Five Tree Christmas

Synopses: 

If I Only Had Christmas (Hallmark Channel): Kansas City publicist Darcy ventures to the Emerald Educational Trust for the job of a lifetime, helping VP Glen Goodman and his team find the know how, courage, and heart to help a charity in need for Christmas. Darcy and Glen begin to realize they have everything in common. However, Glen's surprise revelation at the big Christmas gala just may put an end to their promising romance before it has really gotten started. Starring Candace Cameron Bure and Warren Christie.

USS Christmas (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries): Maddie, a reporter for a Norfolk newspaper, embarks on a Tiger Cruise during Christmastime where she meets a handsome naval officer and stumbles upon a mystery in the ship's archive room. Starring Jen Lilley, Trevor Donovan, Barbara Niven.

Synopses:

The Christmas Waltz (Hallmark Channel): After Avery's storybook Christmas wedding is canceled, a dance instructor helps her face her fears in life and fulfill her dream of learning to dance. Stars Lacey Chabert and Will Kemp.

Once Upon a Mainstreet (Lifetime): Amelia Lewis (Vanessa Lachey) is super excited when she buys an available storefront, planning to open a year-round Christmas shop. But her celebration comes to a screeching halt when she discovers that Vic Manning (Ryan McPartlin) has also bid on the property. Amelia and Vic have the same idea, get to the seller—Elder Dubois (Patrick Duffy) in the next town—and convince him to sell his space to them. Despite the holidays, Elder is down in the dumps. It’s the first Christmas without his wife, and he’s in no mood to chair the decoration committee for the “Battle of the Main Street” yearly holiday competition with the neighboring town. Hoping to win favor with Elder, Amelia and Vic volunteer to take over his duties. After continually bickering and trying to one-up each other, the two combatants learn to work together and even get the merchants on Main Street to put aside their differences for the greater good. Everyone, including Amelia and Vic, realize that compromise is the key that leads to a happy—and romantic—ending.

Reviews of Dear Christmas and Merry Liddle Christmas Wedding, both from Lifetime. Some special guests join me for the Merry Liddle Christmas Wedding review!

Synopses: 

Dear Christmas (Lifetime): Natalie Morgan (Melissa Joan Hart) is the host of a popular podcast, Holiday Love, which shares true stories of holiday romance with its listeners. While the outside world and her listeners everywhere see Natalie is an expert on romance, she’s never truly experienced a romance of her own. As Natalie prepares to embark on a promotional tour for her new book, she stops back home to spend Christmas with her family where she unexpectedly begins to experience her own holiday romance as sparks ignite with local firefighter, Chris (Jason Priestley). Dear Christmas also stars Robin Givens, Ed Begley Jr. & Faith Prince and includes cameos by Jamie and Doug Hehner (Married at First Sight: Couples Cam) and Hilarie Burton and Antwon Tanner (One Tree Hill).

Merry Liddle Christmas Wedding (Lifetime): Lifetime’s first-ever Christmas sequel to last year’s hit movie, Merry Liddle Christmas, Merry Liddle Christmas Wedding once again follows Jacquie Liddle (Kelly Rowland), as she and Tyler (Thomas Cadrot) try to plan their perfect destination Christmas wedding. Naturally, Jacquie’s plans go awry when her boisterous family intervenes in her planning and her snooty wedding planner quits in protest. While nothing goes as initially planned, Jacquie and Tyler get a Christmas wedding more memorable than they could have ever dreamed.

Reviews of Christmas by Starlight (Hallmark Channel) and Five Star Christmas (Hallmark Channel).

Synopses:

Christmas by Starlight: A lawyer makes a deal with the heir to a development firm to spare her family's restaurant from demolition. However, she must spend the week posing as the legal counsel his father is demanding he hire in the wake of some costly mistakes. Stars Paul Campbell and Kimberley Sustad.

Five Star Christmas: When a travel writer shows up unexpectedly at their dad's B&B, the Ralston family all pretend to be guests in hopes of a good review. Lucy falls for guest Jake but can't share her secret. Stars Bethany Joy Lenz and Victor Webster.

