Happy 2023, as I'm still Unwrapping 2022 Christmas Movies...

Hello, Friends! Happy New Year, 2023, everyone! Officially! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I was able to enjoy some downtime and watch some more Christmas movies this past week and write up some reviews (see below) on some of the movies I’ve watched recently.

I know many of us are still catching up on our Christmas movie watching, so please feel free to share a review of any of the new 2022 Christmas movies you are watching.

It’s been a mix for me this 2022 Christmas season – of movies I liked and movies I didn’t. But I still have many to go!

On Great American Family, the new Christmas movies I’ve watched, that they produced, have all been wonderful, in my opinion… A Christmas… Present, A Merry Christmas Wish, Christmas on Candy Cane Lane, etc. Some of the movies they acquired, however, have not exactly been my favorites: Christmas Sweethearts, A Royal Christmas on Ice, etc. I know they are doing their best to build their library of films, but I feel those acquired movies don’t truly reflect the quality of the network. If they can produce more of their own movies in the future, then I know they will be successful. Bill Abbott (former CEO of Hallmark and now the CEO of Great American Media) was instrumental in the building process of what Hallmark is today, so I know he will be triumphant with Great American Family, as well. It’s just going to take a little time.

Variety recently released an article that mentioned the channels that grew significantly in 2022, and Great American Family was one of them! So that is good news! Plus, Great American Family is excellent at listening to their viewers – you can always share which movies you liked and didn’t like on their website here. (It’s very important to participate in this, as this will surely determine which movies we see or don’t see on their channel in the future.)

As for the other networks, I’ve also been mixed on the movies I liked and didn’t like this year on Hallmark and UPtv, as well. There are always hits and misses every year, that’s to be expected. And I’ve noticed I’m quite behind on my Lifetime Christmas movie watching, so I’ll be diving into those soon.

How are you all coming along with your Christmas movie-watching? Is your DVR still full like mine? I’ll surely be “dashing through the snow” late into Spring! (haha!)

Anyway, here are my latest Christmas movie reviews…


🎄 Christmas at the Drive-In – This was a fun, unique, family-friendly story! I liked the tension between Sadie (Danica McKellar) and Holden (Neal Bledsoe) and how they both had unresolved issues and feelings from the past. Not sure about an outdoor drive-in theater during winter in real-life (brrr!!!), but it sure looked pretty on screen with all the decorated trees and Christmas lights around. Plus, I liked the nostalgia and history of the drive-in theater and how these characters fought so hard to save it. The movie brought to mind my own sweet personal memories from the past at the drive-in, and I’m sure it will do the same for others. Christmas at the Drive-In was an enjoyable watch with a feel-good, happy ending. ~Net


🎄 Christmas Lover’s Anonymous – This movie is family-friendly, but rather cheesy, at times. I tried to get into it, but just couldn’t do so. The story concept was interesting – about a writer who is tired of being pushed into doing all sorts of activities EVERY Christmas and writes the book, Just Say No to Ho, Ho, Ho. Well, her book becomes very popular and basically traps her into having a public persona of NOT doing Christmas at all. And then, the trouble comes when she realizes how much she misses doing Christmassy things. Overall, it’s a sweet, wholesome movie, but not a keeper for me. ~Net


🎄 Christmas Sweethearts – I must admit, I didn’t care for this movie. Some of the characters act rather strange, at times. The lead girl acted superior to everyone else and took her best guy friend for granted all throughout the movie. It was painful to watch her tell him she actually had feelings for him near the end after basically treating him like a doormat the entire time he was pretending to be her boyfriend. One bright spot: It was delightful to see Beth Broderick (Romance at Reindeer Lodge, Christmas Town) in this, but her role was too small to save it. This was not a keeper for me. ~Net


🎄 I'm Glad it's Christmas – This is a family-friendly, delightful movie. I thought Jessica Lowndes and Paul Greene were great together; they have such a natural chemistry on-screen. Paul Greene’s character, Jason Murphy, is sadly divorced, and his adorable, cheerful daughter, Angela, lives with him, off and on. Jessica Lowndes plays the role of the struggling wannabe Broadway actress well, and all of the singing was beautiful with her, Paul Greene, and Gladys Knight. I especially liked the scene where Cora Lawson (Gladys) teaches Chloe and Jason to sing from the heart. The new Christmas song, “Christmas Feels like Falling in Love,” is lovely and very catchy. In fact, I’m still humming it! Overall, “I'm Glad it's Christmas” is an upbeat, entertaining movie, and there’s, of course, a happy ending! ~Net


🎄 My Southern Family Christmas – This movie was refreshingly different. I like how the story and the setting were mostly unique for Christmas movies. It was also nice to see Wes Brown have a cameo in this. Too bad he couldn’t be in the part of the story where Campbell went to Louisiana, since he’s actually from there in real-life, and I know those Southern traditions and customs mean a great deal to him. Some drawbacks for me, personally – the shouting of the Christmas alligators or reingators (the southern version of reindeers) was a little odd to me, and was it really ever explained WHY her father divorced her Mother and neither kept in contact regarding their daughter??? Very strange. Plus, WHEN exactly did he see her last? Did he not recognize her, at all? Had she really changed that much? Other than those questions I found myself asking – the movie was rather captivating. It moved at a nice pace, and the romance portion was low-key, but sweet. Watching Everett connect with Campbell, with him not realizing she was his daughter, was interesting and painfully awkward, too, since so many people knew the truth, including his wife. It was suspenseful – wondering how the truth would eventually be revealed, and all I’ll say is… I thought it was done in a sweet way, although it was all summed up rather quickly. If you live down south and enjoy a warm Christmas, then this might appeal more to you. I thought Jaicy Elliot was excellent, but overall, there were many unanswered questions. Not a keeper for me, but still a nice watch. ~Net


