I really had fun watching “Blending Christmas”, it was definitely a surprise!
Click here to watch “Blending Christmas” on Amazon
TITLE: Blending Christmas
FILM YEAR: 2021
DURATION: 87 Minutes
COMPANY: Lifetime Television
Directed by Maria Sokoloff
Story by Jeffrey Schenck, Peter Sullivan
Written by Adam Rockoff, Peter Sullivan
Executive Producer: Barry Barnholtz, Haylie Duff, Rachel Feinberg, Zelma Kiwi, JEffrey Schenck, Dan Wakeford
Co-Producer: Brian Nolan, Peter Sullivan
Line Producer: Lauralee Browne
Music by Christopher Cano, Chris Ridenhour
Cinematography by Eitan Almagor
Edited by Randy Carter
Casting by Dean E. Fronk, Donald Paul Pemrick
Production Design by Lawrence Humphreys
Art Direction: Molly Saito
Costume Design by Samantha Kuester
Starring:
Haylie Duff as Emma
Aaron O’Connell as Liam
Barry Williams as John
Christopher Knight as Brian
Mike Lookinland as Andrew
Susan Olsen as Valerie
Jennifer Elise Cox as Tina
Beth Broderick as Michelle
Greg Evigan as William
Telma Hopkins as Nicole
The Hacienda de la Sierra is Emma’s (Haylie Duff) favorite place to spend the holiday season and her boyfriend Liam (Aaron O’Connell) has been secretly planning to propose to her there, surrounded by both their families.
We are now at day 48 of my holiday film marathon and this time around, we have an actual Brady Bunch reunion with the holiday telefilm “Blending Christmas”.
The film is directed by actress Marla Sokoloff (“The Practice”, “The Fosters”, “Fuller House”, “Dude,Where’s My Car?”) and features a story written by Jeffrey Schenck (“Absolute Deception” Dante’s Cove”) and Peter Sullivan (“Secret Obsession”, “Christmas Under Wraps”).
The film stars Haylie Duff (“7th Heaven”, “Napoleon Dynamite”, “Material Girls”), Aaron O’Connell (“The Haves and the Have Nots”, “Black Water”), Barry Williams (“The Brady Bunch”), Christopher Knight (“The Brady Bunch”, “Joe’s World”), Mike Lookinland (“The Brady Bunch”), Susan Olsen (“The Brady Bunch”, “Child of the ’70s”), Jennifer Elise Cox (“The Brady Buch Movie”, “A Very Brady Sequel”), Beth Broderick (“Sabrina The Teenage Witch”, “The Bonfire of the Vanities”, “The 5 Mrs. Buchanans”) and Greg Evigan (“B.J. and the Bear”, “Big Sound”, “DeepStar Six”, “A Year at the Top”).
And of course, we have two holiday telefilm veterans as the main protagonists, Haylie Duff and Aaron O’Connell.
The film revolves around PR exec Emma (portrayed by Haylie Duff) who is hoping that her boyfriend Liam (portrayed by Aaron O’Connell), who is an executive of the same company, will propose to her. But she knows that Liam is always busy with business, considering that he works for her father William (portrayed by Greg Evigan).
Liam was actually planning to propose during the holidays, but when Emma finds out that the Hacienda de la Sierra, a place that she grew up spending the holiday season with her mother (who is now deceased) and her father, she is heartbroken.
With Liam’s plans to propose at home during the holidays having changed, he wants to give her a better present by proposing at Hacienda de la Sierra with her family there. But how can he get the busy family to the location? He decides to make a business plan and submit to Emma’s father to get him to agree to go.
But as Liam thought it would be a great idea to propose with the whole family there, Emma thinks she’s there for a couple’s vacation with the two of them alone.
What happens when she finds out that they are not alone? And that the family is all there?
First, I just have to say that this holiday telefilm is the first time we get to see the Brady Bunch kids (for those who are not familiar with “The Brady Bunch”, it’s possibly the most popular American TV show family ever that aired from 1969-1974 and is still featured on reruns that practically many millions of Americans grew up watching it).
So, you have the three sons (Greg, Peter, Bobby) and youngest daughter (Cindy) from “The Brady Bunch” reunite, while Marcia and the original Jan is not on this reunion, we do get Jan from “The Brady Bunch” movies).
And also, we get to see three popular characters from the ’70s/80s. 80s/90s and ’90/2000s as well. Greg Evigan who appeared on the popular show “”B.J. and the Bear” (1978-1981), Telma Hopkins of “Family Matters (1989-1997) and Beth Broderick “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” (1996-2002).
So, suffice to say, I was stoked to see these classic characters I grew up watching, together for this holiday film.
While it may not be the best holiday telefilm I watched, it was the most surprising and the holiday telefilm that I look forward to seeing because, like many other children who grew up watching “The Brady Bunch”, to see surviving members of the TV show reunite and appear as different characters (still family) in a holiday film.
Suffice to say, the group did reunite in 2019 for the 50th anniversary as the six Brady kids reunited for the renovation of the original home on HGTV. But I was stoked to see them together, as well as seeing popular talent from other TV shows I grew up watching.
So, “Blending Christmas” is one of those rarities for the talent it showcases.
And last, I was also stoked to see actress Marla Sokolff directing this holiday telefilm (her second for Lifetime since “Christmas Hotel” back in in 2019). We often see Marla as an actress for many films and TV series and when it comes to appearing on holiday films, she appeared as the main actress in a holiday film as early as 2005 with “Christmas in Boston” and a few others.
But if anything, I really had fun watching “Blending Christmas”, it was definitely a surprise!
