Sarah Lancaster was very flat and lacked passion in this movie. I don't recall seeing her before so I'm not certain if this is her acting style or if the director's aim for her character was to be dull and depressed. Brendan Penny is always worth watching but even he couldn't save this movie. I had a hard time getting to the end.

This movie had many of the usual formulaic ingredients of a Hallmark Christmas movie, but I think they were combined in a slightly different way than usual.We had the down on her luck, even failing (insert occupation here) actress, Beth, that returns home. She asks Santa for a wish. But this Santa has no magic to grant her, only good advice. Beth meets her old high school flame, but guess what - he's married and happily. She rekindles what could have been an old flame. And the stage is set. ***SPOILERS starting to pile up from here *** You know the phone call is coming and it does. And while she goes back to New York, she doesn't wait until the last minute to return. But here's a little twist - the show is canceled because of a sprinkler disaster. But Beth saves it. The story was smoothly put together. The acting was decent although Sarah Lancaster played her role so quietly it was easy to miss the spark. In fact, the first half, or so, of the movie was a little bit sad as Beth looked back on her (lack of) career. The sadness was necessary, but I enjoy leading ladies with a bit more quirkiness and optimism.I'm glad I watched this one.

I actually had very low expectations about this movie. The title didn't make me excited, a neither did the plot or the few images I saw. I thought the same thing the first 15 minutes of the movie, but as it continued I found myself enjoying it. Both leads do a pretty good work, and so does the supporting cast. It's not the best Hallmark has made, and the end is very predictable, but it's a lovely movie to enjoy in a boring afternoon.Fact: The actors who play Barry and Dean perform as brothers in Hallmark's "Chesapeake Shores", and I think this was shot before or during the production of the show so it was nice seeing them, even though they are not goofing around.

Sarah Lancaster stars as an actress trying to make it in New York on the stage but after 10 years of not succeeding she decides to take a break from her struggling actress profession to spend Christmas in her hometown during the Christmas season. When she arrives home she just seems to continually be disappointed by bad news until.....yes you guessed it, the magic of the Christmas season!The actual word "Christmas" was stated at least a hundred or more times during this so-called Romance/Christmas themed film but even for a made for TV movie with all the cheerful music and all the Christmas decorations and Christmas themed fireplaces trying to warm the inside of our heart, simply put, this film only gave me heartburn. This to me was a total waste of my time and I am a big sucker for Christmas themed films. I suggest you avoid it especially if you are trying to find a movie to get you in to either a romantic mood and/or the Christmas spirit. Too mushy would be providing too nice a compliment about this stinker.