works for the common good, this could be the next Teagarden series.

A Reason for the Season was such a feel good with all the sentiment of giving back! What a great ensemble cast with individual stories that tied to the mystery. Then comes laid back, eligible bachelor attorney, Kyle Newman who immediately has sparks with Evie but is not his main focus but uses his relationships in the community to help Evie. Both Kevin McGarry and Taylor Cole were magic together with wonderful chemistry and the ability to banter with one another with great sense of humor and care. No angst in this movie but an interesting mystery to solve and relationships to bloom and reconnect. Best of the season thus far!

A self-made billionaire mother wants her daughter to move out of her shadow and out of her cocoon and develop empathy with regular people

The mother delivered her daughter prematurely. She went into labor while driving and luckily stopped at a place with people who could help her medically. Now she wants the daughter to prove herself by helping out that group of people. Thirty-five years later. The daughter must find a way to help each of the reach a dream, or she will lose her trust fund and her inheritance.

There is no real crisis anywhere in this movie, just a progression of the daughter understanding the people of the community and growing closer to the local man helping her. Very nice movie.