Rebuilding A Dream Christmas - What We Know So Far

"Rebuilding a Dream Christmas" is one of Lifetime's new upcoming Christmas movies. Yes, it's already time to consider setting aside all things pumpkin spice and pulling out those ugly Christmas sweaters, because the annual deluge of holiday movies is almost upon us. Although the Hallmark Channel arguably has the market cornered when it comes to holiday films, Lifetime isn't far behind. Notably, in 2021, Lifetime is releasing 35 original offerings — a record-breaking number for the network (via Entertainment Weekly). 

Melissa Joan Hart, the original "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," as well as country star Reba McEntire, singer Kelly Rowland, and "One Tree Hill" hunk Chad Michael Murray are just a few of the familiar faces appearing in a slew of cutesy holiday-centric titles. The selection includes "Christmas With a Crown," "The Holiday Fix Up," "Maps and Mistletoe," and "Ghosts of Christmas Past." There is something for everyone, and these movies go down as smoothly as spiked eggnog on a chilly winter night. There's a lot of content to unwrap, so we're breaking down everything we know about one of Lifetime's upcoming holiday movies, "Rebuilding a Dream Christmas."

Just because it's a cliché doesn't mean it isn't true, and when it comes to the holidays, they seem to be upon us earlier every year. Drinking steaming hot pumpkin spice lattes during the final dogs days of summer, stores filling the shelves with Halloween candy in early September, and retailers rolling out Black Friday deals before the Thanksgiving turkey is even in the oven is the new normal. Unsurprisingly, Lifetime is kicking off its holiday-movie bonanza on November 12, releasing five new movies in a countdown to Friday, November 26, when new movies will start airing nightly (per Us Weekly) before wrapping up the season with "Writing Around the Christmas Tree" on December 25. As for "Rebuilding a Dream Christmas," it makes its official debut on December 23 at 8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. CT. 

For viewers eager to learn more about Lifetime's 2021 slate of feel-good seasonal offerings, Tia Mowry — who is a familiar face to fans of holiday-centric fare — serves as the host for "It's a Wonderful Lifetime Holiday Movie Preview." The special will be available on-demand starting October 24 and will premiere on Lifetime on November 7.

"Rebuilding a Dream Christmas" stars Meggan Kaiser as Abbey. Kaiser is a self-proclaimed "actress, author, travel host, and foodie" who wrote "Free Travel for the Modern Nomad: Everywhere for Nothing." She starred as Alice in "Farm to Fork to Love," which is about a sous chef who travels to Kansas to judge a cooking competition and finds love with a fellow chef (the film is available to stream for free on Amazon Prime). Playing Kaiser's love interest in "Rebuilding a Dream Christmas" is Zane Stephens, who plays Josh. His acting credits include "The Vampire Diaries," "The Resident," "MacGyver," and "The Internship." Both Kaiser and Stephens are new to the holiday movie genre. 

Elsewhere, 10-year-old child model turned actor Bryson JonSteele plays Josh's son, Noah, and Maxie McClintock — who also appeared in "Farm to Fork to Love" with Kaiser — plays Ellen. Rounding out the cast are Patty Lambert ("Caged"), Teance Blackburn ("The Map of Tiny Perfect Things"), Jon W. Sparks ("Sleepy Hollow"), Jimbo Barnett ("Wild Woman"), Ashton Leigh ("Don't Look Back"), Kevin Wayne Walker ("Fatal Attraction"), and Liana Osgood ("The First Boy").

A common theme among feel-good sentimental movies like "Rebuilding a Dream Christmas" is a successful (or flailing) lead character returning home and embarking on a journey of self-discovery that frequently involves a former crush (or a new one). In this story, Meggan Kaiser stars as real estate broker Abbey, who "is forced back to her hometown to repair a Victorian house she inherited from her grandmother." Of course, no home renovation is complete without a super cute handyman: a man with good hands and an open heart. In "Rebuilding a Dream Christmas," that guy is a single dad, Josh (Zane Stephens). "Working together brings up memories from her past, and as her relationship with Josh and his 8-year-old son, Noah (JonSteele), grows, Abbey finds her calling and makes a home for herself," Entertainment Weekly reports. 

Lifetime's "Rebuilding a Dream Christmas" will cover familiar territory, but hopefully, it puts its own unique spin on the genre. It's also not the only renovation-themed offering — "The Holiday Fix Up" centers on Jana Kramer, an interior designer who finds romance with a contractor while renovating an inn.