We’re three months to Christmas!
I should probably start shopping…
Anyway, my recaps of different made-for-TV Christmas movies continues with this classic from Hallmark. It combines a Secret Santa with the 12 Days of Christmas. And who doesn’t like that?
So let’s check this one out!
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me – a partridge in a SPOILER!
We start at a college radio station before Christmas. There’s a storm coming and most students have already gone home for the holidays. All but Maggie Chalke (Brooke Nevin) and Mitch O’Grady (Robin Dunne), who continue running the studio until the end of their shift. When she’s unable to get transportation home, he offers to drive her on his way home and she agrees.
But the weather starts to force road closures and it seems obvious that they aren’t going to make it home for Christmas. So Mitch helps Maggie celebrate, giving her their own version of the 12 Days of Christmas. They bond over this magical holiday.
Time for a time jump!
Maggie works for her small town newspaper. The holidays are coming and the big news is that the radio station has a new DJ. But it turns out that he hates Christmas so refuses to play any Christmas music. Maggie is then surprised when she realizes that the new Christmas-hating DJ is her old Christmas-loving friend Mitch. He never returned after the Christmas they spent together and she wondered what happened to him.
So Maggie goes to see him and he’s happy to see her. He reveals that right after the Christmas they spent together, his mother died. Mitch was unable to return to school and his love of Christmas died with her. So now he’s anti-Christmas and nothing can change his mind.
Naturally, Maggie decides to restore his Christmas spirit and pay him back for the amazing Christmas he gave her years ago. She decides to give him 12 gifts that all tie back to that Christmas but does it anonymously.
At first, Mitch tries to ignore it but his producer Rita (Geri Hall) loves the gift and makes him open it on air. She then posts a picture and makes a promotion of it – who is Mitch’s Secret Santa? He doesn’t want any part of it and she reminds him that it will be good publicity.
Rita isn’t alone. Maggie’s newspaper has just been sold to a bigger publishing company and people’s jobs are on the line. Her editor, Alan Kramer (A.C. Peterson), assigns her to write about Mitch’s Secret Santa. She’s torn – she knows she should disclose that she is the Secret Santa and would be writing about herself but she’s also not ready to reveal herself yet. So after talking it over with some loved ones, she decides to take the assignment.
Which means that Maggie and Mitch start spending a lot of time together. Much to his annoyance, the 12 gifts are really taking off and everyone wants to know who is sending them. And some people start pretending that they are the one, like local fitness instructor Brianna (Tess Degenstein). Mitch is into her, though, and Maggie starts to feel a little jealous.
But it doesn’t work out with Brianna, especially as Maggie and Mitch continue to spend time together. They are clearly starting to fall in love. So it’s time to blow things up.
Pretty much, Mitch figures out that all the gifts connect back to the Christmas he spent with Maggie and he realizes that she’s his Secret Santa. But he assumes she did it so she could write the stories and get to move to a bigger paper. He is angry and betrayed and becomes bitter again as Maggie regrets covering the story while keeping her secret.
So Maggie writes one last piece outing herself as Mitch’s Secret Santa. She figures it will be her last story but the new owners like her and decide to offer her a job. Meanwhile, Mitch realizes that Maggie was just trying to be kind to him and everything just got out of hand. They reunite and he admits that he’s fallen for her.
Happy endings all around!
This was a cute movie. I’ve been watching Brooke Nevins since the mid-90s and I adore her. So I was more than happy to watch this just for her but the story was engaging enough as well. She had good chemistry with Dunne and I wouldn’t mind seeing them in another movie.
So wrap yourself up in a warm blanket, dim the lights and let yourself enjoy this sweet movie this holiday season.
See you next time!
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