Talkie Tuesday: The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding

 

"There is but one Hercule Poirot, and I am he."

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome, once again, to the Christmas extravaganza that takes over this blog every single year, and has for, well, literal years already.

 

It's that time again, or 'tis the season, really, which means that for the remaining month of December, the only theme of the blog posts will be Christmas and everything Christmas-related you can think of. That's just the reality, sorrynotsorry.

Ahem.

So what better way to start off than with a little mystery, eh?

Sure, I tend to gravitate towards Hallmark and whatnot when it comes to these seasonal movies, particularly and especially for the end-of-the-year holidays, but I figured, why not try for something different?

After all. There's only one Hercule Poirot.

And he has just the one wish for the holidays, but alas, it doesn't get granted in The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding.

Talkie Tuesday: The Secret Gift of Christmas

 

"It's not presents, but our presence that matters most for Christmas."

 

Hello everyone!

 

What is this, new devilry?

 

I am in fact channeling my inner Boromir here, because in my experience from seasons past, I have never, and I mean NEVER watched THREE Christmas movies in a row from Hallmark and liked all of them so much as I have this year.

 

Now don't get me wrong.

 

Hallmark has more hits than misses but, with so many holiday flicks in their seasonal programming block, and this being their biggest of all the fiscal year - I mean Countdown to Christmas, of course - there's bound to be stuff that just doesn't mesh well.

 

Not this time though.

 

And isn't THAT just something else?

 

The Secret Gift of Christmas just comes in and keeps on giving!

 

Talkie Tuesday: My Norwegian Holiday

 

"It's a good thing I don't believe in fate." 

Hello everyone!

And welcome, once again, to the Christmas extravaganza that's been a part of this blog for, oh, many, many years now.

Like in previous seasons, each year I choose movies and books specifically themed around Christmas to read, watch and review for you on here, and most of the time we even have plenty of hits (even if we have a couple of misses along the way too).

Tonight's choice is no different.

Somehow, I've been lucky, because I usually manage to hit the jackpot with the first choice each year, and this one's no exception.

Of course I also always (or almost always) turn to Hallmark to provide all my holiday celebratory movies, so it should come as no surprise that that's where tonight's choice is from.

Countdown to Christmas on this blog begins right now, with My Norwegian Holiday!

Talkie Tuesday: Long Lost Christmas

 

"Love's a risk, but it's the one thing that makes life worth living."

 

Hello everyone!

 

We only have a few days left until Christmas ACTUALLY arrives.

 

How crazy is that?!

 

I have no idea where the time has gone, but I'll say this: it obviously had a VERY good time, all things considered.

 

There's only about ten days left before the year turns as well, and I'm over here thinking to myself how and where.

 

But me maudlin will certainly not make this blog post write itself now, will it?

 

I've decided to finish off my Christmas movie marathon with the segment of Hallmark that I tend to enjoy more than Countdown to Christmas, which is Miracles of Christmas.

 

I don't know, the mysteries seem to get me!

 

And Long Lost Christmas might not have fired on all cylinders, but it definitely fired on some.

Talkie Tuesday: The Royal Nanny

 

"Love always triumphs in the end."

 

Hello everyone!

 

And welcome.

 

Welcome, officially, to the December weeks of movie blog posts in which I take the time to look at what this holiday season has to offer us.

 

Thus far, we're looking at a pretty darn good start all in all!

 

Last week, we started with the book review, which we thoroughly enjoyed, and this week, well.

 

This week is a VERY good movie, shall we say.

 

I wasn't entirely sure whether or not it would be, given Hallmark occasionally has moments when you're wondering who in their right mind approved a script like that, but I can't say much about this one.

 

In fact, I was VERY pleasantly surprised!

 

The Royal Nanny took a fairly traditional story and stood it on its head. And I loved it!

 

Talkie Tuesday: Next Stop, Christmas

 

"Wouldn't it be nice if we could turn back the clock and do it all over again?"

 

Hello everyone!

 

I can't believe we only have one more Talkie blog post left after this one in December. Where did the time ACTUALLY go?!

 

I've no idea.

 

I feel like occasionally it seems to roll by super slowly, but then you blink and you miss like, half a month or something.

 

Or maybe it's just me. Is it just me, or is it anybody else?

 

Anyway, that aside, it's time to watch one of my favourite Christmas movies to come out of the Hallmark lineup this year, if not THE favourite thus far. And I'll be honest and say that I clipped and pared down my list until it was a manageable ten or so, because boy oh boy, did I not have the time.

 

This one, however, hits all the right spots somehow.

 

And how appropriate that we take a look at it now, since Next Stop, Christmas, is literally the next stop for us all?

 

Talkie Tuesday: Gingerbread Miracle

 

"There are no coincidences at Christmas."

 

Hello everyone!

 

This week's choice of movie is one of the rare few I've actually enjoyed while watching this year's Hallmark lineup.

I don't know what it is, to be honest, because I usually like more than just a few.

This year seems to be a weird one, however, either with the lineup in question, or just because of the weird year altogether.

ANYWAY, tonight's choice is still a good one however because it has one of the most popular actresses for the production, and that's saying something with all the other veteran ones out there, but the camera does love her, so.

Either way you look at it, it's a movie that's got a little something for everybody that wants to watch it if you ask me.

So let's not waste any more time and jump straight into Gingerbread Miracle, shall we?

Talkie Tuesday: Christmas with the Darlings

 

"You should do the right thing because it's the right thing to do, not to brag about it."

 

Hello everyone!

 

So I thought initially to swap between my blog posts and do one good Christmas movie review and one bad, but in the end decided, you know what? We kind of need more good than bad in the world right now, and I can keep the ones that weren't quite the way they could have been to myself.

