A Gingerbread Romance

5.6/10 · 1,044 ratings20181h 30mChristmasWeirdness 4/10Bingo card

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The premise

With Christmas just weeks away, the architecture firm Taylor works for enters her in a contest in which the teams will design and build life-sized gingerbread houses. After the contest, Taylor will likely be getting a promotion to a position in another city. The firm teams her up with Annabelle, a renowned French pastry chef with whom Taylor instantly locks horns. When Annabelle backs out, Taylor stumbles into a local bakery and meets Adam, a baker and single dad. In an act of desperation, Taylor convinces Adam to partner with her for the contest, arguing that winning would give the bakery and his designs much-needed exposure. For years Taylor has been resistant to call anywhere 'home' for fear it will only be temporary. But the time she spends with Adam and his daughter in their cozy home, decorating for the holidays and exploring the town at Christmas, fills her with a longing for a place to call home.

How unusual is it?

Middle of the road, with a twist — an enemies-to-lovers arc keeps it from being totally by-the-book.

Who’s in it

Behind the camera

Show

Wait, what?

The quirks and curveballs that make this one a little weirder than your average Hallmark. No spoilers, promise.

  • The requirement that a life-sized house be 80% edible is a structural nightmare that is treated as a standard marketing project.
  • The protagonist is an architect who has never decorated a Christmas tree because it won't fit in a carry-on.
  • A professional architect and a baker build a structurally sound, walk-in building out of cookies in ten days.

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 34 to find more movies that do the same thing.

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)
Taylor Scott is a nomadic architect who has spent her life moving between international cities, never staying in one place long enough to form roots. Her boss, Linda, offers her the chance to head a new office in Paris, but first, Taylor must represent the firm in Philadelphia’s inaugural Giant Gingerbread House competition. Initially paired with celebrity chef Annabelle Renard, Taylor is left stranded when Annabelle defects to work for Taylor's rival, Bradford, at a competing firm. Taylor eventually recruits Adam Dale, a talented but humble baker at Ray's Bakery, after being impressed by his artistic cake designs. Adam, a widower raising his young daughter Brooke, initially resists but joins the project to show his daughter that he can still dream big. The partnership is rocky at first; Taylor wants a 'cutting-edge' 21st-century modern condo design, while Adam insists that Christmas requires warmth and tradition. Their conflict reaches a breaking point when Taylor’s thin, modern gingerbread panels crack and collapse. During a forced break, Adam takes Taylor ice skating and shows her the neighborhood where he grew up, prompting Taylor to share a childhood sketch of her 'dream home'—a house she designed as a child to ensure Santa could find her despite her family's frequent moves. They decide to scrap the modern design and build the house from her childhood sketch, naming it 'A Home for the Holidays.' As they work together, Taylor becomes a fixture in Adam and Brooke's lives, even helping Brooke with a school project. Just as the house is completed, Linda informs Taylor that the Paris job is hers, but she must leave on Christmas Eve. After their gingerbread house wins the competition, Taylor faces a choice between her lifelong dream of Paris and the new sense of belonging she has found in Philadelphia. Ultimately, she realizes she has finally found a home. She turns down the Paris move to lead a local redevelopment project and stays to start a life with Adam and Brooke, while Adam becomes a partner at the bakery.

Beat by beat

  1. Opening

    Taylor returns to Philadelphia and is tasked with designing a life-sized gingerbread house to secure a promotion to Paris.

  2. Inciting Incident

    Taylor's celebrity chef partner abandons her for a rival firm, forcing her to recruit Adam, a local bakery employee.

  3. Midpoint

    Taylor's modern architectural design fails when the thin gingerbread panels crack, forcing a total redesign based on a childhood sketch.

  4. Climax

    The team wins the Giant Gingerbread House competition, but Taylor is simultaneously told she must leave for Paris on Christmas Eve.

  5. Resolution

    Taylor realizes she has found a home in Philly; she turns down Paris to stay with Adam and Brooke.

34 tropes in one movie

We counted 34 distinct Hallmark tropes packed into this one — a genuine greatest-hits reel.

The backstory

A Gingerbread Romance is a 2018 American television film directed by Richard Gabai and starring Tia Mowry and Duane Henry.
From Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA.

How it stacks up

Where this one’s rating lands against every other rated Hallmark movie.

Rating 5.6 vs every rated Hallmark moviemedian 6.4This movie · 5.6567

Among the lower-rated Hallmark movies — the median is 6.4.

Where this one fits

The corners of the catalog A Gingerbread Romance belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.

Lines worth quoting

The lines that stuck with us — the ones you’ll be repeating after the credits roll.

  • “Wherever you hang your stocking is where Santa will find you.”
    — Taylor's MomA recurring family mantra explaining how Santa finds them despite their constant moving.
  • “Christmas isn't about cutting-edge, Christmas is about warmth and tradition.”
    — AdamAdam arguing against Taylor's modern architectural approach to the gingerbread house.
  • “I'm an architect, and I am representing my firm in the city's giant gingerbread house competition.”
    — TaylorTaylor explaining her bizarre predicament to Adam for the first time.

Meet the characters

Who’s who before you press play. Nothing here gives the ending away.

  • Taylor Scott

    Lead

    Architect

    AmbitiousNomadicModernistOrganized
  • Adam Dale

    Love interest

    Baker

    Partner in competition and romantic interest

    TraditionalArtisticDevoted FatherHumble
  • Bradford

    Antagonist

    Architect

    Professional rival

    CompetitiveOpportunistic
  • Brooke Dale

    Supporting

    Student

    Adam's daughter

    ImaginativeSweetEncouraging

Questions people ask about A Gingerbread Romance

Where can I watch A Gingerbread Romance?

A Gingerbread Romance is available via fuboTV, Philo, and Hallmark+ Amazon Channel. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.

How long is A Gingerbread Romance?

A Gingerbread Romance runs about 1 hour and 30 minutes, and was released in 2018.

Is A Gingerbread Romance a Christmas movie?

Yes. A Gingerbread Romance is a Hallmark Christmas movie, set during the holiday season.

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Data and sources

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Sources:IMDbTMDBWikipedia