Christmas can bring out a lot of emotions. Sometimes they are good. Sometimes they are bad. Sometimes they just are. When you think back on Christmas, what do you remember? What you think about Christmas now, what do you look forward to?
For me, Christmas is not a great time, but one of the best things that I remember, is my Aunt always buying me journals and pens. She ignited my love of writing. But books have always been a big part of Christmas.
As they are in A Fabled Holiday.
Anderson (Ryan Paevey) and Talia (Brooke D’Orsay) are friends and are fans of the classic Wunderbrook Christmas Story, a fairytale book that was gifted to Talia by her father. This book means everything to Talia, because it was a book that was gifted to Talia just before her father died and her whole world changed.
After the passing of her father, Talia and her Mom moved away. Anderson was heartbroken, but thankful that the two kept in touch, until they didn’t. And then all of the sudden 30 years has passed. Now, I can’t even judge, because I am the worst at keeping in touch. But it doesn’t mean that there is a lack of love.
The two run back into each other, by chance. The old story of boy walks into a book store… (okay there is no story about that, but I tried to be cute). Talia and Anderson are happy to see each other again, but she’s quick to avoid making plans with him. Personally, I think that she misses him, but she’s also not wanting to have to talk about the past and her father.
But as Talia tries to avoid life there are a million other things in play to make sure that the two are brought together.
That’s the thing about fate – you can try and avoid it, but you also can’t outrun it. It will figure out a way to make you address all of the things that you may not want to. And sometimes it’s one of those things that you hope catches up with you.
It may have taken 30 years but it has definitely caught up with them. Fate takes them both to the town of Wunderbrook and the inn. Yes, it may have been 30 years ago since they left being around each other, but now they’ve seen each other twice in less than a week. Talia and Anderson are comfortable around each other, even after all the time.
But they need to find their way back to being friends and letting things grow from there.
In the town they meet Mayor Miles (John Murphy), Judy (Rochelle Greenwood), Izzy (Daphne Hoskins), and Mildred (Patti Allan), who all have until Christmas Eve to get the people back on the road that they are meant to be on. The town’s residents are all excited, except Mildred. Mildred has her own part to play in the situation, so I am not even hating on her.
And at the inn there are some other people who also need guidance. A married couple who have lost their way, Diane and Keith and a man afraid of moving on but also afraid of being alone, Charles. And in this movie, Charles may be my favorite person.
He’s filled with love and optimism, even though you wouldn’t see it. He’s filled with fear, but that’s okay. Even being filled with fear, the one thing that you can pretty much count on him for is seeing the beauty in those that can’t see it in themselves.
What I love about stories like this is that a lot of the time, people don’t realize that they are in another world. Instead they are just inspired. They feel safe. They are able to work through their issues. Hallmark has definitely raised the bar this year, making you think with the stories they are telling. They aren’t just making romantic comedies. Love isn’t the first story, even if it’s part of the story.
And that’s important.
Anderson is going through a lot, because he lost a patient and it hit him hard. It was the first patient that he had lost as an attending and it hurt. He felt as though he needed to rethink his life. Talia had basically given up on writing, because she had rejection after rejection and it felt like too much for her. She’d lost her inspiration.
Seeing all of the characters in the movie find their way (even some that are in the small town of Wunderbrook, is part of what keeps you intrigued. But one thing I was hoping for was answers on how Wunderbrook exists, even though I knew that part of the story wasn’t essential. I feel like it’s something that can be told over time and I am hoping that this can be like the Evergreen Series on Hallmark. More movies that unlock the secrets of the town.
And hopefully unlock the secrets and worlds of Anderson and Talia more. As much as I loved this movie, I felt like there was a part of them that we didn’t explore and would love to know more about Anderson.
Overall A Fabled Holiday was a movie that I thought highly of and would definitely watch again. It’s got the heart of the new Hallmark – a story filled with love, life and growth.
