The is another story about finding a lost father. It has echoes of my favorite Christmas movie "My Christmas Family Tree". It is about the lost daughter visiting dad and his family and gradually becoming a part of that family in the most important way that counts - love. This story has circumstances that are a little less savory as regards dad's history. And instead of new information not immediately shared as in MCFT, in this one Campbell keeps an important secret from the beginning.

This movie is well done. The acting is very good. The dialogue is good. The romance is about is prominent as the one in MCFT, which is definitely secondary to the developing relationship with her previously lost family. There are some decent funny moments, but more than that the atmosphere is almost entirely upbeat despite the secret. There are some nice tidbits about Christmas on the Bayou, even if almost no one had an appropriate accent.

Oh course there has to be a conflict moment. I thought that was extremely well done even if it was fast. There are many sentimental moments. And the very last sequence, the very last sentence, is a home run.

I'm not ready to bump MCFT off the top of my list yet, but who knows? Maybe after 5 more viewings before a year is past it will be right next to it.

Ascension parish does not have bonfires on the levee on Christmas Eve. St. James Parish just east of Ascension Parish is where this tradition occurs every December 24th at 7pm. The Cajun village where this was filmed is maybe three miles from the parish line. I can't rate this any higher based on the inaccurate portrayal of our beautiful tradition. I appreciate that the movie doesn't portray Louisiana residents as uneducated, slow minded people. I also Appreciate not having forced accents and dialect. The story line of uniting a child and parent is sweet. I just wish the geography was accurate. Overall a decent film but hard to fully enjoy watching.

Wish there were more reviews uploaded at this point, since the only one that's here is so dismal. I, too, am from the South, and felt that they did a good job with location, even tho, of course, it was Canada rather than Louisiana. I found this to be a treasure trove of family riches. Jaicy Elliot is one of my new favorites and I hope Hallmark continues to use her. She is so engaging and real with a presence and class that are fun and satisfying to watch. I've seen her now in several different roles and she always delivers. The entire cast just works so well together and are so believable in their roles. There's a subtlety in the relationships of the principal characters that might not be apparent to all, but if you watch, and give the story a chance to unfold, it's much easier to appreciate what's happening and is actually well done. Lovely that there's more to it than just boy-meets-girl. I have to say that it's a treat to see Hallmark step up and dig in and deliver a better quality story/film. This is truly NOT one of their weak and basic romances that's so far fetched that we can't relate to it. So bravo for this great piece of work. A wonderful addition to the holiday fare.