I must admit, I enjoyed this Christmas movie. It is my 5th Lifetime Christmas movie thus far this season, hands down, the best I have seen. It helps that the story is a touching and welcoming one, which deals with issues around reintegration of military vets after service, i.e. their transition back to civilian life. The script and dialogue were well-written as well. It helps too that the two leads had great chemistry - their kissing scenes at the end (a typical ending in this genre of film) were convincing. I was a fan of One Tree Hill, so I enjoyed seeing Jana Kramer on the screen again. Brandon Quinn too had a strong presence/performance on scene. The supporting cast was a bit mixed. For example, I found Charlene Tilton's performance as Lynn (the mother) a bit...how do I put this...awkward at times, though I warmed up to her by the end. Overall, this is a nice addition to Lifetime's original Christmas movie lineup. Well done. Fans of Hallmark and Lifetime will not be disappointed.
20 Reviews
Good standing for a lifetime movie
dianamarinelli16 December 2020
Very Well Done!
jagfannn9 November 2020
As Christmas movies go, this is one of the best so far. The leads are both very likeable and had good chemistry together and the rest of the cast did a great job as well. There are some touching parts and some predictable parts but overall it's a good movie. I'll watch this one more than once.
Message to the Confused post below
techmaniis-3128223 December 2020
Solid Lifetime Christmas feel good movie
RickVee12 November 2020
Jana Kramer and Brandon Quinn are first rate in this one. Their presence makes the difference here. The movie deals with the issue of military vets transitioning back to civilian life which is certainly a great cause. You will enjoy it!
Worth coming home to
TheLittleSongbird23 November 2021
Lifetime are very variable when it comes to their output, especially their Christmas films, the best being very good and the worst being absolutely awful. While they tend to follow one formula and use it frequently with not much variation, there are times where they have a more mature story with more serious themes meaning that they are very capable with doing things differently to usual. That's the case here with 2020's 'A Welcome Home Christmas'.
On the whole, 'A Welcome Home Christmas' is one of the better Lifetime Christmas films from 2020. It's not great or perfect, but it has a lot done right and handles a mature theme with sincerity and poignancy. To me Hallmark did the mix of military and Christmas theme better, with films like 'Christmas Homecoming', 'Holiday for Heroes' and 'Operation for Heroes', all worth the look as well and are better to me as they have more chemistry and moved me more.
'A Welcome Home Christmas' could have been better. Would have liked more of the extra spark between the two leads, which got there later on but took a while to get to that stage as a result of being initially underwritten. Not all the support acting worked, with Charlene Tilton coming over as quite stiff.
Did not buy the major character change that happens later on, too rushed and too easy. The story is a bit on the slow side to begin with and not all the dialogue seemed very natural.
However, a lot is good here. First and foremost, Jana Kramer's lead performance is deeply felt and very easy to be won over by. Once his character grows, Brandon Quinn becomes more relaxed and charming and once the chemistry between him and Kramer grew they came over as quite genuine together. Tim Reid is always worth watching and LondonRose Sellars is immensely charming and funny. On the most part, the characters did feel like real people and not hard to warm to once their development deepened. Didn't come over as caricatures or one-dimensional, but instead came over as not too perfect or overly flawed real people.
Furthermore, 'A Welcome Home Christmas' is a pleasant looking film with the scenery standing out in particular, while the soundtrack matches the spirit of the holiday and the film's themes very well. The script is neither too corny or over-serious, and doesn't come over as muddled tonally. There are some funny lines and some touching ones, also really liked its sincerity and heart. The story is very heart-warming and moving, its good intentions too admirable, with a tear-jerking if slightly predictable ending.
Summarising, decent if not great. 6/10.
On the whole, 'A Welcome Home Christmas' is one of the better Lifetime Christmas films from 2020. It's not great or perfect, but it has a lot done right and handles a mature theme with sincerity and poignancy. To me Hallmark did the mix of military and Christmas theme better, with films like 'Christmas Homecoming', 'Holiday for Heroes' and 'Operation for Heroes', all worth the look as well and are better to me as they have more chemistry and moved me more.
'A Welcome Home Christmas' could have been better. Would have liked more of the extra spark between the two leads, which got there later on but took a while to get to that stage as a result of being initially underwritten. Not all the support acting worked, with Charlene Tilton coming over as quite stiff.
Did not buy the major character change that happens later on, too rushed and too easy. The story is a bit on the slow side to begin with and not all the dialogue seemed very natural.
