A few weeks before Christmas, Kathy Howard (Martin) is struggling. Her late husband's cycling business is barely making ends meet. She is avoiding the holidays, other than making Christmas cookies to share with the important people in her life. Her best friend, Jenna (Staite), is worried and drags her to buy a Christmas tree.
Kathy escapes to the gift shop, where she meets the owner of the shop and trees, Tim Pierce (Mathison). They connect and begin running into each other everywhere. He brings her a tree and she responds by bringing a tray of cookies. The cookies are a hit with Tim's customers and lead them to team-up. Can Kathy find joy again in the midst of her grief?
This is a Hallmark movie. It is short and sweet, and doesn't require much of a commitment.
The Good:
This is not your typical Hallmark movie. Yes, the main characters are dealing with pain, but they it doesn't focus on pain for pain's sake. The story focuses on overcoming that pain and choosing to see the potential in the future. It doesn't rush the characters into a relationship, it takes time to build the characters and believability, which is refreshing.
The Bad:
They don't give much attention or backstory to the side characters. Jewel Staite's Jenna is the most fleshed out character, but you don't know much about her. Everyone else just ticks a box and are defined by their roles.
Other Comments:
-Kellie Martin and Cameron Mathison are strong leads and have good chemistry.
-The film has a nice mix of tones, without leaning too far in one direction. It ends on a nice uplifting moment.
-Enjoyable.
The Christmas Ornament (2013) 83 minutes
Director: Mark Jean
Starring: Kellie Martin as Kathy Howard
Cameron Mathison as Tim Pierce
Jewel Staite as Jenna Lowe
Matthew Kevin Anderson as Ben Lowe
Brendan Meyer as Connor
Laura Mennell as Rebecca
Cole Vigue as Graham
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