Writing Around the Christmas Tree

source: Writing Around the Christmas Tree

Though benign, this holiday romance lacks romantic energy. The central story is about a fiction writer, Mikaela (Krystal Joy Brown), who sponsors a writers' workshop and becomes interested in one of the attendees, Levi (Curtis Hamilton), who writes non-fiction. There are so many good holiday romances these days, so I can't recommend this one.

I see a secret about a character's identity in two ways. There is the famous person, especially a royal, who hides their identity so that their opposite can get to know the real person. Then there is basic dishonesty in order to gain an advantage or get something. Of course, there are shades of both and this movie is hard on the side of real dishonesty. Levi is out to get a story and hides the fact he is basically a reporter, whatever he calls himself. This fact set the tone for me and I had a hard time accepting any honesty on his part. In other words, any chemistry was canceled by the lie. The story is mostly a typical one. There's a second romance between two men, and even a third with an older couple. The multiple threads along with the lie made it so I never got into the main romance. Maybe it was residual from my view of Levi as dishonest, but the last scene didn't ring true to me either.

I actually enjoyed the plot of this typical holiday romance. While it does have the common secret/misunderstanding that most Hallmark/Lifetime movies have, the setting of a writer's retreat was refreshing and new. The acting was also a level above most of the holiday movies, all of the characters were likable or interesting. I do agree that the chemistry between the leads isn't 100%, but I can think of maybe 3 or 4 movies on these networks where the characters have had great chemistry. Finally, this movie had the fewest "wait whats" of a cable holiday movie that I've seen. My only critique is the conflict toward the end. Because the movies have to be 90 minutes, it's rushed and, of course, includes the "everything is a lie" drama. Other than that, it's a good midweek holiday film to watch.