However, a lot is good here. First and foremost, Jana Kramer's lead performance is deeply felt and very easy to be won over by. Once his character grows, Brandon Quinn becomes more relaxed and charming and once the chemistry between him and Kramer grew they came over as quite genuine together. Tim Reid is always worth watching and LondonRose Sellars is immensely charming and funny. On the most part, the characters did feel like real people and not hard to warm to once their development deepened. Didn't come over as caricatures or one-dimensional, but instead came over as not too perfect or overly flawed real people.
Furthermore, 'A Welcome Home Christmas' is a pleasant looking film with the scenery standing out in particular, while the soundtrack matches the spirit of the holiday and the film's themes very well. The script is neither too corny or over-serious, and doesn't come over as muddled tonally. There are some funny lines and some touching ones, also really liked its sincerity and heart. The story is very heart-warming and moving, its good intentions too admirable, with a tear-jerking if slightly predictable ending.
Summarising, decent if not great. 6/10.
Nice movie
rhonnie-431391 August 2021
I liked this movie especially because of the way it is tied to our service folks. Well-written and good characters portrayed by a good cast.
I would watch it again. It's very Christmassy and really showed a great appreciation volunteerism and service.
I would watch it again. It's very Christmassy and really showed a great appreciation volunteerism and service.
All the stops
Jackbv1238 November 2020
In the past few years there have been a number of touching Christmas movies about veterans or service people and their families. If you haven't seen too many of them, this movie will touch some hearts, and even if you have, it might. I've seen my share, and I saw the predictable climax and ending coming and it still elicited a few tears. When I say predictable, I mean very. Also, there wasn't a lot of tension or potential conflict, which is OK, if you prefer that.
There are also some funny moments and dialogue.
I have loved Jana Kramer since I first saw her in a Christmas movie a couple years ago. She is the most natural of the actors in this. Others are much less natural, especially Santa. He said most of his lines way too deliberately. Between cliché Christmas tropes and unnatural acting, there were many times when things seemed off.
One great moment, however brief, was Jana's Christmas duet with Brandon Quinn supporting her great voice. There was some chemistry between the two, but it didn't stand out. I've seen a couple new movies this season where the chemistry sizzled by comparison but not here.
There are also some funny moments and dialogue.
I have loved Jana Kramer since I first saw her in a Christmas movie a couple years ago. She is the most natural of the actors in this. Others are much less natural, especially Santa. He said most of his lines way too deliberately. Between cliché Christmas tropes and unnatural acting, there were many times when things seemed off.
One great moment, however brief, was Jana's Christmas duet with Brandon Quinn supporting her great voice. There was some chemistry between the two, but it didn't stand out. I've seen a couple new movies this season where the chemistry sizzled by comparison but not here.
Great Christmas Movie
Didi_braun26 January 2021
Generous 6
bxgaza31 December 2020
I watch a lot of Hallmark movies as well as many other types, including romances, and this one leaves a lot to be desired. I'm stunned at the relatively high rating others gave this movie. The storyline is bland, the unfolding of events is overly predictable and the acting is just plain bad with the exception of Jana Kramer who plays Chloe...she is acceptable, though far from supherb. Marquee is too easily "changed," is stiff in his character and has little in the way of chemistry with Chloe. The ending has the potential to be touching, but with the bad acting and predictable nature of events, it was far from moving. I do like light romances, but I also like realistic characters even in a fictional story. These characters are, for the most part, unrealistic. Everyone has a plastic smile, and the sentimental parts are forced. Kramer kept my rating from a 4 or 5, but couldn't go higher than 5.7. One last comment...Hallmark seems to be concerned about "spoilers" but look at the cover on these movies and they basically give away the ending!
Sorry!
rebekahrox12 November 2020
Good chemistry, good story.
MIssM1913 December 2020
Chloe works in the military as councelor who guides military people who are coming back to civilian life. She meets Michael, there who is having a bad time adjusting to real life. So she comes up with a great plan: he will be in charge of the toy drive they do at the town/base.
Jana Kramer was great. She always is. She even sang! I quite enjoyed Brandon as well. They had good chemistry, which really makes the movie more enjoyable. There were not plot holes, which i'm grateful fol. Good script. There are heartwarming moments, specially with Savanna, the little girl Chloe mentors. There is nothing much to say, it's not perfect. They even included a "magical" moment towards the end.
I'm giving this one more star because I almost shed a tear with the final scene. (you will see).
And to the question user lucylou3700 asked. At first I was confused as well, I thought it was her dad, but the guy is named Doug.
