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    Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas

    7.2/10 · 2,016 ratings·2021·1h 24m·Christmas·Weirdness 4/10
    Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas poster

    At a glance

    4/10

    Mostly standard issue

    What bumps it up: Amnesia plot.

    Holiday
    Christmas
    Season
    Winter
    Setting
    Small Town
    Time period
    Contemporary
    Leads start as
    Complete Strangers
    Runtime
    1h 24m
    Watch trailer
    IMDbLetterboxdTMDBHallmarkJustWatch

    Where to watch

    🇺🇸United States16 ways

    Stream

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

    Rent

    • Amazon Video
    • Apple TV Store
    • Google Play Movies
    • YouTube
    • Fandango At Home

    Buy

    • Amazon Video
    • Apple TV Store
    • Google Play Movies
    • YouTube
    • Fandango At Home

    Via JustWatch · can change anytime.

    The premise

    During the holidays, a woman with amnesia catches a ride with her handsome nurse to investigate the only clue to her identity.

    Themes:ForgivenessIdentityGrief and HealingFollowing DreamsFamily Reconciliation

    How unusual is it?

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

    Who’s in it

    Jessy Schram headshot

    Our Girl

    Jessy Schram

    as Jane

    Brendan Penny headshot

    Our Guy

    Brendan Penny

    as Paul Bennett

    Alongside them

    • Lochlyn Munro headshot
      Lochlyn MunroSheriff Crowley
    • Brendon Zub headshot
      Brendon ZubMark
    • Lisa Durupt headshot
      Lisa DuruptAnnie
    • April Telek headshot
      April TelekRoberta
    Show all 10 castShow fewer
    • Agnes Tong headshot
      Agnes TongAmy
    • Alix West Lefler headshot
      Alix West LeflerLittle Girl
    • Paula Giroday headshot
      Paula GirodayKatie
    • Drew Henderson headshot
      Drew HendersonJack

    Behind the camera

    ShowHide

    Directed by

    • Peter Benson headshot
      Peter Benson

    Written by

    • Marcy Holland headshot
      Marcy Holland
    • Dorothy Shackleford headshot
      Dorothy Shackleford
    • Travis Thrasher headshot
      Travis Thrasher

    Wait, what?

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

    • The protagonist spends a significant portion of the movie fearing she is a deadbeat mom because of a monogrammed suitcase and a child's sweater.
    • The amnesia is treated as a 'rare case' of retrograde amnesia that specifically targets identity but leaves motor skills and the ability to write stories intact.
    • A nurse essentially kidnaps/transports an amnesiac patient across state lines without official discharge papers being fully clear to the authorities.

    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.

    Setting2

    🏘️Small Town🏥Hospital

    Time & season3

    ❄️Winter🎄Christmas🗓️Contemporary

    Premise4

    🔒Secret Past🤯Amnesia🔒Hidden secret🤗Reunion

    Characters6

    ✍️Lead: Writer/Journalist🩺Love interest: Doctor/Nurse🐕Dog👶Cute kid🏠Returns home🐕Pet

    Conflict2

    🧭Self-Discovery🫀Personal stakes

    Romance6

    💕Start as complete strangers💕First kiss: final scene only💓Instant attraction🔥Slow burn💗Love confession🎁Grand gesture

    Tone & quirks7

    🎬Serious/Dramatic🎵Musical element👨‍🍳Cooking scenes🧶Crafting scenes🎄Tree decorating❄️Snow activities🎞️Montage

