A Chance for Christmas (2021)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Family, Romance

Starring: Tori Anderson and Mykee Selkin, 

Synopsis: A social media star gets the offer to become a brand ambassador for a major company, if she can get 2 million subscribers by Christmas Eve.

Review:  I loved this movie!  A single mom is an influencer but the man playing her husband is mom’s boyfriend and a lot isn’t as it appears.  She has to keep reliving Christmas Eve, Groundhog Day style, until she gets it right.  But in this version, the representative from the company is there to oversee the live videos but he also knows it’s the same day.  The pair work together to break the spell and the romance builds so naturally as they do this.  Of course, it turns out the answer isn’t getting to be the brand ambassador, it’s her family.

Scoring: 3.5

A Chance Of Snow (1998)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama

Starring: JoBeth Williams and Charles Durning

Synopsis: After signing her divorce papers, a woman heads out to the Minnesota airport with her sister and daughters for a flight to her mother's home. At the airport, her sportswriter husband shows up to catch a flight to Miami to visit his father. When a blizzard hits, the two suddenly find they have time to re-evaluate their relationship with assistance from an older couple.

Review:  I found this movie to be tedious. I got halfway through and still didn’t care about the characters. I found it to be extremely slow and it had typical expected situations. It takes place on Christmas Eve and they mention Christmas but that’s about it. 

Scoring: 1

Chandler Christmas Getaway (2018)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Family

Starring: Malinda Williams and Karon Riley

Synopsis: The Chandlers pack up and head to a cabin for maximum holiday fun. With old feuds, new feuds, and a heap of holiday stress, the Chandler family must pull together to make this the best Christmas ever.

Review:  This next episode in the Chandler family series delivers the same joy, family issues, and Christmas spirit as all the rest. I recommend watching the series in order to truly get the feelings and messages. 

Scoring: 3.5

Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol (1982)

Rated: G

Genres: Animation, Drama, Fantasy

Synopsis: The classic holiday tale tells of Scrooge, whose lust for money has destroyed his life, until ghosts of the season show him how to be a better man.

Review: It’s a full and proper telling of the story that’s not too scary for young children.  The animation shows the age of the movie but it’s a good version to introduce your children to the story.

Scoring: 3

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (2020)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Fantasy

Starring: Martin Prest

Synopsis: Playing over 20 characters, Martin Prest brings Charles Dickens's timeless story of redemption to life.

Review:  I will say that Prest is an amazing actor.  He transitions between characters seamlessly.  The problem is I got tired of looking at one actor the whole time like one long monologue.  Probably my least favorite version of this tale.

Scoring: 2

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

Rated: G

Genres: Animation, Drama, Family, Religion

Starring: Bill Melendez

Synopsis: Repelled by the commercialism he sees around him, Charlie Brown tries to find the true meaning of Christmas.

Review:  Technically this would count as a special instead of a movie but it’s on so many Christmas movie lists I’m including it. I should say that I’m a huge Peanuts fan so that may impact my review. I love it!  The gang is up to their usual antics and we have such classic moments as Linus giving his speech and the Charlie Brown tree. 

Scoring: 5

Charlie’s Christmas Wish (2020)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Family

Starring: Aiden Turner and Toni Hudson

Synopsis: A war veteran finds inspiration in his son's spirited new terrier, who helps bring the town together in time to build homes for displaced veterans.

Review: While I don’t typically like talking dog movies, the fact that he was an angel in training and wasn’t the majority of the movie was fine. I appreciated their focus on veterans and their mental health and homelessness issues. I wish they got rid of the leash law nonsense. It took away from the movie so it didn’t delve as deeply as it could on important issues. I’d watch again. 

Scoring: 3

Chateau Christmas (2020)

Rated: G

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Merritt Patterson and Luke MacFarlane

Synopsis: A pianist rediscovers her passion for music after reuniting with her ex during the holidays.

Review: The movie is lacking something.  I love the actors and they were as charming as ever.  I just felt like we picked up in the middle of a story and the beginning was missing.  It’s still lovely and enjoyable to watch once.