 

Instead, I'll be doing all the goodies this month!

 

And boy, is Hallmark delivering.

 

True, there have definitely been a few misses, especially given the fact there have been an almost whooping 50 movies or so between their regular programming and Movies & Mysteries, but hey, it's enjoyable overall!

 

For tonight, I'm picking out one that's about as heartwarming as you can get, and then some.

Yeah sure, I can hear you saying on the other end, but EVERY movie is that, it's the point!

Okay yes, but Christmas with the Darlings adds just a little bit of extra sugar plum.

Talkie Tuesday: On the 12th Date of Christmas

 

"And a partridge in a pear tree ..."

 

Hello everyone!

 

Happy December!

 

Today being the first of the month, it marks the next four weeks or so of what the content of this blog is going to be. Christmas, Christmas and some more Christmas!

 

Mainly because of the fact that these COVID times have forced most of us to have to stay at home and deal with it from there, there's a lot of content to be had when it comes to the holiday season.

 

And I mean, A LOT.

 

Here's the thing: every channel and every entertainer knows that Christmas is when you can cash in the most. Also of note is the fact that people start feeling nostalgic or mellow because of the season, and sometimes all you need is to sit down and watch something cozy and happy.

 

Hallmark or Lifetime are the places to go, though I prefer Hallmark for its long-standing history.

 

This year is no different, with hits and misses all around! Tonight, we're taking a look at On the 12th Date of Christmas.

 

Talkie Tuesday: WCTH Home for Christmas

"Home is truly where the heart is."

Hello everyone!

And so with my final Christmas-themed movie review, we say farewell not only to December, but to 2019.

Hopefully the year has treated you well, and you've made all the plans you need for 2020. Fingers crossed they all work out for you!

In the meantime, it's time to make a Christmas pit-stop one last time with our movies.

Come January it's back to Hogwarts (or not Hogwarts, as may be the case with the final stages of Mr. Potter's journey), so let's try and soak up all that's left of this Christmas spirit, shall we? After all, it'll be a full year before we can get into it again.

What better way to say goodbye than with When Calls the Heart?

The show that captured hearts around the globe with its message and persevering spirit, and which keeps going despite every obstacle and hurdle thrown its way.

Because even and especially in When Calls the heart, it's time to come Home for Christmas.

Saturday Snippet: Christmas trees, compassion, and beardless Jesse Metcalfe

xx

*video not mine

Talkie Tuesday: Christmas at the Plaza

"Nothing unimportant ever happens at the Plaza."

Hello everyone!

Here we are with our third Christmas movie review since December started, where did the time go? I honestly feel as if it's zipping along like we're in some sort of race to the finish line. I'm probably going to blink and it's going to go from 2019 to 2020. 

Meanwhile, you gotta do what you gotta do, right?

So here we go with another Hallmark Christmas movie because, well, why not?

They've certainly done much better this year than in several years past, although granted I also haven't watched every single movie they've churned out. There's bound to be weak links in the chain because of the quantity of them.

But the ones I HAVE watched, so far at least, have generally been very enjoyable. Sure there might have been one or two that could have done a bit better, but all that aside, as a general rule, this has been a pretty good Christmas countdown so far.

And since I'm all about the good vibes, why don't we head on to probably the most well-known holiday location in New York? Christmas at the Plaza is up next.

Talkie Tuesday: ACP The Royal Baby

"Next year will be even busier ..."

Hello everyone!

So we interrupt your regularly scheduled Hallmark Countdown to Christmas with a movie nobody actually expected but people were honestly pretty happy about.

Or, at least, they were sort of happy, I suppose?

Netflix is the streaming service that a lot of people consider as a saviour because they've often picked up series after they've been cancelled by other networks, or made movies that were really savory to watch.

They've also started punching out Christmas movies in the past couple of years.

This means that, yesterday, after I was finished with part one of Crisis on Infinite Earths (OMG!), I needed something to both cheer me up and to make me think about other things.

Naturally, I went to grab a Christmas movie, and I chose Netflix instead of Hallmark. I may be missing the bridging part of the trilogy, but A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby could easily be watched as a stand-alone, too!

Talkie Tuesday: Welcome to Christmas

"I just took out Santa."

Hello everyone!

Back to Christmas movies, and this one actually took two tries, but I was apparently not in the right mood when I originally wanted to watch it. Because when I sat down for the SECOND time in a row it definitely went much better, even if it's not one I plan on rewatching.

Some are like that though.

You enjoy them while they last but aren't as memorable or as completely fresh for you to want to watch again and again (like with certain others).

This one falls into that same category which is a bit of a shame since it has an actor I highly respect and enjoy watching otherwise, but this story just didn't sit so tight with me that I'd want to go through it more than once.

However, that doesn't mean it's NOT worth watching, because it is!

So without further ado ... Welcome to Christmas!

Talkie Tuesday: Christmas in Love

"People go mad for Christmas every year."

Hello everyone!

It's that time of the year again!

The month of shopping sprees, crazy drivers, and Hallmark's Christmas movies.

Well alright, that last bit's actually been going on since around the middle of November, or at least somewhere there-ish.

But you get what I mean.

And like I did last year, when I decided all my December blog post would be Christmas-themed, I'm repeating the motif this year, despite the fact that it's unnaturaly warm in my home town, the sun is out and the grass is greener than in spring time!

To kick us off for our month-long Christmas-theme extravaganza, I decided I'd pick one of the movies I'd already watched.

It was an eenie-meenie-miney-mo kind of thing.

Let's start it off with Christmas in Love!