Have you ever acted in a theater production?

Majestic: having or showing impressive beauty or dignity

Beauty and dignity – that’s what Nell sees when she admires old buildings.

Nell is an architect, and she’s up for a big production at her job. She loves old buildings and she doesn’t like destroying them to build new establishments. I mean, come on, she loves the historical things one can learn from these old buildings! When she’s given the job of turning turning The Majestic Playhouse into a multiplex, she hesitantly agrees. She tells her boss that she’ll do a great job.

In order to complete this architectural project, she must return to her hometown of Briar Falls – that’s where the Majestic is located. Nell, along with the townsfolk, have fond memories of the Majestic. While Nell is in town, the townsfolk agree to one last production before the theater will be renovated after Christmas.

Conner is the theater’s new owner. His aunt has died and he’s inherited the Majestic from her. As is typical in many Hallmark movies, Nell and Conner clash via an innocent misunderstanding. When she re-meets him, she discovers that he’s the owner of the Majestic.

Conner is not used to a festive Christmas and Nell is determined to celebrate the holidays with him. She needs to show him how important Christmas traditions are in Briar Falls. Hopefully he’ll realize just how much the townsfolk treasure The Majestic. Nell and Conner lovingly celebrate Christmas together during Briar Falls Twelve Days of Christmas festival.

I loved seeing Nell and Conner work together, finally putting aside their differences, as they worked on the theater project. I also loved seeing the town of Briar Falls – seeing the town work together and celebrate Christmas together. There’s just something about small towns coming together for a cause that just warms my heart – especially at Christmas. I loved seeing the Christmas celebrations – there was good food, long walks in the snow, and there was even a snowman-building contest! Imagine that!

Kudos to Hallmark for another heartwarming movie! Double kudos for featuring an African-American hero and heroine. It makes me glad that Hallmark is finally realizing that the main characters can be different races! We’re all God’s children and all of us should be featured in these productions as main characters!

So, have you ever acted in a theater production? If so, what part did you play?

Have you ever used a computer/online dating service?

I just loved, loved, loved this movie! Why? Well, so many things that happened in this film resonated with me! I met my husband via an online dating service, Match.com! Like Molly, I realized how hard it was to date as I got older. When I was in college I had TONS of dates, but, after college, my dating life just dwindled. The men just were not to be found and when I was well into my thirties, I gave Match.com a chance, and I was so glad I did!

Molly has created a very useful app, Mingle All The Way. Jeff, a stranger, whom she’s literally run into a few times uses her app, not knowing that Molly is the creator/owner. In order to get an investor, Molly has agreed to use the app herself, just to prove the success of her creation. When she “meets” Jeff at their appointed place (a coffee stand), she realizes that he’s the man who’s “stolen” her Christmas angel at a store and whose ornaments she’s “messed up” from their chance encounter.

Molly really needs to find a date for the holidays. Her mom is putting the pressure on her, asking her about her dating life. After all, Molly’s sister is recently engaged – when will Molly find her perfect mate?

Both Molly and Jeff have had a serious relationship in the past, but, I feel that both of them are over their former significant other.

Molly and Jeff agree to “date.” After all, Mingle All The Way is NOT about falling in love – it’s all about finding an escort for parties and company events, someone to bring with you so that folks can STOP asking why you’re not dating, and if you’re dating. By the way did/do folks ever continuously ask you if you’re dating somebody, or why you’re not dating anybody? I notice this is something that often happens in Hallmark Movies and romance novels, yet, I do wonder if it happens in real life? My parents never really seemed to care much about my dating life, or lack thereof, but, it’s possible that I’m an exception?

I thought it was sweet and endearing when Jeff and Molly REALLY developed feelings for one another. My favorite part was when Jeff told off Molly’s mom. (Actually Molly’s mom was played by Lindsay Wagner, she was The Bionic Woman back in the day. Her show was one of my favorites back in the seventies! She could listen and hear things far away with her bionic ear and she could run fast since she had one bionic leg! My husband’s blind and hard of hearing. Wouldn’t it be great if he could get bionic parts – but, I digress!)

When Jeff told Molly’s mom how wonderful Molly was – well, I just teared up. You could see the feelings developing between these two lovebirds, plain as day!

I hated Jeff’s louse of a co-worker. What a snake!

I loved so many things about this movie! I loved that Jeff could cook and Molly couldn’t cook! Actually, I used this as a premise in my novel, Sweet Dreams – but again, I digress. I mean, come one, how can you NOT like a man who can cook! I think it’s most women’s dream to have a man who can actually cook dinner every night! Isn’t that the most amazing thing?

