Hallmark For All Seasons

Last week I was on vacation for the Christmas holiday and so lack of time dictates that in this post I’m just going to do a quick synopsis and ranking of the last few movies from Countdown to Christmas and Miracles of Christmas.  For the most part, these last four movies were disappointing given they were the last of the Christmas movies on offer this season.  I had hoped we’d go out with a bang, not a whimper.

Christmas On My Mind

This movie starred Andrew Walker and Ashley Greene.  It was a weird movie that had me rewinding my Tivo in the first five minutes to re-start the movie because I was genuinely lost and felt that maybe I had missed a scene somehow even though I could swear I never even picked up my phone in those first few minutes.  Sure enough, the movie dove right in to the amnesia storyline in which the female character runs out of a wedding dress shop, hits her head during a fall, and wakes up thinking it is more than 2 years in the past.  She sees the dress and thinks she’s marrying her boyfriend – when in fact they broke up 2 years ago.  I did like parts of this movie, and I definitely liked it more than I liked Andrew Walker’s other Christmas movie, “Merry and Bright,” but this movie was largely forgettable.

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Of the four movies that remained for me to watch, this was the one I liked the best.  But that’s not saying much as it scored only a fraction higher than “On My Mind.”  I liked Eric Mabius and Tricia Helfer together just fine (and I’m SO GLAD that Helfer finally grew in her pencil-thin eyebrows that she was sporting a few years ago), but the idea of a town being divided in half to the point of having a restaurant split down the middle was absurd.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m familiar with border towns.  I live 2 miles from the state border.  I’ve taken walks that started in SC and dipped into NC before coming back into SC.  We have at least two companies in our area that straddle the border and have an NC parking lot and an SC parking lot.  But a restaurant in which the BAR is split down the middle?  Get out of here with that nonsense.  I did appreciate the whole light/decoration contest aspect though, since I’m big on festive outdoor displays (and won my neighborhood’s lighting contest this year).

A Family Christmas Gift

The title alone of this movie was bad and had next to nothing to do with the movie itself (in my opinion).  And other than Patti LaBelle’s amazing rendition of “O Holy Night,” this movie had almost nothing else to offer.  It was boring, lackluster and did not do Holly Robinson Peete any favors.  The overall mood of this movie was heavy, depressing and joyless.  Even saying that though, it was not the worst movie on offer this holiday season, so there’s that.

When Calls the Heart Christmas Movie

I’ve not watched all seasons of WCTH at this point. I think I’m still early in Season 5.  I am not a die-hard WCTH fan, in that I don’t rush to watch the show and it has taken me all year to even get to Season 5 on Netflix.  The constant anachronisms of the show drive me crazy, and so I can only take this show in small doses.  Having said that, even not knowing what has transpired in Season 7, I feel I can safely say that the movie was not horrible, but pretty much on par with a typical extended WCTH episode.

I remember last year’s movie had this weird subplot about the Lori Loughlin and Jack Wagner characters not having any meat for the town’s Christmas dinner (or something like that), and I couldn’t tell if those two characters were married or co-workers, but the subplot was weak and unnecessary.  This year’s movie did not have any of that pointless side story subplotting.  Suffice to say, if you are a WCTH fan, you probably loved it.  I had plenty of “what on earth???” moments, though, which reduced its overall score.  I suspect if I was a Heartie it would have scored higher.

The Rankings

You can see in bold below where these movies ended up in the annual ranking.

