As someone who makes it a point to watch all the new streaming and made-for-TV holiday movies, including the entire Hallmark Countdown to Christmas lineup, I’m pretty used to plot holes, and they don't bother me much. However, after watching 12 Dates of Christmas, I can’t stop thinking about one confusing plot point: how come Christina’s (Lucy Hale) family didn’t recognize Peter (Ian Harding)?
The premiere of Hulu's 12 Dates of Christmas on the 2026 TV Schedule serves as a mini reunion for Pretty Little Liars fans, as it reunites Hale and Harding for the holiday flick. Hale plays Christina, a workaholic who owns a furniture restoration shop and has made little time for finding her romantic soulmate. After a disastrous family Christmas Eve dinner, Christina makes a promise to herself and her mom that by next year she’ll have someone to bring to it. Of course, the year gets away from her, which leads her best friend (Kahyun Kim) to set up a string of dates for Christina to go on in the twelve weeks leading up to Christmas Eve.
In the midst of the endless stream of disastrous dates, Christina reconnects with her high school crush Peter (Harding), who commissions Christina to refurbish a beloved loveseat for the home he’s remodeling with the help of local mean girl Bridget (Greer Grammer). The two regularly cross paths, and Peter even meets Christina’s entire family when he drives her to the hospital after learning her sister is in labor.
It’s no surprise that Hale and Harding have amazing chemistry and make it easy to root for their characters to get their happily ever after despite the obstacles between them. However, after the infamous hospital scene, I felt myself growing more and more confused as to why Chrsitina’s family seemed to not know who Peter was, considering Christina had a crush on him in high school.
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Sure, not every daughter shares their high school crush with their family, but Christina’s family is the meddling type, especially her mom. It doesn’t make sense that they wouldn’t at least know about Peter from her high school pining days. I can maybe believe that they wouldn’t recognize him because he’s older now, but not even getting excited at the name just doesn’t make any sense.
Not to mention, this is a Christmas romance movie, which means the town Christina grew up in and still calls home isn’t a big one. All the more reason for her family to at least recognize Peter’s name, especially since he’s renovating his family’s home.
Ultimately, Christina’s family not knowing who Peter is isn’t that big of a deal. However, I do think it would have been a fun twist if they did recognize him because it would make them meddle in her love life even more. Still, 12 Dates of Christmas is a cute and festive Christmas flick that anyone with a Hulu subscription should definitely check out.