    How it ends4

    💋Ends with a kiss🏘️Stays in the small town🔄Career change🤝Family reconciliation

    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 in Covington, Maine, during a heavy snowstorm. A woman stops at a diner and later crashes her car into a river while trying to avoid another vehicle. She is rescued but wakes up in the hospital with retrograde amnesia, unable to remember her name or life. Paul Bennett, a compassionate nurse at the hospital, takes an interest in her case. Sheriff Crowley discovers a clue: a note found at the diner addressed to her that reads 'Please come. Mark,' mentioning a tree-lighting ceremony in Charleston, South Carolina. Feeling a sense of urgency to find her identity before Christmas, 'Jane' decides to go to Charleston. Paul, who was already planning to drive south to Georgia to visit his family and his brother's grave, offers to take her. During the road trip, the two form a deep bond. They stop at a bed and breakfast where they help the lonely owner, Barbara, decorate her tree, and later stay with Paul's cousin Jack and his pregnant wife Katie. Through these interactions, Paul reveals his own emotional burden: he is a nurse who couldn't bear to see his brother Ben suffer from cancer, leading him to skip their last Christmas together—a decision that haunts him. Meanwhile, Jane experiences flashes of memory, including a heated argument with a man and a phone call. The mystery deepens when the Sheriff calls to report that her suitcase was found containing a child's sweater, leading Jane to fear she is a mother who abandoned her child. Upon arriving in Charleston, Jane finds Mark at the tree lighting. The tension breaks when she realizes Mark is not her husband, but her brother-in-law. Her memory floods back: her name is Rebecca, and the child's sweater was a gift for her niece. She had fled to Maine to stay at a cabin and write, following a fight with her sister Annie, who disapproved of Rebecca quitting her nursing job to pursue writing. Rebecca and Annie reconcile, with Annie finally supporting her sister's dreams. Paul continues to Georgia, where he visits Ben's grave and reconciles with his sister-in-law, Marissa, finally forgiving himself. Realizing he cannot be without Rebecca, Paul returns to Charleston. The movie concludes with the two confessing their love and Rebecca realizing that while she found her past, her future is with Paul.

    Beat by beat

    1. 1

      Opening

      A woman suffers a car accident in a Maine snowstorm and wakes up with amnesia.

    2. 2

      Inciting Incident

      A note from 'Mark' is found, prompting Jane and her nurse, Paul, to start a road trip to Charleston.

    3. 3

      Midpoint

      Paul reveals his guilt over his brother's death while Jane fears she abandoned a child after a sweater is found in her luggage.

    4. 4

      Climax

      Jane arrives at the Charleston tree lighting, finds Mark, and regains her memory as Rebecca.

    5. 5

      Resolution

      Rebecca reconciles with her sister Annie, and Paul reconciles with his sister-in-law before reuniting with Rebecca.

    34 tropes in one movie

    We counted 34 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 7.2 vs every rated Hallmark moviemedian 6.4This movie · 7.245678

    Higher-rated than 95% of every rated Hallmark movie. The median is 6.4.

    Where this one fits

    The corners of the catalog Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.

    Time to Come Home for ChristmasPart of the 6-film Time to Come Home for Christmas series.
    • 🎄Best Hallmark Christmas MoviesIt is, of course, a Christmas movie.
    • 🧠Hallmark Amnesia MoviesMemory loss drives the plot.
    • 🐶Hallmark Dog & Pet MoviesA four-legged matchmaker.
    • 🧁Hallmark Baking & Cooking MoviesPlenty of time in the kitchen.
    • 🔍Hallmark Mystery MoviesA whodunit at heart.
    • 🏘️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.

    • “Why save dreams for tomorrow when there is a perfectly good today?”
      — KatieEncouraging her husband and Rebecca to pursue their goals.
    • “I hope the life waiting for you is worthy of the amazing person that you are.”
      — PaulIn a goodbye note left for Rebecca.
    • “The only thing that mattered to me was finding out who I was, and who I belonged to.”
      — RebeccaExplaining her journey to her sister Annie.

    Meet the characters

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

    • Rebecca (Jane Doe)

      Lead

      Nurse / Aspiring Writer

      DeterminedCreativeVulnerable
    • Paul Bennett

      Love interest

      Nurse

      Nurse and road trip companion

      CompassionateGuilt-riddenPatient
    • Annie

      Supporting

      Sister

      ProtectiveStubbornPragmatic
    • Mark

      Supporting

      Brother-in-law

      KindWelcoming

    Questions people ask about Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas

    Where can I watch Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas?

    Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas is available via fuboTV, YouTube TV, and Philo. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.

    How long is Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas?

    Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas runs about 1 hour and 24 minutes, and was released in 2021.

    Is Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas a Christmas movie?

    Yes. Time for Them to Come Home for 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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