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The Holiday Sitter

The Holiday Sitter

The Holiday Sitter
image: Hallmark Crown Media

“The Holiday Sitter” starring Jonathan Bennett and George Krissa, aired on December 11, 2022 during Hallmark Channel’s 2022 Countdown to Christmas. It was written by Greg Baldwin and Tracy Andreen based on a story by Jonathan Bennett.  Popular Hallmark actress Ali Liebert directed this one!  In 2022 she also directed “North to Home.”

In a nutshell

I liked the movie, and felt I would have liked it more had it been a bit more funny.  The trailer for this movie made it seem like a madcap comedy, similar to this year’s Haul Out the Holly or 2020’s The Christmas House.  However, this ended up being more a standard drama with some funny bits – and so my expectations were not met.  But it’s one of Jonathan Bennett’s finest moments to shine.

The Plot of “The Holiday Sitter”

Sam babysits his niece and nephew before the holidays, and when he recruits help from their handsome neighbor Jason, he finds himself in an unexpected romance.

Actors & Chemistry

Really, the only one to talk about is Jonathan Bennett. I think this might be his best performance in a Hallmark movie.  He perfectly balanced the humor, at which he excels, with the serious, emotional beats near the end of the movie.  When Sam and his sister sat on the back porch talking, and he spoke about why he never envisioned himself having a family, my heart broke.  Such a well-written, acted and directed scene.

The entire cast was great, from the kids to the brothers to the parents.  Seeing plenty of familiar Hallmark faces in one movie made this one a comfort to watch.

The Holiday Sitter
image: Hallmark Crown Media

Find the Tropes!

There were not as many tropes as I anticipated for this movie. House with a front porch.  Some kids (albeit older ones).  An overhead drone shot of a car driving. A meet cute trip and fall. A Christmas market/fair. Adorable red heeler dog. Crafting in the form of making a stocking for the new baby. A Christmas play.

Did I Hear/See That Right?

So as Sam was leaving for his Hawaiian vacation, I noticed that he had a bunch of popcorn in the red popcorn machine in his apartment.  Why was that there?  Is it fake popcorn?  Or does he just leave popcorn in there to eventually get stale and/or attract bugs/mice?

Was he also going to leave his lights on while he was in Hawaii?  His Christmas tree and a couple other lights were on.

Green vegan pancakes sound gross.  Just saying.  And is that girl really a vegan?  Because later on she was eating a donut, and I’m not sure it was a vegan donut.

Feelgoods

“Stop trying to make fetch happen.”  As a fan of “Mean Girls,” this line made me laugh out loud HARD.  I even rewound my DVR so I could hear it again.  I LOVE easter eggs in movies.

The Holiday Sitter
image: Hallmark Crown Media

Re-watchability of “The Holiday Sitter”

I do think this is a rewatchable movie.  Maybe not every year, and I’m not sure I’d seek it out, but if I saw it was on, I would absolutely watch it again.

The Rankings

Yet more general rankings below, for more than just “The Holiday Sitter.”  Of the seven I’ve been able to watch in the last 24 hours (yep, you read that right), “Sitter” was my favorite and cracked the Top 20 for the year. The other standout was Ashley Williams’ “Five More Minutes” movie from Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.  That movie featured another heartfelt performance, this time from Williams, who was fantastic.  Much like Bennett, she excels at comedy, but when she turns on the emotion, it is palpable.

