2025 Christmas Movies

Christmas movie viewing season starts for us on 10/31. As a result, we get to fit in quite a few fun, sweet, and (very often) cheesy movies. It's not about the quality of the movie per se, but the spirit, and as such, I like to make memes to represent all the silly plots lines and faux pas. Here is this year's list.

The Art of Christmas—Liv James, teacher turned artist, is live with excitement about her first gallery show. A fire started by the caterers ruins it all, though, and she has to return to teaching. There she meets Mr. Jake Hartley, a man she actually first met at the gallery. They form a connection, but there is the problem of Bradley, Liv's very wealthy boyfriend. There is certainly lots of cheesy pick-up lines and stilted acting here. Messages about the art of love, supporting kids, and being yourself carry the film, though, and make it a worthwhile watch.

Candy Cane Christmas—Floral designer Phoebe and veterinarian Eric are each struggling to recover from last Christmas's breakups.They keep surreptitiously meeting, but their perceptions of each other are all wrong. Fortunately, Eric's Aunt Maggie keeps bringing them together, and it all works out. This is a sweet movie about the power of mistakes, making up, starting over, and making the Christmas season count. I recommend it!

-Christmas à la Mode—Emily White is trying to save her family’s dairy form. Meanwhile, her sister and co-inheritor Dorothy is trying to sell the farm to the highest bidder. Caught in the middle is Charlie, Dorothy’s coworker and Emily’s frenemy turned love interest. Things are down to the last wire in fundraising, and somehow things come through. It's a Christmas miracle—maybe expected, but still sweet as can be!

Christmas in Scotland—New York window designer Emma McKenzie goes to Scotland with her father to uncover their family lineage. She is shocked to find that Glenrothie doesn't celebrate Christmas. When a competition for best Christmas village comes around, though, she rises to the occasion. While the plot for this movie has some unexpected twists and turns, the acting, especially on behalf of Alex Glenrothie, is stilted. Do the Scottish accents and beautiful countryside make up for it? It's a maybe for me.

Christmas for Three—Cinematography? Meh. Ethics? Borderline. Cute storyline with a child actor that brought me multiple laughs? Check. Benito Luaces might not be ready to be a dad, but he takes on the role of guardian for his high school best friend's son Jason joyfully. Jason knows just all the heartstrings to pull to get the adults to bend to his wishes. This is a sweet story, even if Sophie Walker really shouldn't be involved with an adult from a recently closed case.

Christmas in the Pines—Ariel and Mark both want to make Christmas perfect for their families. The only problem is that they both bought the same “perfect” cottage, and now they have to share it, or at least until one of them leaves the property since “possession is 9/10 of the law.” Of course the cottage is already outfitted, and their families bring more goods. Of course there is a story of love and loss. Of course, the main characters fall in love, but then there is a misunderstanding. Of course, there is just a little bit of Christmas magic and matchmaking. All in all, though, this is a sweet film, with nods to the true Reason for the Season, and a reminder that Christmas is not about things, but about the people and the memories.

A Dash of Christmas—Advertising consultant Megan loses her job just before the holidays and decides to go home for Christmas. Before she even gets home, she literally runs into Aaron from Hometown Bakery. When she needs to film a cooking promotional video for a new job, of course Megan goes to Aaron for help. They work well together, but then there is the crisis of whether or not they will be able to handle a long distance relationship. This is a cute, clean movie with nods to the value of family, love, military, and trying new things. I enjoyed it!

A Furry Little Christmas—New York City veterinarian and widow Dr. Scarlet Miller goes home to Vermont to visit her dad. There she gets back into farm medicine, and meets a local doctor (Josh Foster). He is from New York, but likes the country. Nevertheless, he and his adopted dog Banjo try to bring the feel of New York to and her son Milo. This story is more about the people who care for the animals than animals, and the ending is a bit hasty. Of course, no Christmas movie could be complete without some stilted acting. Still, there are lots of warm fuzzies to be had from this movie, and it’s worth watching at least once.

A Perfect Christmas Carol—Handyman Max meets Pastry Chef Carol when he keeps the Christmas tree from falling on her. Of course, they fall in love, dinners with wine, feathered couch pillow fights, and all. From Los Angeles, Carol goes home to Redbridge, Vermont with Max in hopes of learning his mother's Christmas kringle recipe. She is a Christmas grinch. His mother is overprotective and a Christmas zealot. There are a few sweet spots in this movie, but also a lot of cattiness, what feels like a forced a nod to a homosexual relationship, and overall just too much drama. This was far from a perfect Christmas movie for me.

