I have read the other reviews so far, and I definitely understand why this movie isn't necessarily a favorite.

A quick summary: Paul Campbell, known for his clever wit and affability, takes a more moody tone in this movie. Instead of being his usual laid-back self, he portrays a 'down on life' author, and is insufferably grouchy, though we understand his plight.

He lost his parents, and has become sour on Christmas as a result. On top of this, his infamous books (which struck me as Harry Potter-esque) have bloated his fame to proportions that make him feel overcommericalized and basically sick of everything.

His publicist is helping to save him from himself; she tries her best to do damage control, but he's slow to trust her and she is equally put off by him.

They find common ground by the end of the movie, although the chemistry (in my eyes) never forms. I don't know if PC is trying to stay out of really romantic roles; I understand he's happily married in real life, and I'm sure that there's some hesitation on his part to sink into these overly romantic roles. He does fantastic work with comic relief, and that is his strongest suit.

I missed the witty writing in this movie; none of the lines or situations were particularly memorable for me. What I did love was that we can all relate to imperfect relationships and feeling down on ourselves/life. Even when we have everything we need, or success as it is defined in society, loneliness and isolation are pervasive; in fact, it is often worse when we have reached success.

The hardest thing for me to write is that I find this movie somewhat dull. I wanted to love it, and the two leads are both attractive and brilliant in their skill. It just wasn't a good Christmas-escapism kind of movie. From the drama standpoint, this would be a good flick to watch if you feel a little blue, or have been struggling to make sense of well-intentioned people that inadvertently have caused you pain.

The movie touches on the reason for his sadness, and it's something most adults will experience.

The scenery was beautiful, including the properties they used; his house is perfection. I also loved the few scenes with children in them, especially when Paul's character is fielding questions and he dotes on the adorable little girl (the fairy!). He shines with children, and it's easy to see he was being completely himself in that moment, and also with Bree and Luca (the other children in the movie).

It's possible that the movie could be improved by a little more softness from the female lead; it was hard for me to feel any chemistry at all between the two leads, and this was mainly his doing (getting significantly miffed in two scenes), but she also had a sort of 'edge'. In real life, I would never expect these two characters to really connect romantically.

I would've loved for this movie to have done something a little bolder in terms of conflict. What I mean is, Harrington's trauma about his parents being a barrier as to why he wanted to return to town, to celebrate Christmas in general, etc. Was believable enough, but I think the storyline would've benefitted if April's backstory played a role into her over-preparedness.

She could for example be that way because when her dad died, she really had no warning and wished there was more she could've done. So now in adulthood she goes above and beyond to prepare for every possible outcome that way there wouldn't be any unforeseen circumstances. And then that could've strengthened she and Harry's bond even more! But hey, that's just the aspiring writer in me talking.

Overall I found this movie cute. I think Paul and Lyndie had good chemistry as the leads, and I hope she's in more Hallmark movies. Really liked the fact that they only acknowledged they liked each other and not loved, lol, it made it feel more real! There could've been some more bonding opportunities between Harry and April to beef up their attraction to each other, but all in all, a fairly decent offering from 23' CTC!

This is the story of an author of a Christmas series who has lost his parents and become disillusioned by the commercialization of the season and his book. In a pre Christmas interview he says as much and the publishers receive a big backlash from fans.

Enter the fixer, who lies to the author to get him back to his home town and participating in the Christmas festivities that inspired his books in the first place.

I really liked the dialog between these two. It was well written and well delivered. I liked the cameo by Paul Campbell's cowriter and frequent costar, who appears as a barista. I appreciated that his childhood friends and townspeople who knew Harrington, understood and still cared about him...and were grateful for what his books had done for their town of mistletoe.

I really appreciated that we get to see the inspiration for the Christmas fairy, but that he kept it a mystery for all his readers.

I liked that the fixer, April, really did seem prepared for anything...and her fairy outfit was amazing.

It wasn't my favorite film this holiday season, but I did enjoy it especially the inspiration backstories.