I also loved the Christmas things going on…drinking coffee and hot chocolate, wrapping gifts (how can you possibly resist a man who can wrap a gift?), the Christmas parties, the celebrating. All of it was so good and festive. Makes me hungry for more Hallmark Movies. Can’t wait to see the other debut movies of the season!

Over all this was a sweet, endearing movie.

So, have you ever used a computer/online dating service? If so, what happened? Did you stay with your significant other? How long did you date?

Have you ever volunteered for a Christmas charity event?

When Darcy returns home for a much-needed Christmas vacation, she ends up assisting her mom with the Pemberley League Auction. She also finds herself working with Luke, her nemesis from high school. Luke is a chef, and he’s recently purchased his own restaurant – he just needs to come up with a name for his new establishment.

I loved reading about Luke and his cooking. In the romance novels that I write, I always mention food, cooking and desserts! I’ve had folks to tell me that reading my novels makes them hungry! I’m not kidding!

Luke and Darcy find that beneath their rivaling personalities, there’s a spark of interest – well, more than a spark, more like a roaring flame! They keep skipping kisses underneath the mistletoe (until the very end)!

They also have to work through issues – like Carl, Darcy’s old boyfriend who appears to be the perfect match for her. After all, he shares the same occupation, he works for her dad, too.

Luke and Darcy both have doubts about their relationship, after all, Darcy lives in New York, and that’s a far cry from her hometown. Plus, she’s a partner in her financial company – a partnership that’s very tenuous right now since the other partners are trying to stab her in the back! How awful!

I loved how everything came together at the end! The singing kids was a nice, added touch! I loved how everybody worked together for the Pemberley League Auction!

This movie was based upon the book, Pride, Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa De La Cruz! Come show the author some Christmas cheer and buy her book! When you read it, please let me know how it compares to the movie!

Pride, Prejudice and Mistletoe is a re-telling of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I’ve never read either of these books (Pride and Prejudice, nor Pride Prejudice and Mistletoe).

So, have you ever volunteered for a Christmas charity event? What kind of event was it? Did you enjoy working on it?

Have you ever visited a palace or castle?

San Senova – when I see this wonderful, mystical foreign land, a land with a king, queen, princesses…royalty, I want to know more about it. I want to see it with my own two eyes. I think it’s a nice touch, that the scriptwriters for this movie created a land that was founded on Christmas Eve!

Alex is known as being the Grinch king. He’s a modern-day Scrooge, at least, that’s what the San Senova residents think. I didn’t think that Alex was Scrooge-like at all. He reminded me of someone who doesn’t necessarily embrace Christmas, but, he wasn’t mean or anything. His daughter convinces him to commission the local visiting ice skaters to prepare, practice, and present a Founders’ Day Ice Skating Pageant on Christmas Eve (San Senova was founded on December 24th).

Alex has lost his wife and his dad over the last decade. His daughter is still grieving over losing her relatives and she’s hard on herself. She needs to let loose and have fun!

Katie is attracted to Alex but she has apprehensions. I mean, after all, he is a king! Would he really be a good match for her, a commoner and she’s not a resident of San Senova. Can a romance between them really work?

I’ve noticed that Hallmark has cookie-making scenes in most of their Christmas movies! Alex, the Grinch of Christmas, looks quite nice making cookies with Katie and his daughter for the Christmas Tea! I also loved the hot chocolate scene with Alex and Katie.

Overall this was a sweet, endearing movie. I thought it was a bummer when Katie abruptly left so that she could go and look at the ice rink in New Jersey that she was considering buying. I think Katie should’ve told Alex she was leaving – she didn’t even alert him or say goodbye, which was strange, but, everything worked out in the end, which is a good thing. The Founders’ Day Pageant was beautiful and Alex and Katie made their way back to one another since Katie returned. Also, Katie’s friend Jessica found romance via the palace as well.

So, have you ever visited a palace or castle? If so, in which country was it located?

My sister shared this Good Morning America video with me! These three guys are determined to review all thirty-seven Hallmark Christmas movies! Can you imagine that! Have you ever watched their podcasts? Looks like they’re having fun! If you’ve seen any of their reviews then please let me know what you thought about them! I’m going to take a peek to see what they’re saying about the wonderful Hallmark Christmas movies!

When you were a kid, did you write a letter to Santa? If so, what did you say in your letter?

When Lisa takes a last-minute trip to her hometown of Evergreen, she decides to help restore Daisy’s Country Store. The store holds vivid, wonderful memories for her. When she was a kid, she wrote a letter to Santa and the store owner, Daisy, a kind woman, helped her to pen the note. She discovers that the store owner has passed away and the store is now for sale. The town needs to find a buyer and she offers to give the store a do-over, making it look as grand as possible. She solicits Kevin as her contractor and off they go to get the store in shape!

