A Christmas... Present

Hallmark and GAF Christmas movies are almost exclusively romances, and mostly they try for Romcoms with varying degrees of success.

This is NOT a Romcom, and there is no romance. Make no mistake, this is a Christmas family drama.

Candace's character's brother lost his wife to an illness since the last Christmas. Candace wants her busy family to participate in lots of Christmasy events, despite their own busy schedules and conflicts.

After a phone talk with her brother, she decides the family needs to visit the brother and his tween daughter to help them over the Christmas blues, and takes her demanding Christmas schedule along with them.

This is going to remind you of every family--or extended family--gathering where some people are fixating on doing one thing and the rest on another. It can get uncomfortable, and it was depicted that way in this movie.

The movie winds up with a very religious theme and message, and my wife speculated that's one reason Candace Cameron Bure went with GAF. Even though we've seen more of the religious side of Christmas on Hallmark in 2022, I don't expect Hallmark to go quite this deep into the meaning of deeply personal religious convictions.

The movie is excellent for what it is. It won't be for everyone, and it will be very meaningful for others.