Journey Back to Christmas

6.8/10 · 3,598 ratings20161h 24mChristmasWeirdness 10/10Bingo card

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The premise

A WWII-era nurse is transported in time to 2016 and meets a man who helps her discover the bonds of family and that the true meaning of Christmas is timeless.

How unusual is it?

Very. Time travel, amnesia and an actual miracle all turn up in one movie — the strangest 1% of everything we've logged.

Who’s in it

Behind the camera

Show

Directed by

Written by

Wait, what?

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

  • Time travel via a Christmas comet
  • The protagonist realizes she is responsible for the birth of the man she is currently befriending
  • A 1940s nurse is baffled by the concept of gluten-free toothpaste
  • The 'bootstrap paradox' where she sees her own future marriage in a 70-year-old letter

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 33 to find more movies that do the same thing.

Why we’d put this one on

Weirdness 10, and one of the boldest premises Hallmark ever greenlit. Candace Cameron Bure plays Hanna, a 1945 nurse hurled forward to 2016 by a rare Christmas comet, taken in by a kind police officer named Jake while the town eyes her with suspicion. The joy is watching a 1940s woman baffled by gluten-free toothpaste and the modern world, then realizing her small kindnesses rippled across seventy years. It is a genuine bootstrap-paradox time-travel romance dressed in cocoa and carols, and at a strong 7.0 it is one of the network's most-loved swings. Sincere, strange, and lovely.

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 in 1945, shortly after World War II. Hanna Morse is a nurse in Central Falls who is grieving her husband, Chet, who is missing in action and presumed dead. During the appearance of the De Vico comet, Hanna finds a lost dog named Ruffin and returns him to his owners. On her way home, a massive snowstorm causes her to crash her car, and she seeks shelter in a shed. A mysterious surge of energy from the comet transports her to 2016, where she wakes up in the same shed, now located on the property of a police officer named Jake. Confused and disoriented, Hanna insists it is 1945 and that Harry Truman is president. Jake, sensing she is not a criminal but perhaps suffering from amnesia, takes her to his family farm rather than a psychiatric ward. Jake's partner, Sarah, remains highly skeptical and suspects Hanna is a con artist. As Hanna explores the modern town, she is baffled by technology like 'Google' and concepts like 'gluten-free.' She eventually visits the local library, which she recognizes as her former hospital. There, she meets the wealthy benefactor Mr. Cook, who reveals himself to be Toby, the orphan boy Hanna used to read to in 1945. Toby explains that because Hanna returned the lost dog that night in 1945, the dog's owners eventually adopted him, changing the entire course of his life. He shows her a letter from her old friend Dottie, dated 1946, which reveals that Hanna's husband Chet actually survived the war and they lived a long life together. Realizing she has a destiny to fulfill in her own time, Hanna prepares to return as the comet reappears 71 years later. She shares a poignant goodbye with Jake, hinting that he should pursue a romance with Sarah. As the comet passes, Hanna vanishes and successfully returns to 1945. In the present day, Jake and his family find old photos from Hanna's camera, which Toby had developed. The photos prove Hanna returned to the past and married Chet; furthermore, a photo reveals that Hanna actually introduced Jake's own grandparents at the hospital, meaning her time travel was responsible for his very existence.

Beat by beat

  1. Opening

    Hanna Morse, a 1945 nurse, returns a lost dog during a rare comet sighting and gets trapped in a shed during a storm.

  2. Inciting Incident

    Hanna wakes up in 2016 and is discovered by Officer Jake, who realizes she is completely out of place and claims to be from the past.

  3. Midpoint

    Hanna struggles to adapt to modern life while Sarah investigates her as a potential fraud, but Jake begins to believe her story.

  4. Turning Point

    Hanna meets Mr. Cook, who is actually Toby, the orphan she cared for in 1945, proving her 'ripple effect' on the future.

  5. Climax

    Hanna discovers through an old letter that her husband Chet survived the war, prompting her to use the comet's return to travel back to 1945.

  6. Resolution

    Hanna returns to her time, and Jake finds photographic evidence that she not only made it back but also facilitated his own grandparents' meeting.

Did you know?

A few things that make this one stand out once you stack it up against every other Hallmark movie.

  • It's the only Hallmark movie in the catalog where the lead is a time traveler.

  • It scores a perfect 10 on our weirdness scale — 1 of just 15 movies in the whole catalog to do that.

  • It's 1 of only 8 Hallmark movies to combine supernatural elements and amnesia.

Top 1% weirdest

Out of every Hallmark movie we've scored, this one lands among the strangest 1%.

How it stacks up

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

Rating 6.8 vs every rated Hallmark moviemedian 6.4This movie · 6.8567

Higher-rated than 81% of every rated Hallmark movie. The median is 6.4.

Where this one fits

The corners of the catalog Journey Back to Christmas 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.

  • “Even the smallest stone makes a ripple in the water.”
    — Dottie / HannaA recurring theme about how small acts of kindness change the future.
  • “Not everyone's born to change the world.”
    — HannaHanna lamenting her lack of purpose before realizing her impact.
  • “I don't even know what 'Gluten free' is. Most of us don't.”
    — Hanna / JakeHanna's confusion regarding 21st-century health trends.

Meet the characters

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

  • Hanna Morse

    Lead

    Nurse

    CompassionateBraveDisorientedAltruistic
  • Jake

    Love interest

    Police Officer

    Protector and modern-day friend

    KindProtectiveOpen-minded
  • Sarah

    Supporting

    Police Officer

    Jake's partner and romantic rival

    SkepticalPragmaticJealous
  • Toby (Mr. Cook)

    Supporting

    Philanthropist

    The orphan boy she cared for in 1945

    GratefulWiseWealthy

Questions people ask about Journey Back to Christmas

Where can I watch Journey Back to Christmas?

Journey Back to Christmas is available via fuboTV, Philo, and Hallmark+ Amazon Channel. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.

How long is Journey Back to Christmas?

Journey Back to Christmas runs about 1 hour and 24 minutes, and was released in 2016.

Is Journey Back to Christmas a Christmas movie?

Yes. Journey Back to Christmas is a Hallmark Christmas movie, set during the holiday season.

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Talking Hallmark

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Data and sources

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Sources:IMDbTMDB