2025 Holiday Movies/TV: TV is Back! And Docu's for the Win
Yes, the narrative these days is TURN THE TV OFF, but honestly, we all need escapism now and then. Escaping into a good book is great for some, but a holiday movie helps us all melt away the outside world by putting our phones on the charger and dimming down those lights. Board games only last so long, although you can say the same thing for movies. TV shows on the other hand, sadly not the case. I kicked off this holiday season a little bruised from the last few years, were we in for another holiday season with no TV show candidates for 2025 season. My family has been neck deep in catching up on Stranger Things, to prepare for the Thanksgiving day 4 episode drop, and the series two part finale episode on xmas day and new year day.
Over in movieland, the early releases/pickings have been super slim. So much so, I decided to jump on two classics I have seen written up as classic movies because maybe I was missing something . I have to lead with the fact, I do enjoy Bing Crosby’s movies, but for some reason, I never really thought these two films were really a holiday movie. I was reading up on Bing Crosby for my Silent Night Top 10 post this year and I ran across an article talking about the origin of his 1942 recording of the song. The recording was re-released as single to promote his new movie coming out in 1944, Going My Way. The film features Crosby as the lead character, Father Charles O'Malley. Online the film was heavily referenced as Christmas classic. I honestly had never seen the movie in my childhood or adulthood.
Crosby plays a young priest who arrives to save and revive the local parish in midtown Manhattan. The movie has some real hidden gems in the cast, from Gene Lockhart, known for Miracle on 34th Street and Carousel. Lockhart had a long film career, appearing in over 300 films, he also had an equally long stage career in New York with his first stage performance in 1916, and was a accomplished opera singer and song writer. Another great actor to dash across the screen was Carl Switzer, also known as Alfalfa from the Our Gang shorts of the 1930’s. Switzer had a rough young adulthood, a victim of typecasting in the movie. His role in the film took a lot of physical abuse, he didn’t even get credited for his role in the movie upon release. The movie is worth a watch, and I enjoyed several of the songs that Crosby sings in the film. Sadly Going My Way is not a holiday movie at all. Instead, I think people get it confused with its sequel, The Bells of St. Mary.
While Crosby was accepting his Oscar for Going My Way, he was already filming the sequel to the 8 oscar winning movie. The sequel at first glance, had one big noticeable change, a bigger budget! Crosby returned as Father O'Malley, who is sent again to another parish to save it from ruin. To carry the story further, RKO Pictures brought on Ingrid Bergman, who was becoming one of Hollywood’s successful leading ladies. By the time she started filming Bells, she already saw success in Dr. Jekyll, Casablanca, Gaslight and Spellbound. I’ve never been a big fan of this film, the storyline is disjointed. While the movie does take place during December, the forbidden love storyline and Dickens-esque undertones are silly. Sadly neither movie is an add to my holiday playlist.
As I mentioned in my 2025 Holiday Album post, I am not a fan of the Jonas Brothers but I am willing to give them a chance with their A Very Jonas Holiday Movie. Let’s kick it off with, thank you brothers of the Jonas for casting Jessie Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family) as Santa Claus! Jesse is working hard in this movie. From blowing up planes, to helping three brothers drifting apart come back together again. Now, while I was not a total fan of the matching holiday soundtrack. The movie is a casting genius! First up, Billie Lourde as a travel agent. YES PLEASE!!!! Followed by the iconic Andrea Martin as a lovable taxi driver with a lead foot. I felt for the lads, having a fear of Andrea turning them into Paul Walker! too soon? And yes, rice pudding is an underrated pudding, and the rope lock gave me a chuckle! Overall, I think this is worth a watch, if you have kids or you have an affinity for the brother of Jonas. Sadly not an add to my holiday playlist. The Home Alone musical number is brilliant!
