Candace Cameron Bure stars in ‘A Shoe Addict’s Christmas’ on Hallmark Channel

Can we all agree that it’s not really the holidays until we get a new Candace Cameron Bure Hallmark holiday movie? I mean, if you’re here, reading this recap, you’re clearly a fan of Hallmark movies so I feel like we’re on the same page.

Candace is one of two actors I credit for the surge in popularity of these movies, which began with her 2008 classic Moonlight and Mistletoe. (Lacey Chabert is the other one. Someday I want to do a deep dive into the perfect storm that went into the Hallmark holiday movie phenomenon, but today is not that day!) I always look forward to Candace’s installment in the Countdown to Christmas binge-worthy blitz, and readers, I think this year’s is my all-time favorite.

The title threw me off at first, but since when have these movies had good titles, amiright? Sure, her character is into shoes and ascribes sentimental value to each pair, but she’s not the spoiled shopaholic I expected. No, her character is a regular woman who veered off the path her life should have traveled and needs a little help getting back on it.

Noelle (Cameron Bure) is head of HR at fictional department store Fulton’s in a nameless big city. She’s good at her job, but it’s not her passion. Noelle set out to be a photographer, and she’s good at portraits, but dropped it after her photographer boyfriend/boss dumped her three years ago. On Christmas Eve. After her mother – who loved Christmas – passed away. Oof.

Since then Noelle has been coasting along with no real direction. Her job is fine but not fulfilling, her relationship with her father is not what it could be, she hasn’t dated since the breakup, and she quit taking pictures. Her best friend, Lorna (Tenika Davis), gently pushes her to start dating and/or pick up a camera, but Noelle’s defenses are up and she’s afraid to take risks.

Enter Charlie, played by Jean Smart in a series of wacky Christmas ensembles. Charlie is Noelle’s guardian angel, or “something like that”, sent to show Noelle what she’s been missing by not moving outside her comfort zone. In a series of flashbacks tied to shoes worn on each of the three previous Christmas Eves, Noelle is given the opportunity to make a different choice than the one she did and see how it changes the course of her life.

If this sounds a bit cheesy on paper, be assured that it is outstanding in execution mostly because Candace and Jean are spectacular together. These are two veteran sitcom actors with impeccable timing playing off each other and elevating the Hallmark holiday movie formula to something special. There’s one moment in particular where Candace talks over one of Jean’s lines – something most actors won’t do thanks to years of training not to “step on” someone else’s line. But here it adds to the realness of the conversation they’re having and injects personality into both characters.

I also love how comfortable both actors are with giving their characters depth. Noelle more than Charlie because it’s her story, but we still get the sense that Charlie, who is a rookie at this guardian angel stuff, is doing her best and figuring out her job on the fly as it were. Noelle’s frustration with the whole situation, with not knowing what she’s supposed to learn, is palpable as Candace scrunches her face and adds a layer of exasperation to some of her lines. I’d love to see more of this and less of the wide-eyed angelic ingenues that populate the majority of these movies. We know Noelle is a good person, a kind person, but she’s also human and relatable and that makes this movie something special.

Lest you think A Shoe Addict’s Christmas is only about shoes and memories and guardian angels, fear not! There is romance with a hot fireman named Jake! Luke Macfarlane is our leading man this time around, and he has admirable chemistry with Candace. You’re rooting for Jake and Noelle from the first time they bump into each other after he moves into her apartment building. When he’s part of the team that rescues her at Fulton’s after she gets locked in – and meets Charlie – his twinkling eyes as he takes in her reindeer headband and plaid robe tell you these opposites are about to attract.

Charlie is determined to throw Noelle and Jake together, much to Noelle’s chagrin. From carriage rides to baking Christmas cookies, Charlie conspires to bring them closer to each other. The romance is cute and has some fun moments with a good bit of smolder. I appreciated that there was realistic conversation as they got to know each other. He asks her a question about her life, she answers then asks about his life and vice versa. We also see them recalling information about each other which makes their budding romance more realistic. Modeling good communication skills FTW!

Our heroes are also thrown together because Fulton’s is sponsoring a charity gala for Jake’s fire station and Noelle is in charge of planning it. This part of the plot is weaker than the rest, but it does give us some low-stakes conflict as Jake lobbies for a more casual, whimsical theme while Noelle insists on sticking with the elegance and refinement that are Fulton’s brand. It also gives us that hot moment in the Event Decor room at the gala’s venue when I almost thought Hallmark was going to move into PG territory. Whew!

In the end, Noelle decides to take some risks and reach for the life she really wants. Her relationship with her father improves, she quits her job at Fulton’s to open her own photography studio (and lands Fulton’s as her first client), and realizes that Jake is the man of her dreams.

A Shoe Addict’s Christmas is a satisfying, heartwarming tale with sparkling performances that I think will make this an instant classic. Until next year, Candace!

Other tidbits:

• Raise your hand if you also dream of being locked inside a department store overnight and getting to try out all the merch.
• Jake’s fire station had more than one female fire fighter!
• Lorna is a good friend. She brings breakup ice cream, pushes Noelle to take risks, and doesn’t bat an eye with Noelle tells her a guardian angel is taking her into the past.
• There is one combination of choices that leads to Noelle owning a string of very successful hot dog stands! 
• I think this is the most beautiful Candace has ever been on screen. From wardobe to hair to makeup, she looks absolutely stunning.
• The apron Noelle dons to bake Christmas cookies is from the Candace Cameron Bure collection at Dayspring.

A Shoe Addict’s Christmas premieres Sunday, November 25 at 8/7c on Hallmark Channel.

Get the full line-up of this year’s new holiday movies in our 2018 Holiday Movie Guide. And don’t forget to download your Holiday Movie Bingo cards!