Magic. Sometimes I think that one of the biggest issues in my life is that I have never found a way to believe in magic. And yet, I feel like the thing about Hallmarks Countdown to Christmas movies, they remind me that there is magic out there.
If I am just willing to see it.
Sunday nights Countdown to Christmas movie was A Kismet Christmas. Yes, I know we’re really early into the season, but this movie, well it really made an impression on me. One I wasn’t quite expecting.
In the movie, Sarah is a children’s book author who returns to her hometown, where she reconnects with her family and Travis, her teenage crush. She soon discovers that a long-held family legend might actually be true.
Small towns. Crushes. Family legends. Sounds to me like it’s a part of my life. Well, a part of my past, which is why I was hesitant to even watch. But here’s the thing about being hesitant – most of the time you realize it’s the fear or the embarrassment that you didn’t need to feel.
Sarah has to return home because the winner of a contest that she was having in celebration of her book. We find out the reasons that she didn’t want to return home. And it has to do with a broken heart.
What I loved was the story of the family legend though. I thought that we would have to spend a lot of time waiting for answers – but they gave it to us immediately. There was a recipe for Kismet Cookies. The legend is that if you put the cookie under your pillow, you’ll dream of your one true love.
And that’s the thing. It’s always been true for anyone who has had a Kismet Cookie. Sarah was young, and though her Grandma said not to, Sarah put one under her pillow and dreams of her best friend, Travis. He’s the boy across the street and she has had a crush on him forever.
But it’s when she gathers herself and runs across the street, to tell Travis that she loves him (and she does just that) and that he’s the one, she finds him in the middle of getting married.
Not going to lie, my jaw hit the floor here, because it was something I didn’t expect. I actually cringed and looked through my fingers, but I also felt so bad for Sarah, I instantly wanted to protect her.
I instantly understood why she wouldn’t want to go home.
Going home isn’t easy, but she does just that. Only announcing the winner for the contest is going to set off a chain of events that she didn’t think of. The winner turns out to be the old crush, Travis’ daughter.
Jazzy is full of spirit and dedication. She is a huge fan of Sarah’s and the characters that she’s created. She doesn’t notice that Sarah is having issues being home, she is just loving the fact that the author she loves is someone that her Dad knows. She’s focusing on the fact that the author that she loves is someone who can and will help her.
I have to admit, that Jazzy is part of the reason that I loved the movie. Why? Because it’s through the innocence of children that we can see things through the purest point of views. It’s Sarah seeing Jazzy’s passion for reading, writing, and the joy that she brings to others.
Jazzy has changed her father. He’s no longer the guy who would make fun of Sarah, but he finds the joy in the small things. He can look back on his life and see the things that he should have appreciated more and the things that really shaped who he was.
He can see the girl that grew into the woman that he’s never forgotten (and yes, I am talking about Sarah here). When we first met Travis, I was annoyed by him.
I actually hated him for a hot minute because of the way that he treated Sarah.
The thing is that Travis reminded me of the boy that I loved as teenager, but never thought about without wanting to cry. When someone hurts you in life, it’s hard to imagine them in anyway but as that person that hurt you. When Sarah is back to being around Travis – I can see why it is she wants to run initially.
But I am glad that she stayed.
Because when you stay, you can see how things change. You can see how people change. You can remember how and why it is that they affected you. And there is nothing more eye opening than that.
Travis and Sarah may have been apart for a long period of time, but what remains is the memories that were good. The way that they helped each other and the way that they really cared.
Over time they are finding themselves opening up to each other. Sarah is worried about her book, she can’t seem to finish it. Travis opening up about Jazzy and his life since he saw Sarah last. Both are finding that falling back into the routine of being friends, but also finding that feelings that were once there, are still there.
When Travis helps Sarah finish her book, no lie, I teared up a little bit. Why? Because the way that these two moved in unison, the way they celebrated each other, and the way that even the littlest things about each other weren’t forgotten – you can’t help but love them.
And for Sarah that means finding a way to make kismet cookies again. It’s a good thing that she started to believe in magic again, and herself.
Only when it comes time to use the kismet cookies, there are not enough left. For Sarah, it means that she needs to make a choice, and her choice is to give the last cookie to her Grandma. She wants to give her the cookie so that she dreams of her Grandfather like she used to when they made the cookies.
What Sarah and Travis don’t realize is that Jazzy stole two cookies and put them under their pillows, in hopes that they would dream about each other. Travis wants Jazzy to apologize to Sarah about placing the cookie under the pillow.
Here’s the thing though – sometimes kids do things that are wrong, but they do it for the right reasons. Jazzy just wanted her Dad to be happy and she wanted Sarah to be happy. But most of all she wanted them to be happy together.
We can all hang onto our pasts. That’s easy, because we become used to it. But it is hard on the soul. It’s letting go of the past and seeing that things happen when they are meant to that can be hard, but it is easy on the soul.
It’s believing in the magic – of love, of legends, and of the holidays that is the best thing that we could all do for ourselves.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- I am wondering where I can find a kismet cookie. I need some magic
- Love seeing Sarah return home and remembering the good times that her hometown gave her
- Love all of Gma’s friends
- Travis and the way that he was there for Sarah – loved it.
- Jazzy and asking if it was good for her to write fan fiction – she’s amazing.
- Sarah talking about how she used to write fan fiction – loved it
A Kismet Christmas is a Hallmark Original Movie.
What happened to jazzys mother?