Honestly, Champagne Problems is a pretty adorable holiday movie. A slight rom-com direction to the storyline. It’s filled with a lot of unknown but pretty solid actors. Minka Kelly leads the cast and while she is familiar face, she’s been working hard over the last 20 years. From Friday Night Lights to Euphoria, this holiday movie was a great choice for her career. The movie is set in Paris, but it was masterfully organized to have the same energy and magic as the Emily in Paris series, also on Netflix. I was sure the two had some kind of link. Instead, I was delighted to see the movie was written by Mark Steven Johnson, who also wrote Grump Old Men and the sequel Grumpier Old Men. The story is sugary but worth a watch at least once. Sadly once was enough! Meanwhile, Grumpy Old Men is on our holiday movie watch list already! All in all, the character Roberto makes your spirits bright in this movie. Mad shout out to Sean Armsing for his performance as Roberto, your character still keeps popping up in my mind this holiday season. Salute!
In 2023, The Family Plan came out on AppleTV and the kids loved it. The movie sadly is not a holiday movie. The sequel, The Family Plan 2 however is a holiday movie, not necessarily steeped in the holiday, but adjacent for sure. The bottom line, the sequel holds up to the first movie. I am not a super Mark Wahlberg fan, but I am a fan of Michelle Monaghan, yes we love Mi5 movies! The sequel does hold up and has a fun twist. Christmas is carried through out the film, but is it worth the annual holiday watch list, my vote right now is a no because it’s not a movie I need to see every year, or every other year.
Jingle Bell Heist was a big surprise all around. The story kicks off with a wronged employee seeking vengeance of his boss. What comes together can be said to be somewhat predictable, but overall the cast really does make the movie sit down experience. Connor Swindells is brilliant in this movie. While his character does have some slight ties to his character on the series Sex Education. He really does shine in the movie. Olivia Holt was the surprise though, while I have seen a few of her movies in the past, but she does come out of the woodworks with this movie. This is certainly a watch at least once in your lifetime movie. I enjoyed it, but once you know the full storyline, you are looking at the 6th Sense kind of situation.
It seems like a lot of the stars from teen shows of the 2000’s and 10’s are getting into their Xmas Movie Era. Those residual checks are nice. My Secret Santa showcases Alexandra Breckenridge (This is Us, The Walking Dead) and Ryan Eggold (90210, The Black List), who coincidentally worked together on the Courtney Cox show DIRT. The storyline is pretty predictable. I did enjoy the movie, but I did find myself easily walking away from my laptop while I was watching it. Sadly not worthy of the holiday watch list.
Never in a 1 million years did I expect Michelle Pfeiffer to be starring in a xmas comedy movie. She has had her fair share of comedy successes, but xmas movie was a bucket list item I never thought I would need. I back to her long list of credits and found nada. Oh. What. Fun. finally brought some cheer into season of giving. Pfeiffer stars alongside another actor I never expected to see in a holiday movie, 90s comedy legend, Dennis O’Leary. To add more whipped cream to this “what is happening here Sundae”, we have Felicity Jones (Rogue One, The Theory of Everything) The story is three siblings who are so disjointed, makes it even more believable that they are siblings. I’m not sure if it’s my aging brain was struggling to wrap my head around Felicity Jones with an American accent, was rough. Overall, the storyline is very unique and gives everyone who has hosted Christmas from their Homestead (woman or male), a final relief that you’re not alone in the holiday push from November to December. Pfeiffer is brilliant and I think the only really lacking moment in the movie was it left me wanting more from the motel scene with the UPS driver. Just watch it you’ll understand. This movie is just chopped full of movie references from Uncle Buck to National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. I’m definitely adding it to my list because, well let’s face it I’ve been in Michele’s shoes many times over especially after my mom’s passing. Blessings!
Now to add more to the win column of the holiday season. It seems like it’s been forever since we’ve had a good holiday TV series released. Thankfully this holiday season Ron Atkinson saves the holiday TV market with his new release of Man vs. Baby gives me hope for more holiday themed TV series. While the title doesn’t sound like a holiday TV series title, it does have classic Ron Atkinson slapstick goofy comedy at it’s core. Atkinson is not giving us Mr. Bean to the core with this delightful divorce character. His mad cap and goofy mistakes give us four episodes of pure hilarity. I started watching the series and realized during episode two that the kids needed to see this more than I did. But of course I finished the series on my own. Honestly, this is definitely holiday list worthy. Rowan Atkinson is always a breath of fresh comedy air. The title says it all, and already the kids are hooked on the show after the first episode. I am watching it for the second time, Atkinson brings more festive hope to the season. The show is a roller coaster of anxiety and comedy, mixed with a cast of great british actresses who flow in and out throughout the season. First there is Claudia Blakely, who is also featured on my watchlist with shows like Cranford and Larkrise to Candleford. While Nina Sosanya appears in the first episode it was a nice treat to see the Love Actually actress on screen again. Then there is Ashley Jensen who also stared in Arthur Christmas but is well known for Agatha Raisin. The show was an immediate add to our watchlist. The slapstick of Atkinson is timeless and the show runner really had a lot of fun with this show. Don’t worry it’s only 4 episodes long. I hope there is a season two for xmas 2026.
