A Christmas Melody
Where to watch
United States17 ways
Canada13 ways
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The premise
A gift of music transports people back to another time and place where they find their truest feelings.
How unusual is it?
Very. Santa is real, magic, Santa himself and an actual miracle all turn up in one movie — the strangest 7% of everything we've logged.
Who’s in it
You’ve seen this pairing before: Lacey Chabert and Brennan Elliott have made 10 Hallmark movies together.
Behind the camera
ShowHide
Directed by
Written by
Wait, what?
The quirks and curveballs that make this one a little weirder than your average Hallmark. No spoilers, promise.
- Mariah Carey playing a mean, suburban PTA mom who is obsessed with gluten-free bake sales.
- The school custodian, Thomas, is heavily implied to be the literal Santa Claus, knowing Emily's name and wishes without being told.
- The 'Team A.A.H.' acronym for the costume committee.
Every trope, all in one place
Here’s everything this one has going on, from the setting to the way it wraps up. Tap any of the 38 to find more movies that do the same thing.
Setting2
Time & season3
Characters7
Tone & quirks7
Why we’d put this one on
The headline here is that Mariah Carey directed this and plays a mean suburban PTA mom obsessed with gluten-free bake sales, which is reason enough to press play. Lacey Chabert is the lead, a struggling fashion designer who moves back to her Ohio hometown with her daughter and reconnects with the school's music teacher, Brennan Elliott. Kathy Najimy plays her aunt. At a weirdness of 8 the strangeness creeps in: the school custodian seems to be the actual Santa, somehow knowing the daughter's wishes without being told. It sits at a 6.1, so not the slickest, but the casting makes it a delight. Watch it for Mariah.
How it all plays out
Already seen it, or just can’t wait? Open this up for the whole story, ending included.
Full story (spoilers)
The film begins with Kristin Parson, a talented fashion designer in Los Angeles, facing the closure of her boutique. Realizing she can no longer sustain her business, she decides to move back to her childhood home in Silver Falls, Ohio, with her young daughter, Emily. Emily is devastated to leave her friends and life in LA, even writing a secret letter to Santa asking for a way to return home. Upon arrival, Kristin is welcomed by her eccentric Aunt Sarah, who runs the local diner. Kristin soon encounters her high school nemesis, Melissa McKean-Atkinson, who is now the self-appointed 'queen bee' of the town and head of the PTA. At Emily's new school, Kristin meets Danny Collier, the music teacher and a former 'band geek' who once had a crush on her. Danny encourages Emily to join the Snowflake Pageant, discovering she has a gift for singing and songwriting. As the pageant approaches, the costume committee—led by Melissa—fails miserably, and Kristin is recruited by the principal to take over the designs. This fuels a rivalry with Melissa, who feels upstaged. Meanwhile, Kristin and Danny grow closer as they work together on Emily's performance and decorate Kristin's old home. Emily also finds a mentor in Thomas, a mysterious school custodian who seems to possess magical insight into her wishes. The conflict peaks when Kristin's friend Haley arrives from LA with a massive career opportunity: a major department store wants to launch Kristin's clothing line, but it requires her to move back to California immediately. Danny, overhearing the news, assumes Kristin is leaving and pulls away emotionally. However, during the Snowflake Pageant, Emily performs an original song she wrote with Danny, expressing her new wish to stay in Silver Falls and for her mother to find love. Moved by her daughter's song and her own feelings for Danny, Kristin turns down the LA job, choosing to open her own business in Ohio. The film concludes with Kristin and Danny reconciling and a final hint that Thomas the custodian was actually Santa Claus.
Beat by beat
Opening
Kristin closes her LA boutique and moves back to Silver Falls, Ohio, with a reluctant Emily.
Inciting Incident
Kristin reconnects with former classmate Danny and meets her old rival Melissa at the school PTA meeting.
Rising Action
Kristin takes over the Snowflake Pageant costume design after Melissa's team fails, while Danny helps Emily write an original song.
Midpoint
Kristin and Danny bond over decorating a Christmas tree, and Kristin begins to feel at home for the first time in years.
Climax
Haley arrives with a job offer in LA; Danny believes Kristin is leaving, but Emily performs her song at the pageant to express her wish to stay.
Resolution
Kristin turns down the LA job to stay in Silver Falls with Danny, and Thomas is revealed to be a Santa-like figure.
Did you know?
A few things that make this one stand out once you stack it up against every other Hallmark movie.
At a weirdness score of 8, it lands among the strangest 7% of Hallmark movies we've scored.
Top 7% weirdest
Out of every Hallmark movie we've scored, this one lands among the strangest 7%.
The backstory
- Music by Laura Karpman.
A Christmas Melody, also known under its working title of Mistletoe & Melody, is a 2015 American Christmas television film directed by Mariah Carey, who co-stars with Lacey Chabert. It was filmed in Ohio during October 2015, and premiered on the Hallmark Channel on December 19, 2015. The film was viewed by 3.95 million people upon its debut.
How it stacks up
Where this one’s rating lands against every other rated Hallmark movie.
Higher-rated than 25% of every rated Hallmark movie. The median is 6.4.
Where this one fits
The corners of the catalog A Christmas Melody belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.
- Weirdest Hallmark MoviesScores 8/10 on our weirdness scale — comfortably in the strange end.
- Craziest Hallmark MoviesWild enough in premise to make the all-time list.
- Best Hallmark Christmas MoviesIt is, of course, a Christmas movie.
- Weirdest Hallmark Christmas MoviesA Christmas movie strange enough to make the weird list.
- Hallmark Supernatural MoviesHas a supernatural element.
- Hallmark Baking & Cooking MoviesPlenty of time in the kitchen.
Lines worth quoting
The lines that stuck with us — the ones you’ll be repeating after the credits roll.
“There isn't enough bedazzle in the state of Ohio to save these outfits.”
— MelissaCritiquing the failed attempts at making pageant costumes. “Give peas a chance.”
— SarahJoking with a customer at the diner about their order. “I'm a band geek.”
— DannyProudly identifying his high school social status to Kristin. “Wishes are special and have to be carefully considered.”
— ThomasGiving advice to Emily about her changing Christmas wish.
Meet the characters
Who’s who before you press play. Nothing here gives the ending away.
Kristin Parson
LeadFashion Designer
CreativeResilientProtectiveTalentedDanny Collier
Love interestMusic Teacher
Former high school classmate and current romantic interest
KindMusicalEncouragingFormer Band GeekMelissa McKean-Atkinson
AntagonistPTA President
High school rival
CompetitiveControllingStatus-consciousVainEmily Parson
SupportingStudent
Daughter
MusicalSensitiveHonestThomas Dunning
SupportingSchool Custodian
Mentor to Emily; implied Santa Claus
MysteriousWiseMagical
Questions people ask about A Christmas Melody
Where can I watch A Christmas Melody?
A Christmas Melody is available via fuboTV, YouTube TV, and Philo. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.
How long is A Christmas Melody?
A Christmas Melody runs about 1 hour and 23 minutes, and was released in 2015.
Is A Christmas Melody a Christmas movie?
Yes. A Christmas Melody is a Hallmark Christmas movie, set during the holiday season.
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Our review
We watched A Christmas Melody so you don’t have to
Alanna sat through every minute of this one and recapped the whole thing — the plot holes, the chemistry, the parts that made no sense — over on the Talking Hallmark channel.
Reviewed by Alanna39-min recap
“I watched Mariah Carey's AWFUL Christmas movie (so you don’t have to)”
Data and sources
Curated by the Talking Hallmark team.Last updated .