A good adaptation ? off course ! a Christmas film ? yes. and no. it could be defined as revelation, surprise, moving experience. for so many reasons. first - for Sean Faris escaping from the clothes of Never Back Down and Pearl Harbour. and giving a real good performance. the second - for the science to be more than the expected Christmas romance/comedy of season. dramatic, delicate, smart, credible, sweet and clever. not the last - for the house of Nagle brothers. and for the translation of chemistry of lead characters by actors. a film preserving the original recipes. but using it in real, real inspired manner. so, see it !

I have read other reviews posted, saying it was sappy with uninteresting characters and I say, NOT! If you are the type of person who attends film festivals and thrives on subtitles, maybe so. If you just need a plain old fashioned heart warming tale, this is it! Needless to say, I purchased it for my collection. I am a hopeless romantic and I love Christmas, so this was a given. I think it is a wonderful story of love lost and love found, of family trials and the enduring spirit of a families ties. I say give it a chance and you will not leave without shedding a tear or bursting out in joyous laughter. I have five brothers, so the brother scenes are a hoot! Break out the popcorn and tissues!

For those who don't know, "Christmas With Holly" is based on the novel "Christmas Eve At Friday Harbor" by romance author Lisa Kleypas.Although she's not widely known outside of romance novel fandom, insiders acclaim Kleypas as the Babe Ruth, the Dale Earnhardt Sr. or even the Michael Jordan of historical romance. She's a superstar with a huge following. While her greatest novels tend to be historicals -- LADY SOPHIA'S LOVER, WORTH ANY PRICE, SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME -- this television movie gives a fair example of her storytelling magic.After her fiancée dumps her, gorgeous, innocent Maggie travels to Friday Harbor, a remote island off the coast of Washington, to open her own toy store. She soon meets Mark Nagle, a befuddled bachelor, and his niece Holly, an adorable first grader who stopped talking after the tragic death of her mother. All ends happily in time for Christmas.While the gorgeous cast really nails Lisa Kleypas' mixture of gentle childlike wonder and heartwarming romance (watch the scene where Maggie shows Holly the inside of her magic dollhouse) it's sort of frustrating that the darker, steamier side of Lisa Kleypas' artistry will probably never make it to the big screen. Every time I watch MAD MEN I picture Jon Hamm as Nick Gentry and Christina Hendricks as Charlotte Worth in a HARD R version of WORTH ANY PRICE. But they'll never make that movie! The problem with Lisa Kleypas is that in her really great novels, all of the action happens when the lights are out.

At the start of the movie, Tim and Maggie are getting married. Only Tim never shows up, though Maggie's dress is gorgeous.In Seattle, three months after her mother Victoria died, first-grader Holly hasn't talked yet and she is having trouble in school. Victoria wanted her brother Mark to take Holly if anything happened to her (she didn't tell Mark who the father was), and so far Uncle Mark is doing a good job, but he doesn't want Holly to be held back because of her problems. Shelby is his girlfriend, and while she is nice enough, she won't put Holly's needs above her own.The solution is to move to the charming little island town where he and Cara run T.A.N. Coffee. There is a good school there which should help Holly.The island is reached only by ferry. And it just so happens that on the ferry, Mark and Holly meet Maggie, Maggie's logical sister Kate, and Olive, the dog Kate got stuck with when her roommate moved out. Maggie thinks Holly is just adorable, though Kate thinks she likes Mark too.Mark and Holly move in with Mark's macho construction worker brother Scott. Their science nerd brother Alex, who works when he gets grants and may move to Maine, also lives there, and he can cook. But the house is big and while the older brothers are both macho jerks who still treat Mark like a kid, Holly could be a good influence. With little work to do, Scott is in the process of renovating, and a pretty pink room for Holly becomes part of that process.Former toy company employee Maggie has dreamed of opening a toy store of her own. She has bought Magic Mirror Toys on the island, though she gets in a disagreement with the longtime manager and sends the older woman packing. This means Kate is stuck working for her instead of going back to college, but Maggie needs her intelligence.Thanksgiving is a disaster, but the brothers have not been together since they lost their father and their mother didn't want to celebrate.The day after is the big grand opening for the toy store. Holly and Mark happen to visit and Maggie and Holly have one of several really special moments.Soon, Holly is in school, and starting to improve. She hasn't talked but she really likes that toy store.You don't have to be Alex to know where this is going.Holly is adorable even when she doesn't speak or even smile. There's just something about her.The main characters are appealing enough. Sean Faris and Eloise Mumford (who looks like Katherine Heigl to me) do a good enough job for Lifetime. This is a Hallmark Hall of Fame production, though, but they're okay. Catherine Berube as the voice of reason probably does the best job of anyone.The town is one of those pleasant small towns, but with a little more culture than Mayberry. The people there are nice for the most part.The best moments involve Maggie and Holly and that tiny house where the fairy lives.And Maggie can Riverdance!It's a nice Christmas story, even of it doesn't quite reach the level of a Hallmark production.