Christmas For A Dollar (2013)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Family

Starring: Brian Krause

Synopsis: America is in the midst of the Depression, and the Kamp family is struggling to get by, especially after Mrs. Kamp's untimely death. Now little Ruthie, with her mother gone and her father overwhelmed by doctor bills resulting from her brother’s polio, expects another Christmas without presents or festivities. But when her father brings home one dollar in change and lets the children use it to buy special gifts for each other, the Kamps come to find that money isn't what fills Christmas with joy, love, and miracles.

Review:  This isn’t a typical Christmas feel-good movie but it brings the emotions. We get a glimpse of the struggles people faced in depression era America. It strips away today’s commercialism and shows the true meaning of Christmas.

Scoring: 3

Christmas For Keeps (2021)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Christa B. Allen, Ryan Rottman, Marielle Scott, Ashley Newbrough, and Cardi Wong

Synopsis: At Christmas time, a close-knit group of childhood friends returns home after 10 years to take part in the celebration of life of their beloved high school teacher.

Review: I liked that they skipped a year between the two and the reasoning for the competition seemed realistic. I like that the characters have all the strengths and flaws that we all do.  Adding Noah’s father was a good twist.  I’m hoping from the ending that there will be a third in the series. 

Scoring: 3

A Christmas For Mary (2020)

Rated: PG

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Morgan Dixon, Vivica A. Fox, and Jackée Harry

Synopsis: A journalist uncovers a tale of young love that inspires her to follow her heart at Christmas.

Review: I really enjoyed watching Lena search for clues about her grandfather with the help of Michael looking for answers about his grandmother. The mirror of their relationships aren’t obvious at first. It’s a sweet movie and while the major storylines are expected, the journey of discovering about Clarence and Mary offers the unknown. 

Scoring: 3

A Christmas For The Books (2018)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Romance

Starring: Chelsea Kane and Drew Seeley

Synopsis: A romance expert conceals her recent breakup and asks a morning show producer to pretend they are a couple before she is exposed as a fraud. When he agrees, she never expects to find herself falling for him. 

Review:  While there’s plenty of expected moments there are also some surprises. It’s a little sappy and everyone behaves a little better than real life. However, there’s still lots of Christmas magic and love. Charming. 

Scoring: 3

Christmas For The Wealthy (2015)

Rated: NR

Genre: Documentary

Synopsis: Ever wonder how the mega wealthy celebrate Christmas?  Join us as we uncover the secrets of what money can buy you when it’s that special time of year.

Review: This is an interesting look behind the scenes at artists who create items for clients and a concierge who helps the wealthy get what they want.  It’s a look at some amazing artwork.

Scoring: 2.5

Christmas Full of Grace (2022)

Rated: TV-14

Genres: Comedy, Romance

Starring: Gessica Kayane Graça and Sergio Malheiros

Synopsis: Carlinhos catches his partner cheating, then meets lively Graça, who poses as his new one so he can save face at Christmas with his traditional family.

Review: This movie is in Portuguese. Maybe it’s a cultural thing but something got lost in translation. I found it too exaggerated and not funny at all. It was actually hard to force myself to sit through it. 

Scoring: 1

A Christmas Fumble (2022)

Rated: PG

Genre: Romance

Starring: Eva Marcille and Devale Ellis

Synopsis: Nicole is the "queen of crisis management" who is assigned the most difficult task: ex-footballer Jordan scandal, trying to hide that she and Jordan were ever dating, efforts to rehabilitate Jordan's image are undermined for his fiancée.

Review: The movie is okay. It more at Christmas than being Christmas and it lacks the Christmas spirit. It’s a cute romance, though. 

Scoring: 2

The Christmas Gift (1986)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Family

Starring: John Denver and Jane Kaczmarek

Synopsis: A man and his daughter visit a town of Santa Claus believers.

Review: If you can get past the film being from 1986, and looking like it, you may enjoy it.  The acting is good, the scenery is beautiful, and it has lots of Christmas traditions.  I personally found it very slow.  By halfway through I was still sort of bored and waiting for it to be over.  It had everything needed for a great movie but was just missing some magic.  It’s nice seeing the town come together.  It’s the type of small town I’d love to live in.

Scoring: 2

The Christmas Gift (2015)

Rated: PG

Genres: Drama, Family, Romance

Starring: Michelle Trachtenberg and Rick Fox

Synopsis: A reporter searches for a stranger who unknowingly changed her life with an anonymous Christmas gift.

