I come from a small fishing town in the Pacific Northwest, we have a statue for those lost at sea and every few years we have our own 3-d tree made with crab pots, so I loved the addition of buoys for those lost at sea. I also really appreciated the answering of kids letters to Santa with a postmark from Christmas Island. I enjoyed watching Rachel Skarsten for the first time in last year's Royal Nanny (2022) and thought she really knocked that character out of the park. In Christmas Island, she plays Kate Gabriel a pilot who aspires to be a private pilot doing international flights. On her first private flight...a test drive for a permanent position with the lifestyle guru's the Smith's as they take their family to Switzerland for Christmas. Unfortunately things go awry and their plane is diverted and grounded in Canada close to a town called Christmas Island. With both parents busy working Kate, who hasn't celebrated Christmas in years, is assigned to bring Christening to their kids and for that she needs help... Oliver MacLeod played by the incomparable and handsome Andrew W. Walker. Oliver sets it upon himself the bring Christmas to Kate.

I appreciated some of the themes in this holiday hallmark romance, but the largest story arc...the romance between the air traffic controller afraid to fly and the pilot...well, I think they could have used a little more focus. Which is unfortunate because I think Andrew Walker could have chemistry with cardboard, and Rachel Skarsten is not too shabby herself. Not a recommendation to any but the hard core hallmark fans.

Andrew W. Walker is usually pretty reliable in Hallmark movies, Christmas or not and this is no exception. I have liked Rachel Skarsten since Marry Me at Christmas. She may have a bit of an Ice Queen reputation, but once you see through that, it is easy to like her. She is definitely not bubbly like some, but I see the inner emotions from her.

I always like kids in Christmas movies and we get a double dose in this one. A teen and one a little younger. They are an important part of the movie, but unlike many Christmas movies, they do not bond strongly with either romantic lead. This movie is a little unusual for a romantic Christmas movie in that there is an entire family totally unrelated to the romantic leads and they are central to the story.

We start with the uppity rich people and spoiled teen, but the rich people aren't nearly as arrogant as they could be or as often portrayed in these movies. Likewise the spoiled teen.

The story proceeds as usual through Christmas activities. There is a nice development toward the end worth an awe or two.

The acting is good. The dialogue is natural although not exceptionally witty. Walker and Skarsten have chemistry.

I'm always on board for an Andrew Walker holiday romcom (My Christmas Family Tree) and this one doesn't disappoint. Kate (Rachel Skarsten) is a pilot who's just been given a shot at her dream job, piloting a wealthy family to Switzerland. Poor weather requires them to make an unexpected stop at a Nova Scotia town called Christmas Island, where air traffic controller Oliver (Walker) and his father, sister and nephew reside. It is here that we find out more about what everyone's deal is.

What I enjoyed most was that it wasn't strictly the usual plot line of will they or won't they. Sure, there was that, but the secondary storylines of the wealthy couple (Jefferson Brown and Kate Drummond), their two children and Oliver's family were just as interesting, to me. It was great seeing Good Witch's Peter MacNeil and Virgin River's Lauren Hammersley in supporting roles. This movie was a really good ensemble effort, which I think Hallmark does well and should do more often. The storylines were interesting and the cast was very good. Highly recommended.