Hallmark For All Seasons

“We Wish You a Married Christmas,” starring Marisol Nichols and Kristoffer Polaha aired on Hallmark Channel on the second night of 2022’s Countdown to Christmas, October 22, 2022.  Nicole Baxter, a frequent Hallmark storyteller, provided this one as well, with Paul Ziller directing. The movie was filmed in Carman, a small town about an hour outside Winnipeg, Canada.

Music: We heard Kelly Clarkson’s Underneath the Tree in the great opening credits of all the happy holiday people followed by Robby and Becca on opposite sides of the sofa.

In a nutshell

This was a good movie.  Well written, evenly paced, well acted with great secondary characters, and it was enjoyable to watch two married people reconnect.  Not sure if the alpacas were necessary or why they are so prominent on the poster. *lol*

The Plot of “We Wish You a Married Christmas”

A couple goes to a quiet town to reconnect at Christmas on the advice of their marriage coach.

Actors & Chemistry

The pressure is on for Kristoffer Polaha after last year’s magnificent performance in A Dickens of a Holiday!, which was my favorite Hallstar performance for all of 2021.  He did not disappoint in this.  He ranged from hilariously grumpy to genuinely regretful, and everything in between.   Marisol Nichols had the misfortune of being in last year’s Christmas CEO, which was just okay but not a standout, but in this movie she was fabulous. I completely believed that these two people were married, struggling to connect in their daily lives, and trying to figure out what was going to happen next.

Find the Tropes!

I think because of the atypical plot, there weren’t as many tropes are a typical Hallmark Christmas move. We saw cute dogs, and then the next one was almost at the halfway point with caroling (and stepped up with costumes to boot!). We finally saw hot cocoa!

Crafting came in with the stockings at the bar.  I saw a couple coffee cups, and I could swear they were empty, although I think it was Polaha himself who recently stated on Twitter that he always has liquid in his cups on screen.

Did I Hear/See That Right?

Not sure that painted pet portraits can earn enough to have a storefront, but what do I know?  Maybe small towns in Vermont have super-affordable business rents for that kind of thing.

I don’t know much about alpacas, but I do know that they are NOT shorn in wintertime.  And certainly not wintertime in Vermont.  They would freeze!  Nope, alpacas are shorn in the spring or summer time.  That gives them enough time to grow back some of their fluffy wool before winter arrives!

Feelgoods

What a treat to have Pascale Hutton pop up as the therapist. I was thrilled last year when Andrew Walker and Tyler Hines appeared in each other’s movies, and I’m glad that Hallmark is continuing the tradition, realizing that having multiple Hallstars in a movie is a huge plus for fans.

I’m sorry, but seeing/hearing Polaha shout, “You’ve gotta be kidding me!” was my favorite bit in the trailer, and still just as funny in the movie.  Grumpy Polaha = funny Polaha.  Also, Polaha in the 1800s clothes?  HANDSOME.

This year for Christmas we are doing an “inflatable farm” at our house instead of the light show and 70-80 lighted animals we usually have in our yard.  I think we have at least 30 inflatables for this year’s display.  Doesn’t stop me from want THESE though!!!

General Thoughts

What I liked most about the movie was the couple’s realization that they seemed to really enjoy their vacations together and the connection they had during those trips. They had no distractions and could focus on each other. This trip to Vermont was no different – as their daily lives melted away, they reconnected.

Every time they talked about a fond vacation memory, I’d think, “These people clearly enjoy each other’s company – they just need to spend time together in their day to day lives.”  And finally they had that realization, which made me happy.  That’s why I enjoyed this movie – I could see the progression as they reminisced and rediscovered each other.

Re-watchability of “We Wish You a Married Christmas”

I do think I’d watch this one again, because I liked the movie’s subtle storytelling in addition to the great acting from Nichols and Polaha.

The Rankings

It has cracked the Top 10 for the year thus far. Now admittedly, I still have a LOT of movies to add to this list, but I suspect its score guarantees it will remain in the “plus” column by year’s end.