  1. Ghosts of Christmas Always (air date: Oct 30) – 732 pts – weighted score: 122.4 (85.9%)
  2. Three Wise Men and a Baby (air date: Nov 19) – 735 pts – weighted score: 122.2 (85.7%)
  3. Haul Out the Holly (air date: Nov 26) – 729 pts – weighted score: 121.0 (84.9%)
  4. Lights, Camera, Christmas! (air date: Nov 5) – 671 pts – weighted score: 113.1 (79.4%)
  5. A Kismet Christmas (air date: Oct 24) – 664 pts – weighted score: 113.2 (79.4%)
  6. Our Italian Christmas Memories (air date: Nov 12) 665 pts – weighted score: 112.4 (78.9%)
  7. Christmas at the Golden Dragon (air date: Nov 13) – 665 pts – weighted score: 112.1 (78.7%)
  8. Two Tickets to Paradise (air date: June 25) – 664 pts – weighted score: 111.4 (78.1%)
  9. Just One Kiss (air date: Apr 2) – 660 pts – weighted score: 111.2 (78.0%)
  10. The Presence of Love (air date: Mar 13) – 650 pts – weighted score: 110.9 (77.8%)
  11. The Gift of Peace (air date: Dec 10) – 636 pts – weighted score: 108.9 (76.4%)
  12. Wedding of a Lifetime (air date: Sept 17) – 640 pts – weighted score: 108.2 (75.9%)
  13. The Holiday Sitter (air date: Dec 11) – 636 pts -weighted score: 107.4 (75.4%)
  14. Dating the Delaneys (air date: Aug 20) – 638 pts – weighted score: 106.5 (74.7%)
  15. Love, Classified (air date: Apr 16) – 624 pts – weighted score: 106.1 (74.4%)
  16. Five More Minutes: Moments Like This (air date: Dec 17) – 624 pts – weighted score: 106.1 (74.4%)
  17. All Saints Christmas (air date: Nov 5) – 624 pts – weighted score: 106.0 (74.4%)
  18. A Royal Runaway Romance (air date: Apr 9) – 617 pts – weighted score: 105.9 (74.3%)
  19. Jolly Good Christmas (air date: Oct 29) – 625 pts – weighted score: 105.7 (74.2%)
  20. #Xmas (air date: Nov 25) – 624 pts – weighted score: 105.7 (74.1%)
  21. We Wish You a Married Christmas (air date: Oct 22) – 623 pts – weighted score: 105.7 (74.1%)
  22. A Holiday Spectacular (air date: Nov 27) – 622 pts – weighted score: 105.6 (74.1%)
  23. My Southern Family Christmas (air date: Nov 24) – 621 pts – weighted score: 105.6 (74.1%)
  24. The Royal Nanny (air date: Nov 12) – 611 pts – weighted score: 105.5 (74.0%)
  25. Hannukah on Rye (air date: Dec 18) – 629 pts – weighted score: 105.4 (73.9%)
  26. A Big Fat Family Christmas (air date: Dec 2) – 627 pts – weighted score: 105.4 (73.9%)
  27. In Merry Measure (air date: Nov 11) – 625 pts – weighted score: 105.4 (73.9%)
  28. Rip in Time (air date: May 22) – 622 pts – weighted score: 105.3 (73.9%)
  29. Inventing the Christmas Prince (air date: Nov 18) – 614 pts – weighted score: 105.2 (73.8%)
  30. We Need a Little Christmas (air date: Oct 22) – 614 pts – weighted score: 105.1 (73.7%)
  31. Campfire Christmas (air date: July 16) – 621 pts – weighted score: 104.9 (73.6%)
  32. Noel Next Door (air date: Oct 21) – 609 pts – weighted score: 104.8 (73.5%)
  33. Holiday Heritage (air date: Dec 16) – 607 pts – weighted score: 104.8 (73.5%)
  34. Caribbean Summer (air date: June 11) – 636 pts – weighted score: 104.7 (73.5%)
  35. A Cozy Christmas Inn (air date: Oct 28) – 626 pts – weighted score: 104.6 (73.5%)
  36. Christmas Class Reunion (air date: Dec 10) – 615 pts – weighted score: 104.6 (73.4%)
  37. Undercover Holiday (air date: Dec 4) – 619 pts – weighted score: 104.5 (73.3%)
