In this year's outing, the actress plays Dr. Lauren Brunell, a driven (and kind of entitled) 3rd-year medical resident in San Francisco. She's counting on a fellowship to a Boston hospital where her father worked, and is counting on her great transcript and Dad's connections to get in. She's also counting on a proposal from her boyfriend, but he has other plans, which don't include fitting into her detailed life plan. While she's still reeling from being dumped, she learns that she came in second for her fellowship. She decides to take a fellowship in tiny Garland, Alaska to round out her resume.
Garland turns out to be more than cold and tiny. It's quirky! Everyone is glad to have her in town after a year with no doctor, but she can't get her internet order delivered because the company can't find the town. The biggest employer in town is Frank Holliday's Holliday Shipping. Frank, played by a game Brian Doyle-Murray, looks a lot like Santa, is always talking about his busy time at work, and has a pet reindeer named Rudy. He also has a cute son who was an architect in Seattle, but has come home to consider going into the family business. Lauren and Andy hit it off, and he shows her the beauty of small-town Alaska. But when she learns she can get her fellowship after all, will she stay where she's appreciated or go back to her old plan?
Of course, although it's December in Alaska, and Lauren complains of the cold, no one ever wears a hat or gloves. And she's brings some serious city-girl attitude, striding into the local diner and demanding a fancy coffee drink. But she also helps the townsfolk and becomes part of the community, and even drops her big-city heels for warm boots and flannel. And she's not oblivious to the hints about what's really happening in Garland, even though everyone tries to keep her in the dark. Her relationship with Andy is refreshingly drama-free, and the supporting characters are fun without being overly goofy. In all, a pleasant background to tree-trimming or cookie decorating. Fun fact: In Let It Snow, Alan Thicke played Candace Cameron Bure's father. Of course, Thicke is best known for Growing Pains, on which he played the father of Kirk Cameron, Candace's older brother. TV family synergy!
eee Three out of five presents!