1. Two Turtle Doves (air date: Nov 1) – 742 pts – weighted score: 123.7 (86.8%)
2. Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses (air date: Oct 26) – 719 pts – weighted score: 121.0 (84.9%)
3. Love to the Rescue RE-RANKED (air date: March 23) – 708 pts – weighted score: 120.6 (84.6%)
4. Winter Love Story (air date: January 19) – 685 pts – weighted score: 115.8 (81.2%)
5. Mystery 101 (air date: January 27 (HMM)) – 454 pts – weighted score: 94.2 (80.5%)
6. Love on the Menu (air date: February 23) – 642 pts – weighted score: 113.8 (79.9%)
7. Holiday Hearts (air date: Nov 23) – 663 pts – weighted score: 113.0 (79.3%)
8. Bottled With Love (air date: April 13) – 649 pts – weighted score: 112.2 (78.7%)
9. Love Takes Flight (air date: April 27) – 670 pts – weighted score: 111.0 (77.9%)
10. Love, Romance & Chocolate (air date: February 16) – 627 pts – weighted score: 110.2 (77.3%)
11. The Last Bridesmaid (air date: June 22) – 643 pts – weighted score: 109.2 (76.6%)
12. Love, Fall and Order (air date: Oct 12) – 636 pts – weighted score: 109.0 (76.5%)
13. Paris, Wine & Romance (air date: May 4) – 638 pts – weighted score: 108.3 (76.0%)
14. Holiday Date (air date: Dec 14) – 647 pts – weighted score: 108.2 (75.9%)
15. My Boyfriend’s Back: Wedding March 5 (air date: June 8) – 635 pts – weighted score: 108.0 (75.8%)
16. Christmas in Evergreen: Tidings of Joy (air date: Nov 29) – 627 pts – weighted score: 107.0 (75.1%)
17. Over the Moon in Love (air date: Oct 5) – 613 pts – weighted score: 106.3 (74.6%)
18. Flip That Romance (air date: March 16) – 597 pts – weighted score: 105.8 (74.2%)
19. Check Inn to Christmas (air date: Nov 26) – 619 pts – weighted score: 105.7 (74.1%)
20. My One and Only (air date: Aug 31) – 597 pts – weighted score: 105.6 (74.1%)
21. Mystery 101: Playing Dead (air date: June 23 (HMM)) – 425 pts – weighted score: 86.5 (73.9%)
22. A Summer Romance (air date: Aug 17) – 577 pts – weighted score: 103.7 (72.7%)
23. The Christmas Club (air date: Nov 27) – 588 pts – weighted score: 103.5 (72.6%)
24. True Love Blooms (air date: April 6) – 598 pts – weighted score: 103.1 (72.3%)
25. Forever in My Heart (air date: Sept 14) – 560 pts – weighted score: 102.4 (71.8%)
26. The Mistletoe Secret (air date: Nov 11) – 585 pts – weighted score: 102.2 (71.7%)
27. Double Holiday (air date: Dec 21) – 596 pts – weighted score: 102.0 (71.6%)
28. Christmas Under the Stars (air date: Nov 16) – 576 pts – weighted score: 101.8 (71.4%)
29. The Story of Us (air date: February 9) – 605 pts – weighted score: 101.3 (71.1%)
30. Holiday for Heroes (air date: Nov 8) – 566 pts – weighted score: 99.8 (70.0%)
31. Time for You to Come Home for Christmas (air date: Dec 8) – 582 pts – weighted score: 98.4 (69.1%)
32. A Brush with Love (air date: March 30) – 563 pts – weighted score: 97.7 (68.6%)
33. Christmas at Graceland: Home for the Holidays – 558 pts – weighted score: 97.7 (68.6%)
34. A Godwink Christmas: Meant for Love (air date: Nov 17) – 548 pts – weighted score: 96.9 (68.0%)
35. Ruby Herring: Silent Witness (air date: January 20 (HMM)) – 357 pts – weighted score: 79.5 (67.9%)
36. Love, Unleashed (air date: July 6, 2019) – 559 pts – weighted score: 96.2 (67.5%)
37. Sense Sensibility & Snowmen (air date: Nov 30) – 560 pts – weighted score: 96.1 (67.4%)
38. Love Under the Rainbow (air date: March 9) – 581 pts – weighted score: 96.0 (67.4%)
39. One Winter Proposal (air date: January 12) – 535 pts – weighted score: 95.8 (67.2%)
40. Just Add Romance (air date: March 2) – 548 pts – weighted score: 95.6 (67.1%)
41. Christmas Scavenger Hunt (air date: Nov 3) – 561 pts – weighted score: 95.4 (66.9%)
42. From Friend to Fiance (air date: May 25) – 555 pts – weighted score: 94.8% (66.5%)
