I’m a little bit speechless about this movie. It is jam-packed with story, with something for the whole family – especially those of you wanting to avoid the saturated market of romcoms at this time of year.

Up until we meet Beano, the farm hand, we were amazed by how a British film had managed to emulate a Hallmark Christmas movie, but things took a turn.

They squeezed everything into this; slapstick, drama, heart, city vs countryside, holiday/community spirit, …with some seriously unconvincing romance from the lead, and there’s even a dance number and singing! Kids aged 11 and below will likely enjoy this and if you need a change of pace from the traditional Christmas movies, this is a good option.

Not sure we’ll watch it again as it’s left me a little stunned. Not quite the homely snuggly vibe I was looking for given the premise but it made me laugh – both at it and with it. Buster is my favourite character; Beano grows on you and there is a serious case of magical gestational periods – stay away from that mistletoe.

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Christmas At the Holly Hotel is a 2022 film.

It’s been a while since we’ve had to bail out of a movie but this one is a stinker! Not even cringy, just urg. We ‘urg’ed at least 10 times and we only managed 13 minutes of it! Poor writing, poor acting, poor camera work. Just poor.

Once again, the lead’s best friend saves the day with a bit of sparkle, but she didn’t last long and was quite confusing. The lead female was stiff and awful and we had so many questions throughout that were never answered.

One point added for starting the movie with a crime! Otherwise a strong ‘miss’.

IMDb

Next Stop, Christmas is a 2021 Hallmark Channel film starring Lindsy Fonseca and guest starring Lea Thompson and Christopher Lloyd.

Love it, love it, love it. The main character is funny and erratic and kept me captivated throughout. Christopher Lloyd is just as magic as ever and the train is a beautiful touch to add the Christmas sparkle.

This is not the first time-travelling Christmas synopsis we’ve encountered but it is a thoughtful one that is supported with the basic elements of the Christmas spirit. I think we’d all like the opportunity to go back 10 years with some hindsight and wisdom to look at that time afresh. 

The storyline is good, all the supporting characters are lovely and I didn’t cringe or roll my eyes once. By the end, I was so totally immersed that I even enjoyed the romantic element!

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Lindsy Fonseca

Lea Thompson

Christopher Lloyd

The Christmas House is a 2020 Hallmark film.

This is a surprising movie. Not surprising in its plot but it doesn’t initially sit comfortably and even at the end, I wasn’t endeared towards many of the characters. I wasn’t swept away by it and it’s magic but it made me laugh a lot. So the surprise is more that I would classify this as enjoyable. 

For me, the brother is the scene stealer; he has all the best lines and brings some depth and heart to the storytelling. The real risk with this movie is all the decor ideas it’s given Matt (note from Matt – so many ideas-I’m already planning decorating for next year. There can never be enough Christmas decorations!!!).

What is really refreshing is that it’s not dominated by the usual romantic elements of Hallmark movies. The romance is in there but it’s not the main feature- the house is the main feature and the weird magicians…and did I mention the cool brother?

This is a good palette cleanser of a crappy Christmas movie. I would recommend it but probably only the once.

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B&B Merry is a 2022 GAC family movie starring Jen Lilley and Jessie Hutch.

This film has all the ingredients to make a wonderful Crappy Christmas Movie: twinkly lights, beautifully decorated sets, wonderful Christmassy plinky plonky music, a snowy small town in Vermont, fairly good acting performances and a sitcom worthy premise. For all this, it has no heart.

What makes a truly fabulous Crappy Christmas movie is a sense of levity and light heartedness, a tongue in cheek joy that carries you through the familiar tropes with a smile on your face. This movie has none of it and treats itself more like a soap opera than a rom-com. The lack of joy, wonder and magic together with the over earnestness of the dialogue, strip B&B Merry any chance of a repeat visit from me.

This just goes to show, that it’s not easy making a good Crappy Christmas Movie. For it truly is greater than the sum of its parts.

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Jen Lilley

Jessie Hutch

Nostalgic Christmas is a 2019 Hallmark Channel film.

This is a below average crappy Christmas movie. It’s got very little going for it, despite following all the correct algorithms. The acting was more wooden than the box of beautifully hand-carved Santas and the writing was clunky. There was one line that was delivered magically by the leading lady when referring to her mother’s support of her musical endeavours, which made me laugh out loud but that was it.

Give this one a strong miss. It’s wholly unbelievable, gives no warm and snuggly feelings and there’s no Christmas magic to be found! Not nostalgic at all, sadly.

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Brooke D’Orsay

Sister Swap: Christmas in the City is a 2021 Hallmark Channel movie starring Ashley Williams and Kimberly Williams-Paisley.

So having searched for a way to watch this parallel movie immediately after watching Sister Swap: A Hometown Holiday, we found YouTube to be a useful source of Hallmark movies! Given how many years we’ve been doing this- that was new to us.

This parallel movie is just as delightful as it’s sister movie. I have no criticisms for this movie as it made me smile and properly laugh throughout. While it has the inevitable romance element, I like that each of these movies was more about the sisters making their next moves in life and the romance was an added extra rather than the motivation.

I love the premise of these movies and they have been a very welcome surprise to our 2023 marathon. I suspect we will be adding these to our annual list, but both in one day again to show our commitment to the premise. Add these to your watchlist, you won’t be disappointed

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Ashley Williams

Kimberly Williams-Paisley

Sister Swap: A Hometown Holiday is a 2021 Hallmark Channel movie staring Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Ashley Williams.

This is the gold standard of Hallmark Christmas movies. It hits all its marks and has enough storylines going to keep you entertained! The usual criticism of this genre of movies is their level of predictably, which for us is part of the viewing experience- almost interactive in fact; but this had very low levels of predictably- or at least it was resolved quickly and moved the story forward with pace and interest. The cast are all really good and I barely cringed or zoned out at all. I smiled all the way through.

We have debated if we would have loved it as much if we weren’t such seasoned crappy Christmas movie watchers – for a Christmas movie, there are lots of Easter eggs.

But the plot thickens…turns out that this is a 2-parter: filmed in tandem with the other sister’s storyline. So now we’re extra excited. More to follow.

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Kimberly Williams-Paisley

Ashley Williams

Family for Christmas is a 2015 Hallmark Channel movie staring Lacey Chabert.

This is an interesting movie that honestly has very little to do with Christmas other than the time of year in which it’s set to make it extra poignant.

There are no real warm and fuzzy feelings in this movie, certainly not Christmas themed ones, I can see how it’s supposed to be warm and fuzzy, but it totally missed the mark. Do not watch this movie unless you want to trigger a mid-life crisis. This is not a Christmas movie. Skip.

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Lacey Chabert

A Shoe Addict’s Christmas is a 2018 Hallmark Channel film starring Candace Cameron Bure, a true powerhouse when it comes to Crappy Christmas Movies.

This film has a little something that sets it apart from other Crappy Christmas Movies. The romance is there, but it doesn’t overpower the film’s message of following your heart and taking life’s opportunities when they are presented to you. While shoes are mentioned many times, they were nowhere near as prevalent as expected. Though, there are some dubious footwear choices for the harsh Winnipeg winter!

But what sets this movie apart is that it has a little magical twist that pops up in the beginning and carries Noelle through the film joyfully.

While it may not be a rewatch must, A shoe Addict’s Christmas is a fun little film that has plenty of Christmas cheer.

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Candace Cameron Bure