Hallmark For All Seasons

Countdown to Christmas 2020

Christmas Comes Twice

“Christmas Comes Twice” aired on December 13, 2020 on the Hallmark Channel. Filmed in Vancouver, it starred Tamera Mowry-Housley, Michael Xavier and Sheryl Lee Ralph. We even had Brendan Zub playing the town mayor.

Michael M. Scott directed, having helmed one of my favorite Christmas Hallmark movies, 2013’s “Window Wonderland” starring Paul Campbell and Chyler Leigh. The screenplay came courtesy of Gregg Rossen and Brian Sawyer.

One piece of business: the song that played when Cheryl brought out her telescope to look at the stars around 30 minutes into the movie, is Stars & Snowflakes by Sylva (affiliate link).

In a nutshell

I love time-travel stories and we so rarely get them. Fortunately, this year we had TWO of them! I was completely on board with this movie until the last 10 minutes. Had the movie not ended the way it did, I would have ranked MUCH higher on my list.

Plot of “Christmas Comes Twice”

Cheryl Jenkins (Mowry-Housley) is an astrophysicist who works for the National Science Foundation reviewing grant applications for projects, heads home to spend the holidays with her family and first on the agenda is a visit to the annual Christmas carnival. While there, Cheryl sees a carousel in the distance and ventures over to take a ride. But when the revolutions wind down Cheryl discovers that — somehow — it’s five years earlier. As Cheryl navigates her way through her visit back in time, she finds a new appreciation for what she’s doing in life. But when the carousel returns Cheryl to present-day Christmas with lessons learned, will the love she found be waiting for her?

Actors

I’m gonna say it, and I know it might be controversial, but I prefer Tamera Mowry-Housley over Tia Mowry-Hardrict. I know fans of “Sister Sister” might be mad at me for picking just one, but I can’t help it. There’s just something about Tamera’s acting style that I prefer over her twin’s.

Michael Xavier was new to me (he’s been in a lot of stuff that I normally would be interested in but never got around to watching, such as “The Expanse” on Amazon) and I liked him. He was a little bit too reserved for a good portion of the movie, but in the sections where his characters loosened up a bit I quite liked him.

Chemistry

The cast worked well together and while it wasn’t sparkling with connection, it was believable. I can’t say much more than that.

Tropes

Workaholic big city girl heads home for the holidays. In a span of five minutes we had TWO drone shots of cars driving on a lonely road. Their childhood home had a front porch, and the parents’ new home has one as well.

Upon arriving home they headed to the Christmas carnival. Cheryl ran into George her high school friend/competitor, with whom she doesn’t get along. We got to see a random cute puppy.

Cheryl’s teacher baked some cookies. We had a very strange trip and fall when apparently a Christmas tree fell down due to a loose ribbon. Cheryl wore at least one big scarf wrapped around her neck.

Cheryl and Dr. Phillips drank hot coca at the interview. Snowglobe! Cheryl and George decorate Ms. Nelson’s Christmas tree. We’ve had a noticeable lack of actual caroling this year, but we got it in this movie! We had an almost kiss.

Bingo Card Score for “Christmas Comes Twice”

I covered nine spots, which is respectable. No bingos, though. Feel free to download my free bingo cards and play along!

Did I Hear/See That Right?

Right out of the gate, our lead character is on her knees behind a large Christmas tree, attempting to get a tree to re-light in the middle of a party. And did I mention that the woman is wearing a short cocktail dress? How on earth did she get down there without flashing everyone and then stand up without the same? I’m sorry, but this is how you know the script was written by men. No woman in her right mind would crawl under a Christmas tree while wearing a short dress at a work function in an attempt to get it to light up again. *lol*

Did I miss a scene where Cheryl told her teacher to maybe think about seeing a heart specialist? Because if someone in my past was gone, and I was able to go back 5 years and possibly say something that could allow that person to NOT pass away, I’d say it.

