I think tricia does a good job of acting along side the bozo marc...he's very smug about himself...the big problem i have with him is his lack of regard for wearing the uniform properly...white tee shirts are never worn under the sweater unless you wear the proper blouse over it...sweaters are never decorated with ribbons or badges, only the epaulets...similarly, the light weight jacket is never worn over a tee shirt unless the tee is covered by the proper blouse...recommended tee shirts are v neck so they don't show under the blouse....head covers are never worn indoors...if you are doing a film about the military its necessary to get it right please

I saw this movie in pretty bad conditions: it was airing on French TV, and, as basically all Hallmark movies, it was targeted at middle-aged housewives, who are supposed not to be able to speak English at all and to want everything in French. So no English version available, only dubbed in French, and therefore with rewritten dialog. And for this kind of movie, let's say the writers and the dubbing actors are rarely encouraged to do their best...So it took me a bit of time to get into it, the beginning feeling a bit awkward with the actors speaking in a voice that isn't theirs and having sometimes cheesy lines of rewritten dialog. But from when Olivia and Scott meet for the second time and the "Operation Christmas" actually starts to get prepared, I got hooked. No Santa Claus or so-called "Christmas magic" here: it's a story of real people in quite a difficult situation who are just trying to get their little share of happiness in this supposedly joyful time of the year. This is the kind of movie that relies a lot on the actors, and I guess that for such a film often considered "minor", some would just "do the job" and hurry back home for dinner. Here, the whole cast is great and does an excellent work. But one of them especially shines, and that's Tricia Helfer: she gives everything she's got to her character, and really makes you feel for this woman, torn between the excitement of a starting romance she thought would no more happen, and her high doubts about herself being able to cope with the kind of life you get with a man in the military. And let me be honest: mostly because of her performance and in spite of the awkward French dubbing, I ended up with my eyes not completely dry.So of course, there are probably some factual inaccuracies and the ending is quite cliché. Well now, as someone else has pointed out: this is a Hallmark movie, it has to have a cliché ending. But all in all, this is one of the best Christmas movies I've seen, and if it ever reaches my side of the Atlantic as a DVD, I'll definitely buy it - and probably get another weird look from my wife for getting this kind of "girly" stuff...

I have tremendous respect for the military. A movie like this always makes me nervous because I hope that the movie makers don't inadvertently cause anguish for those who live it.This movie deals with a lot of emotional issues for those in the military. The family left behind have a difficult life and for many of them, the emotional situation is not helped by the financial situation. As for the emotions of family of someone you know is going into the most dangerous situations possible, I am pretty sure I couldn't do it. This is what Olivia has never faced before and she has already lost a husband to divorce. And she tries to make an honest decision. I totally disagree with one statement made by her sister (when you see it you will know what I mean).Tricia Helfer has an emotional role and for me, this is one of the better performances I can remember on a made for TV movie (or a someone put it, the so-called B actors). This was not a B movie performance. Over and over she captured the raw emotion.The story was excellent even if perhaps some technical details were incorrect. The way the story was introduced at Whisper and then finished at the base was great. Seeing the lives of wives waiting at home, including a pregnant one was great. Seeing the toy drive and fundraiser put together was great. And there was plenty of good singing. (And even some bad singing for humor.) The other actors were good. Some of the scenery in the beginning gives reality to the word breathtaking.This is a Hallmark movie. It has a Hallmark ending. They all do. You expect that.

This movie tried to hit the target but missed it by a mile. I was in the military and while you can ship out anytime the ways its portrayed in this movie is so far off base. Also they show a lifestyle for a sergeant that is way out of their pay range. I just didn't like it. I hate when they try to do movies about military life but don't fully do research. That or they just change it to fit their so called "vision". Also you don't deploy one day and come back the next. That just doesn't happen. When deployed its for a while not just 24 hours. They fact that everyone is oh its the military life we love it its great is false. Also they make the lady the bad person because she has concerns. Sorry but she had a valid point.