"And a partridge in a pear tree ..."
Hello everyone!
Today being the first of the month, it marks the next four weeks or so of what the content of this blog is going to be. Christmas, Christmas and some more Christmas!
Mainly because of the fact that these COVID times have forced most of us to have to stay at home and deal with it from there, there's a lot of content to be had when it comes to the holiday season.
And I mean, A LOT.
Here's the thing: every channel and every entertainer knows that Christmas is when you can cash in the most. Also of note is the fact that people start feeling nostalgic or mellow because of the season, and sometimes all you need is to sit down and watch something cozy and happy.
This year is no different, with hits and misses all around! Tonight, we're taking a look at On the 12th Date of Christmas.
Any links to previous Christmas-related posts that have already been posted here on the blog (sometimes some wander!) will be found at the bottom of this page, though of course these will multiply as December goes along and we move closer to the actual holiday.
You also have to know that I've been doing this for a couple of years now, so if you have a look at the side menu and open the December blog links, you'll find many, MANY movies and books filled with holiday cheer. Some might be a cautionary tale (not everything is always picture perfect) but most are absolutely worth exploring.
And now, without further ado, let's get right into it, as twelve dates await us.
Tyler Hynes and Mallory Jansen star as Aidan and Jennifer, respectively, and both are game creators, but they couldn't be more different in their personalities if they tried. Aidan is a lone wolf most of the time who prefers to work with the one co-worker who can apparently handle his Grinch-type personality, while Jennifer is a lovely sunflower with lots of sunshine and Christmas cookies to spread some cheer around.
However both of them are vying for a promotion to head game creator and as chance would have it, they get to work on a project together to make that happen: Aidan's partner hustles off when his wife goes into labour, and their boss pulls Jennifer in as a replacement.
Their job?
Create a Christmas scavenger hunt which will be the starting number to the grand opening of a hotel in Chicago, and they don't want it to be just any old scavenger hunt either.
Jennifer pitches the idea to theme it to the song, 12 Days of Christmas, but to twist it so that it's about dates, which is widely accepted as a brilliant idea altogether, except for the fact that Aidan is miffed he didn't get to be the one to suggest it.
When the two reconvene to start planning together, it becomes abundantly clear that their personalities couldn't be more different if they actually tried, and that where Aidan works better off alone, though with ideas that need tweaking, Jennifer works best when she has people to bounce ideas off of. She also hasn't lived in the city all that long yet and doesn't QUITE know the historic landmarks the hunt should hit.
But she's willing to put in the work and her earnest entreaties win her the help she needs from Aidan, who doesn't in fact retreat into his den but actually starts working with her to go through the lines and the gifts that will represent their locations.
This of course then includes the pair of them taking a look at the renovated hotel this is all about, and test some of the goals from the scavenger song which include but are not limited to a cider tasting and art class, and baking something in a well known French bakery class.
Slowly but surely the two of them thaw out around one another, and Aidan explains his family has had roots in the city all their lives even though their father was in the military and they were army brats. In fact, he's currently helping his sister out with the family home, which is literally falling apart around them, but he manages to randomly run into one of his grandfather's old students, who offers to put the general call for help out on her alumni board, and more and more come out of the woodwork who want to give back to the family of the man who inspired them back in the day.
It's a lovely subplot involving Aidan's sister and niece, with her husband deployed (can't take the military out of THIS family), and even Jennifer gets to pitch in during a Christmas fair where she buys a couple of wreaths to hang up.
She gifts one of them to a crotchety neighbour, who eventually turns out to be the person running the Christmas tree lot when Aidan drags Jennifer there to get an actual tree. Her neighbour then explains that, no, he hasn't been ignoring her every time she saw him at his front door, but he takes his hearing aid out when he reaches it - so he simply hasn't heard her!
He thanks her for the thoughtful gift, and a little Christmas magic winds all around as the tree is decorated and ice skating is to be had.
But of course the scavenger hunt still needs to go on and there has to be a little tiff towards the very end, which in this case involves a bit of a misunderstanding. Aidan explains to Jennifer both of them are up for the promotion, but while this does put some of the icy barriers back up, he neglects to mention (because she runs off home before he can) that he put HER forward for it, and the boss was more than happy.
See, besides head game creator there was another position on the same level open for the taking, one involving less human contact which might suit Aidan better, but with the same benefits, and so Aidan takes that, more than happy, while the other goes to Jennifer for all her hard work.
So after she gets comforted a little by a surprise visit from her grandmother, who deduced in Iowa that she'd need some family in the big city to cheer her up (and brought a special home-made ornament she makes for her family members every year, though previously they always had to come pick it up at home), Jennifer then participates in the scavenger hunt with her, just as Aidan is doing with his niece.
They meet up at the hotel where she's told the good news, and gets invited on the 13th date on the hotel roof, where Aidan's waiting with some champagne to close off this heartwarming movie.
With an interesting pitch and slightly different idea to the rest of the plot usually coined at Hallmark, this one was a sure win and the first of the movies I'd seen this year (I never watch them in order). The leads had wonderful chemistry and it didn't immediately go into 'oh we HAVE to make them fall in love', instead taking a slower approach which warmed them both up and enabled them to learn about one another as they started the fall which eventually brought them a happily ever after.
I was also pleased by the supporting cast who usually only star as props in these movies, but were actually interactive and kind of crucial to the storyline since Aidan and Jennifer both learned something from them, about others and themselves, and the Christmas magic was woven throughout.
So with the house well on its way to be repaired, Aidan's brother-in-law on his way home and the scavenger hunt a huge success, giving them both promotions, I think it's safe to say that this one is a win.
Especially as there isn't REALLY any running off into the blue by either hero or heroine and they both settle the misunderstanding super fast without additional grousing.
Bottom line, I really, really loved this one, and Tyler and Mallory sold it well, plus I've been a fan of Mallory since seeing her in SHIELD.
So bring along the rest!
xx
*images not mine
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