Together at Christmas—Artist Ava travels from New York City west to Tinsel, California over Christmas. There she meets widower Dr. Mason, and his adorable daughter Mia. She doesn’t plan on falling in love—with the town, or with the family, but she does. There is the complication of her boyfriend Dean, but he asks for a break, and then breaks things off. I’d rather that have happened at the beginning of the plot, but alas, it’s at the end, as everything is coming together. Rylie Coe is fantastic as Mia. The rest of the cast, well, some of them are a little stilted. Overall, this is a cheesy Christmas movie, but still one that’s fun to watch together to start the Christmas season.

2024 Christmas Movies

We did not get to watching quite as many cheesy Christmas movies as normal this year, but still, I think we have had our fill. The same (or similar) story lines really do repeat year after year. So with that, here are my memes and wrap-ups for the movies we viewed:

Candy Cane Lane—In an attempt to win $100,000 in a neighborhood Christmas decorating contest, Christopher Carver signs an unwitting contract with evil elf Peppermint. By doing so, he falls prey to the curse of becoming a tiny person if he does not collect all the golden rings by 8:00 pm. This fantastical movie has family values, but is unfortunately laden with non-friendly language and themes. The sour stuff outweighs the sweet here, so I recommend a pass on walking down this Candy Cane Lane.

The Christmas Brew—Tori's boss sends her on a mission to convince Real McCoy Brewing to sell. Its owner, Evan, will have none of it. He says he needs to learn to trust Tori. Tori tries to earn his trust, in the meantime, falling for his heart. Sadly, her boss Jake gets in the way with his ruse and trickery. In the end, Tori has to decide what really matters and see if a new brew will save Christmas.

A Christmas Wish—School teacher Faith is trying to save her art program. Meanwhile, her sister places a wish for “true love's kiss” in the town wishing box. That brings on a series of unwelcome advances from men in the town, and a confession of love from Faith's best friend, Wyatt. A mix if cheese, meaning, and fantasy, this is a good Christmas cheese-mas movie, except for the fact that it seems to be pushing a family agenda with which I don't agree. My Christmas wish is for movie makers to stop making Christmas movies so political!

A Christmas of Wonders—World travel writer Eliza Gardiner gets “stuck” back in her hometown of Maryville for Christmas. Although she has decried it for years, she comes to re-realize its sweetness and charm, that is until her big city boyfriend Colin appears to “bust [her] outta there.” His comments hurt her family and she realizes she has blown it. The conclusion of the movie is a tribute to the wonders of home, for as Eliza's friend Will says, “The big things are important, but the small things are what anchor us to our past.” Although a small studio produced this film, it is big on values that really matter.

Holly and the Hot Chocolate—Food critic Holly wrecks her car in Pine Falls. Known for its Christmas cheer, the town, and its resident two truck driver, Rudy, make a mark on Holly. She misses the towns' famous hot chocolate during her initial visit, but returns to find that love really is the secret ingredient. This is certainly a cheesy Christmas movie, but short, cute, and good for creating some laughter, which I would argue is also an important ingredient in love.

Twinkle All the Way—Single mom Cadence meets widowed Henry Harrison while preparing for the play at their daughters’ elementary school. Cadence is all about organizing and prioritizing. Henry is about feeling things out. They are a little at odds until a freak snowstorm brings them, and their town together to pull off a special event. The child actors shine in this film, and the story is sweet, but several nods to a non-Christian agenda really sully the light. Watching the movie all the way left me sad about the agenda it promoted rather than thrilled about the love light of Christmas.

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!

Wisconsin: Day 3

Day 3 was baking day! Brother graciously took the day off his real job, so we went to work in the kitchen. We indoctrinated the new mixer by making cheesecakes.

Then we prepped pie dough for a chai spice apple pie. I made the leftover pie dough into chai spice cinnamon rolls.

We started on white chocolate cranberry cookies, but had to pause because we realized that we had no baking soda. We managed to get lunch (leftover curry for me!) and finish the pie before walking to the movies.

I'll admit that I'm a baby about the cold, so when Brother offered his sherpa hat, I accepted. We laughed about my get-up and what brother dubbed "all the colors," but you know what? It worked. And I was in a better mood because I wasn't cold.

Brother and I have very different tastes in movie, so I was glad to find a movie we could both watch. Complicated movies make my head hurt, and for some reason, I always seem to get sleepy during the action scenes, but I actually enjoyed this movie.

Murder on the Orient Express is based on an Agatha Christie book and has quite the complicated plot. I had an existential response to the movie, wondering if it is ever okay for people to get a second chance because someone lies for them. You'll have to see the movie to understand what I mean.

We intended to go to pizza for dinner, but we were tired, and while at Target to pick up the forgotten baking soda and a can-opener, we decided to get frozen dinner food. I got a chicken broccoli alfredo steamer. Brother got a frozen pizza. Brother snacked before dinner and ended up only having corn. I had my full meal.

It was relaxing to eat at home and not cook, since we'd worked at that basically all day.