43. Christmas at Dollywood (air date: Dec 8) – 553 pts – weighted score: 94.6 (66.4%)
44. Picture a Perfect Christmas (air date: Nov 10) – 529 pts – weighted score: 94.6 (66.4%)
45. Christmas in Montana (air date: Dec 14) – 556 pts – weighted score: 94.4% (66.2%)
46. A Christmas Duet (air date: Nov 25) – 540 pts – weighted score: 94.1 (66.0%)
47. Write Before Christmas (air date: Nov 17) – 529 pts – weighted score: 94.1 (66.0%)
48. Christmas Camp (air date: July 11) – 530 pts – weighted score: 93.9 (65.9%)
49. Our Christmas Love Song (air date: Nov 24) – 537 pts – weighted score: 93.4 (65.5%)
50. It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (air date: Dec 22) – 531 pts – weighted score: 93.1 (65.3%)
51. Angel Falls: A Novel Holiday (air date: Dec 15) – 537 pts – weighted score: 92.7 (65.1%)
52. Christmas On My Mind (air date: Dec 21) – 528 pts – weighted score: 91.7 (64.3%)
53. Love and Sunshine (air date: Aug 3) – 504 pts – weighted score: 91.7 (64.3%)
54. Crossword Mysteries: A Puzzle to Die For (air date: March 10 (HMM) – 354 pts – weighted score: 74.1 (63.3%)
55. A Christmas Miracle (air date: Nov 14) – 494 pts – weighted score: 90.1 (63.2%)
56. Christmas at the Plaza (air date: Nov 28) – 517 pts – weighted score: 90.0 (63.1%)
57. Sister of the Bride (air date: June 29) – 516 pts – weighted score: 89.8 (63.0%)
58. Valentine in the Vineyard (air date: February 2) – 503 pts – weighted score: 89.5 (62.8%)
59. When Calls the Heart Christmas movie (air date: Dec 25) 512 pts – weighted score: 88.6 (62.1%)
60. Love, Take Two (air date: June 15) – 507 pts – weighted score: 87.8 (61.6%)
61. All Summer Long (air date: Aug 24) – 512 pts – weighted score: 87.7 (61.5%)
62. Snowcoming (air date: January 26) – 485 pts – weighted score: 87.3 (61.2%)
63. Christmas in Rome (air date: Nov 30) – 494 pts – weighted score: 86.8 (60.9%)
64. The Winter Castle (air date: January 5) – 475 pts – weighted score: 85.9 (60.2%)
65. A Christmas Love Story (air date: Dec 7) – 525 pts – weighted score: 85.1 (59.7%)
66. Merry & Bright (air date: Nov 2) – 483 pts – weighted score: 84.4 (59.2%)
67. Christmas Town (air date: Dec 7) – 508 pts – weighted score: 83.8 (58.8%)
68. Cherished Memories: A Gift to Remember 2 (air date: Nov 24) – 465 pts – weighted score: 83.4 (58.5%)
69. A Family Christmas Gift (air date: Dec 22) – 456 pts – weighted score: 81.2 (56.9%)
70. Nostalgic Christmas (air date: Oct 31) – 446 pts – weighted score: 79.2 (55.6%)
71. A Merry Christmas Match (air date: Oct 25) – 455 pts – weighted score: 78.3 (54.9%)
72. Sailing Into Love (air date: May 18) – 455 pts – weighted score: 78.0 (54.7%)
73. Rome in Love (air date: July 27) – 436 pts – weighted score: 76.7 (53.8%)
74. A Homecoming for the Holidays (air date: Dec 7) – 458 pts – weighted score: 75.9 (53.2%)
75. A Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas (air date: Nov 7) – 398 pts – weighted score: 72.3 (50.7%)
76. A Taste of Summer (air date: Aug 10) – 403 pts – weighted score: 70.9 (49.7%)
77. A Winter Princess (air date: January 18) – 380 pts – weighted score: 70.5 (49.5%)
78. A Feeling of Home (air date: May 11) – 386 pts – weighted score: 69.7% (48.9%)
79. A Cheerful Christmas (air date: Dec 15) – 410 pts – weighted score: 69.5 (48.8%)
80. Love in the Sun (air date: June 1) – 361 pts – weighted score: 62.5 (43.8%)

To see where this movie lands in my overall rankings of Hallmark movies, visit my Hallmark Movie Rankings page!

Later today I’ll post a ranking of all of the Christmas movies and final thoughts on the holiday movie season!  Then tomorrow, the last day of 2019, I’ll do a rundown of all of 2019!

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