My wife and I saw this program when it was first aired on Hallmark a few days ago (Nov 2014). We had watched all the previous episodes of Signed, Sealed and Delivered, and had enjoyed them for their story lines as well as for the individual characters who are nicely developed and who also form an effective ensemble.
This Christmas special is almost breathtaking. I'd love to know more about the writer(s) involved and how the director and actors viewed the project also. Particularly good is how this Christmas episode provides enough background and details about the characters so that a first-time watcher of the series is not lost or bewildered.
I plan to add to this review after I watch the program again (on DVR). The actors in this series and the guest stars all deserve recognition for their work.
Right now I can say this beautifully filmed and edited show offers a lovely composition of interesting characters, dynamic and subtle relationship issues, tension and pathos, familiar cinematic devices that older viewers will recognize and all can appreciate ... and ... some clear, eloquent expressions of doubts about Christmas and then a stirring vision of the most basic true meaning of the Christmas message.
Whether the viewer is secular, Christian, or of another worldview, the overall presentation is at once intriguing, uplifting and satisfying. This two-hour program showcases the best of what the Hallmark Channel aims to offer viewers.