Hope. The official definition of hope is “a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen,” but I feel like that doesn’t encompass everything that hope truly means. But in the same breath, I would tell you that hope is hard to explain – you just know it when you feel it and you just have to hold onto it with all your might.
For a lot of people, they find that hope finds them. For Hallmark fans – well me speaking on behalf of a lot of them – hope finds us in the form of its movies and the actors that portray the characters that we love. Hallmark Channel and all of its stars are hopeful to a lot of people.
The movies, the stories, the actors – they all allow us to escape from the harsh reality of life and give us a moment to believe in something good. There is just this feeling of escape when you watch the movies they create.
Hallmark gives hope.
Christmas at Sea features appearances from Hallmark Stars Benjamin Ayres, Jonathan Bennett, Wes Brown, Erin Cahill, Paul Campbell, Taylor Cole, Nikki DeLoach, Sarah Drew, Tyler Hynes, Kimberley Sustad and Andrew Walker. Knowing that all of them are willing to give their time and energy – I truly believe that there is a lot of hope (not to mention) joy that will happen on this cruise.
You can call me cheesy for believing that, but after watching the first episode of Christmas at Sea – I know that I am not alone in that belief. If anything, I feel as though what I am watching is this beautiful moment of people finding themselves and finding hope.
Well, that and the joy that Christmas brings.
The ship is magical. It’s decked out for Christmas. The excitement as the camera pans over everyone that is going on the cruise is palpable. Everyone is excited. I couldn’t help but have the biggest smile as I watched.
I couldn’t help but think of how all of the people that I was watching were having their dreams come true. And no, I am not talking about Hallmark Stars – even though I am positive that they were excited and changed by this experience. I am talking about the fans – the cruisers whose stories are featured.
No matter who you are – you could see yourself in the cruisers. They feel the excitement and the joy and just what the magic of Christmas is.
PAIGE, KERRY, & AL
Family. Kerry is the matriarch of the family and is taking her daughter and daughter-in-law on the cruise. I had to rewind a few times – because Al (her daughter-in-law) looks exactly like her. I was convinced that they had to be related by DNA (but they aren’t). Kerry is the mother-in-law I would want – the kind that accepts you and calls you her daughter (because you are – doesn’t matter if it’s just cause you married her son).
Kerry loves Christmas – decorating for it, the family togetherness of it, and the all-around joy that Christmas brings. Her house is decorated like a winter wonderland (no snow, because after all, they live in Texas). Paige calls her Mom the driver of the family (to which Kerry makes a big joke) – the glue that holds them all together.
So why do they love Hallmark? Al put it best – saying that it is because it encompasses everyone and everything.
And hey, it is something that a lot of people who watch Hallmark feel. But, serious question – how many of us (Hallmark fans) have an actor from the network on your hall pass list? I know that some of us would never admit that we do. Kerry admits it though and hers is Wes Brown.
I mean, who can’t see the appeal there?
Paige loves her some Tyler Hynes. She sat in a confessional and said that she believed that she had a chance. I smiled, knowing that no matter what, Tyler would make her feel like a princess.
The three of them are on the cruise because they love Hallmark, but also because they want to bond. Their closeness is one of the reasons that you can’t help but smile and want them to have an amazing time.
They have been through a lot in the last year. Kerry had to have a double mastectomy and has been healing. She’s doing good right now. They are all excited to be present and in the moment. Paige though, is hiding a secret and she needs to tell her Mom what it is on the cruise, even though her Mom will hate it.
I have to love that within minutes at the Tyler Hynes Bootshot tradition in walks Jonathan Bennett with Wes Brown to follow. Kerry’s dreams are coming true meeting Wes and Paige is shooting her shot asking Jonathan to give Tyler her number.
I love these three – completely fearless and filled with so much hope.
ROB AND DONNA
Rob and Donna have been together for 9 years. They met at the gym, both going through a divorce, and ended up talking on the treadmill. When he spotted her at the gym, he accidentally broke two of her ribs and thought he’d never see her again.
But he did and now they’ve been together for 9 years.
Rob was a Hallmark fan and made one out of Donna. They may be a little Christmas crazy, but truly there is nothing wrong with that. They have seven kids between the two of them – so Christmas crazy is allowed. It means that they are giving their families the best Christmas.
Donna says that she loves Hallmark because it gives an escape. Life is hard.
The two are on the cruise to enjoy Christmas, but Rob has a big surprise for her. He wants to propose and marry her on the cruise. You can tell that he loves her wholeheartedly, and he wants the moment to be perfect.
The night of lighting the tree, the two run into Erin Cahill and are taken by surprise by all of the good things that are happening on this cruise. They have an exchange and Erin’s as sweet as can be. Donna is thrilled.
