I will be completely honest, when I saw the title Time For Her To Come Home For Christmas, I knew that this was part of the of Come Home For Christmas franchise and I didn’t think I wanted to watch it. I know the song, I know the movies, and it all just feels so sad. It feels so sad because i’ve found them to be about everyone but the person that they want to come home.
I mean sure that person is in there, but the reasons that someone wants them to come home is completely selfish.
And this one is no different, the reasons that Carly is called to this small town is something that is completely selfish to her Aunt (that she doesn’t know about). Even if that selfishness is something that is meant with the best of intentions.
Part of me was put off by that, but the other part of me knows that I need to put my indecision aside and realize that these stories are beautiful moments that remind us of the importance of home.
And the fact that you can always go back to it.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Facing her first Christmas without her mother and looking to avoid loneliness, Carly (Grimes-Beech) accepts a short-term job to lead a small-town church choir’s Christmas program. Shortly after arriving, Carly meets Matthew (Carmack), who is returning home after serving in the Army. As she gets to know Matthew, the choir and townspeople, she stumbles across clues that suggest she may have been brought here for a life-changing reason. As the mystery unravels one thing is clear, this journey will teach Carly about true love, learning to trust and that forgiveness is needed to finally heal.
WHAT IT’S GIVING: Church
STANDOUT PERFORMANCE: CHRIS CARMACK. Yes, I said what I said. Granted, I loved him in Nashville and I am a little biased. But her just was so endearing in this that I loved him so much. And his voice… it’s magic!
GRINCH-ISH THOUGHTS: Now, I have to say that there are a lot of surprises in this movie and a lot of the time, I am not even one to catch them. I am normally on top of this s***, but maybe I am loosing my touch.
What I do think about this movie is that the biggest beauty of it is that the story evolves slowly. I think that the beauty is that the story unfolds at a pace that allows you to get to know all of the characters and start to feel for them. You want to protect all the characters in this movie and you want to see them all succeed. You want them to all come together and find a way to make this choir the best that it can be.
As we journey through this movie – keep this in mind – that the characters in this movie and a family.
They just don’t know it yet.
The choir of the church really isn’t that great. They aren’t able to find their way together and are singing all over the place. Nothing is in tune. Nothing sounds good. But they are trying and it is up to Carly to pull them all together.
One of the things I do like about any of the coming home for Christmas movies is that they do remind us of the simple joys of life. They remind us of the joys of community, love everlasting and living our lives to the fullest. This one is no different.
Carly is looking to put her life back together after her mother passed. She had only ever known being able to rely on her Mom, but now that she was gone, she felt a lost. And with the first Christmas without her Mom approaching, getting away and helping the choir seems like the perfect escape.
It’s being in the new place that brings her back to life and allows her to put her passion to work. She builds a family with the people in the choir, not knowing one is actually family.
See it turns out that she was brought there by her Aunt. Only she doesn’t know that it’s her Aunt. See her father was never around. But what I don’t understand is when she finds out that the reason that she was brought there was because her Aunt brought her there, why she didn’t get angry.
She never knew her aunt. She never knew her fathers family.
But she got some air and just forgave and embraced her family. I mean, I would just have so many questions and would want so many answers. But hey, this is a movie and there are happy endings.
And Carly did get hers, so that is definitely a positive and a happy ending that we all deserve for Christmas.
`CHRISTMAS CHEER: 🎄🎄