*** 2024 CHRISTMAS MOVIES*** including Hallmark

blemon Thanks for the It's a Wonderful Binge recommandation! I'd somehow never heard of this one and one of my fave Christmas movies is on the dark, drug-fueled side of things (In Bruges) so this sounds like it'll be a great fit for me.

'TIS THE SEASON TO BE IRISH // Dreamy landscapes ✅, goodlooking and quite unproblematic love interest ✅, cutest sheep named Lambchop ✅. I had a wonderful time watching this one despite it very clearly having been filmed in the summer (if you are not familiar with Ireland or Northern Europe in winter, you'll likely not notice, fear not). This is a wonderful change of scenery and very good use of filming in foreign lands (which Hallmark doesn't always nail). Definitely put this one on your watch list and get that half a bottle of Baileys left over from last Christmas out to make some Irish coffees while you take in the seaside cottage life. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

CHRISTMAS WITH THE SINGHS // I expected a comedy built on cultural dissonance but got a dramedy built on cultural dissonance. It has smile-inducing moments but this is a story of misunderstandings and ultimately compromise that doesn't veer into a string of bustling misunderstandings of laugh-out-loud dimension. I thought the lead couple was cute but overall, this movie thinned out quite quickly. Still enjoyable, just not as enjoyable as it could've been and some matters brought up early in the movie didn't actually get resolved. Adjust your expectations and you'll have a pleasant enough time. ⭐⭐⭐

JINGLE BELL RUN  //  Competition holiday movies can be hit or miss. This is a hit. It's fun, dynamic and very engaging. We get Andrew Walker country dancing in a cowboy fit 🤠, a gay side romance, loads of fun facts about the US and the cultures that make up the US (which I, as a foreigner, really enjoyed), enough space during the competition for warm and fuzzy moments, the brainiac + jock trope done right, an ode to education and even a little nod to France as an unexpected surprise. Just wonderful! Except the carbon footprint. 🤫 Highly recommended watch, obviously. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

dawnnikol Let us know what the cool kids picked! 😉

I had a long day and was so not planning on staying up late but then I gave the first episode of HOLIDAZED a try. Just checking it out for a few minutes, you know. And bam, 40+ minutes have passed and I watched the whole thing! Oh, this is nice. I'm too tired to binge episode 2 the same night but I absolutely would have otherwise. Very enjoyable, easy watch, loads of drama building up already. Hallmark were right in venturing outside of the film format for their holiday releases.

dawnnikol Bwahaha! You know I'd totally watch that unironically, right? 🤪

So, I know with the state of *gestures all around* everything and particularly the post-election depression in the US, feel-good is very much needed to survive *gestures all around* all of this. I'm going off topic here but I feel so pressed to recommend this although it's not holiday-related because the third (and final 😭) season is currently airing and this show is so, so good, so, so special. Somebody Somewhere on HBO (and Max, obviously). I have waited religiously for every episode to drop each week of all three seasons. If you need a comforting watch and are ok with something very much not Christmassy, this is my top recommendation and has been since the first season aired.