🎄 In Merry Measure – I thoroughly enjoyed this movie! I loved the delightful, fun relationship between the sisters, and the aunt and niece. The romance was slow and steady; you could feel a spark building between Darcy (Patti Murin) and Adam (Brendan Penny) as their choir groups competed each other and as they combined their teams. All of the singing was beautiful to listen to; I simply enjoyed how happy this movie was from start to finish. One of my favorite scenes was when Patty Murin played the piano and sang an original song. Patty has such a lovely voice; I couldn’t help from cheering for her to succeed throughout the film, even though her character, Darcy, hasn’t had much success in the music industry since her pop album in her youth. It was nice to see her struggle a bit to keep herself current and relevant in that ever-changing entertainment world. Even though her character was/is famous, she seems very normal and at home in her small town. I loved the quick nod to Home Alone – when Darcy and her sister, Gretchen, put their hands on their cheeks and shouted, “Ahhh!!!!” That was soooo cute. This movie seemed so down-to-earth and relatable. This is a definite keeper I plan to watch over and over again. ~Net


🎄 Inventing the Christmas Prince – I must say this one took a little effort to get into, but once the story developed, it was interesting to watch Shelby’s boss, Evan, come out of his reserved shell and step into the role of the Christmas Prince. Evan is someone who has never connected well with people. In his job, as a scientist, he deals with facts and figures, so he seems very disconnected from human behavior, until Shelby’s daughter awakens this new world of emotions for him. Shelby sees and likes this new transformation in Evan, as well. The movie is kind of odd and quirky, at times, but it’s also a unique story with a heartwarming message. Inventing the Christmas Prince is family-friendly, a great watch for all ages. By the way, the little girl is absolutely precious – she often steals the show! ~Net


🎄 A Maple Valley Christmas – I wanted to love this movie due to the gorgeous outdoor setting, but it just didn’t work for me. The unexpected kiss (between strangers) near the beginning of the movie completely threw me for a loop, and I thought the romance in general, was too instant. The quarreling between the sisters, off and on, was also irritating, at times. Then, the mother, who ran the maple farm solely for years, suddenly wanted to leave the country and her family and have no part in the business any more. Plus, the family has been waiting 30 YEARS to re-purchase land they had lost and now the sister doesn’t know if she wants it, and the mother has no say in it. Are you kidding me? As farmers, my family and I know how precious land is. God isn’t making any more of it. It’s especially important if it’s connected to your land, as this property is in the movie. I also agree with others, that the prayer(?) near the end didn’t seem quite right. No one closed their eyes in reverence, and it ended with Merry Christmas, instead of Amen. Very strange. Overall, the movie is family-friendly, but it’s not a keeper for me. ~Net


🎄 A Christmas Masquerade – I found this movie’s concept to be somewhat unbelievable. One woman, Julianne, attends a Christmas masquerade ball pretending to be her friend, Lara, who is supposedly well-known on social media. Julianne keeps up this charade throughout the movie, pretending to be her friend, and it’s hard to believe no one knows what Lara looks like and that Julianne is obviously not her. Perhaps, if they looked similar, it could've worked, but the two don’t look a thing alike. I tried to get into this movie, but just couldn’t do so. The bright spot for me was Julianne’s daughter, Nora, who is probably around 10 years old and is absolutely adorable; I hope we see her in more things – her giggle was infectious. I agree with Jane’s review regarding Lara, who babysits Nora for a few days, and suddenly decides she wants to have a baby. There’s no man in Lara’s life, that we are aware of, and no explanation on how she plans to do this. So, the idea is just kinda thrown out there. Anyway, this movie wasn’t a keeper for me, but I found it to be family-friendly. ~Net


🎄 The Christmas Retreat – This movie was such a fun one to watch! I enjoyed the chemistry between Kim (Rhiannon Fish) and Mark (Clayton James). In the beginning, Kim has a boyfriend, Stephen, who she is hoping will propose, but he breaks up with her because she works too much. This causes Kim to take some time off for the holiday and accept her mother’s invitation to join her at a Christmas Retreat. Kim runs into Mark at the retreat; this is the second time their paths have crossed. Kim is doing her best to impress her ex by taking time off from work and enjoying the retreat, but she also starts to develop feelings for Mark. The various activities and games at the retreat were amusing to watch, and the romance was very sweet. This movie was a keeper for me; in my opinion, it’s one of the best this year on UPtv. ~Net


🎄 Christmas with Felicity – This family-friendly movie isn’t really unique or spectacular, but it’s simple and sweet, an enjoyable watch. I liked that most of the movie took place in the small fictional town of Aspen Grove. Felicity’s bakery has failed in Chicago, so she returns home to her family and starts baking there. Her niece helps her build an online shop, and James, a local farmer, shares his booth with her at the Christmas fair. As Felicity settles into life in Aspen Grove at Christmastime, she is torn between two men, her ex from Chicago and James, who is such a nice guy, who is helpful and kind, and I couldn’t help from noticing, he smiles all the time. This lighthearted movie has a happy ending and leaves you feeling good inside. ~Net


And, if you’d like to check out more insightful and wonderful reviews of the 2022 Christmas movies from the It’s a Wonderful Movie family – please click here!

Also, I would love to hear from you! Please share your movie reviews in comments.

God's blessings to you all in this New Year ahead as we reflect on the past and look forward to a bright future!

Happy movie watching, Net