This is a Hallmark Christmas movie. do son't expect it to be brilliant or amazing. It is what it is.

It looks like a Christmas card and it plays like a Christmas card.

The writer - in spite of what others have said about him here - does a good job with the storyline. In fact, for a second, if you didn't know it was Hallmark, you might think, from the start, that it's a horror movie with a mirthful beginning. Yes, it's that cheerful. You might even wonder, "Is everyone in this town a ghost ?" Catch my drift? Happily, it's a happy film, designed for happy people at a happy time of the year.

The acting is okay. I mean, you can see the actors acting, but that's what you get for a small budget and a heavily family-oriented holiday thing.

For my money, however, the only actor of note here is Patty McCormack who plays the part of the librarian or historian or whatever. Patty is a great actress - THE BAD SEED - 1956- greatest performance by a child actor ever - nominated for an Oscar. Remember her? In my opinion, she is the most under-used actress in history, but you can see her old movie star class -- even in this.

The thing that bugs me is that the writer is accused of making a mistake about the writer of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. In fact, it's included as a "goof" in the summary when there is no goof whatsoever. Allow me to explain.

In one early scene, a man is reading the Dickens classic to children in a library. Then, when one of the actors walks in on the reading, Patty McCormack's character, referring to the book being read, says, "Not one of my favorite Christmas stories, but it is a crowd-pleaser. Louisa Mae Alcott's is much better."

That is all she says. Nowhere is it implied that someone other than Charles Dickens wrote the classic novel. A CHRISTMAS CAROL. She simply says that it is not one of HER favorite Christmas STORIES. Some reviewers said that the writer or editor or even the actors should have noticed this goof -- but it is not a goof. Besides that, I know Patty McCormack. I have worked with her. If anyone would have made note of a goof, it would have been Patty. She is a very intelligent woman.

In conclusion, the movie is okay, but some of the reviews are really uninformed. Did these people listen to the dialogue? Doesn't sound like.

David Damien Mattia