So this was your typical Lifetime movie helped along by Linda Hamilton, a decent supporting cast and a fairly addictive story. These movies are so easy to get sucked into and this was no exception as the reasons for "Julia's" hardships are certainly plausible enough (cheating husband, followed by divorce, followed by several mishaps that leave her homeless) and then you just have to see how she's going to put her life back together and what man will come along to provide the romance.I like Linda Hamilton and she does a good job here, at first I found her portrayal of Julia to be freakishly upbeat and bubbly in an overacted way but I've come to the conclusion that was how the character was written as she's consistent (ly gung-ho) throughout. Her relationship with her daughter seemed realistic, the real-estate angle was entertaining and I also enjoyed Canadian actor Rob Stewart as the (said) love interest.Its a little frightening to see just how quickly someone's stable, affluent life can fall apart and this was certainly intriguing to watch as she struggles to rebuild herself, discovering along the way that what is most valuable in life are not material things. 12/25/14 Langley B.C plays somewhere suburbia (with a bad part) USA

If you love Christmas movies like I do, this is one of the best. It's a feel good movie with an interesting story. Linda Hamilton plays Julie, whose husband leaves her for a younger woman. Over time she looses everything and is forced to live in her car. Her daughter goes overseas for extended schooling but makes the decision to come home for Christmas. Now Julie scrabbles to find a place for both of them to spend the Holidays together. Julie makes new friends and slowly gets back on her feet. Her friend Max is a great character and they hep each other out. Julie's new relationship with Selma, a woman who has been in the same homeless situation, proves to be her lifesaver. It's a riches-to-rags-to-riches story, one of my favorites concepts especially during the holidays.

This movie is your typical bad times during the holidays and everything magically works out just fine! Not my cup of tea but might be good for others....The part I cannot get over is Linda Hamiltons acting (if you want to call it that). Her performance is like that of a first timer. Really shocking that her level of acting skill is so low. The other thing is that her character is written like this completely inept female. Doesn't know anything going on in her world..no skills...and she just rolls over and takes all these "lashings" that life has to deal her. Her "woah is me" character just makes you want to scream. I watched this twice to make sure....yep. Its that awful!

I never pay too much attention to television films, especially when they intend to show for a certain audience, such as the way Lifetime Network targets their films for housewives and little girls. The "however", however, comes with the star of "Home By Christmas", Linda Hamilton. I could watch anything this elegant lady does, and thus so, I took a chance on this film. "Home By Christmas" is a quite depressing story of a woman, whom divorces her cheating husband, only to meet even more humiliation by loosing her home in the post-mordam madness, and living in her car. Despite this, she keeps her hopes up, and clings to every opportunity she can, in attempt to build a plan for getting her life back. Her desperation accelerates when her young daughter is returning home for X-Mas, and she needs a quick way to hide the disastrous situation that has befallen her. Not only that, but she has fallen in love, and cannot bring herself to admit her situation to the man she is interested in. Still, she manages to prevail in all her hope and glory, and just as the yuletide season is coming to it's heights.The story of this is actually depressing, and very sad to think about, but there is humor therein. Linda Hamilton is serious about this role, but she plays it out very well. The hope and humorous ambitions of her character are well represented, and we find ourselves smiling throughout the film, despite the lousy conflicts our leading actress is faced with. The fact is, we are given hope with every scene, as the writing is pretty sharp (a rarity for television films). it's no wonder why Hamilton choose this role. There is something to learn from the film, about giving and receiving. It's quite touching, and in the end, we see the miraculous life lessons of what good comes from hope and faith, and the power of the yuletide season.9/10