This third installment in my series on Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas explores the difficulty of living under parental expectations—a theme that resonates far beyond holiday movie plots. Last week’s blog examined the ways we sometimes sabotage our romantic relationships, often without realizing it. Christmas on Duty reminds us that even amid festive cheer, many people struggle with the invisible weight of trying to live up to a parent’s standards or making peace with the feeling that they’ll never be “enough.”

In Christmas on Duty, Blair Birch (Janel Parrish) and Josh Cannon (Parker Young) are two decorated military officers who trained together at Quantico and became fierce rivals. When Blair is promoted into the position Josh always wanted, their friendship fractures. Years later, they’re unexpectedly reunited at a holiday base party—where their lingering resentment explodes into a public argument. Their commanding officer, tired of their tension, assigns them to “Christmas duty” together for 24 hours. A snowstorm soon threatens to cancel deliveries to........

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