I'm not sure what is appealing about this movie? The plot and premise isn't bad but the two sisters, the main characters that the story revolves around, are so unlikeable. Cynthia's problem isn't her perkiness, it's her selfishness. She starts off coming on way too strong with her boyfriend, then after he dumps her, she drags her friend Liam along with her just so she can have a date to her sister's wedding. When the 12 days of Christmas gifts start showing up, she automatically assumes that they must be for her. The rest of the movie is spent with her trying to figure out who sent her these gifts, including bugging all her old ex-boyfriends. At last, she goes after poor Liam (the best friend who is secretly in love with her trope). He rightly points out that she's come to him since there's no one left and leaves, realizing how shallow she is. He shouldn't have come back, he deserved better.
The other sister, the polar opposite, is completely miserable about her own wedding and hates everything to do with romance and Christmas. When her fiance wants to take her on a honeymoon, she throws a fit. Whenever someone mentions something romantic, she rolls her eyes like a 5 year old. She claims she wants to keep her family together, but it doesn't seem to matter what the father's opinion is. She just knows what's best for everyone.
In the last fifteen minutes of the film, it's revealed who the gifts are actually from, and it highlights how self-centered both sisters are. Then of course, they have their dramatic transformation, but it comes way too late. After the way they acted through the whole film, it wasn't believable. I felt bad for the rest of the characters having to put up with these two.
I'm giving it three stars because it was well produced and the acting was fine, it's the character writing that needed serious work. I watch these movies every year and this is the first time I was gritting my teeth at the end.
Want to see a good Hallmark Christmas movie? Try 'Window Wonderland' and 'Hitched for the Holidays'-- for funny, campy romance and 'A Nutcraker Christmas' or 'Journey Back to Christmas'-- for more dramatic, if sometimes cheesy romance. Want something with the similar 12 gifts until Christmas theme? 'On the Twelfth Day of Christmas' does this premise infinitely better than this movie. Hallmark has some great Christmas movies but this is not one of them.
The other sister, the polar opposite, is completely miserable about her own wedding and hates everything to do with romance and Christmas. When her fiance wants to take her on a honeymoon, she throws a fit. Whenever someone mentions something romantic, she rolls her eyes like a 5 year old. She claims she wants to keep her family together, but it doesn't seem to matter what the father's opinion is. She just knows what's best for everyone.
In the last fifteen minutes of the film, it's revealed who the gifts are actually from, and it highlights how self-centered both sisters are. Then of course, they have their dramatic transformation, but it comes way too late. After the way they acted through the whole film, it wasn't believable. I felt bad for the rest of the characters having to put up with these two.
I'm giving it three stars because it was well produced and the acting was fine, it's the character writing that needed serious work. I watch these movies every year and this is the first time I was gritting my teeth at the end.
Want to see a good Hallmark Christmas movie? Try 'Window Wonderland' and 'Hitched for the Holidays'-- for funny, campy romance and 'A Nutcraker Christmas' or 'Journey Back to Christmas'-- for more dramatic, if sometimes cheesy romance. Want something with the similar 12 gifts until Christmas theme? 'On the Twelfth Day of Christmas' does this premise infinitely better than this movie. Hallmark has some great Christmas movies but this is not one of them.