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    A Perfect Christmas

    6.1/10 · 1,531 ratings·2016·1h 23m·Christmas·Weirdness 4/10
    A Perfect Christmas poster

    At a glance

    4/10

    Mostly standard issue

    What bumps it up: Santa appears.

    Holiday
    Christmas
    Season
    Winter
    Setting
    Small Town
    Time period
    Contemporary
    Leads start as
    Already Dating
    Runtime
    1h 23m
    Watch trailer
    IMDbLetterboxdTMDBJustWatch

    Where to watch

    🇺🇸United States8 ways

    Stream

    • fuboTV
    • YouTube TV
    • Philo
    • Hallmark+ Amazon Channel
    • Hallmark+ Apple TV Channel
    • Hallmark TV Amazon Channel

    Rent

    • YouTube

    Buy

    • YouTube
    🇨🇦Canada4 ways

    Stream

    • Amazon Prime Video
    • iciTouTV
    • Amazon Prime Video with Ads

    Free

    • Tubi TV
    🇬🇧United Kingdom1 way

    Free

    • Amazon Prime Video Free with Ads

    Via JustWatch · can change anytime.

    The premise

    A newlywed couple prepare to host their first family Christmas together, but things don't go according to plan.

    Themes:The futility of over-planning lifeIntegrity in the workplaceFamily expectations vs. realityHonesty in marriage

    How unusual is it?

    Middle of the road, with a twist — Santa himself keeps it from being totally by-the-book.

    Who’s in it

    Susie Abromeit headshot

    Our Girl

    Susie Abromeit

    as Cynthia

    Dillon Casey headshot

    Our Guy

    Dillon Casey

    as Steve

    Alongside them

    • Erin Gray headshot
      Erin GrayPatricia
    • Neil Crone headshot
      Neil CroneJerry
    • Rebecca Dalton headshot
      Rebecca DaltonRobin
    • Siobhan Murphy headshot
      Siobhan MurphyAnnie
    Show all 10 castShow fewer
    • Randal Edwards headshot
      Randal EdwardsOwen
    • Rachel Wilson headshot
      Rachel WilsonLynn
    • Patrice Goodman headshot
      Patrice GoodmanDr. Bowen
    • Romaine Waite headshot
      Romaine WaiteRichard

    Behind the camera

    ShowHide

    Directed by

    • Brian K. Roberts headshot
      Brian K. Roberts

    Written by

    • Ron Nelson headshot
      Ron Nelson
    • Teena Booth headshot
      Teena Booth
    • Alan Marc Levy headshot
      Alan Marc Levy

    Wait, what?

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

    • The couple's obsession with a literal '10-year plan' spreadsheet for their marriage
    • Steve's father-in-law constantly citing statistics about the ratio of lawyers to poets
    • The 'Lasagna de la Faber' which is described as being repaired with excessive red pepper

    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 37 to find more movies that do the same thing.

    Setting2

    🏘️Small Town💼Office

    Time & season3

    ❄️Winter🎄Christmas🗓️Contemporary

    Premise2

    ✨Secret Illness🔒Hidden secret

    Characters8

    📋Lead: Event Planner⚖️Love interest: Lawyer🐕Dog👶Cute kid⏰Workaholic lead💘Matchmaking relative🐕Pet🖤Widow / widower

    Conflict6

    ⚖️Career vs Home/Family⚡Developer/Land Buyer🫀Personal stakes📉Business in peril😠Disapproving parent⚖️Profession clash

    Romance5

    💕Start as already dating💕First kiss: early (first third)💓Instant attraction💗Love confession🎁Grand gesture

    Tone & quirks6

    🎬Light/Heartwarming🎵Musical element👨‍🍳Cooking scenes🧶Crafting scenes🎄Tree decorating❄️Snow activities

    How it ends5

    🎅Santa appears💋Ends with a kiss🔄Career change🤝Family reconciliation🏪Saves the business