The whole last ten minutes is a big “HUH?” Now, normally when I watch time travel movies I drop all my time-shift paradox “how did that happen?” analysis that people always get into with time travel movies. But in this case, the questions could not be ignored. Are we to believe that George saw her disappear and then over the next five years rather than getting therapy because a woman disappeared in front of his eyes, he chose instead to AVOID her for the next five years when she came to visit her family? And then after five years he approached her, returned her scarf, acted like it was no big deal, and started their happy ever after? As I said, I’m always willing to suspend belief with time travel movies, but they at least need to make SOME sense.

Feelgoods

I had a professor in college that I adored. He is still alive today, but occasionally he’ll pop into my mind and I know that I’ll dread the day I get word that he has passed away. He is probably in his 80s now, so he could live one more year or 20 more years. Either way, I know that if he was gone, and I had the opportunity to see him again, I’d do so in a heartbeat. He had a profound effect on me. So I understood Cheryl’s emotion at seeing her old professor.

Re-watchability

Unfortunately, because of the last ten minutes, I won’t be watching this one again. I was really mad at how it ended.

The Ranking

“Christmas Comes Twice” was enjoyable for the most part. I liked the cast, I liked the story, I liked the Christmas-y feel. But those last ten minutes were unforgiveable even for a time-travel movie in which you are required to suspend belief. In fact, if that ending were to be more believable, this movie would have landed at spot #29 instead of #42.