Synopses:

Homemade Christmas (Lifetime): Every year, Megan (Michelle Argyris), an ambitious young woman uses the weeks leading up to Christmas to become the ultimate holiday freelance assistant for hire, helping with any Christmas-related tasks for extra income. But when the opportunity arrives to save a Christmas party and dazzle her crush, she must choose between the man of her aspirations and Mr. Right.

A Christmas Tree Grows in Colorado (Hallmark Channel): Erin is planning the town’s Christmas celebration and must win over firefighter Kevin in order to obtain the beautiful spruce tree from his property for the celebration. Starring Rochelle Aytes and Mark Taylor.

Today I'm chatting with Omega, a nursing student and small-business owner. Omega and her husband Brandon have lived many of the storylines we see on TV and in Hallmark movies - owning an hotel, living in a festive and picturesque town, growing up as a pastor’s kid, and getting engaged after 5 months. Omega shares the real life truths of living out these movie storylines. Omega also shares some of her holiday traditions with us, like making tamales with her family. This episode is seriously a blast, so stick around and enjoy our conversation.

Her husband Brandon also runs this great Instagram account called @flippingadollar where he’s using his entrepreneurial spirit in an innovative to pay off debt, and teach others to do the same.

Reviews of The Angel Tree (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries), The Christmas House (Hallmark Channel), A Godwink Christmas: Second Chances, First Love (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries)

The Angel Tree: A writer seeks the identity of the person who helps grant wishes that are placed upon The Angel Tree, and in the process, reconnects with her childhood friend. Starring Jill Wagner and Lucas Bryant.

The Christmas House: Working through some difficult decisions, Mitchell family matriarch Phylis and patriarch Bill, have summoned their two grown sons – TV star, Mike Mitchell and Brandon Mitchell – home for the holidays. It is their hope that bringing the family together to recreate the Christmas house, will help them find resolution and make a memorable holiday for the entire family and community. As Brandon and his husband Jake make the trip home, they are anxiously awaiting a call about the adoption of their first child. Meanwhile, Mike reconnects with Andi, his high school sweetheart. 

A Godwink Christmas: Second Chances, First Love: After 15 years, Pat moves home from Hawaii with his two sons and through a series of coincidences, or Godwinks, ends up stuck in traffic next to his high school sweetheart, Margie at Christmas. Starring Brooke D’Orsay and Sam Page.

Reviews of A Taste of Christmas (Lifetime), Feliz NaviDAD (Lifetime), and A Nashville Christmas Carol (Hallmark Channel). 

Synopses:

A Taste of Christmas: When Natalie (Anni Krueger) learns her cousin Francesca (Nia Vardalos) must cancel the Christmas Eve opening of her new Italian restaurant, Natalie’s heart goes out to all of the guests who were planning on attending. Since no one should be alone on Christmas, Natalie decides to make the opening happen any way she can. However, the attractive but pessimistic Chef Stefano (Gilles Marini) believes it’s impossible — there are only three days until Christmas! But Natalie insists that problems are just opportunities in disguise and soon she convinces Stefano that they can do it. At first, these opposites do not attract, but feelings begin to change when they find themselves working side-by-side. With Stefano’s help Natalie learns that cooking, like Christmas, isn’t about perfection… it’s about sharing it with the ones you love.

Feliz NaviDAD: David Morales (Mario Lopez), an Arizona high school principal and single dad, has lost the holiday spirit after also losing his wife a few years ago during the Christmas season. Now, David will do anything to avoid Christmas so he moonlights as a delivery driver during the holidays. But this year David’s 14-year-old daughter, Noel (Paulina Chavez), and his live-in sister, Marissa (Marycarmen Lopez), are determined to bring the yuletide spirit back to the family and, with a little luck, also help David find love again via online dating. So when Sophie (AnnaLynne McCord), a witty musician and customer on David’s delivery route, swipes right on him, something magical happens between them.

A Nashville Christmas Carol: A television producer is forced to work with the man who broke her heart on a country music Christmas special while being interrupted by Christmas spirits determined for her to revisit her past. Starring Jessy Schram and Wes Brown.