THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER - IT'S CHRISTMAS, CAROL!

 

An enjoyable and credible reworking of Charles Dickens well spun yarn of redemption.

This retelling of the story is of a driven and heartless publishing executive, Carol Huffman (Emmanuelle Vaugie) who on Christmas Eve is visited by the ghost of her former boss, Eve (Carrie Fisher).

Eve tells Carol that she has lost sight of the things that are truly important in life and that she is there to show her the errors of her ways.

There is a wonderful reference to Dickens in the tale when Eve explains why the normal trinity of ghosts were all represented by her alone, as she was in sole charge of Carol's journey through her past, present and future, and that was because “Chuck” was prone to over embellishments.

It’s very much worth a watch if only for Carrie Fishers mischievous Eve.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER - MY SANTA

 

Jen Robbins (Samaire Armstrong) is a single mother, who works as a writer of human interest stories for the small town newspaper in the town where she has lived all her life.

Alas she lost her Christmas spirit after her ex-husband Paul walked out on her six years earlier when her son Eric (Gabe O'Mara) was only one year old, and to add insult onto injury it was also Christmas Eve.

Despite her disdain for Christmas however, after a number of encounters, Jen finds herself falling under the spell of Chris (Matthew Lawrence), who is the shopping mall Santa Claus.

Eric truly believes that Chris really is Santa although in truth he is Kris Kringle Jr the heir apparent to the magic of Christmas.

He has set his cap at Jen to be the next Mrs. Claus, so that he can continue the Christmas spirit into the next generation.

But that woman has to truly believe in the spirit of Christmas for Chris to be able to take over the reins from his father.

So a cynic like Jen may not be easily persuaded.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – SMALL TOWN PRINCE (2015)

 

Prince Duncan (Kirk Barker) is experiencing cold feet about his upcoming arranged royal wedding, so the charming European prince steals away incognito to the America in search of true love.

Pretending to be someone he isn't, the prince-on-the-lam rents a car and hits the road but he loses control in the wintry conditions and crashes, and that’s where he meets Emma (Viva Bianca) a diner waitress whose Christmas needs brightening considerably, and that’s where the Christmas romance begins in earnest.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – IRA FINKELSTEIN'S CHRISTMAS (2012)

 

Ira J. Finkelstein (Elijah Nelson) is a Christmas obsessed Jewish boy.

He's seen every Christmas movie ever made and his dreams are filled with reindeer, sleigh rides and of course, snow.

The problem is, apart from the fact that Ira is Jewish is that at 11 years of age he feels that Christmas is passing him by and When Ira's hopes for a holiday vacation in Aspen are dashed, he hatches a plan to finally get the Christmas of his dreams.

When flying unaccompanied to visit his grandparents in sunny Florida, he swaps tickets with Mikey Amato (Justin Thomas Howell), another 11-year-old also flying unaccompanied on his way to Christmastown, WA.

But they not only trade airline tickets but places as well and Ira gets more than he bargained for when he experiences his first “White Christmas”.

Elliott Gould and David DeLuise also star in this pleasant Christmas caper.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER - TRADING CHRISTMAS

 

In South Woodbourne, Washington, widowed second grade schoolteacher Emily Spengler (Faith Ford) loves the Christmas holidays, as do all the townsfolk, and she is looking forward to spending the holiday with her grown up daughter, Heather (Emma Lahana), as usual.

However Heather, who is at college in Boston, drops the bombshell a week before Christmas that she is going to be too busy studying to make the long trip home to South Woodbourne.

Emily calls her BFF Faith Kerrigan (Gabrielle Miller) for sympathy after receiving the news and asked her to come for Christmas instead but she is further disappointed when divorcee Faith tells her she is too snowed under with work to make the trip from San Francisco.

Also in Boston lives an unsentimental novelist and English professor Charles Johnson (Tom Cavanagh), who his desperate to break his writer's block and complete his latest novel which is overdue at the publishers.

In addition to his lack of sentimentality, along with his workaholic brother Ray (Gil Bellows), he doesn’t celebrate the season.

Ray, as the owner of his own lucrative business, is trying to decide if he should accept a very generous offer for his company, and advises Charles to do a house swap for the holiday suggesting that a change of scene might well help to unblock him.

And that is where the story really starts.

Emily and Charles meet on a house swapping website and agree to do a one week swap in the lead up to Christmas.

However all does not go well, Emily goes to Boston to surprise daughter Heather only to find on her arrival she has secretly flown to Phoenix with her boyfriend Jason.

Charles meanwhile finds the over decorated house and the over friendly townsfolk of South Woodbourne somewhat over sweet.

But that turns out to be the least of his problems when Emily's best friend, divorced corporate events planner Faith Kerrigan, arrives in South Woodbourne from San Francisco intent on keeping Emily company during the holidays in Heather's absence.

Due to circumstances beyond her control Faith is forced to stay at the house with Charles for the better part of the week.

At the same time Emily sets off the silent burglar alarm in Charles apartment and brother Ray and the Police walk in on her.

Obviously in true Christmas tradition romance blooms in both Boston and South Woodbourne.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – LITTLE WOMEN (2017)

 

This is a modern retelling of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel, an autobiographical account of her life with her three sisters in Concord, Massachusetts in the 1860s and is a “coming of age” drama tracing the lives of four sisters: Meg (Melanie Stone), Jo (Sarah Davenport), Beth (Allie Jennings) and Amy (Taylor Murphy), who struggle to make ends meet in their New England household while the girl’s father (Bart Johnson), is away fighting in the Civil War.

I his absence the family is headed by the girl’s beloved mother Marmee (Lea Thompson), and the March family are supported by the help of their kind and wealthy neighbour, Mr. Laurence (Michael Flynn), and his high spirited grandson Laurie (Lucas Grabeel).

The story details the March girl’s passage from childhood to womanhood and despite harsh times, they cling to optimism, and as they mature, they face blossoming ambitions and relationships, as well as tragedy, while maintaining their unbreakable bond as sisters.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – POLAR EXPRESS

 

The Polar Express is a beautifully animated magical Christmas feast based on the book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg.

On Christmas Eve, a boy who has come to doubt Christmas boards a magical train that is headed to the North Pole and Santa Claus's home.

The story that unfolds is an engaging adventure aboard the magical train which for the boy and his new friends becomes a journey of self-discovery which shows them that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.