  38. Always Amore (air date: Apr 3) – 618 pts – weighted score: 104.5 (73.3%)
  39. A Fabled Holiday (air date: Dec 3) – 616 pts – weighted score: 104.0 (73.0%)
  40. A Tale of Two Christmases (air date: Nov 26) – 605 pts – weighted score: 103.6 (72.7%)
  41. The Most Colorful Time of Year (air date: Dec 9) – 596 pts – weighted score: 103.5 (72.6%)
  42. A Christmas Cookie Catastrophe (air date: ) – 604 pts – weighted score: 102.6 (72.0%)
  43. Hidden Gems (air date: Jun 4) – 611 pts – weighted score: 102.3 (71.8%)
  44. A Magical Christmas Village (air date: Nov 4) – 592 pts – weighted score: 101.8 (71.4%)
  45. Pumpkin Everything (air date: Oct 8) – 603 pts – weighted score: 101.6 (71.3%)
  46. Autumn in the City (air date: Oct 15) – 594 pts – weighted score: 100.2 (70.3%)
  47. Love in the Limelight (air date: Aug 6) – 604 pts – weighted score: 100.0 (70.2%)
  48. Second Chance at Love (air date: Mar 26) – 585 pts – weighted score: 99.7 (69.9%)
  49. When I Think of Christmas (air date: Nov 20) – 577 pts – weighted score: 99.3 (69.6%)
  50. Christmas Bedtime Stories (air date: Oct 29) – 575 pts – weighted score: 98.8 (69.3%)
  51. Romance in Style (air date: Aug 13) – 562 pts – weighted score: 97.2 (68.2%)
  52. Big Sky River (air date: Aug 7) – 568 pts – weighted score: 97.1 (68.1%)
  53. Game, Set, Love (air date: Aug 27) – 552 pts – weighted score: 95.3 (66.9%)
  54. A Tail of Love (air date: Apr 23) – 557 pts – weighted score: 94.4 (66.2%)
  55. The Perfect Pairing (air date: Jan 15) – 563 pts – weighted score: 92.7 (65.0%)
  56. Christmas in Toyland (air date: July 23) – 544 pts – weighted score: 92.4 (64.8%)
  57. The Wedding Veil Legacy (air date: Feb 19) – 543 pts – weighted score: 92.0 (64.5%)
  58. Welcome to Mama’s (air date: Feb 26) – 540 pts – weighted score: 91.9 (64.5%)
  59. Long Lost Christmas (air date: Nov 19) – 537 pts – weighted score: 91.9 (64.5%)
  60. Butlers in Love (air date: Jan 29) – 527 pts – weighted score: 91.3 (64.0%)
  61. Feeling Butterflies (air date: Mar 12) – 542 pts – weighted score: 91.2 (64.0%)
  62. A Maple Valley Christmas (air date: Nov 5) – 522 pts – weighted score: 89.5 (62.8%)
  63. To Her, With Love (air date: Sept 11) – 536 pts – weighted score: 89.4 (62.7%)
  64. A Royal Corgi Christmas (air date: Nov 25) – 508 pts – weighted score: 87.1 (61.1%)
  65. The Wedding Veil Unveiled (air date: Feb 12) – 515 pts – weighted score: 86.9 (61.0%)
  66. My Grown-Up Christmas List (air date: July 9) – 514 pts – weighted score: 86.9 (60.9%)
  67. Road Trip Romance (air date: May 14) – 492 pts – weighted score: 85.9 (60.3%)
  68. Don’t Forget I Love You (air date: Jan 22) – 508 pts – weighted score: 85.8 (60.2%)
  69. The Wedding Veil (air date: Jan 8) – 508 pts – weighted score: 83.3 (58.4%)
  70. Where the Heart Belongs (air date: Jan 1) – 435 pts – weighted score: 74.5 (52.3%)
  71. 14 Love Letters (air date: July 31) – 420 pts – weighted score: 73.5 (51.6%)

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

What did you think of “The Holiday Sitter”?  Comment below and let me know!

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I've been a fan of Hallmark movies for as long as I can remember. In 2018 I decided it was finally time to write about it, and thus this website was born.

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