Corrine is a musician who works in a music store; her boss Dave is an old friend of hers, and is sweet on her but would never show it because she has never seen him as boyfriend material. However, Christmas is coming up and she is fresh off a break-up with Tim, who keeps calling her hoping for a second chance. We know a bit about Corrine's background: her grandfather, overseas during WWII, sent her grandmother songs instead of traditional letters. The last one she got was on a Christmas Eve before he was reported killed, and when she died, she gave the song to Corrine as a keepsake, which she treasures. Her favorite ornament, also from her grandmother, is of a group of carolers, and one night, when some carolers come to her door, she notices that the front-and-center singer, Harold, is wearing the same snowflake scarf that one of the ornament carolers is wearing. Wouldn't you know that, a couple days later, Harold winds up as a seasonal worker at the music store. This is when the movie takes a "Wonderful Life" twist: Harold is actually an angel who has been assigned to get Corrine and Dave together. If he succeeds, he'll win his wings. But Harold has his hands full since Dave is a little gun-shy because of his own failed romances, and just as it looks like Corrine is starting to see Dave in a romantic light, that rat bastard Tim comes back in the picture. Can Harold get everything straight before midnight on Christmas Eve?
I give this Hallmark holiday movie a few extra points for its somewhat original plot. Yes, it's stolen from It's a Wonderful Life but it does have a couple of nice variations, and in its plot point involving an old song written by a dead loved one, even borrows a bit from the climax of The Bishop's Wife. The mostly Canadian cast, none of whom I remember seeing before, is fine. I like that Dave (Graham Abbey) is a little rougher-looking than the usual shiny bland romantic leads, and Sergio Di Zio, as the angel, gives an almost eccentric performance that ends up working well. I had some problems with plot loopholes that I can't discuss here, but I recommend this as something just a little different from the Hallmark Christmas Factory.
