Have We Met This Christmas? Review: Forgetting Everything Except How Love Feels
- Elizabeth Sanate
- Dec 16, 2025
- 3 min read
Have you ever wished you could hit the reset button on your life just once? Forget the mistakes, forget the heartbreak, forget the one relationship you swear you’re over but maybe aren’t?
Have We Met This Christmas, the latest holiday romance from Great American Family, takes that exact thought and wraps it in snow, twinkling lights, and a very familiar Christmas question: If love came back to you without the pain, would you choose it again?
Starring Danica McKellar and Jesse Hutch, this holiday film is cozy, emotional, sometimes predictable, and occasionally more thoughtful than it first appears. It doesn’t shout for attention; it gently taps you on the shoulder and waits.
Have We Met This Christmas: Memory, timing, and second chances
In Have We Met This Christmas, Katie Stone is used to being in control. Her life runs on speed and structure until a car accident just before Christmas wipes her memory clean. No past. No relationships. No emotional scars. She wakes up in a small town surrounded by strangers who seem oddly invested in her life. Especially Emmett.
He feels different. Kind and more careful. Like someone holding back a truth. And of course he is. Emmett isn’t new in Katie’s life. He’s her ex. They were in love once, and it ended badly. Now, Katie doesn’t remember any of it, and Emmett remembers everything.
Here’s where the movie gets quietly uncomfortable in the best way. Emmett gets to meet the woman he loved without the arguments, the hurt, or the history. But is that fair? And more importantly, is it honest?
Have We Met This Christmas: Performances that value restraint
Danica McKellar plays Katie with warmth and ease. Her performance never feels exaggerated or “cute for the sake of it.” She feels open, curious, and emotionally lighter, which makes you wonder who Katie was before life hardened her. Jesse Hutch carries more emotional weight, and he does it well. His Emmett isn’t chasing romance; he’s cautious, restrained, and quietly afraid of hoping again. That hesitation gives the story its emotional core.
Their chemistry doesn’t come from grand gestures. It comes from pauses. From conversations that stop halfway. From feelings that show up before explanations do.
That said, the film sometimes plays things too gently. A few moments beg for bigger emotional risk, but the film chooses comfort instead. It’s not a flaw for everyone, but it’s noticeable.
Have We Met This Christmas: That familiar holiday glow
Snow-dusted streets. Soft lighting. Cozy rooms that feel warmer than real life. Have We Met This Christmas doesn’t try to surprise you visually, and it doesn’t need to. It’s designed to feel safe. Like a movie you put on while decorating the tree or winding down at night.
There’s light humor scattered throughout, mostly from awkward situations and emotional misunderstandings. Nothing loud, nothing forced. Just enough to keep the story from feeling heavy. It’s the kind of movie that makes you exhale without realising you were holding your breath.
So, is Have We Met This Christmas worth your time?
Have We Met This Christmas won’t change your mind about Christmas movies. You’ll probably guess the ending early. And yes, it plays within familiar boundaries. But it also understands why people come back to these stories every year. It’s about timing. About emotional second chances. About wondering whether love failed because it was wrong or because the moment was.
If you’re looking for something bold, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for something warm, thoughtful, and quietly emotional, this one works. Sometimes a Christmas movie doesn’t need to surprise you. Sometimes it just needs to sit with you for a while. And during Christmas, that kind of quiet can feel like exactly what you need.
For more honest, emotional, and real holiday movie reviews, keep reading The ScreenLight.
