Of course, there’s a new crop of movies this year as well. I doubt I’ll review them all, but I thought I would at least try to review this one. So, grab your guitar and light your Christmas tree…oh…and beware of…
SPOILERS!
Adelaide Kay (Becca Tobin) is a Taylor Swift-like star. What I mean by that is that she’s a country singer but has more of a pop feel so is more of a crossover artist rather than a straight country singer. She’s had a meteoric rise to fame and is looking forward to some time with her family as Christmas approaches. However, her manager Russell has her constantly on the go—she’s due to play the Palace in Philadelphia, which is apparently a Big Deal. So she has to work the holidays.
However, she does have a brief break when her tour bus stops in Preston, Virginia. It’s a little town that appears utterly devoted to Christmas, as many of these little towns in Hallmark movies are prone to being. Adelaide is hoping for some rest and relaxation as well as good food. Unfortunately, Russell controls nearly aspect of her life—he has her in a publicity-only relationship with another rising music star, he orders food for her ahead of time and he schedules her day off.
Meanwhile, Adelaide is trying to write a Christmas song. She hopes to find some inspiration from the Christmas feel surrounding her at the bed and breakfast. However, Russell isn’t too keen on her writing her own songs. He reminds her that she tried that with her first album and it bombed, so she should just stick to the formula that works. Pretty much, he tells her to shut up and sing.
After a little rest and relaxation, they prepare to hit the road. Adelaide gives her bag and phone to the driver and tells him that she’s going to be in her room writing. She asks that Russell and her assistant Sandra (Zarrin Darnell-Martin) not bother her. He agrees but doesn’t notice that she doesn’t get on the bus. Rather, she heads to a Christmas tree lot across from the bed and breakfast. So when Sandra and Russell show up, he tells them that Adelaide is already on the bus. They leave without her.
Meanwhile, Adelaide hasn’t realized she’s been left behind. She meets a young man, Dillon (Kevin McGarry), who teases her for being a city girl. He then reveals that he’s a fan of Adelaide Kay’s first album but not her newer stuff. Adelaide defends it, making him suspicious. She backs off and moves on. That’s when she realizes the bus has left her.
Adelaide approaches a teen girl selling trees and asks to use her phone. She calls Sandra but gets her voicemail. So she leaves her a message, pleading with her to come back and pick Adelaide up. Returning the phone, Adelaide thanks her. The girl introduces herself as Hailey Lapp (Kendra Leigh Timmins) and offers to drive Adelaide to her house, thinking they might catch up with the bus. Adelaide agrees, introducing herself as just “Addy.”
Hailey and Addy bond easily, especially when Adelaide’s latest song plays. Even though they appear to be opposites—Addy protests she’s a true city girl, Hailey is a country girl—Hailey is just a bright, bubbly ball of positive energy. It’s hard for Addy to resist and she enjoys spending time with the girl as they arrive at the Lapp family farm, which primarily focuses on growing Christmas trees.
Addy meets Hailey’s parents, who are very welcoming to her. Mrs. Lapp tells Addy that she’s a reformed city girl who fell in love with the country life and bought the farm with her husband. They’ve been growing and selling trees for years, being well-known in town. Mrs. Lapp invites Addy to help net some trees but Addy decides to help untangle the lights as Hailey introduces her to the other Lapp child—Dillon!
Hailey interrupts the tense moment between Addy and Dillon to say that Addy has a phone call. It’s Russell, who says they can’t get her yet. There’s an accident on the highway and a major snowstorm coming, so the roads are closed. He tells her to go back to the B and B to wait for them and Addy gives Hailey her phone back, explaining her plan. But the Lapps insist she stay with them. She accepts.
Hailey takes Addy back into town so they can pick up some supplies and one would assume some things for Addy. Hailey tells Addy about the town’s annual tree lighting ceremony and how their farm provides the tree every year. She’s very proud of the farm. But when they are in the store, Bev (Darlene Cooke), one of the workers, tells Hailey that she will help the family any way she can as they fight to keep the farm.
They leave and Addy asks what Bev meant. Hailey explains that they had some problems lately and fell behind in their mortgage payments. She says that the bank will most likely foreclose and take the farm by Christmas unless they can repay what they owe—which doesn’t look possible. However, her parents are trying to stay positive but they are all concerned. Hailey reveals that Dillon wants to be a musician but refuses to leave to pursue it because he wants to help save the farm.
Most of the movie is Addy enjoying having a normal Christmas experience with the Lapps while trying to help Hailey save the farm. Hailey has a lot of ideas that her parents tend to dismiss since she’s a teenager and they figure it’s their job to save the farm. But with Addy’s encouragement and the help of the town, Hailey gets one of her ideas up—turning their farm into a Christmas attraction. She also figures they can be open all year long rather than relying on one season.
Addy continues to try to write her Christmas song and recruits Dillon to help her. He knows who she really is very early on and says he enjoyed her early work, the album she wrote herself. Together, they encourage each other to embrace music and Addy starts to believe in herself as an artist more and more.
Unfortunately, the bank forecloses on the house and they will need to be out before the New Year. The family bands together and agrees to have the best Christmas ever and meet on the future together.
Eventually, the rest of the Lapps find out the truth about Addy just as Russell comes to finally retrieve her. He says she’s been booked to appear on a prestigious morning show with fake boyfriend Cody ahead of her performance at the Palace. Dillon tries to encourage her to forge her own path but when faced with everything she’s been working for, Addy chooses to follow Russell’s path for her and leaves.
However, she starts to question everything and asks herself if this is really how she wants to get fame. She lashes out at Russell, saying she’s given up a lot and he hasn’t. She doesn’t recognize her own life and she wants some control again. He tells her to take some time and calm down, telling her not to throw away everything they’ve worked for because she’s stressed.
The next morning, Addy does the news show with Cody. When asked about their relationship, she comes clean and admits that it’s just a publicity stunt. She apologizes to her fans for deceiving them and promises that she’s going to live a more honest life. The segment ends and Russell tears into Addy. She says that she’s taking control of her career and then asks if they can work together. I would’ve just fired his ass. He doesn’t deserve to continue working with her. She then also walks away from the Palace and goes to play a concert to save the Lapp farm.
The concert is a success and the farm is saved! Addy and Dillon debut their Christmas song and it’s a big hit too! All’s well that end’s well.
It’s a bunch of Christmas fluff but isn’t that what we want? I mean, Russell made me angry and I still think Addy should’ve fired him but otherwise, it was good. Tobin carried the movie well and had lots of chemistry with both McGarry and Timmins. I hope all three do more Hallmark Channel movies.
Definitely deserves at least one watch.
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