THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – SOLSTICE (1993)

 

Christmas Eve is a magical time, but for many people, the coldest, loneliest night of the year falls on Christmas Eve.

“Solstice” tells the story of one of those people, Nick Allman (Mike Kelley), a disillusioned young man, who has broken up with his girlfriend and has lost touch with the true spirit of the holidays.

The story is set in Chicago on Christmas Eve, and it follows Nick’s day from the moment his alarm goes off in the morning until beyond midnight as he encounters a variety of characters who help renew his belief in the festive season where everyone's expectations run high.

 

As a veteran devotee of Christmas movies, I watch more than my fare share and although this is by no means perfect, it is exceptional as it does something original with the material.

It is slow paced and has a very definite “film noir” feel about it with its use of Chicago's north side neighbourhood’s and has a very realistic feel, and at the end you are left, not with a happy ever after, but something much more precious, hope.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL: A STORY ON ICE (1998)

 

The Christmas Angel is the heart-warming and beautifully portrayed story in a Nutcracker meets Disney on Ice style offering performed by Dorothy Hamill and other equally talented skaters.

Chip Davis and Olivia Newton-John narrate the story of a decorative angel that is stolen from the top of a Christmas tree by a villain called the Gargon. The toys under the tree will not become presents until the angel is found so with the toys' help, a young mother must defeat the Gargon and save Christmas.

Mannheim Steamroller provide the music and helps to set the mood of each scene in a great family movie that won’t disappoint fans of Mannheim Steamroller or Disney on Ice.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – THE MAGIC CRYSTAL

 

This is the delightful, animated tale of a young orphan boy Yotan (Kyle E. Christensen) who is tricked into going to the North Pole to steal a powerful crystal by Santa’s Brother Basil (Gerald Owens).

But as soon he realises he has delivered it into the wrong hands, he sets out to return it to safety before it's too late and Christmas is lost forever.

Security Elf’s Jaga and Didi (Clarissa Humm & Cj Fam) don’t think Yotan is up to the task but Santa (Joe Carey) holds a different view.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY

 

With the threat of foreclosure hanging over her father's candy store, Wendy Carroll (Ashley Williams) and her six-year-old daughter Grace (Kylie Price) travel to the big city in hopes of making extra holiday cash to save the store.

They stay with hometown friend Angie (Shanola Hampton) who works at Wolman’s Department store and Wendy manages to get a job in the toy department.

The job brings her into contact with the nephew of the store owner Tom Wolman (Jon Prescott) which prompts an instant mutual attraction, which brings her into direct conflict with Teanna Musk (Ashanti) the board appointed Grinch of a store manager.

On the surface Teanna seems hell bent on destroying the Christmas spirit throughout the store, even sacking Santa, but she has an ulterior motif.

With Wendy losing faith in Christmas she reaches out to the old man who was the store Santa only to discover he was the real deal and then she realises she must bring the true meaning of Christmas back to Wolman’s before it is too late and get her man into the bargain.

One of the films highlights is a nicely performed rendition of “The First Noel” by Wendy and Tom.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – HOLIDAY HEIST (2019)

 

The Holiday jewellery store has been in their family for decades and is run by Robert Holiday (Phillip Edward Van Lear) and his children Jade (Chaley Rose) and RJ (Lucien Cambric) but since the death of wife and mother Jewel the store has been struggling and if they don’t have a good Christmas the store will not reopen in the New Year.

As if sent by providence Devin (Tobias Truvillion) appears in the store one day, a knowledgeable and confidence character who is given the sales assistant position.

What they don’t know is that Devin is a thief and was sent by local crime lord, Poncho (Simeon Henderson) as a prelude to robbing the store.

Poncho also ensures RJ is compromises so he can use his hacking skills to disable the alarms and gain access to the customer’s credit card details.

But Devin is trying to escape his criminal past and has hopes of having a crime free life with Jade.

So, the question is can he turn the tables on Poncho, save the store and get the girl?

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – BLACK NATIVITY (2013)

 

The Christmas musical drama, Black Nativity, is a contemporary adaptation of Langston Hughes' celebrated play which tells the story of Langston (Jacob Latimore), a streetwise teen from Baltimore raised by a single mother, Naima (Jennifer Hudson).

Who is sent him to New York City, when they receive an eviction notice, to spend the Christmas holiday with his estranged relatives Reverend Cornell and Aretha Cobbs (Forest Whitaker and Angela Bassett).

However he is unwilling to live under the imposing Reverend Cobbs' strict rules, so Langston is determined to return home to his mother so he embarks on a surprising and inspirational journey aided by his new friends, and a little divine intervention, and he discovers the true meaning of Christmas, faith and family along the way.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIES EVER – A COUNTRY CHRISTMAS STORY

 

The film follows a young chorister from a small Appalachian Mountain town, Grace Gibson (Desiree Ross) and her family as she pursues her dream of becoming a country music star.

She is ably supported along the way by her parents (Megyn Price and Brian McKnight), her teacher and mentor (Ross McCall) and grandmother (Mary Kay Place).

The pinnacle of the film is a country and western talent show hosted by Dolly Parton in which she is up against Jamie Warner (Dillon James) and the excellent Mary Lou Memphis (Camille Sanders).

This is an enjoyably sweet tale with the subtle morality messages which you would expect in a film aimed at young teens but it has very little reference to Christmas although the final scene showing the family sitting down to Christmas dinner accompanied by Desiree Ross’s rendition of Silent Night is quite beautifully done and its worth watching the film just for that.