Jana Kramer was great. She always is. She even sang! I quite enjoyed Brandon as well. They had good chemistry, which really makes the movie more enjoyable. There were not plot holes, which i'm grateful fol. Good script. There are heartwarming moments, specially with Savanna, the little girl Chloe mentors. There is nothing much to say, it's not perfect. They even included a "magical" moment towards the end.
I'm giving this one more star because I almost shed a tear with the final scene. (you will see).
And to the question user lucylou3700 asked. At first I was confused as well, I thought it was her dad, but the guy is named Doug.
It wasn't the story...
Whitneywest1018 November 2020
I loved the story. There just wasn't a lot of visible Christmas. It was all the heartfelt things we know that go along with the season. I just wish there had been more in the background. I adore Jana Kramer and the substance of this one. Just go a little further with the ambiance next time.
Like Watching a TV Commercial
cammietime14 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Coming across like a never ending Christmas infomercial, "A Welcome Home for Christmas" is a corporate banal mess with TV commercial cinematography. The characters in full professional makeup the entire movie combined with the TV commercial dialog makes this movie utterly dull and disinteresting.
The female lead (Jana Kramer) is way too pretty and refined to be believable in her role, especially with her high heels and all, much less as a combat military veteran. Speaking of the army, the main characters use many military terms throughout the movie like 'operation' and 'mission accomplished' and 'oh six hundred' but in reality nobody in the military actually talks like this when they become discharged civilians. Finally, "the general" aka the sister's "commanding officer" has a haircut and mustache that are utterly out of army regulation.
The non-existent plot is more or less a bunch of somewhat related Christmas scenes. Putting together a toy drive can only be so exciting after two hours (well, I think there was only like 1 hour of actual movie given the frequent and lengthy commercial breaks). Multiple client/teacher ethics violations.
I think I liked the obnoxious mom who owns the coffee shop the best. She gets her cocoa beans directly from Ecuador. Note sure that is legal but it sounds bad#$%.
If you are looking for a way to distract yourself from the post election stress, this is NOT it.
The female lead (Jana Kramer) is way too pretty and refined to be believable in her role, especially with her high heels and all, much less as a combat military veteran. Speaking of the army, the main characters use many military terms throughout the movie like 'operation' and 'mission accomplished' and 'oh six hundred' but in reality nobody in the military actually talks like this when they become discharged civilians. Finally, "the general" aka the sister's "commanding officer" has a haircut and mustache that are utterly out of army regulation.
The non-existent plot is more or less a bunch of somewhat related Christmas scenes. Putting together a toy drive can only be so exciting after two hours (well, I think there was only like 1 hour of actual movie given the frequent and lengthy commercial breaks). Multiple client/teacher ethics violations.
I think I liked the obnoxious mom who owns the coffee shop the best. She gets her cocoa beans directly from Ecuador. Note sure that is legal but it sounds bad#$%.
If you are looking for a way to distract yourself from the post election stress, this is NOT it.
I'm a little confused...
lucylou37005 December 2020
I actually enjoyed the movie, but I'm confused-at the beginning, the file for Michael is given to Chloe by her dad, but ten minutes later they're showing his picture and she's telling Michael that he's dead. Anyone else notice this??
REALLY LOVED THIS MOVIE!!!!
mayhugh-926268 November 2020
So I enjoy any movie with Jana Kramer. She is such a great actress and she has great chemistry with all of her costars. And this movie is no exception. Her and the male lead are so adorable together. And the little girl in the movie is hilarious. Overall such a great Christmas movie that highlights military families. Well done Lifetime!
On par or worse than your typical Lifetime/Hallmark Christmas movie
stokerfam9 November 2020
This one has some of the feels, but any moviegoer worth their salt will feel the pain watching this one. Even my spouse who loves Jana Kramer felt it on this one. The empty cups were so noticeable. For that to be a center plot point they messed it up royally. The Santa Claus was actually quite good though. I felt like they could have at least tried to use makeup for some character progression. Instead, no matter what Quinn and Kramer were doing throughout, they looked exactly the same from beginning to end.
Heartwarming
tinatalksavon15 November 2020
If you watched this movie and didn't get emotional and/or shed a few tears, you must have no heart. I know I got emotional in several spots.
I worried about my hubby being able to watch it, since he's a Veteran, but he did good. He got a little emotional at the end. But, he did enjoy the phone.
Some funny, some emotional, good storyline. Love Jana Kramer - both acting & singing. She just seems down-to-earth.
Good job Lifetime. And a salute to the Military. 🇺🇸
I worried about my hubby being able to watch it, since he's a Veteran, but he did good. He got a little emotional at the end. But, he did enjoy the phone.
