Hallmark For All Seasons

“My Christmas Family Tree,” starring Aimee Teegarden, Andrew Walker, James Tupper, and an uncredited cameo by Walker’s cousin-thru-marriage Tyler Hynes, aired on November 13 during 2021’s Countdown to Christmas on Hallmark Channel.  It was filmed in and around Vancouver, Canada.

Mark Hefti provided the script, and while I was a bit disappointed by his script for Beverly Hills Wedding, I’m hoping his upcoming Kristoffer Polaha Christmas movie has a script more like this one. Jason Bourque directed.

This movie poster is fantastic. I love the green background, and how the pictures form the Christmas tree while showing the family as well.  Very festive and descriptive without saying a word.

Music: The opening credits song was The Happiest Christmas Tree by Nat King Cole.

In a nutshell

I absolutely loved this movie from beginning to end.  It had all the tropes, all the feels, and the entire cast was outstand and seemed like a real family.  Thoroughly enjoyable even if the romance was secondary to the movie!

The Plot of “My Christmas Family Tree”

When Vanessa receives the results from her Family Tree DNA test, she discovers a family she didn’t know existed and travels to their home for Christmas. 

Actors & Chemistry

Wow, this cast was superb.  From the leads to the family to the kids to the best friend – they were all simply outstanding from beginning to end.  There was potential for the family to appear really schmaltzy because of their over-the-top love of Christmas, but in actuality the actors all played it down to a normal level, and the result was that the family was just really fun and loved the holiday because it meant they got to be together.  The script gave the characters emotion and wit all tied up with a bow, and I loved it.

And did you spot Tyler Hynes in the movie?  Most folks did.  Tyler had a small part as a barista that served some eggnog at a cafe.  No doubt Walker and Hynes (who are cousins through marriage (Andrew’s wife is Tyler’s cousin)) were in town at the same time filming (Hynes’ movie with Bethany Joy Lenz comes out later in the season) and came up with this idea.  The hope now is that Andrew Walker makes a similar cameo in Tyler Hynes’ movie).

Tropes

Lead character has a deceased parent. Marble laptop straight off the bat.  The kids sang a carol but the family actually went out caroling later in the movie.  VANESSA’S DOG WAS ADORABLE. House had a front porch. Vanessa wore a big scarf when she met her dad, and they had cocoa together.

Vanessa and Kris had eggnog and she drank with two hands.  Later, the family went Christmas tree shopping, followed by decorating with some special handmade ornaments.  Then Vanessa and Kris went ice skating.

The family made gingerbread houses together. Cute kid dressed up as an angel for the Christmas pageant. CGI snow made an appearance!  The extended family made snowpeople and then there was a snowball fight.

Did I Hear/See That Right?

My biggest question was about the OTHER Vanessa.  Did she get the same notification that she got the wrong match (and yet didn’t in the end)?  Is there an alt-Vanessa universe wherein the other Vanessa also contacted a man she thought was her dad, then was told he wasn’t, but then confirmed he was?  Because if so, that DNA company has some explaining to do, and a potential lawsuit on their hands for pain and suffering!

Feelgoods

“Mets and Jets all the way – you have to root for the underdog.”  My husband is a lifelong Mets and Jets fan, so hearing this made me laugh.

The lighting of the Christmas decorations on the house made me happy.  That’s one of my favorite nights of the year.  We do a HUGE display and turning everything on that first night is always fun.

Inflatables breaking down are the bane of my existence.  My husband and I know when we buy them that if we get two winters out of them before they die, we’ve done well.  And my husband and I have considered adding a 25′ tall Santa to our display, too!

The look on Emilia’s face when Vanessa and Kris kissed was HILARIOUS.

General Thoughts

As I said at the beginning, I felt like the romance plotline was 100% secondary to the movie.  In fact, take out that romance, at a bit more emotional depth than it already had, and this could have been a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie.  It was that well done.  Did I mind the romance aspect?  Not at all – there were things I appreciated about it, and I thought Teegarden and Walker were well matched in that regard.

Re-watchability of “My Christmas Family Tree”

Oh yeah, this movie will be watched every year without fail.

The Ranking

“My Christmas Family Tree” is in 2nd place for the entire year.  I told you I liked it!  A great cast, a strong script, tons of tropes and all the feels easily had this one ranked near the top. I loved it.

