Have you ever built a gingerbread house?

Well, architect Taylor hasn’t! Her job has signed her up for a gingerbread house making contest – they figure it’ll be good PR for their company. But, Taylor is an architect for REAL buildings, not gingerbread houses. She needs help and when her job pairs her up with a well-known French pastry chef, she figures she’ll win the contest.

The pastry-chef decides not to work with Taylor, so, she ends up using the skills of Adam, a wonderful baker. I thought that Taylor and Adam got off on the wrong foot, but, as they got to know one another, the chemistry between them was as hot as grease sizzling in a skillet! 

Adam has a lot going on in his life. He’s single and he’s raising his daughter, Brook, alone. Brook and Taylor really hit it off, which was nice.

I enjoyed seeing Adam and Taylor design and built a giant gingerbread house. Just because someone is an architect, it doesn’t mean that they can build a solid gingerbread house! Adam has to experiment with different ingredients to make sturdy bricks for their house.

I loved the special effects that were added to Adam’s and Taylor’s gingerbread house. But, I wondered, when you have a house sitting out like that, a gingerbread house, what happens to it? Do folks actually EAT a huge house like that when it’s been sitting out there for all to see? What do you think?

Kudos to Hallmark for again featuring people of color in their movie. I loved seeing Tia Mowry. I remember seeing her a long time ago, with her sister Tamara, on Sister Sister (an old sitcom).

So, have you ever built a gingerbread house from scratch? How long did it take? Was it a huge house?

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?