Who doesn’t like baked goods at Christmas, while it’s not a holiday cooking competition, A Spinkle of Christmas on Netflix brings schmaltzy love fest to the bakery. While the storyline is pretty seeped in predictability, the unknown cast kind gets hooks you on the movie. There are no a-listers in the cast but the actors really give the movie two legs to stand on. I won’t sugar coat it, the celebrity meets the nobody, smells just like Notting Hill, but it is a romantic friendly movie. I do wish there was more comedy in the dialogue but Hayley Sales really boosts the whole cast into a pretty sweet watch during the holiday season. Is it worth adding it to my annual watch list, sadly no. It’s definitely worth one watch, if you want to watch something romantic.
A Sudden Case of Christmas was released during December of 2024, which meant I missed reviewing this one. Staring Danny DeVito and Andie MacDowell as two grandparents pretending it is Christmas in order to give their grand daughter one last Christmas as a happy family. In a nutshell, parents are divorcing and the kid is trying to save their parents marriage. While a predictable storyline, DeVito & MacDowell steal the show from the rest of the cast. Overall I think this is cute holiday movie, but not worth screening every xmas season. No to the playlist.
I found it interesting there has really only been one movie with Joy to the World as the title. I would have thought Hallmark or Lifetime would have already banked on that title already. That said, I am a sucker for Chad Michael Murray. I still need to show the kids the Freaky Friday and the sequel. Back to Joy and her make believe life on camera. The movie stars Emanuelle Chriqui, and this isn’y her first holiday movie, in 2019 she stared alongside Vanessa Hudgens in The Knight Before Christmas. She also was in Snow Day, another classic for kids but not a xmas movie. She and Murray were an actually adorable couple. Murray has the couple acting down like a science, considering he’s be high demand the past 6 years, with 6 holiday movies released so far. Last year I reviewed his stripper comedy, The Merry Gentleman. Sadly Joy to the World is not an add to our holiday watchlist.
Next I have two documentaries to touch upon this holiday season. The Merchants of Joy is the big Christmas surprise. Picture it, Christmas 1997, okay I get it your can’t remember that far back or you weren’t even alive back then. Procuring a Christmas Tree is an adventure that some endure every year. Whether that’s driving up to the mountains and cutting one down yourself, which we did from 2006-2018 (sadly the one last noble fir farm in the Santa Cruz mountains had nothing large enough for two years.) Or you ended up at tree stall in some parking lot or farm. The Merchants of Joy is a Christmas documentary, a rare bird in the world of docu media. Set in NYC, the camera follows a group of street merchants who setup xmas tree stalls all over the city and the burrows. The documentary is filled with a real cast of characters that manifests into a real documentary. I remember these stalls in NYC, although I never lived there during xmas, mainly there on visits. But even SF and Chicago had these vendors throughout the city. In SF, Delancey Street was king of the tree market stalls. In 95 & 96 I went to Delancey in the Castro. Then I heard through a client at Maiden Lane, that a small tree lot out on Sloat & 19th had the best trees, and they delivered. Needless to say those were some perfect tress, not even groomed like the one I am sitting in front of today. Speaking of which, delivering from the Sunset to Hayes Valley wasn’t cheap.
