I spent way too much time watching mindless, sappy, Christmas movies on Netflix this year. Good ones are far and few between, but sometimes you just have to wade through the mess to find a gem and get into that Christmas spirit.
I have always preferred stories with plenty of humor to counter the romance. My own stories have some of both and I personally don’t think you can have lasting romance without a touch of humor in your lives. Sitting around eating sugar cookies while making googly eyes at one another, as Nat King Cole croons through your speaker system, gets boring quick. Ditto for copycat movies with someone meeting “the real Santa.” They can never top Miracle on 34th Street with Natalie Wood as the doubting child and Edmund Gwen as Santa. And the best “becoming Santa” movie is still and probably will always be Tim Allen’s 1994, The Santa Clause. Every knockoff has failed miserably.
As for romantic Christmas movies, there are a lot of duds, but they are plentiful and easy access. You don’t have to leave the comfort of your couch to immerse yourself in a romantic setting. This year’s list might save you from wasting precious time watching something you wish you’d never clicked on. So, here you go. Please see my rating system below:
humbug = boring and/or terrible acting.
Elfin magic = silly slapstick but fun
toothache = Sickly sweet, sad family issues
Chimney Soot = Never should have been made
Stuffed Stocking = well played
Fairie Light = romantic setting, pretty couple
The Full Sprinkle = sweet, silly, stupid
My Favorite Christmas Tree
Female genealogist visits small town to find history on the “oldest Christmas tree farm” and ends up finding… You got it. Love. But I felt nothing but humbug.
Champagne Problems Young woman goes to Paris to acquire champagne brand for her company but handsome man in bookstore catches her attention and she ends up… Same old premise, but I still thought it had a lot of Fairie Light.
A Cowboy Christmas Romance
Realtor goes home to Arizona to acquire a ranch for a secret buyer and falls for the owner. Rich father and brothers on the ranch next door raise her ire at every turn. Watchable but gave me a bit of a toothache.
A Merry Little Ex-Mas
I’ve seen a lot of Alicia Silverstone lately and I ‘m glad. She has a really likable personality onscreen and it’s easy to relate to her. In this new Christmas movie, she has just signed divorce papers with her husband (Oliver Hudson) and is pretending it’s all fine. Family Christmas traditions are going to stay just the same. So she thinks. This was a cute movie. Often over the top silly, but still fun and watchable, mostly because of the lead actors. I think it may have had a little Elfin Magic.
Holiday in the Vineyards
Spoiled, playboy, & son of a wine empire maven, goes to small town to acquire vineyard and falls in love while learning how to act like a normal person. This was actually annoying, funny, sweet and stupid. It ended well and the couple were pleasant to look at, but I have my doubts about their relationship lasting thru the New Year. I give it the Full Sprinkle.
Christmas at the Chalet
Retired news reporter (Teri Hatcher) tries to get her mojo back by filming her experience working as a maid in the ski lodge, where her ex-husband and son are also staying, because the rooms are all booked. Handsome owner with cute niece and wise mother, fall for her terrific personality and bright-side outlook. I’m pretty sure this premise couldn’t hold water without a “star” in the lead. It still sparkled with a bit of fairie light.
Mistletoe Mixup
Brothers (Joey & Matthew Lawrence) fighting over a girl they both met the same day. This was sort of like the three stooges except with much more handsome faces and likable personalities. Yes, it was often over-the-top silly but it also had its moments. I actually laughed out loud a couple times. I think the Lawrence bothers have a little Elfin magic.
LoveHard
Woman (Nina Dobrev, Vampire Diaries) falls for a sexy online guy, flies to NY to surprise him and finds she’s been catfished by an average-looking Asian man who lives in his parent’s basement. Hilarity ensues. This one actually had a bit of bad language but otherwise was really funny, cute, sweet and romantic without turning maudlin or depressing. I laughed a lot! Santa made sure they had a full stocking.
A Sprinkle of Christmas
Pastry chef falls for movie star after he leaves an anonymous bad online review. This movie had its moments but as much as I would love to believe a professional chef can bring back childhood memories by making pastries that taste like food from the past, I can’t believe they’d want to. Store bought food isn’t great now, but thirty or forty years ago… it was awful. That aside, I got through the whole thing and think it deserves The Full Sprinkle.
My Secret Santa
Single mother of a teenage girl, needs a job to pay for daughter’s ski lessons at fancy lodge. The lodge is looking for a new Santa. Dressed as Santa, she spouts life advice to everyone at the lodge like she’s the real Santa from Miracle on 34th Street. Switching back and forth between pretty lady to jolly fat Santa is the slapstick I will never be able to unsee. Ski Lodges seem to be in vogue this year. probably because they supply the Elfin Magic.
Christmas on the Alpaca Farm
I started to watch this one, but only got 18 minutes in before I had to stop. I couldn’t take any more whining and preaching about renewable, green, sustainable, whatever. I’m beyond done with it all. You may have finished watching it, and thoroughly enjoyed being preached at but I didn’t. So, I call this one a pile of Chimney Soot.
Hope this helps you decide on what movies you might want to watch with the vacation days you have left.
Happy New Year!