*31 Days of Christmas* Welcome to Christmas

Thanksgiving is over and the countdown to Christmas has officially begun (at least in my house). I don't limit myself to just reading cheesy Christmas romances during this time of year. Oh no. I also find myself binge watching Christmas movies on Netflix and the Hallmark Channel. And I thought, why not incorporate that into my blog as well. So I give you the 31 Days of Christmas (which will be much easier to accomplish with movies than books like I've tried to do in past years).

Next up is Welcome to Christmas.

Watched on: Hallmark

Duration: 2 hours (with commercials)

Originally aired on: 9 December 2018

Directed by: Gary Harvey

Starring: Jennifer Finnigan, Eric Mabius, and Sarah Edmondson

Please see IMDb for full cast and crew info.

Synopsis

Resort developer Madison Lane (Finnigan) is tasked with finding a location for a new ski resort. While she's prepared to recommend the resort be placed in Mountain Park, her boss tells her to take a trip to Christmas, Colo., to consider the location and the incentive package they're offering. On her way into town to meet with the mayor, Madison has a minor fender-bender with the town's welcome sign. Town Sheriff Gage McBride (Mabius) gives Madison a ride into town so she can attend the meeting while the car is towed and repaired. Little does Madison know that the town is on a mission to convince Madison that Christmas is the best place for the new ski resort. While stranded, Madison grows to love the community and the spirit of Christmas that runs throughout. Is a resort really the right move for Christmas? Or would the town be better off keeping its charm and traditions intact?

Review

This movie falls into the stranger stranded in a super-festive small town trope, which happens to be my favorite holiday rom-com movie trope. What sets this movie apart from most movies in the trope is that the small town has let many of their annual holiday traditions fall by the wayside because of declining tourism and lack of funds. Madison is in town scouting a location for a new ski resort, and the citizens are determined to prove to her that she should choose Christmas, and that means reviving many of those old traditions at the last minute. 

Madison is essentially invited to partake in all of the McBride's holiday festivities, some of them fabricated, some authentic. This means that she spends a lot of time with Gage. I loved the way their relationship developed over time and how easy they were with each other. Regardless of how Gage feels about Madison's preconceived notions about Christmas and it's suitability for the new ski resort, he doesn't hate her, he just wants to show her how amazing Christmas is. So there was very little bickering between the romantic leads in this movie. 

This movie includes cookie baking, ornament making, and a town going to extreme lengths to engender the Christmas spirit in a very important tourist.

I'd watch the movie again if I caught it on tv, and I might try to make the time to watch it if I knew it was going to be on at a certain time next year. 

My Rating

Check Out My Other Christmas Movie Reviews

Review

Review

Cancel Christmas starring Judd Nelson, Justin Landry, & Natalie Brown

Pride, Prejudice, and Mistletoe starring Lacey Chabert, Brendan Penny, & Genevieve Kang

The Princess Switch starring Vanessa Hudgens, Sam Palladio, & Nick Sagar

The Holiday Calendar starring Kat Graham, Quincy Brown, and Ethan Peck

The Christmas Switch starring Natasha Henstridge, Brian Kraus, and Cedric Smith

48 Christmas Wishes starring Khiyla Aynne, Elizabeth Ellsworth, and Maya Franzoi

The Spirit of Christmas starring Thomas Beaudoin, Kati Salowsky, and Steven A. Miller

A Shoe Addict's Christmas starring Candace Cameron Bure, Luke Macfarlane, and Jean Smart

Mingle All the Way starring Jen Lilley, Brant Daugherty, and Lindsay Wagner

A Majestic Christmas starring Jerrika Hinton, Christian Vincent, and Adaya Ariana

Finding Santa starring Eric Winter, Jodie Sweetin, and Jay Brazeau

It's Christmas, Eve starring LeAnn Rimes, Tyler Hynes, and Gwynyth Walsh

Christmas Next Door starring Jesse Metcalfe, Fiona Gubelmann, and Brittany Bristow

A Christmas Melody starring Lacey Chabert, Brennan Elliott, and Kathy Najimy

The Christmas Chronicles starring Kurt Russell, Darby Camp, and Judah Lewis

Once Upon a Holiday starring Briana Evigan, Paul Campbell, and Greg Evigan

Christmas Inheritance starring Eliza Taylor, Jake Lacy, and Andie MacDowell
The Most Wonderful Time of Year starring Brooke Burns, Henry Winkler, and Warren Christie
Sleigh Bells Ring starring Erin Cahill, David Alpay, and Dakota Guppy
Christmas in Evergreen: Letters to Santa starring Andrew Baker, Rukiya Bernard, and Michelle Choi-Lee

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