Hallmark veterans Alicia Witt and Andrew Walker star in Hallmark Movies & Mysteries' first Christmas film of the year, Christmas Tree Lane. The film follows Meg (Witt), a piano player and vocalist teacher, who works in her father’s shop on none other than Christmas Tree Lane. When she is informed that all the business on said street will be closing, Meg makes it her mission to save it. Along with her new friend, Nate, both he and Meg start to bond over their combined efforts in reviving Christmas Tree Lane. The only problem? Nate works for the company that is set on tearing it down. With a lot of determination and a little bit of luck, or should I say a Christmas miracle, Meg has her work cut out for her.
I have to say that out of all the Christmas films that debuted this weekend, this has to be the most Christmassy. Between the Christmas tree decorating competition to the Christmas music, plus ALL the festivities on Christmas Tree Lane, the other films can’t really compete on that level. All in all, I thought this film was really cute. Yes, at points, certainly towards the end, it did make me cringe at how cheesy parts were, but when it comes to Hallmark, I’m always ready to overlook that. As I mentioned before, Witt and Walker are no strangers to Hallmark movies, especially Christmas ones, so watching this film felt like an old friend. It was comforting and sweet, with tons of Christmas fun in between. I think the most interesting, and surprising on my part, was what Witt brought to this film. Not only did she write and perform the music herself in this film, but she also wrote and produced the movie as well! How cool is that?
The only thing I have a “problem” with has nothing to do with the story itself, but with the clothing. At the end of the film, Meg walks on stage ready to perform her Christmas song — wearing an off-the-shoulder dress — in the middle of winter. Who does that? Now, again, if you tune into Dick Clark’s New Year’s Eve Special every year, most of the performers are wearing similar outfits that probably make you cold just looking at them. Nevertheless, this is something that I've noticed in quite a few Hallmark movies. Sadly, this has become a slight pet peeve of mine, especially when the other characters are bundled up in coats (BECAUSE IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE WINTER), with only the main character dressed as if they have no idea that it's snowing outside... It’s just a common-sense issue for me, but I'm getting the feeling that this may be one pet peeve I’ll just have to live with.
I have to say that the most refreshing part of this film is when Meg discovers that Nate works for the company that is looking to tear down Christmas Tree Lane. In his defense, Nate had no idea that he was apart of it until late in the game AND he did try to tell her. Nevertheless, this movie could’ve gone in the stereotypical way, with Meg storming off and condemning Nate as a liar, but instead, it takes the mature approach, with her needing some time to think things over and then continuing to work with Nate, who still wants to help in saving her store (along with the other ones, of course). Ah, to have mature adults in a film...
Christmas Tree Lane is definitely the feel-good movie of all the Hallmark debuts this weekend, and with all the Christmas cheer one could want, why wouldn’t I watch this again? Witt and Walker make this Christmas film one to enjoy and I’m so happy that Christmas Tree Lane made it into the top four of Hallmark’s first Christmas movies of 2020. With the bar set high, I'm eager to see what next weekend's movies will bring!
What did you think of the film? Let me know in the comments below!
***I do not own this photo.
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