The Christmas Cottage Review

By Jackie Lyons & Kendall Howze

     What comes to mind when you think of Christmas? Hot chocolate, warm blankets, being curled up by the fire, watching holiday movies with your family. But what’s on tv? It could be a classic like How the Grinch Stole Christmas or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, but at some point or another, you’re probably going to find yourself watching a Hallmark movie.

     Hallmark: home of heartfelt Christmas rom-com. Many of the movies have a similar plot. The typical Hallmark movie features a girl in a small town working as a journalist, publisher, CEO, interior designer, artist, or something along those lines. Along the way she finds herself trapped or forced to work with a man that she at first does not like. Eventually, she falls head over heels for him and finds love, family, and the true meaning of Christmas. (The more complicated plots may include a love triangle with a good-for-nothing-workaholic-boyfriend that she leaves for the new guy.) Many people are skeptical about the value of Hallmark movies, which is understandable. Why watch a movie if you already know how it’s going to end? Senior Keylin Perez said she watches them because “[she] just loves [to see] the romance and the Christmas miracles.” That’s what makes it so entertaining to its viewers.

     Hallmark movies aren’t about suspense and plot twists. They are about the warm feeling that comes from watching two characters fall in love against the odds in the spirit of Christmas. Sure, many have similar plotlines, but that means that each one leaves you with the same warm feeling. Senior Gopika Gopinath said, “I just love Hallmark movies, they all just make me happy!” That feeling is what compels loyal viewers to grab a blanket and a mug of hot chocolate by the fire every Christmas while the countdown to the newest Hallmark film. No matter what’s going on in your life, sitting back and watching a Hallmark film can help you escape your worries and feel what the characters in the movie are feeling.

     In one of  Hallmark’s newest Christmas movies, The Christmas Cottage, working girl Lacey Quinn, doesn’t believe in the magic Christmas can bring. When Lacey goes back home to act as the maid of honor for her best friend’s wedding, she hears the legend of The Christmas Cottage. According to the legend, anyone who spends the night in the cottage during Christmas time will fall in love forever. As the maid of honor, Lacey has to decorate the cottage, along with the help of the best man, her best friend’s brother/ex, Ean. While decorating, a blizzard blows through, closing roads and forcing them to spend the night. Lacey soon realizes the legend may not be so far fetched after all.

     The Christmas Cottage was your typical Hallmark movie. It was charming and had that heart warming Christmas sentiment. Hallmark alumni, Steve Lund, played the suave and worldly Ean. Lund has appeared in many other Hallmark classics such as The Art of Us, Best Christmas Party Ever, and Christmas Incorporated. Lund stood out in this performance due to his raw emotions and the chemistry he had with costar, Merritt Patterson. The highlight of the movie was the twist. It was just so surprising and made the audience want to continue watching Lacey’s Christmas unfold.The movie is a great fit to those who are already in love with Hallmark movies and those who are trying to find the holiday spirit.

     If you missed the premiere of The Christmas Cottage, you can catch it again on the Hallmark channel. Not only will they be playing classic Christmas movies, but every Saturday during December a new movie premieres at 8pm. Feel free to make yourself a mug of hot chocolate and watch a new Hallmark movie under a nice, warm blanket.