1. Two Tickets to Paradise (air date: June 25) – 664 pts – weighted score: 111.4 (78.1%)
2. Just One Kiss (air date: Apr 2) – 660 pts – weighted score: 111.2 (78.0%)
3. The Presence of Love (air date: Mar 13) – 650 pts – weighted score: 110.9 (77.8%)
4. Wedding of a Lifetime (air date: Sept 17) – 640 pts – weighted score: 108.2 (75.9%)
5. Dating the Delaneys (air date: Aug 20) – 638 pts – weighted score: 106.5 (74.7%)
6. Love, Classified (air date: Apr 16) – 624 pts – weighted score: 106.1 (74.4%)
7. A Royal Runaway Romance (air date: Apr 9) – 617 pts – weighted score: 105.9 (74.3%)
8. We Wish You a Married Christmas (air date: Oct 22) – 623 pts – weighted score: 105.7 (74.1%)
9. Rip in Time (air date: May 22) – 622 pts – weighted score: 105.3 (73.9%)
10. Campfire Christmas (air date: July 16) – 621 pts – weighted score: 104.9 (73.6%)
11. Noel Next Door (air date: Oct 21) – 609 pts – weighted score: 104.8 (73.5%)
12. Caribbean Summer (air date: June 11) – 636 pts – weighted score: 104.7 (73.5%)
13. Always Amore (air date: Apr 3) – 618 pts – weighted score: 104.5 (73.3%)
14. Hidden Gems (air date: Jun 4) – 611 pts – weighted score: 102.3 (71.8%)
15. Pumpkin Everything (air date: Oct 8) – 603 pts – weighted score: 101.6 (71.3%)
16. Autumn in the City (air date: Oct 15) – 594 pts – weighted score: 100.2 (70.3%)
17. Love in the Limelight (air date: Aug 6) – 604 pts – weighted score: 100.0 (70.2%)
18. Second Chance at Love (air date: Mar 26) – 585 pts – weighted score: 99.7 (69.9%)
19. Romance in Style (air date: Aug 13) – 562 pts – weighted score: 97.2 (68.2%)
20. Big Sky River (air date: Aug 7) – 568 pts – weighted score: 97.1 (68.1%)
21. Game, Set, Love (air date: Aug 27) – 552 pts – weighted score: 95.3 (66.9%)
22. A Tail of Love (air date: Apr 23) – 557 pts – weighted score: 94.4 (66.2%)
23. The Perfect Pairing (air date: Jan 15) – 563 pts – weighted score: 92.7 (65.0%)
24. Christmas in Toyland (air date: July 23) – 544 pts – weighted score: 92.4 (64.8%)
25. The Wedding Veil Legacy (air date: Feb 19) – 543 pts – weighted score: 92.0 (64.5%)
26. Welcome to Mama’s (air date: Feb 26) – 540 pts – weighted score: 91.9 (64.5%)
27. Butlers in Love (air date: Jan 29) – 527 pts – weighted score: 91.3 (64.0%)
28. Feeling Butterflies (air date: Mar 12) – 542 pts – weighted score: 91.2 (64.0%)
29. To Her, With Love (air date: Sept 11) – 536 pts – weighted score: 89.4 (62.7%)
30. The Wedding Veil Unveiled (air date: Feb 12) – 515 pts – weighted score: 86.9 (61.0%)
31. My Grown-Up Christmas List (air date: July 9) – 514 pts – weighted score: 86.9 (60.9%)
32. Road Trip Romance (air date: May 14) – 492 pts – weighted score: 85.9 (60.3%)
33. Don’t Forget I Love You (air date: Jan 22) – 508 pts – weighted score: 85.8 (60.2%)
34. The Wedding Veil (air date: Jan 8) – 508 pts – weighted score: 83.3 (58.4%)
35. Where the Heart Belongs (air date: Jan 1) – 435 pts – weighted score: 74.5 (52.3%)
36. 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 “We Wish You a Married Christmas”?  Comment below and let me know!