One Royal Holiday (air date: Oct 31) – 722 pts – weighted score: 121.8 (85.5%)
On the 12th Date of Christmas (air date: Nov 1) – 707 pts – weighted score: 119.2 (83.6%)
The Christmas House (air date: Nov 22) – 710 pts – weighted score: 118.6 (83.2%)
Sweet Autumn (air date: Oct 17) – 693 pts – weighted score: 118.5 (83.1%)
Good Morning, Christmas! (air date: Nov 25) – 698 pts – weighted score: 118.2 (82.9%)
A Timeless Christmas (air date: Nov 14) – 700 pts – weighted score: 117.7 (82.6%)
Deliver by Christmas (air date: Oct 25) – 697 pts – weighted score: 117.4 (82.4%)
Christmas With the Darlings (air date: Nov 8) – 691 pts – weighted score: 117.2 (82.2%)
Christmas Waltz (air date: Nov 29) – 694 pts – weighted score: 116.1 (81.5%)
Christmas by Starlight (air date: Nov 26) – 689 pts – weighted score: 115.9 (81.3%)
A Glenbrooke Christmas (air date: Dec 12) – 695 pts – weighted score: 115.8 (81.2%)
Five Star Christmas (air date: Nov 27) – 688 pts – weighted score: 115.8 (81.2%)
Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater (air date: Nov 7) – 681 pts – weighted score: 115.8 (81.2%)
Love, Lights, Hanukkah! (air date: Dec 12) – 677 pts – weighted score: 114.1 (80.0%)
Christmas in Evergreen: Bells Are Ringing (air date: Dec 5) – 672 pts – weighted score: 113.9 (79.9%)
The Christmas Bow (air date: Nov 8) – 676 pts – weighted score: 113.2 (79.4%)
Cranberry Christmas (air date: Oct 31) – 650 pts – weighted score: 112.1 (78.6%)
The Angel Tree (air date: Nov 21) – 670 pts – weighted score: 110.9 (77.8%)
Matching Hearts (air date: Feb 8) – 640 pts – weighted score: 109.0 (76.5%)
Winter in Vail (air date: Jan 4) – 623 pts – weighted score: 108.8 (76.4%)
Wedding Every Weekend (air date: Aug 15) – 639 pts – weighted score: 108.3 (76.0%)
Love in Store (air date: Feb 22) – 637 pts – weighted score: 108.2 (75.9%)
Christmas in Vienna (air date: Nov 14) – 636 pts – weighted score: 107.0 (75.1%)
A Nashville Christmas Carol (air date: Nov 21) – 634 pts – weighted score: 107.0 (75.1%)
A Little Christmas Charm (air date: Dec 6) – 656 pts – weighted score: 106.9 (75.0%)
Love on Harbor Island (air date: Aug 8) – 634 pts – weighted score: 106.9 (75.0%)
Holly & Ivy (air date: Oct 31) – 615 pts – weighted score: 106.8 (74.9%)
Time for Us to Come Home for Christmas (air date: Dec 5) – 615 pts – weighted score: 105.3 (73.9%)
The Secret Ingredient (air date: Feb 15) – 617 pts – weighted score: 105.2 (73.8%)
The Christmas Doctor (air date: Nov 15) – 605 pts (weighted score: 104.8 (73.5%)
Country at Heart (air date: Oct 3) – 611 pts – weighted score: 104.1 (73.1%)
You’re Bacon Me Crazy (air date: Apr 4) – 591 pts – weighted score: 104.0 (72.9%)
My Best Friend’s Bouquet (air date: Oct 10) – 599 pts – weighted score: 103.4 (72.5%)
The Christmas Ring (air date: Nov 7) – 609 pts – weighted score: 103.3 (72.5%)
Fashionably Yours (air date: Apr 11) – 594 pts – weighted score: 102.6 (72.0%)
Follow Your Heart (air date: Oct 4) – 585 pts – weighted score: 101.6 (71.3%)
A Godwink Christmas: Second Chance, First Love (air date: Nov 22) – 587 pts – weighted score: 100.9 (70.8%)
Christmas Tree Lane (air date: Oct 24) – 574 pts – weighted score: 100.3 (70.4%)
A Valentine’s Match (air date: Feb 1) – 562 pts – weighted score: 99.8 (70.0%)
Love On Iceland (air date: Jan 18) – 563 pts – weighted score: 99.4 (69.7%)
Christmas She Wrote (air date: Dec 6) – 591 pts – weighted score: 99.2 (69.6%)
Christmas Comes Twice (air date: Dec 13) – 583 pts – weighted score: 99.1 (69.5%)
Hearts of Winter (air date: Jan 25) – 561 pts – weighted score: 98.2 (68.9%)
Heart of the Holidays (air date: Nov 23) – 570 pts – weighted score: 97.9 (68.7%)
Jingle Bell Bride (air date: Oct 24) – 558 pts – weighted score: 97.9 (68.7%)
Just My Type (air date: Mar 28) – 565 pts – weighted score: 95.4 (66.9%)
Meet Me At Christmas (air date: Nov 15) 532 pts – weighted score: 91.1 (63.9%)
Bad Date Chronicles (air date: Feb 28) – 520 pts – weighted score: 91.0 (63.9%)
Love in Winterland (air date: Jan 11) – 508 pts – weighted score: 90.7 (63.6%)
Nature of Love (air date: Apr 18) – 520 pts – weighted score: 90.3 (63.3%)
If I Only Had Christmas (air date: Nov 29) – 535 pts – weighted score: 90.0 (63.2%)
USS Christmas (air date: Nov 28) – 521 pts – weighted score: 87.5 (61.4%)
Chateau Christmas (air date: Oct 25) – 502 pts – weighted score: 87.3 (61.3%)
Amazing Winter Romance (air date: Jan 20) – 487 pts – weighted score: 85.6 (60.1%)
Love Under the Olive Tree (air date: June 20) – 473 pts – weighted score: 85.0 (59.6%)
In the Key of Love (air date: Mar 14) – 470 pts – weighted score: 82.5 (57.9%)
Love in the Forecast (air date: Jun 13) – 440 pts – weighted score: 72.5 (50.8%)
Midway to Love (air date: June 26) – 410 pts – weighted score: 69.0 (48.4%)
Falling at Look Lodge (air date: Sept 26) – 350 pts – weighted score: 64.0 (44.9%)
Romance in the Air (air date: Aug 1) – 367 pts – weighted score: 63.2 (44.3%)
Follow Me to Daisy Hills (air date: Sept 19) – 337 pts – weighted score: 62.8 (44.1%)
How to Train Your Husband (air date: May 16) – 350 pts – weighted score: 62.5 (43.9%)