Scoring: 2.5

Check Inn To Christmas (2019)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Family, Romance

Starring: Rachel Boston, Wes Brown, and Richard Karn 

Synopsis: Julia Crowley and Ryan Mason must unite their families during Crestridge’s Centennial Christmas celebration to save their family inns from a chain resort. 

Review: Brown and Boston are amazing in this movie and make it really wonderful. They manage every emotion from seriousness to humor and make it entertaining. The families may feud but they do it with respect. The town’s Christmas traditions are fun. I especially liked the snowball toss. This is a lovely movie about coming home again. 

Scoring: 4

Checkin’ It Twice (2023)

Rated: G

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Kevin McGarry and Kim Matula 

Synopsis: A journeyman hockey player falls for a real estate agent in a career crisis when he's traded to her hometown and moves into the cottage in her hockey loving family's backyard.

Review: I was worried that hockey might overwhelm Christmas but they were well balanced. The only negative is it felt like there were too many smaller stories meshed and so none were easy to be fully invested in. There’s lots of Christmas. 

Scoring: 3

A Cheerful Christmas (2019)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Erica Deutschman and Chad Connell

Synopsis: Lauren and her best friend Colleen think they have landed their dream job-giving people the best and most magical Christmas ever as their personal ‘Christmas Coaches’.  This holiday season promises to be their biggest ever when they land a royal client, the Anderson family, who has moved from England.

Review:  I never thought I’d dislike a Hallmark movie so much.  The character of Lauren was so overly perky and pushy it was grating.  Even her ‘holiday cheer’ was over the top and seemed forced.  The story wasn’t very original but better casting may have saved it.  I found this very difficult to sit through.

Scoring: 1

Cherished Memories: A Gift To Remember 2 (2019)

Rated: G

Genre: Romance

Starring: Ali Liebert and Peter Porte

Synopsis: As Darcy and Aiden prepare to celebrate their second Christmas together, an unexpected guest and a fight to save the beloved community center unites everyone for an unforgettable holiday.

Review: This sequel is a wonderful follow up. It keeps the best of the first movie; like the book store and characters, but created a new enough story to make it interesting. The addition of Marcus was a fun touch. It’s a sweet story that’s light and easy to watch. 

Scoring: 3

A Chestnut Family Christmas (2021)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Family, Romance

Starring: Meagan Holder, Brad James, Jaime M. Callica, Klarc Jerome Wilson, and Kalista Wilson

Synopsis: A talented pastry chef, accidentally commits to hosting her family for the holidays, she poses as the wealthy homeowner in order to impress them.  Everything is fine, until everyone’s secrets are exposed and relationships begin to unravel.

Review: Despite all the dishonesty between them, you can feel the love and connection within the family. I like how they support each other. They have their moments, like when checking into the hotel, but they’re still a family. 

Scoring: 3

A Child’s Christmas in Wales (1987)

Rated: NR

Genre: Comedy

Starring: Ruth Jones

Synopsis: Based on the book by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas where he recollects his past Christmases.

Review: I found this movie reminiscent of A Christmas Story except unlike it, this one was hard to watch.  I don’t know what part was worse; the accents, the gentleness of the narrator’s voice which beckons sleep, or the Welsh expressions I didn’t understand. It has a sweet enough story that many may enjoy. You may want to give it a try.

Scoring: 2

Chilly Christmas (2012)

Rated: G

Genres: Adventure, Family

Starring: Tom Arnold and C. Thomas Howell

Synopsis: Bobby and his dog Chilly protect their home from a dog thief.

Review: This is a fun movie for children.  It has the same feel to it as Dennis the Menace.  The children trying to teach the dog to be an indoor dog, using the toilet and all, is entertaining.  The crime part is not scary for children.  Arnold plays a funny criminal.  I believe families will enjoy watching this together.

Scoring: 3

A Christian Carol (2016)

Rated: NR

Genres: Drama, Religion

Starring: Joe Herrera and Brenda Roesel

Synopsis: A modern "Christmas Carol" from a Christian perspective, with a Dickensian twist.

Review: As with many religious movies, this is low budget with amateur actors. However, the story is good. Rather than showing Carol how her actions simply affected others, she is shown how they affected others and her relationship with God. I especially liked the music.

Scoring: 2.5