Some funny, some emotional, good storyline. Love Jana Kramer - both acting & singing. She just seems down-to-earth.
Good job Lifetime. And a salute to the Military. 🇺🇸
Forgettable, didn't resonate with me
hallmarkchristmasguy4 December 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Lifetime's catalog of made for tv Christmas movies is hit or miss with me. Whereas most Hallmark and GAF movies are easy and festive viewing, with some real standouts, Lifetime seems to range between superb and almost painful to sit through.
While Welcome Home Christmas isn't objectively terrible, it didn't resonate with me at all. The lead, Jana Kramer, plays her role well enough and the other acting performances are about what you'd expect from a Lifetime Christmas movie. There isn't much chemistry between her and the male lead which takes away from the (limited) romantic storyline which is inherent to this genre
The premise of the movie might appeal to other viewers more than it did with me, as I had one big issue with it. The plot revolves around Chloe (Jana Kramer) recently leaving the military and becoming a counselor helping recent discharged soldiers adjust to civilian life.
The problem here is that while this is a good and more serious-than-usual theme for a TV Christmas movie, it isn't approached with any sort of depth. The movie never really delves into the male lead's (discharged soldier Michael) struggle beyond him missing his service dog. There isn't much focus on him struggling which causes the whole plot to fall flat. The premise is too serious to prompt much of the quirky and humorous fun that often is found in this genre (especially the standout films) yet there aren't really any traces of true struggle, grief, depression or serious themes which come along with struggling soldiers.
So in the end, it is neither a serious and heart warming movie nor a generic light hearted movie. It's just a one note and flat script which only delivers any emotion at the very end when Michael gets the one gift he really wants.
The scenery, because the movie is centered around a military base, is less festive than many Lifetime/Hallmark movies and the directing is unremarkable.
The fake snow is horrendously fake looking - clearly the same cheap cotton batting that retail shops put in their front window. You can literally see it blowing around like cotton tumbleweeds in some scenes.
Perhaps those who have served or their families will enjoy this more than I did. I would have found it more enjoyable had the subject matter been delved into in a more real way. More focus on Micheal's struggle and less focus on "Operation Santa Claus" would have made this a throwback to some of Lifetime's early (and excellent) Christmas movies which had more depth and less cookie cutter romcom themes and would have elevated the movie.
Other than the terrible fake snow, there's nothing memorable about this movie and it lacked the silly Christmas festive fun that the genre usually presents. 4/10.
While Welcome Home Christmas isn't objectively terrible, it didn't resonate with me at all. The lead, Jana Kramer, plays her role well enough and the other acting performances are about what you'd expect from a Lifetime Christmas movie. There isn't much chemistry between her and the male lead which takes away from the (limited) romantic storyline which is inherent to this genre
The premise of the movie might appeal to other viewers more than it did with me, as I had one big issue with it. The plot revolves around Chloe (Jana Kramer) recently leaving the military and becoming a counselor helping recent discharged soldiers adjust to civilian life.
The problem here is that while this is a good and more serious-than-usual theme for a TV Christmas movie, it isn't approached with any sort of depth. The movie never really delves into the male lead's (discharged soldier Michael) struggle beyond him missing his service dog. There isn't much focus on him struggling which causes the whole plot to fall flat. The premise is too serious to prompt much of the quirky and humorous fun that often is found in this genre (especially the standout films) yet there aren't really any traces of true struggle, grief, depression or serious themes which come along with struggling soldiers.
So in the end, it is neither a serious and heart warming movie nor a generic light hearted movie. It's just a one note and flat script which only delivers any emotion at the very end when Michael gets the one gift he really wants.
The scenery, because the movie is centered around a military base, is less festive than many Lifetime/Hallmark movies and the directing is unremarkable.
The fake snow is horrendously fake looking - clearly the same cheap cotton batting that retail shops put in their front window. You can literally see it blowing around like cotton tumbleweeds in some scenes.
Perhaps those who have served or their families will enjoy this more than I did. I would have found it more enjoyable had the subject matter been delved into in a more real way. More focus on Micheal's struggle and less focus on "Operation Santa Claus" would have made this a throwback to some of Lifetime's early (and excellent) Christmas movies which had more depth and less cookie cutter romcom themes and would have elevated the movie.
Other than the terrible fake snow, there's nothing memorable about this movie and it lacked the silly Christmas festive fun that the genre usually presents. 4/10.
Springfield Tn
dobisvera15 November 2020
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