I love my fair share of Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movies but this by far takes the cake of the worst one I've ever seen. This movie takes tropes and drives them into the ground. The spoiled girl volunteering her time at a soup kitchen (that is a poorly constructed set of plywood) to learn the true meaning of Christmas. A simple plot ruined by the main character straight up stalking the love interest, an annoying child, bad dialogue, and a borderline offensive gay character (of course the movie chose to indicate this gay character with a pink toque and coat). A lot of people will say it's fun to watch something so bad but trust me there are plenty of movies that are actually bearable to sit through that don't reinforce such uncomfortable behavior.

We start right off with two old formulaic plot lines. Spoiled rich girl gets cut off. Daughter of widower father wants new wife for him and writes Santa. We soon move into a few more. Community center will be shut down Christmas Eve. Female lead courts daughter as much as Dad. Instead of a girlfriend egging Crystal on, we have a feminine male who works at the center doing it. And probably a few more. The ending is no different and typically Hallmark.The acting isn't great. Amy Acker, whom I normally love, is a little too spoiled and a little too naïve. But then she suddenly changes. Emma Duke, the daughter, is pretty cute and at least sells the part.The movie is watchable and enjoyable, but typical Hallmark fare.

This is a family friendly movie all the way around. The socialite daughter, Crystal, is about to be cut off from her parents because she has not found a job or a husband. She meets Derek, and his daughter, Olivia, and feelings begin to develop. This is the quintessential boy meets girl kind of movie, void the sex, profanity, nudity and violence. I recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys sitting with the family watching movies during the Christmas season with a cup of hot chocolate or some eggnog. Sure, the actors are not Bobby DeNiro, Denzel or Sam Jackson, but the movie is cute, the plot is believable,the story is heart warming, and the fact that they took the time to focus on doing good to the homeless in the world makes this movie 9 out of 10 stars for me! Merry Christmas!

Pretty and perky Park Avenue shopper Amy Acker (as Crystal Carruthers) finds a "Dear Santa" letter blown away from a mailbox. The letter is from an adorable little girl named "Olivia" (Emma Duke) who is asking Santa to bring her widower father a new wife. Feeling adventurous, Ms. Acker decides to investigate. She finds Olivia's father even more adorable. The handsome and dreamy-eyed David Hayden-Jones (as Derek Gowen) runs a soup kitchen for the homeless, and Acker is mistaken for a volunteer...Strangely, Mr. Hayden-Jones does not seem notice Acker looks at him with desire. He is engaged to scheming Gina Holden (as Jillian), who steals the movie. But Patrick Creery (as Pete Kennedy) scores points by wearing a pink chef's uniform (pink, get it?) and other accessories with bemusement. Stubborn James Dugan (as Frank McCourt) does well with his small homeless role. Actor-turning-director Jason Priestley samples some "Breakfast at Tiffany's" (1961); it's dumb, but funny and easy to swallow.****** Dear Santa (11/26/11) Jason Priestley ~ Amy Acker, David Hayden-Jones, Gina Holden, Patrick Creery