What happens when your holiday plans fall apart at the last minute due to circumstances beyond your control, and you don't have a significant other, leaving you single on December 25th? If you're in a Hallmark Channel movie from the "Countdown to Christmas" series, you use that time to find yourself.
For Nell Duke (Lyndsy Fonseca), nothing is worse than being single at Christmas, because everywhere she looks, she sees couples kissing under the mistletoe. After her family cancels their Christmas plans at the last minute, Nell decides to spend Christmas week having fun on her own. When she crosses paths with her neighbor Cooper (Daniel Lissing), a financial analyst who prides himself on being happily single, he notices Nell is struggling with loneliness and decides to share tips on how to maintain the Christmas spirit.
Director: Jonathan Wright
Writer: Joie Botkin
Stars: Lyndsy Fonseca, Daniel Lissing, Teneisha Collins
Cooper inspires Nell to overcome her insecurities and find happiness in being alone. In turn, Nell helps Cooper realize he's missing out on a real connection. In the fun relationship that develops, the Christmas these two singles spend together starts to feel like something more. Their special connection is broken when Nell discovers that Cooper only offered to help her because he felt sorry for her having to spend the holidays alone. For Christmas to be truly magical this year, Cooper must show true personal growth, while Nell finds her own strength in being single during the holidays.
"Single on the 25th," inspired by the song of the same name by Lauren Spencer-Smith (who makes a cameo to perform the song), avoids what could be a sensitive topic for many who find the holidays a lonely time, although there is a touch of sadness in Nell at first; if it were too sad, it would be a Lifetime Christmas movie. Instead, Joie Botkin's script develops Nell and Cooper's characters very well—though it's never quite clear why they seem to be at odds when we first meet them and have an awkward exchange in their building's lobby—so that we can empathize with them as the story progresses. Nell is obviously thrilled to spend the holidays with her family, and after their plans are canceled due to an unfortunate injury to an uncle, Nell even starts to change her plans to go home, despite having meticulously planned the entire Christmas experience for the family, including many non-refundable events, not to mention a table at one of Chicago's most exclusive restaurants, which takes months to book (or ten years, as Nell exaggerates). Nell is quite transparent, "what you see is what you get." Cooper is more complicated; he works at an investment firm in a decidedly macho environment, so perhaps that's the vibe he gives off outside the office that Nell finds off-putting. However, we discover that Cooper isn't a typical immature frat boy; we can't say the same for his coworker, Thomas. In fact, he has a good heart, as demonstrated when he's the only person in his office who isn't annoyed by the Santa Claus who constantly shows up to raise money for charity, giving him some money and showing him another floor where he might have more success.
In the story, fate brings them together, as Cooper was supposed to go on a ski trip with Thomas but was forced to plan a Christmas party for a client. When he learns that Nell is going to scrap all her plans (and her money) to be with her family, he convinces her that perhaps she should take this opportunity to do something for herself and enjoy the activities she had already planned... even if some are clearly meant for a group, like a carriage ride through the city. Cooper's guidance and encouragement help Nell open up to the world, and it turns out she has a talent for party planning, so she can help him with his event. As they grow closer, their relationship develops naturally, becoming more than just two single "friends" helping each other out during the holidays.
Of course, as in almost all Hallmark romantic movies, there has to be a moment of drama that threatens to destroy everything that has been built, and that happens when the jerk Thomas tells Nell at the company party that Cooper is only with her because he feels sorry for her. That might have been true at first, but Cooper has developed genuine feelings for her, and her storming out of the party in anger is very upsetting to him (and it's good to see that he also confronts Thomas about it, although Thomas never has a good reason for saying what he said, unless it was out of jealousy, since he also tried to belittle the party, which wasn't the typical boring corporate event, and his boss said it was the best party they'd ever had, and that was thanks to Nell).
The cast does a great job making their characters feel like real people. Fonseca is wonderful as Nell. She imbues Nell with an inexhaustible cheerfulness, even when it's clear she's upset, doing her best to assure those who care about her that she's perfectly fine being alone for Christmas. She has great chemistry with Daniel Lissing, but she keeps her feelings to herself, never being too explicit about her feelings for Cooper. You can sometimes see in her eyes that she likes him, but her outward behavior always keeps him at a distance, perhaps so Nell won't get hurt if he only sees her as a friend.
They have a moment while watching Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer that is a clear sign that they both have feelings for each other, but they both suddenly pull back in a panic, fearing things are moving too fast. But when Thomas tells Nell what Cooper said—when they first started dating—Fonseca shows the deep pain Nell feels, and we truly feel that pain. For his part, Lissing does a great job making us believe he's a typical guy, but then he breaks expectations by showing that what we see on the surface isn't who Cooper truly is.
He maintains a facade at work, but he truly shows that Cooper is a guy who has had to construct this persona, which becomes even clearer when he admits he was a lonely child. He had to learn to survive alone—not that he doesn't have a loving family—in a world that seems built for couples. The experience he shares with Nell is strictly friendship at first, but Lissing manages to convey through glances, body language, and his manner of speaking that Cooper is learning that being with someone might be better than simply accepting loneliness. Both actors are completely believable in their performances, and their chemistry is evident even when the characters try to deny its existence.
Fonseca and Lissing are well-supported by their co-stars, who help make their world feel even more authentic. Teneisha Collins plays Julia, Nell's best friend, who is genuinely worried about Nell spending the holidays alone, despite Nell's assertions that she's fine. Julia offers to take Nell to her in-laws' house for Christmas, not only so Nell won't be alone, but also to provide moral support while she reveals her pregnancy to the family, and also because she's worried about Cooper, whom she only knows from Nell's description of him as a suspicious neighbor before meeting him in person.
This makes Julia's friendship with Nell feel authentic. Victor Andrés Trelles Turgeon plays Thomas as a carefree, loud, and somewhat crude guy, both in and out of the office. The dismissive way he tells Nell what Cooper said makes you dislike him, but the script attempts to give him a moment of redemption when Cooper confronts him again at the office and his facade crumbles, revealing that he's only overacting at work to fit in.
He apologizes to Cooper, but it would have been nice to see him apologize to Nell as well. Marcel Jeannin and Ellen David are fantastic as Cooper's parents, Mike and Chloe. Mike is a bit of a jokester, especially during the Christmas holidays, while Chloe is able to talk to Cooper about more serious topics, showing that she only wants him to be happy, and they both welcome Nell with open arms as Cooper's friend, but the mother senses that there's something more (as mothers often do). The entire cast makes the story feel real and believable.
In short, Single on the 25th turns out to be a charming story of a friendship that blossoms into romance in a realistic way. The leads are consistently captivating, and the production, directed by Jonathan Wright, looks fantastic and captures the Christmas spirit and the magic of a Hallmark-style romance.
Single on the 25th runs for 1 hour and 24 minutes, is rated TV-G (suitable for all ages), and is available to stream on Hallmark+.
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