The Christmas Edition Review: She Left Her Job in San Diego ... and Found Her Heart in Juneau!

Jackie may have left a career opportunity in San Diego, but she found her passion, family, and love in Juneau.

What is it about small towns at Christmas that makes for the best Holiday films that give you all the feels?

By the end of The Christmas Edition, I wanted to pack my bags, move to Juneau, and immerse myself in their little community and hell, join the Lantern Grove Press, too.

The Christmas Edition had magic, love, community, finding one's passion, and a dose of adventure. You can't ask for anything more with a classic holiday film.

From the beginning to the end, the film was feel-good.

The credit goes to a lovely story, endearing characters, and leads that kept you glued to the screen. Carly Hughes, formerly of American Housewife, shined as Jackie.

Jackie was stylish, passionate, and she was willing to try new things. I admired that quality about her. Jackie knew what she wanted, and she made things happen, but she was open-minded about everything and had a sense of adventure.

Typically, in the classic tale of a city girl moving to a small-town, in Alaska no less, it's all about others having to drag her damn near kicking and screaming into their way of life.

But Jackie wasn't afraid to dive right into anything and everything the town had to offer, and she wasn't uptight about it either. It's probably why everyone in town embraced her so easily and quickly.

And Rob Mayes is no stranger to playing the handsome, charming leading role in Christmas flicks, and his role as Finn was no exception. He was humble, warm, free-spirited, and utterly smitten with Jackie.

Every scene they shared brought a smile to your face, and the sparks and chemistry were flying from the moment Jackie and Finn laid eyes on one another at the airport.

But what led to Jackie's Alaskan adventure was disheartening. She was nothing if not passionate about her job and journalism.

Jackie dreamed of running a newsroom of her own for her whole life. She was on the path toward fulfilling that dream at her company in San Diego, and you could tell she would've gotten her way if not for Melanie acquiring it as part of her conglomerate.

To think that Melanie dismissed Jackie's hard work and talent with a flick of a wrist then offered her a job she had moved on from five years ago.

Jackie was right to quit. Always know your worth.

But Jackie was bold to take on the challenge of relocating to Alaska to help save a small-town print newspaper. It's a dying industry as we've moved on to digital journalism, but there's a certain charm to old-fashioned print that is impossible to duplicate.

Despite the reality of what little businesses like that are going up against, it's plausible that they can thrive in small-towns and stay relevant.

Jackie had her work cut out for her, but it was impressive how well she got a feel for the town and what they enjoy, and she managed to create a newspaper that appealed to its unique personality and vibe.

It would've been a pity if the newspaper business Finn's father spent his life tending to fell through. Jackie managed to keep his memory alive through her work.

Dolores and Edna were invaluable to Jackie, too. Sure, you come for the heartwarming stories and the romance, but damn if the friendship doesn't get to you as well.

Dolores and Edna were such fun-loving, beautiful characters, and the friendship they forged with Jackie was one of the best aspects of the film.

The power of those three women, am I right? They brought such joy to everyone, and they were an unstoppable force when they worked together. Jackie could not have asked for a better team of women to work alongside.

They also were the equivalent of audience inserts, since they were peeping and 'shipping the romance between Jackie and Finn the same way most of us were.

Every photo Dolores captured of Finn and Jackie together revealed the sparks flying between them with each look they shared, and dammit, the camera doesn't lie!

And Edna was all but playing matchmaker herself encouraging Jackie to go for it and peering behind doorways to note the flirtation between the two.

They had so many moments. After a couple of near-kisses, intimate talks, and spending so much time together, their love was inevitable.

Finn was talented on his own. Of the many jobs and careers that come about during these films, a glassblower is such a unique one.

We even got to see some of the techniques, and that was incredible. The ornaments and baubles that Finn made were fantastic, and it was the cutest when he showed Jackie how to make a special ornament.

It was the perfect opportunity for some hands-on bonding, and Finn was impressed by Jackie's blowing skills. Uh, my apologies for the phrasing, and I'll take a lump of coal for that.

Jackie took the task with such ease that you could envision her taking it up as a hobby, and by next Christmas, she'll probably have a glass ornament of her own to put on the town Christmas tree.