One year the tree I purchased cost me over $500. The tree I drove home myself, in 2008 from the mountains less than $200. The tree I am sitting in front of me was $500 and I drove it home myself. Needless to say, the documentary truly shows you the real cost of buying a tree in a city, let alone a suburb. Then comes the human side of the great tree sellers. The documentary is not only giving the hard truth of the holidays but a human storyline to keep your heart wide open. The tree farm out on 19th/Sloat was also a family affair, from the grandmother to the grandkid working the tree lot, it was a joy to go back there for 8 years. I understand why people go back to the same place for 30-40 years. This documentary is worth a watch at least once. I don’t think I can watch it again with the same eyes after learning what happened after filming after xmas of 2023 when it was filmed.
Next, during the 2024 holiday season another holiday documentary was dropped on AppleTV. Opening with the Jitterbug, WHAM! Last Christmas is the documentary you need in your lifetime at least once. Yes, it’s on my watchlist because of my longtime love for George Michael and Andrew Rigley, who are the cornerstones for WHAM! The documentary is about the duo’s career together, but set around their holiday hit “Last Christmas” which was released in 1984. I have so many memories of this song touching my life when I was a preteen and up to today. Centered around the cast of the video reuniting, the docu delves into recording session with George Michael and the whole band. This documentary is truly magical, even though George is now gone, way to young by the way. It’s wonderful to Andrew Ridgeley dive back into stories, and previous interviews of with George. If you love this song, you have to watch the docu. Not saying it has to be on your watchlist, but watching again this holiday season, I am loving it, like it was my first time watching it.
There are so many little interesting connections and stories spotlighted in the docu. For example, I never knew that Shirlie Holliman has been married with Martin Kemp from Spandau Ballet for almost 40 years now. Amazing. I of course knew that Andrew Ridgeley and Shirlie dated and he married another love of mine, Keren Woodward, from Bananarama who was right up there with WHAM! and was my first cassette tape in 1984, before I bought my first WHAM! tape a few month later. Both album are still have a heavy rotation on my apple music. The docu also features interview with Neil Tennant (Pet Shop Boys) and even Mary J. Blige. Listening to the raw studio cuts that George Michael made of the song, is where the soul of this song and docu lives. This is on our holiday watchlist and you have to watch it at least once. George Michael remains today one of the most amazing voices to come from Pop Music in the last two decades.
A Merry Little Ex-Mas is Netflix’s first holiday release of the holiday season. Alicia Silverstone is brilliant and while the story is a little cookie cutter, but the writers gave the movie relevant spin for today. With the world going after gay marriage, thankfully we have Netflix showing the world that LGBTQ+ families will exist no matter what laws are changed. Better yet, LGBTQ+ grandparents is a reality that cannot be erased and honestly it’s been a things for centuries. While the movie is not making it on to my Holiday Watchlist, it’s worth a watch for sure. And if you believe our family should not exist, then you should watch this movie for sure! Have to give a shout out to Melissa Joan Hart joining the fun, just wish she had more screen time. Thankfully she’s an ALLY, along with Silverstone. Still scratching my head about the casting of a trumper in the role of a son of two gay dads! An added perk is the cast is rounded out with Jameela Jamil (wish she had more lines too) and Geoffrey Owen, one the finer parts of the Cosby Show. For future reference, there is another movie in the works with the same title, staring Vanessa Hudgens & Emma Roberts, this is not that film.
Closing out this holiday season, I am glad there was more than handful of movies to watch this year. More importantly, I am adding the first tv show in three years. One positive side to this holiday movie season is there were a few theater releases last November. So I already have a few movies I can review early for next year. The online trend with film releases has really changed the holiday movie release schedules. When I started writing these reviews back in 2014, I was in a rotation of writing reviews of movies released the year before. Hopefully we see Man vs. Baby and I could see a sequel to Oh. What. Fun. Speaking of sequels, the rumor mill has been spinning since the sad passing of Diane Keaton. The writer and director of The Family Stone announced that he is already writing a sequel for the holiday hit. While he may be writing the script, none of the stars of the movie have publicly said they would sign on to the project. My guess is if a sequel gets off the ground, the earliest we will see it on a screen would be 2030 if we are lucky. There is certainly enough wiggle room from the ending of the first movie to build a new story. 2030 would give the family a 25 year jump ahead in the storyline, allowing for the all the kid characters are now young adults. Here is to wishing the impossible. Well, Parker is the most in demand, and she keeps doing Sex in the City productions. Enjoy watching this holiday season. See you next year.