Donna hasn’t had it easy. She had brain surgery, but Christmas has meant so much to her. So much so that she had put off her brain surgery to make sure she could have her Christmas party with friends and family. She didn’t regret it. For Donna life is about living in the moment.
For Rob, Donna’s scare has made him more determined to get engaged and marry her. Time isn’t something to be wasted.
CAROL, NATE & CATHY
I have never seen anything cuter than two Grandma’s taking their grandson on this cruise. They are adorable.
The trip is Nate’s birthday present and his excitement – honestly, I teared up. Why? Because Nate is so excited to be there and I just knew that this is a great memory that he’s going to have forever. We have to treasure our time with family and doing this with his Grandma’s is amazing.
The three have a Facebook page about going on the cruise and everyone keeps wishing Nate a Happy Birthday. He’s thrilled and watching, I couldn’t help but feel thrilled for him. He’s 16 and this cruise was all he wanted to for his birthday. It just goes to show that anyone at any age can and does love Hallmark.
LAURA AND VICTORIA
It’s a great thing in life when your sibling is your best friend. That’s who Laura and Victoria are. The two live far away from each other, so going on this trip is exciting for both of them. It’s actually the first time they have gone on a sisters-only trip.
Now, Laura loves Christmas. I can confidently say that she loves it more than some people. Why am I so confident about that? Well, because Laura has 61 boxes of Christmas decorations. That is a lot. Like, I live in New York and I guarantee that I could pack up my apartment and it not be 61 boxes. I do love for Laura that she has that much. It’s kind of amazing.
There is a secret that Victoria has been keeping though and when she tells her sister, I admit, my Grinch heart grew three sizes. Victoria is pregnant. Laura is thrilled and in something I think that a lot of us can relate to – she loves auntie joy. Being an auntie is great. It’s like coming alive and also – paying your brother or sister back for all the things that they did to you as a kid.
Can’t wait to watch their story unfold.
ALICIA AND GAIL
46 years of being besties – these two are goals. Meeting in the 10th grade, the two have stayed friends, but consider themselves family. Their families are connected. I love it – seeing their families hang out and spend time together – I couldn’t help but smile. These two are soulmates – and yes, a soulmate can be a friend.
These two are excited for whatever happens on the cruise. They are superfans and feel that no matter what you are feeling, you can turn on Hallmark and you will just feel hope. I couldn’t agree more.
I could feel their genuine excitement when they walked around at the sail-abration. They embody joy (and yes, I am aware I keep using the word joy). The two can’t wait to meet Tyler Hynes.
Alicia is a daredevil and Gail is a rule follower. I love the way that they balance each other. I felt for Alicia though – when she tried to push Gail out of her comfort zone
Gail and her bestie, Alicia, signed them up. She wants Gail to do it too, but Gail won’t. She won’t go out of her comfort zone. Alicia says she’s gonna get her out of her comfort zone. Other audience members join her. Gail knows it’s hard for her to get out of her comfort zone. Gail doesn’t know where it comes from, but she doesn’t want to let people down. We’re proud of her when she tries a bit and says she’ll think about doing karaoke next time.
I have a feeling these besties are going to push us all to see that going outside our comfort zones isn’t an easy thing – but it’s a good thing.
THE WORKOUT
Seeing so many people in the gym, I had to smile. Wouldn’t be the first thing that I would do, but that’s me. Rob heads to the gym and gets ready to get a workout in.
Where is Donna? She’s not having a good day and has stayed in bed. But this does work out well for Rob, as he gets to meet. Paul Campbell.
Quick side note – what the h*** does Paul’s tattoo say?
At first, the interaction between Paul and Rob is awkward, but when Rob says that he wants to get married on the ship, Paul lights up and calls Andrew Walker over. Not surprised that these two want to help Rob if he gets a yes to the proposal. Something tells me that there will be no trouble.
Andrew tells him that they have a roster to help and I fell off my chair. It was too good. Too funny. And yet, I knew that these men would make sure it happened and that their wedding would be something to remember.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- Rob and Donna watching the tree lighting and how happy they are – so cute
- Love Kerry, Paige, and Al and how they are just so open and having fun
- The Sail-abration was amazing – you could feel the energy bouncing off the screen
- Jonathan Bennett making time for everyone as they board the ship – he’s a gem
- Can Jonathan Bennett lead everything from now on?
- Andrew Walker’s biceps are huge
- Laura and Victoria think that seeing over 200 Hallmark movies is a lot… it’s not. But I get it
- The trivia moment – I feel that so hard
- Nate looking for his Grandma and them hiding from him. I die.
- A Merry Exchange looks fun
- Jonathan Bennett is the ultimate wingman – all wingmen need to take note
New episodes of Christmas at Sea air on Mondays during Christmas in July.
