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Best Holiday Movie Of Life In The Military


I am a Marine Veteran and this movie touched me in so many ways.

The best thing about this movie is that it isn't about only one soldier and one love interest. It shows several military families and the hardships they endure. Being away at Christmas, getting news that your spouse's tour has been extended, the child's view of life in the military (all they want is mom/dad to be home) and especially the unexpected which can change in a heartbeat.

Marc Blucas and Tricia Helfer did an excellent job showing the emotions that are faced every day by our military and their families. The chemistry between Marc and Tricia was excellent and you could see the love the two characters had for each other. IMO, Marc and Tricia put everything they had into this movie as a major salute to our men and women in uniform and their families.

By far, this movie is way better than 'The Christmas Card' and 'Meet My Mom'. Both movies only showed one situation, one soldier. This movie showed several families, several situations and several soldiers. It showed the courage, bravery, honor and the support they provide each other and not just the military personnel but the families as well.

It touched my heart that it revolved around the town/community supporting the local military base and the contributions they made. It made me reflect back to the one Christmas when the community helped my two children have a great Christmas. They surprised me and, yes, I had tears in my eyes because I didn't know what I was going to do for that Christmas. I was a single parent at that time.

I want to give a BIG THANKS to Hallmark Channel plus all the actors and crew for making such a nice and touching Armed Forces Holiday Film. It has moved to the top of my list as one of the best holiday films made by all.

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You are right this movie is great.
This isn't an ordinary Hallmark movie and I also want to thank all who worked at this movie for their great work from A to Z.
My personal opinion is that is the best christmas movie (this yr's) along with the finding christmas father so far

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I agree this is no ordinary Hallmark movie! Though it revolves around the Christmas Holidays, it's more than that. IMO, the holidays where I was deployed was some of the hardest times for me and my family.

I do remember some great things both bases did (the one I was at and the one my family was at) like they had a huge Christmas party for the families where video cameras were set up so we could enjoy it too watching them have fun and vice versa (except our party was a lot smaller and with chow hall food). I was lucky to be part of the air wing side of the Marines because we had the hangar to have a party.

I did volunteer to work one Christmas when the USO show was there. We flew them from base to base that day. Basically it was 5 one hours shows that day and the joke, singing and dancing got a bit boring for me so I slept in the helicopter the last two showings!!

I will say this about the movie, who ever did the music/soundtrack did an excellent job. I love the church scene where they had 'O Holy Night' blended in!! That was both beautiful and sad at the same time especially with Tricia and Marc not even having to have to say a word.

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Thank you for the usefull informations and you gave me.For me (I have no relation to military) the movie have many great moments from the opening scene(lost chance) to the parent trap(surprising dinner for two from kids and grandma)to the fears to hopes to everything.Everything is perfect to my opinion.
Honestly I am surprised from hallmark and also happy that Hallmark decided to give us one of the best family/romance/xmas movies I've seen.

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I'm from a military family!

My grandfather was in the Army.

My dad and his 5 brothers (my uncles) each were in the service.

My oldest brother was Navy, my 2nd oldest brother and me were in the Marines, my oldest sister (who is younger than me) married my best friend who is a Marine, and my youngest sister was in the Air Force.

My oldest son was in the Army and my youngest son is a Lt. in the Air Force (1st officer in our family and I'm damn proud of that!).

That's why I can relate to this movie so much! You give up a lot of your personal freedom so others can be free!!

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I come from a military family. My father was SF, then 82ND (FYI Ft.Bragg, N.C.), totaling twenty years. My husband was in the Army for fourteen years and wanted to retire at twenty, but he broke his back on a military jump, so the Army gave him a Medical Retirement. And...I was married before, which he was Army as well. My cousin was Air Force. And...my grandfather did WWII in the Navy (now deceased) and my B-I-L was Navy. My husband's uncle was Army, also.


THE POINT I WANT TO MAKE IS...

THE MILITARY LIFE IS NOT AS EASY AS PEOPLE THINK ? THE SACRIFICES THE VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES DO.


I HAVE SPENT NUMEROUS HOLIDAY'S AND ANNIVERSARIES ALONE.

YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING.

MILITARY LIFE DEFINITELY HAS IT CHALLENGES.

