I watch a lot of Hallmark movies, something many men probably can relate to as their girlfriends or wives consume the coziest holiday movies. This one wasn't too bad, for a Hallmark. Brace yourself for recycled story-lines, Christmasy cliches, and a whole lot of fake snow. The basis of this story centers around Santa (who's not the real Santa but does sport the rotundness) who breaks his arm and gets the Christmas crazy blonde to convince his son (definitely not real Santa) to replace him in the parade. But there are a few bumps along that road all leading up to a sweet conclusion---that everyone knew was coming. Hallmark happy endings and all that. Hey, Hallmark, here's an idea: next time try for something a little less trite? One of my biggest problems is the lack of creativity in these story-lines. Is anyone considering that Santa is an old tradition which may have a shelf life? I think there is opportunity here to dive into a deeper story around the cheery old man in the fading suit. Before he turns into a diabetic cookie monster... So if Santa's role can be filled by younger men, what's left for all the old guys to do who have dodged the razor for so long (in order to support festive facial hair)? It may or may not be a serious question.

I LOVE Hallmark movies. Old, new, Christmas, springtime, I love them all. Well, almost. This one was a pretty big disappointment. There were timeline issues, there were plot holes, there was mediocre acting, there was nonsensical dialogue, there was really nothing to the story. There was no spark between the leads. The music was laughable, especially that horrendous candy cane one near the end. Grace is an artist, and at the end of the movie cranks out this huge painting of Santa with some children (in a few hours, as near as I can tell) that is so obviously a photo I was actually cracking up. Then when she's interrupted she proceeds to throw a cloth over the painting she was just working on! The unexpected blizzard/whiteout was barely flurries, and certainly wouldn't have shut down the interstate immediately. One ongoing issue I have with these Christmas movies is their lack of realism regarding the weather and when it's daylight or dark out. The Christmas movies generally take place in colder climates, and yet people wander around without coats, gloves, hats, etc. for long periods of time, totally unaffected, even when it's snowing. I live in a colder climate, and I'm here to tell you, that's just not realistic. (And considering how many of Hallmark's hunky heroes hail from Canada, I would think someone would have been able to clue in the sun-worshipping southerners on what it's like to deal with winter weather.) I could go on, but what's the point?

Jodie Sweetin has a great personality that I found to be charming. But, I hate it when the leading man is better looking than the fraulein. Most of the time, Jody has stringy unwashed hair. Come on. The story was kind of dopey, but hey, it's a Christmas movie. Lighten' up. Not much sexiness, except for her tight sweaters, which basically carry the movie.

This film follows a typical Hallmark movie plot, which is "The Big Christmas Event Is In Jeopardy." There is a sub-plot of "Let's See If Two Strangers In A Fix Fall In Love."Jodie Sweetin plays Grace, who lives happily in a small town running her deceased parents' year-round Christmas store. Grace also organizes the annual Christmas Parade, which has become so good that a big city TV show wants to televise it this year. The Santa who always heads the parade makes Santa his family business, and plays the perfect St. Nick. Unfortunately, a mishap occurs and Original Santa is suddenly out of commission. A local casting call for a replacement fails miserably. The TV spot is on the line, as well as the town's economic resurgence everyone was hoping for. Original Santa reveals that his son, Ben, is trained in the family Santa business and perhaps might fill in. Ben, however, is now a freelance writer in not-so-far Boston. He flatly turns down the request. Somehow the family business is a bit of bitter baggage for Ben, who prefers to be a reindeer's behind instead of letting a one- time Santa gig interfere with his independence. Unfortunately the movie drags viewers through Grace's Herculean efforts to bring Ben back to his hometown and convince him to take two hours out of his busy schedule to save the day. Ben and Grace seem to hit it off as the big Santa-less event approaches. Ben is a young super- looks guy who has no resemblance to a traditional Santa, so, again, why all the effort to recruit him for TV? There is a scene where he demonstrates his Santa-like persona to some children; somehow that is supposed to reinforce why Grace wants him to be The Big Red One. It falls short. After all, the job consists only of waving at fans for one parade. As it becomes apparent to anyone not in the movie that there is absolutely no logical reason for Ben's continued refusal, it becomes a lesson in not letting civic charity get in the way of your selfish aspirations. Ben even tries to convince Grace that she must be unhappy carrying on her family legacy, and should bust out of the joint.If you want to sit through this to see how it all plays out, be my guest. Jodie is an excellent actress. The movie is beautifully filmed. The music is better then the typical annoying cues in many Hallmark movies that lamely attempt to supplement strained humor. Accordingly, I gave it three stars instead of none. Be forewarned, though; this is about as dumb as plot conflicts get.