    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 opens with Cynthia, an ambitious event planner, and Steve, a principled lawyer, preparing for their first Christmas as a married couple. They are deeply committed to a 'master plan' that dictates every milestone of their lives for the next decade. However, the plan immediately hits a snag when Cynthia learns she is pregnant, years earlier than scheduled. On the same afternoon, Steve is fired by his ruthless boss, Mr. Bedouin, after refusing to file a frivolous and unethical lawsuit against Arturo Bandoni, a beloved local restaurant owner. Fearing they will ruin the holiday for their visiting families, both Cynthia and Steve decide to keep their respective news a secret. The arrival of their families brings immediate chaos. Steve’s mother, Patricia, is a refined Manhattanite who is difficult to please, while Cynthia’s father, Jerry, is a laid-back outdoorsman. Cynthia accidentally leaves Patricia’s luggage at the airport and mistakenly cancels the family’s hotel reservations, forcing everyone to cram into their small home. Tensions rise as Cynthia tries to win over her mother-in-law, culminating in an accidental snowball to Patricia's face. Meanwhile, Steve’s brother Owen struggles with his rowdy children, and Cynthia’s sister Robin arrives heartbroken after breaking up with her boyfriend, Joe, over his decision to switch from philosophy to business. As Christmas Eve approaches, the pressure mounts. Steve is offered his job back—and a fast track to partnership—if he agrees to proceed with the lawsuit against Bandoni. Steve faces a moral crisis but ultimately chooses his integrity, deciding to quit for good and offer to defend Bandoni instead. Simultaneously, the town Christmas concert, which Cynthia is organizing, faces a technical disaster when the sound system blows out. The family rallies together to save the event; Jerry and Patricia step in as Santa and Mrs. Claus to entertain the crowd while the repairs are made. In the quiet moments following the concert, Steve and Cynthia finally confess their secrets to one another. They discover that their families already suspected the truth and are overjoyed. The film concludes with the couple embracing their new, unplanned future as they celebrate in the snow with their reunited family, realizing that a 'perfect' Christmas is about love and honesty rather than following a script.

    Beat by beat

    1. 1

      Opening

      Cynthia and Steve establish their rigid '10-year plan' while preparing to host their first family Christmas.

    2. 2

      Inciting Incident

      Cynthia discovers she is pregnant and Steve is fired for refusing an unethical assignment; both hide the news.

    3. 3

      Midpoint

      Family chaos ensues as Cynthia loses Patricia's luggage and accidentally cancels the hotel reservations.

    4. 4

      Rising Action

      Steve's boss offers him a partnership if he betrays his morals, while Cynthia struggles to keep her pregnancy symptoms hidden.

    5. 5

      Climax

      The town Christmas concert faces a power failure, and Steve officially rejects his firm's unethical demands.

    6. 6

      Resolution

      Cynthia and Steve reveal their secrets to each other and realize their families are supportive of their new path.

    37 tropes in one movie

    We counted 37 distinct Hallmark tropes packed into this one — a genuine greatest-hits reel.

    How it stacks up

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

    Rating 6.1 vs every rated Hallmark moviemedian 6.4This movie · 6.145678

    Higher-rated than 25% of every rated Hallmark movie. The median is 6.4.

    Where this one fits

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

    • 🎄Best Hallmark Christmas MoviesIt is, of course, a Christmas movie.
    • 🐶Hallmark Dog & Pet MoviesA four-legged matchmaker.
    • 🧁Hallmark Baking & Cooking MoviesPlenty of time in the kitchen.
    • 👨‍👧Hallmark Single Parent MoviesA single parent finds love again.
    • 🏘️Hallmark Small Town MoviesA classic small-town setting.

    Lines worth quoting

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

    • “Plans change.”
      — Steve FaberSteve throwing his boss's cynical advice back at him when he quits for good.
    • “Is it wrong that I want her to like the woman who stole away her baby?”
      — Cynthia FaberCynthia expressing her anxiety about Patricia's arrival.
    • “I'm choosing right over wrong here.”
      — Steve FaberSteve explaining why he is defending the restaurant owner instead of suing him.

    Meet the characters

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

    • Cynthia Faber

      Lead

      Event Planner

      OrganizedAnxiousAmbitiousKind-hearted
    • Steve Faber

      Love interest

      Lawyer

      Husband

      PrincipledProtectiveStressed
    • Mr. Bedouin

      Antagonist

      Senior Law Partner

      Former Boss

      RuthlessUnethicalManipulative
    • Patricia Faber

      Supporting

      Retired

      Mother-in-law

      RefinedCriticalObservant
    • Jerry

      Supporting

      Fishing Shop Owner

      Father

      Easy-goingTalkativeHumble

    Questions people ask about A Perfect Christmas

    Where can I watch A Perfect Christmas?

    A Perfect Christmas is available via fuboTV, YouTube TV, and Philo. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.

    How long is A Perfect Christmas?

    A Perfect Christmas runs about 1 hour and 23 minutes, and was released in 2016.

    Is A Perfect Christmas a Christmas movie?

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

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    Data and sources

    Curated by the Talking Hallmark team.

    Sources:IMDb·TMDB·JustWatch

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