My main reason for seeing 'Dear Christmas', other than appreciating romantic comedy when done well and loving Christmas, was Melissa Joan Hart. Have liked her ever since her 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch' days and while her films in this genre have wildly varied she has consistently proven how well suited she is for it. Lifetime have always left me mixed, but have also liked enough of their output to keep watching. Have liked Ed Begley Jr and Jason Priestly in other things.

'Dear Christmas' didn't strike me as a great film and is pretty uneven. It is also not a waste of time and definitely worth an at least one time watch for primarily Lifetime Christmas film completest sake and Hart. 'Dear Christmas' struck me as scraping above average if with a mix of quite a lot of good and some pretty bad things, and somewhere in the middle as far as Lifetime's variable 2020 Christmas output goes. There are better films of theirs from this year, but also worse.

There are good things here in 'Dear Christmas'. It looks good, with lovely scenery complemented nicely by the nicely framed and never cheap photography. There are some amusing parts in the writing, some of it is over the top but endearingly so rather than forced. The direction has a good feel for the Christmas spirit and seems to understand the genre and be at ease with it.

Story isn't perfect, but it is mostly very heart-warming and charming while not taking itself too seriously. Priestly may seem like physically he doesn't fit, but characterisation-wise he did not bother me at all and had a diamond in the rough sort of charm. He has a natural, genuine chemistry, that unfolds realistically enough, chemistry with Hart, while Hart is the main reason to see the film as she is a joy to watch here and her experience in the genre shows.

However, there are things that don't come off well. The story tends to be thin, with some very contrived in writing conflict later on and once again another hastily resolved and too neat ending.

Cutesiness goes into overload and personally have seen far better performances from Begley Jr, here ill at ease in a role that didn't seem right for him. The music is also too loud and has no personality, not uncommon with Lifetime but some of the 2020 Christmas output addressed the problem and didn't have it.

In conclusion, above average if not great. 6/10.

I couldn't tell you what the plot was because I couldn't find one. Woman podcaster returns to hometown and constantly runs into man she can't remember from school days. There's none of the first meeting animosity in this movie, which can get really annoying for me. The two get along well through the entire movie, but like the plot, I couldn't see a spark.

I did not think the supporting actors were good. The actors playing her parents often delivered their lines very stiffly.

One running theme is the videos of love stories Natalie receives from her fans. The stories are nice enough, but not enough to replace a missing plot.

Every good romance story needs a conflict which leads to a climax where it's resolved. This one is extremely interesting and in my mind contradictory. Natalie metaphorically pulls up just as she enters the home stretch with Chris. She says it's going too fast. She says true love takes time. But the myth of these movies is that true love is instant. Love at first sight. Sometimes it takes place over a few weeks. Sometimes, a week. Sometimes shorter. I say it's a myth and it sells books and movies. In real love, the seed may be planted quickly, but it takes time for love to grow and blossom. More importantly, it takes time for the roots to be tested and proven. Natalie realizes all that, and then rejects it in the middle of her rambling live podcast.

The climax is melodramatic. There's a passionate speech which defies sanity. There's even a twist which many viewers probably saw coming when Natalie had trouble finding her journal. If you buy into the myth, this ending may be enough to salvage the movie.

Melissa Joan has starred in some of my favorite Hallmark type movies. This one wasn't bad, but it is not going down as a favorite. The main appeal of this one was the pairing with Jason Priestly. They made a good match, and his character was appealing. On the negative side, there wasn't much to the plot. Melissa shines in playing goofy quirky, somewhat hapless characters and the script did not take advantage of her comic talents. But maybe she's getting a little too "mature" for anything other than stock Hallmark heroines with no personality other than being nice and pleasant. The hook on this story was disappointing. It is unbelievable that the character would not remember an 8th grade crush. Even if he was one in a very lo-o-o-o-o-n-g line. I'll say no more on that. Something more could have been made of discovering him as being an entry in a diary. Other than he was one of her many crushes and she drew stars around his name. Did not seem to be a firm foundation on which to decide to commit. Maybe a special memory triggered? But she would have remembered him! Or maybe the got hit on the head trope could have figured in here some where. Oh well. I give up.