Hallmark

Once Upon A Holiday: A Royal Romance in NYC

By Liz | November 23, 2015

The Hallmark Channel kicks off its first ever Thanksgiving event with five original holiday movies in five nights. The first movie is “Once Upon a Holiday”, starring Briana Evigan as Katie and Paul Campbell as Jack. They are joined by Brians’s dad, Greg Evigan playing Katie’s Uncle George.

Our story begins with Katie and her mom at a Christmas shop with a tiny Christmas village that Katie wishes was a real place. Her mom gives her a camera as a present, saying that it was her very first camera as a child. Years later, a grown up Katie still has that camera, though her parents dies in a plane crash and she is left with her Aunt Margaret.

Katie is no ordinary girl, though. She is the princess of a small town, and she’s beginning to feel the demands on her life. If only she could just have one hour to walk through an art gallery while in New York. It’s one that she helps fund, but she’s never been inside and her love of photography is pulling her to a new exhibit there.

But Katie is a princess with obligations and schedules. There is no time to dawdle in an art gallery. So, on a whim, Katie makes time for herself and she runs off on her own, armed with her trusty camera – and little else.

Jack is a handyman who owns his own business and is happiest when he can help others with the work he does. His time is his own and he fills it with work. After a romance went South, Jack is in no hurry to start a relationship, much to the worry of his sister and friends.

On his way to a job, Jack spots two thieves, one distracting Katie while the other steals her purse and camera. He takes off after them but can’t catch them. He does what he can to help Katie, but afraid she’ll be found out, she refuses any help from him and eagerly gets on her way, looking for the art gallery.

As the story unfolds, Katie and Jack are thrown together again, and Katie begins to open up to his offers of help when she becomes lost in New York, cold and hungry. She ends up spending a couple of days with Jack and his sister and friends, and is reluctant to return to her life of isolation and obligation. She had found the old Christmas warmth and family feeling she once had with her parents and she wasn’t in a hurry to leave it.

Of course, Katie’s aunt and uncle are frantically searching for her in the big city, and then there’s Ross, boyfriend of Jack’s sister. He’s a news anchor looking for the story of a lifetime and the story of the missing princess lands in his lap. It’s not long before Katie finds herself dodging around buildings and into other rooms to avoid being caught and having to go back to her life.

“Once Upon a Holiday” is a charming recall to the classic film, “Roman Holiday”, with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. Make this part of your holiday celebrations this season! It premieres November 25th at 8/7c.