Well, we finally did it. We got to a Hallmark Christmas movie that made me tear up. I’m not a big crier at movies but this one really did it to me.

Melody (Janel Parrish) is an underemployed librarian who just purchased a fixer-upper in a new town. As she’s moving in, she meets her neighbor, Nina (Marisol Nichols), and Nina’s two daughters, Holly (Sadie Coleman) and Ivy (Piper Rubio). She also meets local contractor Adam (Jeremy Jordan). After Melody and Nina become fast friends, they find out that Nina’s cancer has returned. Melody quickly offers to take in Nina’s children if anything happens to her. In order for the guardianship to be finalized, Melody has to bring her house up to code….with some help from Adam, of course.

This. This is everything I want in a non-musical Christmas movie. Adam and Melody’s romance progresses like a normal human romance would. It’s not a ‘fall in love and get engaged in a week’ type of things. Melody and Nina have a wonderful supportive friendship. The community comes together to make the right things happen so the girls don’t go into foster care. And the big conflict? It’s whether Adam and Melody should (separately) put their dreams on hold in order to take jobs that they don’t love but will set them up to make their dreams happen in the future. Normal human conflicts.

The acting? I mean, the casting director deserves a raise for this. All three of the leads have been working forever and in substantial roles. Janel Parrish was in Pretty Little Liars, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, and Heroes. Marisol Nichols was in 24, Riverdale, and Cold Case. Jeremy Jordan was in Supergirl, Smash, and on Broadway in Newsies. We rarely see this much talent in one Hallmark movie. And the chemistry between all of them was beautiful. Unlike most cable Christmas movies, these actors looked like they actually enjoyed being in each other’s company.

Holly & Ivy will be the second movie this season that you really should watch. Just make sure you have a box of tissues nearby. You just might need a few of them at the end.