As some of you can imagine, I was super excited to see the fourth installment of the Christmas in Evergreen franchise. Christmas in Evergreen: Bells Are Ringing stars Holly Robinson Peete and Rukiya Bernard, among many others. This latest movie follows Hannah (Bernard) as she takes over the Evergreen Museum while also trying to maintain her relationship with Elliot (Antonio Cayonne). Michelle (Peete), on the other hand, has got her hands full planning her wedding to Thomas (Colin Lawrence), who may not make it in time due to inclement weather. Suffice to say, Evergreen’s got a lot to handle, but with Nick and a magic snow globe, this might be the most festive Christmas of them all.
I’m embarrassed that I haven’t said this until now, but Hallmark (among many, many others) seems to have done a great job making these movies during the time of COVD. However, you can definitely tell this one was made during this awful pandemic, what with Thomas “videoing” in because he’s stuck at his work due to snow. Clearly, his part was written with the pandemic in mind, and it worked. If there’s ever an opportunity to do this, Hallmark definitely made the most of it. The only part that bugged me about this storyline was that the trailer for this film definitely advertised Michelle’s wedding as a feature component to this movie, but the wedding never actually happened. I was looking forward to seeing her get her “happy ending,” but instead it focused more on her relationship with her sister and father who came into town specifically for the wedding.
On top of all that, this film also brought back Allie (Ashley Williams) for this movie, which is always fun to see. However, this actually brings me to Ryan, Allie’s husband from the first Christmas in Evergreen. As of this fourth installment, the actor has yet to make another appearance in this franchise and that makes me sad. We even got his daughter, Zoe, back in this film, which was such a nice surprise, so hopefully, if there is another Evergreen in the works for next year, we can get an appearance from him. Maybe at Michelle and Thomas’ wedding?
As a whole, I thought this latest installment was really cute. It still feels like the Evergreen we know and love, with all of our favorite characters (minus a few) to make the film complete. Peete and Bernard are perfect in their roles, but I have to say I was partial to Bernard’s Hannah. In many ways, she feels like an extension of me, with her need to take on more than she can handle, her love for her friends and family, especially her town of Evergreen, and her dedication to anything she sets her mind to. Watching Bernard and Cayonne work opposite each other was really great. I loved their dynamic on-screen and I'm hoping that the next film brings both of them closer to the aisle, just like Michelle and Thomas.
Christmas in Evergreen: Bells Are Ringing is such a cute and fun film. The Evergreen franchise as a whole is slowly becoming my favorite, to the point that I dread the year that they don’t make another one during their Christmas Countdown. With festive Christmas merriment around every corner, this movie is definitely one that you’ll watch every single time it airs. In fact, you could probably have a fun Christmas in Evergreen marathon and make a Christmassy day anytime you want with these festive films!
What did you think of the movie? Let me know in the comments below!
***I do not own this photo.
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