Review:  With its more serious subject matter, the story still has enough light moments to balance them and has a feel-good plot. It’s a great story about how the

smallest acts of kindness can have a ripple effect. The underlying meaning and story are worth it. The characters' lives intertwine in interesting ways. It’s got some slow moments but the overall emotion of it left me feeling good about people.

Scoring: 3

Christmas Grace (2013)

Rated: TV-Y7

Genres: Drama, Family, Religion

Starring: Ryan-Iver Klann

Synopsis: Rival toy store owners compete over several Christmas seasons, and God's grace goes to work in their lives.

Review: I truly liked this movie.  The main messages are having faith in God that things will work out, doing the right thing, and giving to others.  Even if you don’t care for movies that have a strong religious message you may still enjoy it. The main characters are interesting people and the story moved right along.

Scoring: 3.5

Christmas Harmony (2018)

Rated: PG

Genres: Comedy, Drama, Musical

Starring: Kelley Jakle, Adam Mayfield, and Sally Struthers

Synopsis: Kelley Jakle stars as young woman who returns to her small hometown to rediscover music, family bonds, and the magic of the Christmas season.

Review:  It’s a little dumb at points but that doesn’t matter. I found myself getting frustrated with the main characters for what they did which means I cared.  The story has too many pauses but the love stories make it worth the watch. 

Scoring: 3

A Christmas Hero (2020)

Rated: NR

Genres: Drama, Fantasy

Starring: Michael Welch

Synopsis: When a young, disillusioned war vet, home from Afghanistan, sees nothing good in his life during Christmas, a visit by his guardian angel shows him that his life really did make a difference.

Review: This takes place at Christmas and the angel takes him to his past Christmases and future ones but it’s really more about his coping as a veteran.  He’s angry and feels no one understands him.  Because of this he’s pushed everyone away.  His angel helps him see he has life left to live.  It’s a little slow at points and almost too superficial.  It feels like it was written by someone who never served and just has common knowledge.  If you like the synopsis, you should like the movie. 

Scoring: 2.5

The Christmas High Note (2020)

Rated: G

Genres: Family, Romance

Starring: Jamie Luner and Johnny Messner

Synopsis: A woman falls for a single father while helping his daughter prepare to sing in a holiday pageant.

Review: While a single father meeting someone and keeping his guard up is fairly typical, the other cast members made this feel fresh enough to be enjoyable.  I would have liked it better if Rachel and Michael had better chemistry plus Ted being so ridiculous took away from the seriousness of the story.  It’s a sweet story. Nothing overly new but a nice watch. 

Scoring:3

Christmas Hotel (2019)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Family, Romance

Starring: Tatyana Ali, Sean Patrick Thomas, and Sheryl Lee Ralph

Synopsis: A big city hotelier finds her promotion is based on returning to her hometown and restructuring the Mt. Holly Inn, where she got her start, which the townspeople are less than thrilled about.

Review: I adored that the hotel became Christmas themed to match the town.  Activities like selling local products, gingerbread baking class, and adding memories to the trees, made the movie feel so festive.  It’s a full movie of Christmas traditions and spirit.  Enjoyable time.

Scoring: 3

The Christmas House (2020)

Rated: G

Genres: Drama, Family, Romance

Starring: Jonathan Bennett, Robert Buckley, Sharon Lawrence, and Treat Williams

Synopsis: A mother and father summon heir two grown sons home for the holidays.

Review: This movie is so chock full of Christmas it’s downright fun. It also has its share of drama. An older relationship struggling to stay new, a couple reuniting after years apart, and a couple finally getting the child they’ve dreamed of. All different stages and scenarios of real life working themselves out while creating the most festive house. Definitely a happy ending but it just feels like it missed a chance to let us feel along with them rather than just watching.

Scoring: 3.5

The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls (2021)

Rated: G

Genres: Comedy, Family, Romance

Starring: Robert Buckley, Jonathan Bennett, Treat Williams, Sharon Lawrence, Ana Ayora, and Brad Harder

Synopsis: The Mitchell brothers compete to see who can create the best Christmas House.

Review: I liked that they skipped a year between the two and the reasoning for the competition seemed realistic. I like that the characters have all the strengths and flaws that we all do.  Adding Noah’s father was a good twist.  I’m hoping from the ending that there will be a third in the series. 

Scoring: 3.5