‘Christmas Under Wraps’ is a magical tale

Category: Television and Streaming

Christmas Under Wraps is a fun and magical holiday film. Although it was produced in 2014, it is just as endearing today. Confession: I just discovered this on Hallmark Plus and cannot believe I never saw it before.

Candace Cameron Bure is always a delight to watch and she does not disappoint in this Christmas story. Cameron Bure plays Lauren Brunell, a doctor with plans of becoming a surgeon. She has her whole life planned out. First is a fellowship in Boston (following her father’s footsteps), then a career as a top-notch surgeon.

Everything is going to plan until her boyfriend breaks up with her because she is too structured. Then she does not get the fellowship in Boston. What else can go wrong?

At her mother’s suggestion, she decides to take a chance try and get out of her comfort zone of following her life’s plan. When she is offered a job as the town’s general practitioner in a small Alaskan city (it’s just a little town), she takes it. It comes with free transportation from her home in San Francisco, as well as  a house in Garland, Alaska.

When she arrives in Anchorage, she is met by Andy Holliday (David O’Donnell), who informs her he will be escorting her to Garland – via a plane. Garland is tucked away in a little corner of Alaska, accessible only by plane.

Her life then becomes a series of surprises. The house provided to her is rustic, not at all like her modern home in California. Her clothes are not suitable for the cold weather. When she orders a warmer wardrobe online she is told they don’t deliver to Garland. The hospital is a small building with a staff of four. Nothing is as she expected.

As the only doctor in town, she is inundated with dozens of patients on her first day. Lauren digs in and gets right to work, with all kinds of maladies and injuries to attend to.

She then discovers Andy is more than her escort to town. He is the handyman, electrician, do-everything guy in town. And his father Frank (Brian Doyle-Murray) owns the big business in Garland. Interestingly enough, Lauren tells him he looks just like Santa.

This town is filled with all kinds of secrets. And when she is asked to take care of the “mascot” Rudy the reindeer who has injured his leg, she senses things are not quite what they seem. Garland is definitely a different kind of town filled with wonderful people who welcome her with open arms but who are also hiding something – big.

This being a comfy-cozy Hallmark original movie, viewers expect Andy and Lauren to fall in love. While their romance takes off, Lauren slowly figures out what the town is all about. 

Christmas Under Wraps is a cute story. It’s fun and very enjoyable, with two actors who will definitely delight viewers. I cannot believe I never saw it before, but thanks to Hallmark Plus, it is available to stream.

Take a little bit of Doc Hollywood (1991) and a dash of Did You Hear About the Morgans (2009), and add it to a delightful Christmas story and you get Christmas Under Wraps.

Besides all the new Christmas movies that are showing and streaming this time of year, it is worth checking out some of the older ones as well. And Christmas Under Wraps is one of my recommendations. It streams on Hallmark Plus.

This movie was nominated in 2015 by the Online Film and Television Association for Best Motion Picture. 

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 30 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites and is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA.