CHRISTMAS SHORT TAKES 1

OPEN BY CHRISTMAS (2021)

Nicky (Alison Sweeney) goes to her hometown to spend Thanksgiving with her parents who are downsizing and selling their house, and while sorting through some of her high school stuff, she finds an unopened and unsigned Christmas card expressing admiration and, via a quote from Romeo and Juliet, love. Her best friend Simone urges her to do some detective work to find out who sent it. Meanwhile, local real estate agent Derrick (Brennan Elliott) is helping Nicky's folks prepare their house for showing to prospective buyers. Guess who sent the card? This central romance is less interesting than the secondary plot involving Simone and her fiancé Jeremy—she's upset that her teenage son is spending more time with Jeremy than in indulging her nostalgic Christmas activity wishes. I love Sweeney but I think Elliott has not aged well; Emily Durance and Michael Karl Richards are fine in the supporting roles. The unusual but charming final shot shows both couples celebrating their Christmas love. Worth watching for being a little offbeat. [Hallmark]

CHRISTMAS IN TOYLAND (2022)

Big Teddy Toy Company has decided to shut down their brick-and-mortar stores but data analyst Charlie (Vanessa Lengies), whose dream is to be a toy designer, is allowed to visit the one store that actually still shows a profit to see if she can figure out what they're doing right. At first she is mistaken by  Grant, the hunky and adorable manager (Jesse Hutch), for seasonal help, but when that gets straightened out, he reluctantly agrees to let her shadow him. Grant's hunkiness is obvious but his adorability comes out in several ways: in his concern for his staff who are like like family (in some cases, actual family members spend time in the store); in his hope to be able to reopen his beloved late grandfather's small toy store; in the way he treats the kids and their parents in the store, particularly when he dresses up like a hunky Christmas elf (pictured at right). Grant and Charlie grow close over the week, with Charlie remembering that she'd actually been to the grandfather's store when she was a kid, and Grant turning two of Charlie's preliminary designs into real toy figures. But will their bond survive the possibility that Big Teddy's may not survive? It's odd to have to include a SPOILER warning for a Hallmark movie since they always have happy endings, and indeed, the romance plot does. But oddly, the store itself does not get saved. Like many Hallmark movies, the wrap-up is rushed, and some plotpoints are left in limbo—Will Grant continue to make Charlie's toys? Will she leave New York City for rural-ish New Jersey? And most importantly, what will happen to Grant's beloved staff? There's a rushed scene in which he promises everyone that he'll take care of them, but he delivers his speech a bit uncertainly. Maybe the filmmakers thought they were being edgy or defiant with their ending, but I must admit in the context of a Hallmark holiday movie, it left a slightly bitter taste afterward. Hutch and Lengies are adequate, and despite its flaws it was worth watching to see Jesse Hutch dressed up as the beefiest elf you’ve ever seen. [Hallmark]