"It's not presents, but our presence that matters most for Christmas."
Hello everyone!
I am in fact channeling my inner Boromir here, because in my experience from seasons past, I have never, and I mean NEVER watched THREE Christmas movies in a row from Hallmark and liked all of them so much as I have this year.
Now don't get me wrong.
Hallmark has more hits than misses but, with so many holiday flicks in their seasonal programming block, and this being their biggest of all the fiscal year - I mean Countdown to Christmas, of course - there's bound to be stuff that just doesn't mesh well.
Not this time though.
And isn't THAT just something else?
The Secret Gift of Christmas just comes in and keeps on giving!
Onward with the review!
The Secret Gift of Christmas is the story of Bonnie (Meghan Ory), a personal shopper, who just LOVES shopping and tends to cram her place full of things she gets her clients (in duplicate of course) even though everyone and their grandma keep telling her she doesn't use them.
She keeps saying she MIGHT, someday, but it's easy to see she's trying to fill a void of some sort, not that we address it just yet.
She's a character in any event, always standing out and dressing brightly, like she's Mrs. Claus on a mission, and that just makes everything better in my opinion.
Her next client is one Patrick Armstrong (Christopher Russell), a contractor who needs her help to get gifts for his clients and for his daughter to boot, only he's reluctant to work with her and has no clue how someone can live their whole life on social media, a thing he despises (the social media, that is).
Immediately, Bonnie's colourful style as well as rather on-the-mark guesses (because she IS good at her job, after all) clash with Patrick's no-nonsense type of way, but she's a big hit with his employees and his nephew, as well as his daughter Ellie, once the two women meet, so we have that going for us.
And also it's hilarious how she tries her best to get Patrick into colour and some snazzier outfits while he's over there struggling to define shades of blue and wondering why he can't just exist in hoodies all the time.
Slowly but surely, however, it's Bonnie's gift-giving expertise that draws Patrick to her, as more and more of his clients approach him in thanks for his thoughtfulness - some might even say a gift is TOO thoughtful at that; Fiona, Ellie's music teacher, also warrants a gift, and Bonnie, in the kindness of her heart, gives her tickets to an expensive show on ice, which Fiona then translates into Patrick ABSOLUTELY being into her, and calling him Pat.
Now listen here, this last bit is important.
Most notably it's important because Patrick keeps referring to her as Miss So-and-So, rather than any nickname, while she just DECIDES on a nickname for him and uses it without his express permission. This is a social faux pas if there ever was one, and an immediate red flag to me even if she's nice and sugary sweet.
Okay, back to the show.
Bumps and roadblocks now mostly behind them, Bonnie slowly gets drawn into Patrick and Ellie's world, helping them find a tree, decorating it, sharing experiences with Ellie, since they have the death of their mothers in common (unfortunately). And it's becoming clear that Patrick really enjoys her company - and that Ellie is way better at setting them up than either adult is at realizing it. HA!
Bonnie's sister remarks on this, and encourages her to keep going after this cute guy who's finally opening her up again; she also points out that her sister seems to be holding onto a grudge because their father is remarrying after their mother's passing, something Bonnie is unwilling to acknowledge for the time being (but she comes around to it eventually).
Things come to a head at Patrick's Christmas party which he hosts for his clients and friends, where, after sharing a lovely slow dance with Bonnie, he gets kind of stuck with Fiona when the other woman shoe-horns herself in, behaving and speaking for all the world like they're already an item.
This naturally confuses and hurts Bonnie, especially because she'd been thinking how well things were going - and because Patrick is a little slow on the uptake and doesn't get that he needs to be more push-away with Fiona, and pull-closer with Bonnie.
At least the experience forces Bonnie to acknowledge that shopping is really just filling a void and not healthy for her, so she goes through a cleanse and donates most of the stuff, coming to terms with lots of things in her life, but not with the fact she somehow managed to lose the angel pendant necklace her mother gifted her and her sister before passing.
Said necklace is found by none other than Patrick in the snow outside the party, and he realizes it's hers when he sees the gift she found for Ellie - a matching one, to help her remember her mother and stay strong.
This prompts him to team up with Bonnie's sister and whisk Bonnie away to the place she used to love going to as a child every Christmas Eve with her family, and they finally clear the air between them before sharing a sweet kiss and the promise of so much more to come.
The end!
Listen, I know this sounds cheesy and ridiculous, and I'll admit that Meghan's character can be over-the-top sometimes, but it's just the right amount of cheese and flair that makes you laugh and shake your head, but continue watching.
She and Christopher have wonderful chemistry, and the story is rather lovely because it's about overcoming things from your past, realizing that you don't have to feel guilty for wanting happiness, and then chasing after that happiness to cling to it with both hands.
It's fun, it's funny and light-hearted enough, with tender moments throughout that make it wonderful. What's not to like?
xx
*images and video not mine
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