She was a fast-paced person who liked to get things down, and it's a skill that takes time and patience. It's where Finn conflicted with his father, but it felt as though Jackie liked the idea of slowing things down and enjoying them. 

Jackie was also a natural at chiseling and sculpting ice, and she was always invigorated and threw herself into learning something new.

Jackie had a knack for adventure, and Finn was the perfect person to introduce her to new things and the beauty of the place. Their unofficial date where he showed her the Northern Lights was enough to make a girl swoon.

It's the simplest things that can mean so much and be magical. And for Jackie, she discovered that there was so much magic in that little town with its brood of warm-hearted, eclectic people.

The paper thrived because Jackie highlighted the magic of the town and its inhabitants. It also helped that she immersed herself in their culture and way of life instead of taking a hands-off approach.

By jumping in and getting involved, it made her a better journalist and a more personable one. It was what the town needed.

She garnered a lot of attention and success in such a short period, so it was no surprise at all that Melanie came prancing into town wanting to buy the press shop and add it to her digital empire.

Don't you love Marie Osmond? She's a living legend, and she was radiating powerful head b*tch in charge energy. She had a lot of nerve coming to Jackie after how she dismissed her in San Diego, but you have to respect the woman for knowing what she wants and going after it.

A digital extension of her empire stationed in that small town wasn't a smart move, though. A place like that wouldn't have benefited from that at all, not like they did an actual local newspaper.

They were all about community, and Melanie's empire would've stripped them of that.

It would've been a hell of a lot to accept a dream job from a woman who screwed you over the first time, but after a month, Jackie realized that her dream had evolved.

She had found a home, life, and genuine happiness doing what she loved outside of Juneau. You can't trade that in for anything.

Jackie and Finn were so supportive of one another, and they were determined to do whatever it took to make the other happy. Despite Finn's feelings for Jackie and how important his father's business was to him, he trusted her to make the right choice, and he only wanted what made her happy.

What's a girl supposed to do with all of these squishy, fuzzy feelings?

And Jackie didn't have to step foot near the plane to realize that everything she wanted was right there. Her father had shared how he had opportunities to work as a journalist in bigger cities, but he knew it would've taken him away from Jackie and her mother.

Sometimes your dream evolves to accommodate the other things that you value in life. And what was valuable to Jackie was that small town, with a community that became her family, and a man with whom she fell in love.

Jackie found her love, her life, and her happiness in Juneau.

Hot Off the Press Tidbits:

• Dolores' husband had a name, but I only called him the Gingerbread Man, and I have never craved so much gingerbread in my life. Can someone drop some of those recipes? 

• You know a town is fabulous when the mayor walks around in a top hat all of the time. William was the best. 

• William and Edna rekindling something was everything I needed, and it's too bad we didn't find out what they were really doing when she was showing off her press equipment. Good for them. 

• I heard they used a stand-in person for some of the glass-blowing, and again, that is the coolest job. 

• Jackie was so fashionable, and I would love to raid her closet. It wasn't a single time she didn't look gorgeous, but she was showstopping in her Christmas gown. 

• Rob Mayes. That's it. That's the sentence. 

• One of these days, they'll put some kind of liquid in the coffee cups that everyone carries around or pretends to sip. They're always so obviously empty is laughable. 

• I, too, want to relocate to a small town in Alaska and live my best life. The wanderlust is real. 

• Can we talk about how sexy Marie Osmond was looking every time she popped up? She oozed sultry goodness. 

• Carly Hughes' voice is absolutely angelic, and I wish she sang more and longer. Holy wow!

Over to you, Lifetime Fanatics. What would you rate this film? Did you love this love story? How awesome was Marie Osmond? 

Did Jackie and Finn give you all the warm, fuzzy feelings? Hit the comments below! 

Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is an insomniac who spends late nights and early mornings binge-watching way too many shows and binge-drinking way too much tea. Her eclectic taste makes her an unpredictable viewer with an appreciation for complex characters, diverse representation, dynamic duos, compelling stories, and guilty pleasures. You'll definitely find her obsessively live-tweeting, waxing poetic, and chatting up fellow Fanatics and readers. Follow her on X.