BUT...YOU CAN LEARN A LOT FROM THE MILITARY LIFE, SUCH AS IMPROVISE, WHEN NEEDED. HOW TO PACK UP A HOUSE IN A DAY OR TWO.
I come from a military family. My father was SF, then 82ND (FYI Ft.Bragg, N.C.), totaling twenty years. My husband was in the Army for fourteen years and wanted to retire at twenty, but he broke his back on a military jump, so the Army gave him a Medical Retirement. And...I was married before, which he was Army as well. My cousin was Air Force. And...my grandfather did WWII in the Navy (now deceased) and my B-I-L was Navy. My husband's uncle was Army, also.


THE POINT I WANT TO MAKE IS...

THE MILITARY LIFE IS NOT AS EASY AS PEOPLE THINK ? THE SACRIFICES THE VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES DO.

I HAVE SPENT NUMEROUS HOLIDAY'S AND ANNIVERSARIES ALONE. YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING.

MILITARY LIFE DEFINITELY HAS IT CHALLENGES. BUT...YOU CAN LEARN A LOT FROM THE MILITARY LIFE, SUCH AS IMPROVISE, WHEN NEEDED. HOW TO PACK UP A HOUSE IN A DAY OR TWO. HOW TO MAKE YOUR MONEY STRETCH FOR A MONTH. WHILE MY HUSBAND WAS IN, HE ONLY GOT PAID ONCE A MONTH, THEN THE ARMY CHANGED TO TWICE A MONTH. HOW TO ENJOY ? OUTINGS FOR VERY LITTLE MONEY. MY HUSBAND'S UNIT HAD WEEKEND RETREATS, WHICH INCLUDED HOTEL, MEALS AND ALL YOU HAD TO DO IS DRIVE TO WHERE THE RETREATS WERE (ON ONE RETREAT, WE WENT TO MYRTLE BEACH IN S.C. AND IT ONLY COST US GAS AND IT WAS ONLY 2-3 HOURS AWAY FROM FT. BRAGG, N.C.).

MILITARY HAS IT DISADVANTAGES, BUT IT ALSO HAS A LOT OF GREAT ADVANTAGES. YOU GET TO MEET PEOPLE FROM ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF WALKS AND YOU GET TO TRAVEL TO A LOT OF GREAT P,ACES. MY HUSBAND WAS STATIONED IN I come from a military family. My father was SF, then 82ND (FYI Ft.Bragg, N.C.), totaling twenty years. My husband was in the Army for fourteen years and wanted to retire at twenty, but he broke his back on a military jump, so the Army gave him a Medical Retirement. And...I was married before, which he was Army as well. My cousin was Air Force. And...my grandfather did WWII in the Navy (now deceased) and my B-I-L was Navy. My husband's uncle was Army, also.


THE POINT I WANT TO MAKE IS...

THE MILITARY LIFE IS NOT AS EASY AS PEOPLE THINK ? THE SACRIFICES THE VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES DO.

I HAVE SPENT NUMEROUS HOLIDAY'S AND ANNIVERSARIES ALONE. YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING.

MILITARY LIFE DEFINITELY HAS IT CHALLENGES. BUT...YOU CAN LEARN A LOT FROM THE MILITARY LIFE, SUCH AS IMPROVISE, WHEN NEEDED. HOW TO PACK UP A HOUSE IN A DAY OR TWO. HOW TO MAKE YOUR MONEY STRETCH FOR A MONTH. WHILE MY HUSBAND WAS IN, HE ONLY GOT PAID ONCE A MONTH, THE IT WAS CHANGED TO TWICE A MONTH.

I come from a military family. My father was SF, then 82ND (FYI Ft.Bragg, N.C.), totaling twenty years. My husband was in the Army for fourteen years and wanted to retire at twenty, but he broke his back on a military jump, so the Army gave him a Medical Retirement. And...I was married before, which he was Army as well. My cousin was Air Force. And...my grandfather did WWII in the Navy (now deceased) and my B-I-L was Navy. My husband's uncle was Army, also.


THE POINT I WANT TO MAKE IS...

THE MILITARY LIFE IS NOT AS EASY AS PEOPLE THINK ? THE SACRIFICES THE VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES DO.

I HAVE SPENT NUMEROUS HOLIDAY'S AND ANNIVERSARIES ALONE. YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING.

MILITARY LIFE DEFINITELY HAS IT CHALLENGES. BUT...YOU CAN LEARN A LOT FROM THE MILITARY LIFE, SUCH AS IMPROVISE, WHEN NEEDED. HOW TO PACK UP A HOUSE IN A DAY OR TWO. HOW TO MAKE YOUR MONEY STRETCH FOR A MONTH. WHILE MY HUSBAND WAS IN, HE ONLY GOT PAID ONCE A MONTH, THE IT WAS CHANGED TO TWICE A MONTH.