1. The Santa Stakeout (air date: Oct 24) – 730 pts – weighted score: 122.3 (85.8%)
2. A Christmas Family Tree (air date: Nov 14) – 730 pts – weighted score: 121.9 (85.5%)
3. You, Me and The Christmas Trees (air date: Oct 22) – 716 pts – weighted score: 121.3 (85.1%)
4. Crashing Through The Snow (air date: July 10) – 705 pts – weighted score: 118.1 (82.8%)
5. A Mrs. Miracle Christmas (air date: Nov 6) – 688 pts – weighted score: 116.2 (81.5%)
6. Boyfriends of Christmas Past (air date: Oct 23) – 673 pts – weighted score: 116.1 (81.5%)
7. Next Stop, Christmas (air date: Nov 6) – 682 pts – weighted score: 114.7 (80.5%)
8. It Was Always You (air date: Feb 27) – 668 pts – weighted score: 114.2 (80.1%)
9. The Christmas Promise (air date: Oct 30) – 675 pts – weighted score: 114.1 (80.0%)
10. Gingerbread Miracle (air date: Nov 5) – 671 pts – weighted score: 114.0 (80.0%)
11. Christmas In My Heart (air date: Oct 23) – 675 pts – weighted score: 113.9 (79.9%)
12. Open at Christmas (air date: Nov 12) – 658 pts – weighted score: 111.6 (78.3%)
13. You Had Me At Aloha (air date: June 5) – 675 pts – weighted score: 111.4 (78.1%)
14. Sweet Carolina (air date: May 15) – 648 pts – weighted score: 110.1 (77.2%)
15. Taking a Shot at Love (air date: Jan 2) – 641 pts – weighted score: 108.9 (76.4%)
16. Don’t Go Breaking My Heart (air date: Mar 27) – 636 pts – weighted score: 108.5 (76.1%)
17. Right in Front of Me (air date: Apr 18) – 637 pts – weighted score: 108.0 (75.8%)
18. As Luck Would Have It (air date: Apr 10) – 638 pts – weighted score: 107.7 (75.5%)
19. Her Pen Pal (air date: June 19) – 636 pts – weighted score: 107.1 (75.1%)
20. The Baker’s Son (air date: June 13) – 637 pts – weighted score: 106.3 (74.6%)
21. South Beach Love (air date: Oct 9) – 615 pts – weighted score: 105.8 (74.2%)
22. Love Strikes Twice (air date: Oct 2) – 608 pts – weighted score: 105.2 (73.8%)
23. Christmas Sail (air date: Oct 31) – 606 pts – weighted score: 105.1 (73.7%)
24. Christmas in Harmony (air date: Oct 29) – 605 pts – weighted score: 104.8 (73.5%)
25. A Christmas Treasure (air date: Nov 7) – 625 pts – weighted score: 104.6 (73.4%)
26. A Winter Getaway (air date: Jan 23) – 620 pts – weighted score: 104.4 (73.3%)
27. Coyote Creek Christmas (air date: Oct 30) – 614 pts – weighted score: 104.3 (73.2%)
28. Love, For Real (air date: July 31) – 607 pts – weighted score: 103.6 (72.7%)
29. Rise and Shine, Benedict Stone (air date: Oct 1) – 595 pts – weighted score: 103.0 (72.2%)
30. Mix Up in the Mediterranean (air date: Feb 20) – 590 pts – weighted score: 102.5 (71.9%)
31. Advice to Love By (air date: Oct 16) – 599 pts – weighted score: 102.2 (71.7)
32. Two For The Win (air date: Jan 16) – 603 pts – weighted score: 101.8 (71.4%)
33. Taking the Reins (air date: Sept 28) – 574 pts – weighted score: 101.2 (71.0%)
34. Raise a Glass to Love (air date: Sept 18) – 590 pts – weighted score: 100.7 (70.7%)
35. Chasing Waterfalls (air date: Mar 20) – 570 pts – weighted score: 100.3 (70.4%)
36. Roadhouse Romance (air date: Sept 11) – 571 pts – weighted score: 100.2 (70.3%)
37. Sweet Pecan Summer (air date: ) – 576 pts – weighted score: 97.3 (68.3%)
38. Sand Dollar Cove (air date: June 26) – 557 pts – weighted score: 96.8 (67.9%)
39. Hearts Down Under (air date: Apr 24) – 547 pts – weighted score: 95.2 (66.8%)
40. Fit for a Prince (air date: Mar 6) – 546 pts – weighted score: 94.6 (66.4%)
41. A New Year’s Resolution (air date: Jan 9) – 516 pts – weighted score: 90.5 (63.5%)
42. Finding Love in Mountain View (air date: ) – 504 pts – weighted score: 89.5 (62.8%)
43. A Little Daytime Drama (air date: Aug 21) – 511 pts – weighted score: 87.7 (61.5%)
44. Baby, It’s Cold Inside (air date: May 8) – 495 pts – weighted score: 85.6 (60.0%)
45. Playing Cupid (air date: Feb 13) – 466 pts – weighted score: 82.6 (58.0%)
46. Beverly Hills Wedding (air date: Feb 6) – 431 pts – weighted score: 80.6 (56.5%)
47. Journey of my Heart (air date: ) – 450 pts – weighted score: 76.0 (53.3%)
48. Snowkissed (air date: Jan 31) – 402 pts – weighted score: 76.0 (53.3%)

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

What did you think of “My Christmas Family Tree”?  Comment below and let me know!