Are you prepared for the cheesy Christmas movie love? Because I’m coming for you, Hallmark!

I’m convinced that Christmas time is any cheesy romance lover’s favorite time of year. What’s not to love? There’s romance (and snow) in the air, cozy romantic settings galore, and more Christmas romance movies than a girl can possibly watch — but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try. I’m going to share some of my thoughts on each Christmas movie I watch this year, because why not? We all can use a little more Christmas, and a little more romance, in our lives — especially around the holidays.

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If you’re a Hallmark fan, you’re probably a Kevin McGarry fan — but before he was the latest Mountie heartthrob on When Calls the Heart, he stole the hearts of CBC watchers everywhere. Or rather, Netflix watchers. Or UpTV. Or…however you get your Heartland fix.

I’ve been a fan of the actor since he first appeared as Mitch on Heartland, so I’m always excited to watch a Hallmark movie where he’s the leading love interest. And after watching one of my favorites from last year, Kim Matula’s Ghosts of Christmas Always, I was doubly excited to tune into Checkin’ it Twice.

Suffice it to say that I wasn’t disappointed.

The Plot

Checkin’ it Twice starts with our two protagonists, Ashley (Matula) and Scott (McGarry) running into each other at the airport right after either being dumped or being the one to do the dumping. After a fiasco that winds up with them unknowingly switching credit cards, they soon find out that they’re both headed to the same town of Idaho Falls, Idaho — Ashley to spend the holidays with her family, and Scott to play for the town’s minor league hockey team. Of course, they have to switch back their credit cards, and it turns out Scott is staying in Ashley’s parent’s cottage, so they end up running into each other over and over again.

Throughout the movie, Ashley and Scott both begin to fall for each other as they also figure out what they want to do with their lives: Ashley decides she wants to leave her big-city commercial real estate career for the more personable world of small-town real estate, and Scott ultimately deciding that he doesn’t want to follow in his father’s Stanley-Cup-winning footsteps and is better suited to being a hockey coach.

And, well, you know the rest — they both live happily ever after once they kiss at the airport and stop each other from making the mistake of leaving Idaho Falls (and their one true love).

The Chemistry

Despite the fact that I love Kevin McGarry, I was disappointed in his Christmas movie last year, so tried to block that memory from popping back into my head as I watched. It turns out, though, I didn’t need to. Ashley and Scott had great chemistry, and the plot of this movie wasn’t too slow or too all over the place. Both characters were realistic in how they fell in love, how they connected with one another, and how they ultimately ended up together. The chemistry was definitely there!

The Christmas Feels

What’s not to love about a small-town Christmas setting with an adorable family to fall in love with as well? As I watched, I not only enjoyed seeing Ashley and Scott’s love story, but watching Ashley reconnect with her family and Scott find a place to belong with the quirky bunch.

I especially loved the kooky Christmas scarves Ashley’s grandmother knitted them all (each more than a little imperfectly perfect), her grandmother’s eggnog concoction that they all warned Scott about, Ashley’s brother-in-law’s too-enthusiastic hockey dad routine, and the cider social, complete with hockey players in suits serving cider out of teacups.

The Lowdown

I would absolutely recommend watching Checkin’ it Twice. It was a great kick-off to Hallmark’s Christmas lineup and gave me all the warm, fuzzy, Christmas feels.