Kevin also supposedly wrote a letter to Santa – a letter that Lisa unexpectedly finds in Santa’s Letter Box. Kevin supposedly wants to see Christmas in Evergreen as it used to be. Lisa and her newfound friends are determined to make Evergreen as it used to be during the holiday season: carolers, lots of Christmas decorations, and bells, they need to get those bells working. After all, those effects will help in selling the Country Store.

I really liked how the town rallied together to make sure the store was in tip-top shape and to make Christmas as it used to be. I also enjoyed seeing the side romance between Michelle and Hannah’s brother. I loved that Hannah’s brother was a family man, spending time with his son during Christmas.

I also thought that Kevin and Lisa belonged together. He’s a great guy – he really is. She’s a lovely woman and they make a cute couple. Kevin seems a bit hard-headed – I mean, come on, he’s seen Lisa with Oliver and has gotten the wrong idea about Lisa and her business partner twice. He needs to learn to open his mouth and talk to Lisa whenever he’s upset about something.

But, it turns out that the letter that was found was not written by Kevin, but, by his dad! That was a twist that I did NOT expect at all! It was so hard for both Kevin and his father after Kevin’s mom passed away. I really felt for them – Christmas was hard for them after she was gone.

Oh, I was also surprised that the mysterious key made the bells ring! I loved hearing those church bells and seeing Kevin and Lisa kiss at the end! How sweet! I also loved “visiting” Evergreen again! If you know of a town that’s like Evergreen, all Christmas-y with good cheer, I’d love to hear about it!

One thing about the movie that really stood out for me, and I wanted to ask you (blog readers) about: Lisa and Oliver’s business/best friend relationship. Do you think it’s plausible for a man and a woman to be good friends/best friends, without being romantically involved?

When you were a kid, did you write a letter to Santa? If so, what did you say in your letter?

Have you ever dreamed about having a certain occupation or career? If so, what’d you do about it? Did you pursue your dream?

Laurel works for a big Chicago financial company and they’re trying to acquire a Memphis bank. So, to close out the deal, she returns to her hometown of Memphis. While there, she bumps into Clay, a concert promoter. Clay and Laurel used to sing together, but, since she’s left town and started her financial career, she’s not been a part of the music world. She no longer sings in front of crowds, but, you can tell, deep down, that she misses her music.

Clay is in the midst of pursuing a career away from Memphis, so, looks like he’ll be leaving town sometime after Christmas. When one of his music acts cancels at the last minute, he asks Laurel if they can do a duet together. Laurel hesitates, but, eventually agrees.

I couldn’t stand Laurel’s boss. He pops in and interrupts the flow of the movie. Plus, he’s a pompous arrogant person and he doesn’t seem to have much common sense. Laurel knows what the Memphis bank owner wants, and to pursue this deal her boss needed to leave her in charge.

It’s obvious that Laurel doesn’t love her job.

I can really relate to Laurel’s plight. She’s a singer – I’m a writer. I know both of those occupations are totally different, so, let me explain what I mean. Laurel doesn’t like her finance-based job. I work as a financial analyst at my day job and I don’t enjoy it. I long to write romance novels full-time but, so far, that’s just a dream. Yes, I’ve published several novels, but, it doesn’t bring in the bucks that I need to make a living. Both my husband and I work full time because we have to! We need the money!

I can understand being busy on the job, too. During audit season at my job, things can get hectic. I have to juggle my time and I can relate to the struggle with family time during busy season on the job, too.

I think that Clay could’ve been more understanding when Laurel told him that she had to fly back to Chicago – she didn’t want to lose her job. It’s tough when you’re tied to a job financially and your boss has the power to give you such an urgent command.

I loved hearing both Clay and Laurel sing. I also loved the Christmas decorations. Graceland looked AMAZING and it was a strong and touching moment when Laurel and Clay sang at the Graceland piano. When he asked her what had happened between them – well, that was so endearing. She’d explained that her mom’s passing had really affected her life.

There were also other little Christmas touches that I enjoyed like Pin the Nose on the Reindeer game, drinking hot cocoa, going ice skating…such nice heartwarming things that I love seeing in a Hallmark Christmas movie! So wonderful and enjoyable!

That finale was awesome! Loved the gospel choir and I was ecstatic that Clay and Laurel were together at the end!

So, have you ever dreamed about having a certain occupation or career? If so, what’d you do about it? Did you pursue your dream?