The Christmas Secret

Hallmark premiered several new Christmas movies this year, and this one hits a lot of sentimental high points to be among the best.

A struggling single mother who waitresses moves to the town she believes her father (who died when she was a baby) had grown up in, to hopefully learn about him.

Acting by the entire cast is spot on for the approach this one takes. It's unashamedly a "feel-good" type movie, but with this story that's not a problem at all. The numerous secret connections between the characters suggest a higher power is at work bringing all these people together, a story line that is told in an uplifting manner that is never schmaltzy. The characters are likable (except for the villains who play their villainy very well too).

Just a good-natured film for some Christmas season cheer, which is what this movie set out to be.

Worth watching even in 2022. This movie is one of the best Christmas movies I have watched in a long time. Hallmark did a great job of casting all the right actors. They all had great chemistry from the leads to the supporting actors. The story was real and very relatable to many of us. Hallmark doesn't always hit the mark with their movies most of the time they are predictable and the same story over and over. This one was not that yes I'm sure many would say they knew how it would end but it still made me tear up to see it all come together at the end. For me it's a feel good must watch even years after it was filmed.

This Hallmark movie is one of those which include some mystery and/or drama leading up to the heartwarming moments.

This story has several loose threads dangling about the life of Christine. For much of the movie, Christine is getting pounded by the things that threaten to unravel her life and family. She loses a job, gets an eviction notice and her ex threatens to take her children.

There is a mysterious locket that keeps popping up. It actually started out as Christine's locket but it gets lost and bounces around to some of these loose threads and the viewer knows that once we find the locket's secret, the threads will tie together and form a strong cord.

The acting is good enough. Bethany Joy Lenz endures as a single mom who struggles to hold it together. John Reardon is one of the threads and Jason soon begins to form a relationship with Rosemary. Oh wait, that's not right, because this is one of the running gags. Jason mistakenly thinks Christine's name is Rosemary.

While there are many things about this movie that we can predict, at least eventually, there is just enough of a Christmas secret to make it interesting.

In my opinion the movie starts out slow, and honestly did not grab my attention. I even looked for something else on TV to watch, but nothing else interested me either. As I continued to watch I got engrossed in the story line, and was wonderfully surprised how it all comes together in the end!! Very uniquely, and beautifully written!! I will watch this whenever I see it on TV in the future for sure!! It's about a single mother of two kids. She loses her job after being late because she saw a lady collapse and proceeded to give her CPR. Then she finds a new job only an hour after losing her first one. While she is providing CPR to the lady, her necklace falls off, and lands inside the coat of the lady she is giving CPR to. Throughout the movie a guy keeps showing up (in a good way). The necklace, the lady who hired her right after losing her job, the lady she gave CPR to, and the mysterious guy...you just have to watch this movie to find out the incredible story of how they all tie together in a magical way!!

It has all the virtues of a Hallmark films. but, in happy way, not the sins. the first motif is the cast. giving the right performance. it is predictable. but well crafted. it gives a generous message. using the same recipe and the same rules of a story about emotions, questions, vulnerability and revelation. in interesting way. a story about miracle. you know it. and that is the secret ingredient of the charme of this film.