I don't really like the story of Miss Christmas, but I keep coming back to it every year because of the acting. Brooke D'Orsay and Marc Blucas manage to inject drama into the cheesy Hallmark plot and turn it into one of the great ones. If you blew this one off last year because the one-sentence synopsis sounded silly, take my advice and watch it this year when you see it on the Hallmark schedule.
Brooke D'Orsay plays a beautiful peppy career woman in charge of finding the perfect (and gigantic) Christmas tree every year for the annual Chicago lighting ceremony. Because of her festive television appearances, she's acquired the nickname "Miss Christmas". A little boy writes her a letter enclosing a photograph of a perfect (and gigantic) Christmas tree on his family farm, and she travels to the small town to talk his family into donating it. Most people are thrilled to donate their tree and see it on television, but the boy's father, Marc Blucas, adamantly refuses. He explains that the tree is a family heirloom, and while I'm completely on his side, Brooke stays in town a few days to continue the argument. I know the conflict in this story seems a little petty, but trust me and stick with it.
Brooke has an infectious charm that goes beyond the normal Hallmark "Christmas cavity". Even though it's her job to convince them to donate the tree, she's still very sympathetic to their feelings and treats them as real people, rather than sounding boards bouncing off her script. As the movie progresses, you can actually see her breaking down Marc's guard. He's very believable as a divorcée who doesn't want to get hurt again. Falling in love with a businesswoman in town for only a few days is risky, but he just can't help himself. When he describes his feelings, that his new fondness for the holidays is her natural glow rather than just Christmas cheer, he actually gets tears in his eyes. It's a cheesy Hallmark scene on paper, but they make it romantic and moving on the screen. If this type of Hallmark appeals to you, rent Miss Christmas. If this sounds like too much realism, stick with the silly ones like The Sweetest Christmas instead.
