Hallmark holiday movies follow a well-worn path. Big-city professional, temporarily disillusioned with career/love life, returns to small hometown/unexpectedly visits charming locale. Cue quaint traditions, quirky locals, and an inevitable run-in with a handsome, salt-of-the-earth type. But what if, instead of the usual heartwarming bakery or family-run Christmas tree farm, the catalyst for romance was a slightly scruffy, undeniably adorable stray dog?
Hallmark’s Happy Howlidays is banking on just that. Jessica Lowndes stars as Mia, a Seattle-based web editor whose holiday season takes an unexpected turn when she becomes the temporary caretaker of a lost pup. Naturally, Mia, lacking any discernible dog-whispering skills, seeks help from the local expert: Max, owner of a dog shelter and, one assumes, possessor of a heart of gold.
And who is this Max, you ask? None other than the victor of Finding Mr. Christmas, a detail Hallmark is clearly hoping will draw in viewers. Expect a heavy dose of meet-cutes amidst the dog treats and adoption paperwork.
The premise itself is simple, even by Hallmark standards. Mia and Max, thrown together by canine intervention, traipse around Seattle, discovering its hidden (and presumably holiday-decorated) corners. It’s a journey of self-discovery, naturally, as both characters are nudged out of their comfort zones. Will Mia, accustomed to the click-clack of keyboards, find solace in the slobbery enthusiasm of her four-legged charge? Will Max, used to the unconditional love of dogs, finally find a human connection to match? The answer, in a Hallmark movie, is always a resounding “yes,” but the journey, however predictable, might just offer a touch of heartwarming escapism.
Happy Howlidays airs Saturday, December 21st at 8/7c on Hallmark.
