Christmas is the time for conspiracies, because you never know which eccentric old man is actually Santa Claus! Especially when you are trapped in a gender-reversed Northern Exposure Christmas romance Hallmark Channel movie! Actually, it’s sort of obvious which eccentric old man is secretly Santa Claus in this film, because the synopsis spells it out for you. But is he really Santa? Also, will Candace Cameron-Bure decide Alaska is the bee’s knees? And how come with the huge gender gap in Alaska is she only getting one guy hitting on her? Christmas Under Wraps will answer all these questions, specially my questions about why there is a dog featured in many of the publicity photos yet not mentioned at all in the plot synopsis. Is the dog really Santa, and Brian Doyle-Murray is just pretending? Probably not, but you never know. Not until you watch Christmas Under Wraps on Hallmark Channel!

Christmas Under Wraps is part of Hallmark’s The 12 New Movies of Christmas in their Countdown to Christmas celebration.

Dr. Lauren Brunell (Bure) has her whole life planned out. As a third year surgery resident, she is counting on being accepted into a prestigious hospital fellowship to follow in the footsteps of her supportive father, Henry (Pine). But when those plans quickly fall apart, and Lauren is put on the wait list, she must take the only other opening available: a head doctor position in the small, remote town of Garland, Alaska. Convincing herself it is only temporary, Lauren moves to Garland where she is immediately charmed by Andy (O’Donnell), a handsome local who soon starts to show her the importance of living in the moment and enjoying her unexpected adventure. As Lauren excels as Garland’s trusted doctor, she warms up to the friendly town, and even starts falling for Andy. But Andy’s father, Frank (Doyle-Murray), is hiding something from her in his top-secret shipping warehouse. From his busy holiday workload, to his reindeer barn, to his weakness for cookies, it seems Frank’s family business has a lot in common with the North Pole. Just as Lauren decides to get to the bottom of her suspicions, she receives news that will force her to make a choice between the life she’s always planned and the love she never expected to find, while knowing for certain that the Christmas season will never be the same.

Christmas Under Wraps stars Candace Cameron-Bure (Full House) as Lauren Brunell, David O’Donnell (12 Wishes of Christmas) as Andy Holliday, Kendra Mylnechuk (Winter in the Blood) as Billie, Brian Doyle-Murray (Caddyshack) as Frank Holliday, Robert Pine (CHiPS) as Henry, Joyce Cohen (Pirates of the Great Salt Lake) as Maggie, and Page Petrucka (A Christmas Wish) as Hattie. It’s directed by Peter Sullivan (High School Possession, Christmas Twister) and written by Jennifer Notas (Stolen from the Womb, Perfect on Paper)

Seems like it could be okay, but I’d be more interested in Santa conspiracies than the love story. Still, your mileage may very. Catch Christmas Under Wraps as it premieres on November 29th on Hallmark Channel!

Photos via Hallmark Press/Fred Hayes