THE MILITARY LIFE HAS IT DISAVANTAGES, BUT IT ALSO HAS A LOT OF GREAT ADVANTAGES.

SUCH AS SOME GREAT DUTY STATIONS. MY HUSBAND AND I WERE IN HEIDELBERG, GERMANY ?? FOR THREE YEARS AND THAT WAS AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE FOR THE BOTH OF US. I DOUBT EITHER ONE OF US WOULD EVER HAD THAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITY, OF GOING OUTSIDE OF THE U.S., IF WE WERE CIVILIANS BECAUSE TRAVELING OUTSIDE OF THE U.S. IS I come from a military family. My father was SF, then 82ND (FYI Ft.Bragg, N.C.), totaling twenty years. My husband was in the Army for fourteen years and wanted to retire at twenty, but he broke his back on a military jump, so the Army gave him a Medical Retirement. And...I was married before, which he was Army as well. My cousin was Air Force. And...my grandfather did WWII in the Navy (now deceased) and my B-I-L was Navy. My husband's uncle was Army, also.


THE POINT I WANT TO MAKE IS...

THE MILITARY LIFE IS NOT AS EASY AS PEOPLE THINK ? THE SACRIFICES THE VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES DO.

I HAVE SPENT NUMEROUS HOLIDAY'S AND ANNIVERSARIES ALONE. YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING.

MILITARY LIFE DEFINITELY HAS IT CHALLENGES. BUT...YOU CAN LEARN A LOT FROM THE MILITARY LIFE, SUCH AS IMPROVISE, WHEN NEEDED. HOW TO PACK UP A HOUSE IN A DAY OR TWO. HOW TO MAKE YOUR MONEY STRETCH FOR A MONTH. WHILE MY HUSBAND WAS IN, HE ONLY GOT PAID ONCE A MONTH, THE IT WAS CHANGED TO TWICE A MONTH.


MILITARY LIFE HAS IT'S DISADVANTAGES, BUT ALSO HAS A LOT OF GREAT ADVANTAGES.

SUCH AS WE HAD MEDICAL AND DENTAL INSURANCE.





I come from a military family. My father was SF, then 82ND (FYI Ft.Bragg, N.C.), totaling twenty years. My husband was in the Army for fourteen years and wanted to retire at twenty, but he broke his back on a military jump, so the Army gave him a Medical Retirement. And...I was married before, which he was Army as well. My cousin was Air Force. And...my grandfather did WWII in the Navy (now deceased) and my B-I-L was Navy. My husband's uncle was Army, also.


THE POINT I WANT TO MAKE IS...

THE MILITARY LIFE IS NOT AS EASY AS PEOPLE THINK ? THE SACRIFICES THE VETERANS AND THEIR FAMILIES DO.

I HAVE SPENT NUMEROUS HOLIDAY'S AND ANNIVERSARIES ALONE. YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING.

MILITARY LIFE DEFINITELY HAS IT CHALLENGES. BUT...YOU CAN LEARN A LOT FROM THE MILITARY LIFE, SUCH AS IMPROVISE, WHEN NEEDED. HOW TO PACK UP A HOUSE IN A DAY OR TWO. HOW TO MAKE YOUR MONEY STRETCH FOR A MONTH. WHILE MY HUSBAND WAS IN, HE ONLY GOT PAID ONCE A MONTH, THE IT WAS CHANGED TO TWICE A MONTH.


MILITARY LIFE HAS IT'S DISADVANTAGES, BUT ALSO HAS A LOT OF GREAT ADVANTAGES.

THEY PROVIDE MEDICAL AND DENTAL.

WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY OF LIVING IN HEIDELBERG, GERMANY ?? FOR THREE YEARS AND GOT TO GO TO ITALY ?? AND NETHERLANDS, ETC. AND I DOUBT WE WOULD OF HAD THAT KIND OF OPPORTUNITY IF WE WERE CIVILIANS BECUASE IT IS VERY EXPENSIVE TO TRAVEL NOW DAYS, ESPECIALLY OUT OF THE U.S.

YOU GET TO MEET PEOPLE FROM ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF WALKS OF LIFE.

