2023 Christmas Movies

The other day, Dad asked me how many Christmas movies we've watched this year. Well, only eight so far, but we've (well, maybe I should speak for myself, I've) had a blast doing so. To honor the corniness of these movies' Christmas cheer, I'm sharing some reviews and marvelous memes I made below: 

The Christmas Cabin—Seth Walker wants to buy out Sammy Whetly’s share of her family cabin. Sammy knows nothing about Seth’s family owning any part of the homestead, and she’s not having it. When Seth gets snowed in, Sammy decides to let him have half (but only half) of the cabin. Complete with mediocre cinematography, bad acting, and a stilted storyline, this is definitely a dumb Christmas movie. With some beautiful snowy scenes and festive music, its best use is probably as a background movie to set a Christmas stage.

The Christmas Calendar—Lawyer Emily returns home to run the family bakery after her grandmother's death. Just before Christmas, a mysterious advent calendar arrives, along with neighborhood competition for her bakery. One is good for business, and one is not! With a few twists and turns and just a little bit of magic, these is a cliché and cheesy, yet charming Christmas movie that sets itself apart from the normal rom-coms of the Christmas calendar.

Christmas on Holly Lane—The house on Holly Lane is home to Sarah, as well as to her friends Cat and Riley, who grew up in less than the best of circumstances. Now, the three reunite in less than the best of circumstances, to relive memories, decorate the house, and perhaps, to heal. Though I did not enjoy the divorce elements of the struggles these women face, their stories of friendship and finding love are sweet. As a bonus, this movie has some B roll of Prescott, Arizona!

Christmas in Paris—Lucas goes to Montana to finish up a business deal, or so he thinks. Robin, the creative director, is all about business, that is, until she realizes she needs to know her clients to do her best for them. She attempts to get to know Lucas, but when she gets too close, he pushes her way. There is a lot of jetsetting in this movie, and some time in Paris, but mostly time spent understanding that assumptions ruin relationships, and that reconciliation and forgiveness save the day. This is a Christmas movie with a message I can get behind, even if the French accents and falling in love right away aspects of the film seem a little cheesy.

The Christmas Venue—Cait Miller heads back home to her father's bed and breakfast for the holidays. In the midst of a job search and after a breakup, she needs a bit of a respite. Sadly, she finds the inn in a state of disrepair, and completely undecorated for Christmas. Determined to change things, she hatches a plan to save the inn. Thrown together, the plan has some huge holes, especially the part about being married to handyman Drew. The movie is a bit like Cait's plan: thrown together with some poor quality acting and questionable characters. Still, values like honesty, love, and truth ring out. This movie is a good clean venue for talking about what really matters at Christmas, and it is certainly not Christmas extravagance!

Hats Off to Christmas—Another great Christmas movie with the illustrious Haylie Duff! Duff plays Mia Winters, a decade-long employee at the Hat's Off Christmas store, and single mom to son Scotty, who has special needs. She is trying to do everything right, hoping for a promotion, only to essentially get demoted. She tries to guard her heart, but struggles not to hope too much, or too little. Her son Sammy has more faith in humanity than she does! Yes, my husband predicted the conclusion of this movie from the beginning, but it was a really sweet tale, one that left me a little teary at the end. Besides company CEO Michael Bowers, the actors are even believable! Hats off to the makers of this film. I highly recommend it!

Hotel for the Holidays—Hotel manager Georgia dreams of becoming an executive director, not at her own hotel, but at a new, modern hotel. She realizes her dream when a handsome prince agrees to invest in her endeavors, but in the meantime, life circumstances reveal to her what really matters. The people at the hotel are her family, and what makes the hotel home. With several subplot lines that reveal the same, this is a sweet movie about what really matters at Christmas: friends, family, and love (excluding the unneeded nod to and endorsement of a homosexual relationship).

A Perfect Christmas Pairing—Grace is an Atlanta chef trying to earn a Michelin star, but she botched it. Asher is home from a travel stint, and they run into each other at the bed and breakfast/winery of Grace's aunt and uncle. At first, they are at odds, but maybe they can help each other find what really matters. This is a cute movie with fairly good acting, and a perfect dose of Christmas romance. Although alcohol (wine) is present in the movie, there is no debauchery associated, so I can wholeheartedly recommend this one!

May your holidays be as kitschy as you want them to be, very merry, and very enjoyable.

Merry Christmas!