My Favorite Christmas Tree

Disappointed in authenticity of Michigan! I expect a company like Hallmark to research information for authenticity! I'm a native Michigander, we haven't had license plates on the front of our cars in over 35 years. Oops, Hallmark!!! Seems a shame that they missed something so simple. I see that it is filmed in Canada, a hop, skip and a jump from Michigan. So, why wouldn't they take the time to research something like this that any Michigan raised person would notice! I'm so sorry for the rant but it just annoys me since I've watched tons of Hallmark movies over the years! I was so excited to see a Michigan plotted movie than disappointed to see that it isn't even filmed here!

source: My Favorite Christmas Tree

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source: My Favorite Christmas Tree

This is a holiday romance involving the dedicated and passionate genealogy researcher Kayla and a Christmas Tree farmer owner named Joel who lives in a charming town called Conifer. Kayla has a mystery on her family tree which was what inspired her to help others solve their family tree mysteries. Joel has his own mystery...finding the hybridizing secret to his family's famous silver spruce. After some initial resistance on Joel's part, the two eventually pair up to help each other. Kayla and her family may have an important link to the town of Conifer. I loved the premise and the idea behind Kayla's genealogical research job...I would love to do that for a living! The two main actors Emma Johnson and Giles Panton played off each other very well, making a charming couple. This is a recommendation for all my romantic movie fans.

There are some unusual themes in the story. I have never seen one with a genealogical researcher, but this isn't unlike many of the quest movies where the leads are searching for the owner of something found. Both leads are trying to prop up a near or fully failing enterprise. Kyla is quite perky and friendly. It is hard to imagine that Cody (not Joel according to the IMDb cast listing as of this writing) wants to get rid of her because she is also very pretty. Emma Johnson reminds me a lot Brittany Bristow. She and Giles Patton have quiet chemistry. The acting and dialogue are decent but not outstanding. The conflict is a real twist and a big one, especially given the fact that up to that point there was nothing at all remarkable in the story. Some of what's involved in the resolution seems like smoke and mirrors and it is at least confusing. This is a pleasant family friendly movie, but doesn't stand out much from the hundreds of other Christmas movies playing from late October through Christmas on several networks.

I loved seeing Giles Panton as the romantic lead. He is a great actor and - let's face it - uniquely gorgeous. The first time I saw him in a supporting role, I began hoping to see him as a leading man. His performance in this role was very, very good. So many of us are interested in our family history or are actively working on our genealogy, so it was very satisfying to have that as a motivating factor in this story. I actually wish it had been the primary factor, rather than having the rather worn "save the family business" theme dragged in once more. The gorgeous, Christmas tree farm scenery, the small town library ambience, and the presence of Giles Panton made this a nice watch for me. I also appreciated the comraderie between the sisters.

We have a genealogy researcher with a clever start to the movie. The sad thing about this movie is a week later we accidentally recorded it again and watched it for a while before we convinced ourselves we'd already watched it. Then a few details about the ending came to me. In some of these movies the characters show real life and spirit ... bigger than life without going over the top. This isn't one of those movies. The actors' emotions never rise to the level of really ENJOYING their performances. They're realistic, but realistic doesn't really get what we need in these movies, which is rich personality. It's a rather flat watch, and, for us, not worth a rewatch.

This was pretty darn good I was surprised and happy! My husband sat through the whole movie with me which he rarely does and he mentioned that this movie actually had substance! Loved the mystery plot. Loved that there was more than one story line acting was very good. One of the best Christmas movies I've seen this year. I rated it seven out of 10. Beautiful scenery and I loved the gorgeous cabins and furniture craftsmanship. It is rare that I ever watch any of these movies more than once but I look forward to seeing this one again. The relationship between the male lead and the female lead was believable.

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