Happy Blogmas Saturday! It’s a cold and gloomy day here in Ohio, perfect for streaming some festive movies on Netflix! As always, I’m here to save you from the flops, or at the very least, give you a heads up. So, without further ado, let’s get into what Netflix has to offer in the Christmas arena for 2022 so far!
The Best
Christmas With You – If you grew up in the 90’s or the early 2000’s, then I don’t even need to elaborate. If you didn’t? First of all, I’m sorry, but Freddie. Prinze. Jr. Your homework, in this order, is to watch Down to You, She’s All That, and finally, Summer Catch. If you find yourself bored, then watch all the Scooby Doo movies, too. When I tell you a cuter man doesn’t exist… Anyway, I feel this one getting away from me, but basically Freddie, Miguel, is a widowed dad, the music teacher of his teenage daughter’s school, and a surprisingly talented musician. Aimee Garcia, Angelina, is a gorgeous, middle-aged pop star, who is definitely feeling the pressure from her label as up and coming younger artists are moving into the spotlight. When Angelina catches an instagram video dedicated to her by a young fan, Christina, who just so happens to be Miguel’s daughter, she makes a snap decision to head out of the city and into the suburbs to meet Christina and give her the surprise of a lifetime. I think you can see where this is going, but without giving too much away, will Angelina and Miguel simply write a new Christmas song and part ways, or could there be something more between them?
Bottom line: 5 out of 5 candy canes, Freddie, nuff said.
The Still Really Good
The Noel Diary – When notable romance writer Jake Turner (played by the very hunky Justin Hartley) receives a call that his estranged mother has passed away, he knows he’s going to have to head to the small town where he grew up and clear out his childhood home. There, we learn that Jake also doesn’t have a relationship with his father – all the tension in his family the result of his brother’s passing at a young age. After a few days at home, he meets a beautiful young woman named Rachel. Rachel was adopted as a child, but is looking for her birth mother and believes her mother used to nanny the children in Jake’s childhood home. As in, Rachel’s mom used to nanny Jake and his late brother. Through a series of interactions between the two, we learn that Rachel is engaged, Jake has found Rachel’s mother’s diary, and that the only way to get her some answers is for them both to visit Jake’s dad. Emotional, touching, and loaded with every predictable and cheesy plot twist we love in a made-for-TV Christmas movie, if your Grinch heart needs to grow a few sizes this holiday season, maybe give this one a watch.
Bottom line: 4.5 out of 5 candy canes, we love a jaded writer with a cute dog.
The Pretty Bad but You Have to Watch Anyway
Falling for Christmas – Lindsay Lohan is back! And while I can’t say she’s better than ever (because Mean Girls cannot be touched), girl looks really good. She’s very much giving Paris Hilton as Sierra Belmont, a hotel heiress who is torn between following her individual dreams, or marrying her insufferable influencer boyfriend and quietly falling into a lucrative career following in her dad’s footsteps. Ah, nepotism. Said boyfriend, Tad, pays a visit to Sierra at one of her father’s prestigious ski resorts, and proposes to her mid ski trip! Romantic, right? Well, kind of, until she takes a tumble down a mountain and wakes up with no idea who she is. Fortunately, she’s found by Jake (Chord Overstreet), widowed father and owner of a quaint ski cottage in town. When Sierra is released from the hospital with no life threatening injuries, but severe amnesia, she heads back to Jake’s lodge and busies herself with trying, and failing, to help out with cleaning, cooking, and general upkeep – all the while hoping someone will come to find her. Meanwhile, Tad didn’t fair so well on their ski trip either, and is in the care of a rugged shop owner out in the wilderness. Long story short, Sierra wins the hearts of Jake, his daughter, mother-in-law, and the town, as she pulls out all the stops to save the lodge from closing and potentially save Jake from himself.
Bottom line: 3 out of 5 candy canes, but I have no regrets.
I’m just as shocked as you are that I’m not recapping something to the tune of The Princess Switch 4: Quadruplets in Paris, but I think we milked that series for more than it was worth, and I for one am happy to see some very Hallmark tropes play out on Netflix this holiday season.
What else are we streaming this month?
Currently listening to: “Christmas Tonight” by Dave Barnes ft. Hillary Scott
xoxo Netflix and it’s chilly outside
laughingatleighann.com 
Leave a Reply