AND...BEST PART OF LIVING THE MILITARY LIFE IS THE FRIENDS YOU MAKE.
I HAVE FRIENDS ALL OVER THE WORLD ? AND SOME OF THEM I HAVE KNOWN FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS.

















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FYI ON MY LAST REPLY I DID NOT REALIZE I REPEATED ONE OF THE PARAGRAPHS, SORRY.


BUT...IN REFERENCE TO THE MILITARY LIFE, I WOULD NOT CHANGE IT FOR THE WORLD ? BECAUSE THE MILITARY LIFE HAS TAUGHT ME ALOT OF THINGS AND HAS GIVEN ME SOME GREAT FRIENDS, WHICH UNTIL THIS DAY...I STILL KEEP IN CONTACT WITH THEM, WETHER I HAVE KNOWN THEM FOR THREE YEARS OR TWENTY PLUS YEARS.

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It was a touching film all round, and it can't be easy on those families living this life. My respect to them!

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I agree Hallmark Channel hit it out of the park with this movie. It was fantastic.
I was pleased that budget cuts were mentioned, they affect real people. Thank you Hallmark please keep giving us this caliber of viewing. To the OP thank you for your service.

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You're welcome for your freedom!! :)

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This is wonderful to hear. This movie was three years in the making (and a group effort of three writers) because it was so important to Hallmark and the producers that we got this right. This is our love letter to all who serve and those they leave behind while deployed, who have our eternal gratitude. Mere words will never be enough to thank you for your service and sacrifice.

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Nina,

If you get a chance, please thank the entire cast (and I mean all of them) for the great job they did! IMO, Hallmark couldn't have picked better actors or actresses to fill each part.

The story you wrote along with the other writers hit the bull's eye. It was realistic and honest with the highs and lows of families of military personnel (and you only scratched the surface).

Now you have to get busy on making a Marine story because 'we eat nails and spit out bullets'!! I do hope Hallmark (and you too) keep making more military movies like this one.

To let you know, I'll be lining more pockets once this DVD is out.

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Thank you so much for the kind words and support. I will be sure to pass on your compliments to the group! I have high hopes that there will be more military stories on Hallmark in the future. They seem to touch many lives, which is a keystone of the Hallmark brand. Happiest of holidays to you!

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They seem to touch many lives


Seem? They DO touch many lives and probably in ways they might not understand!!

The hardest thing for me being a Veteran is when someone says "Thank you for your service". I never know how to answer so I give them a nod in recognition. I don't know any serviceman or woman who signed up to get a 'Thank you' so it always catches me by surprise. I mean how do you answer that statement? The post I answered with "Your welcome for your freedom" is the only answer I've ever came up with (and I really mean it). I am proud to be part of the protective force that protects America's freedom.

That freedom people feel is always there even though they might not see it or they take it for granted. That just means our military forces are doing their job correctly. These movies remind them that there are other people out there making sacrifices so they can sleep soundly tonight.

That is why, IMO, these movies are the best and most touching.

DripPan

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The movie was good but I'm kinda disappointed in the ending, They should have made the guy who's wife had the baby as a surprise because that would have been the perfect gift to his wife and as nice gesture from the General not Sgt McGuigan, also that cheesy kiss in the scene like she is the only one with a boyfriend in the military, they could have had their moment in private after and would have been more romantic IMHO.

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It would have been nice if the 'new dad' could have been there but that's life in the military. I was gone within one week after my first child was born and gone within a month when my second was born. At least I was there for the birth but I know a lot of guys who weren't.

IMO, Sgt McGuigan was the correct choice because he was one of two people who was in charge of the special Christmas all the families had and helping to get the revue together. It was his and Olivia's project thus the General wanted him there to finish it up. The 'Family Deployment Center' was the General's project and he wanted to make sure that Sgt McGuigan got rewarded for it. The FDC will help hundreds of families and not just the one where children are born/involved.

The other reason may not be understandable to you but Scott's head might not have been in the clear. He would have put himself and his men in danger if he wasn't thinking clearly. He could have pulled himself from the mission or, if anyone else noticed, asked him to sit it out. As the one woman said, "Rangers don't leave the base to play games."

As far as the kiss, sometimes they just can't wait especially if your man/woman just came back from a dangerous mission/situation. PDA is frowned upon in the military put there are exceptions to the rule like in this situation. If you ever seen the news, they show military returning and tape/air all the PDAs going on at that time.

I wanted to explain this so you could enjoy the movie more. Remember 'Military Intelligence' is an oxymoron!

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