This was a cute Hallmark holiday movie that once again got too carried away with a running gag or theme. Lacey Chabert returns to a home in an HOA, and her parents immediately leave her behind for the dual purpose of getting her acclimated to living in the house alone so they can give it to her, and to fix her up with Wes Brown. They don't tell her any of this, so when Wes comes around and starts handing her multiple tickets for violations of these dumb HOA Christmas decoration rules, it gets obnoxious in combination with the over the top behavior of the neighbors. They keep coercing her into doing stuff she doesn't want to do and she never says no and shuts the front door. There was a lot of funny stuff that could have been a lot funnier if they could have stopped pounding this HOA thing in with a jackhammer. As it was, I never bought into the Lacey/Wes romance or her actually staying in the neighborhood at the end. I would have gratefully accepted the house from my parents but I would have immediately sold it, and I wouldn't have given Wes my forwarding address.

This was so messed up. I think it was supposed to be a fun comedic look at recapturing one's love for Christmas decorations after a childhood of one's parents prioritizing the trappings of Christmas over their own child's simpler needs and desires. The movie opens with the parents of a little girl leaving the house on Christmas morning to attend some kind of Neighborhood Christmas Carnival. The little girl begs her mom and Dad to let her open just one present before they leave. They impatiently agree but give her the present she has to open. It's a camera so she can assist in the neighborhood project by taking pictures for the record. All the little girl wants is to open presents under the tree on Christmas morning as a family. The only thing her Mom and Dad want is to make sure the neighborhood carnival runs smoothly.

We meet the adult Lacey Chabert who after years of understandably avoiding Christmas with her mom and dad is at loose ends this year due to a breakup. She decides to go home for Christmas. Her parents are happy and encouraging, but as she arrives at the front door, to her shock, her parents leave for Florida! Left alone at Christmas, she promises to take care of the house and put up the decorations for the neighborhood extravaganza as her Christmas present to them. As soon as her parents leave, the nightmare begins. She is visited by her old friend, Wes Brown, who is now president of the HOA. He informs her that she is being given a citation for inadequate Christmas decorations. Lacey just wants to have a relaxing peaceful Christmas watching Hallmark Christmas movies, but instead is hounded by the neighborhood to participate in decorating her house to specification and pitching in with all of the organized "fun". Front and center among all of the obnoxious neighbors is the petty dictator of the HOA, who is absolutely serious when he measures her Nutcracker lawn ornament to ensure it meets the height requirement. He is the love interest.

Lacey is way too people-pleasing for her own good . By the end, in what can only be the Stockholm Syndrome effect, she has bought into it all and the message is clear. The trappings of Christmas are more important than family, love, peace on earth, and goodwill toward men. It turns out that this was all manipulated by her parents to get her used to living in their house and presumably complying with the HOA covenants. Without even running it by her, they give her their house as a Christmas present. They also want her to get together with their protegee, Wes Brown. Lacey is doomed for ever. Hopefully, he will put away his ever-present citation book before they settle down to marital bliss in the bedroom.

Even cameo appearances by Kristoffer Polaha and Eric Mabius can't save this one. And neither can Lacey, settling down to watch a Brennan Elliot Christmas movie professing "Oh I love him!" Cute inside joke for Hallmarkies. I laughed. I just wish Brennan could have ridden in on his white reindeer to rescue Lacey from this nightmare.

If you want to see the beloved Lacey Chabert, who plays a nice woman too tolerant and compliant for her own good, bossed around, manipulated, threatened, and bullied for almost an hour and half in service of a message that is diametrically opposed to the true meaning of Christmas, this is the one for you.

If you're looking for a review that doesn't trash this movie might as well move on. I'm well aware that they crank these out in less than a month most times. But I'm sorry it still doesn't mean you have to have quality actors act this stupid. I really thought I was watching a Disney movie where the kids always overract and ham It Up. I almost think some of these actors were that desperate for a gig that they took this because I have seen them in other movies where they do quality work this time they were just told to go overboard. I really feel guilty about giving this one star it doesn't deserve even that .