Full confession: I love this movie. I have watched it every year since Lifetime released it. The Spirit of Christmas tells the story of a quite handsome man named Daniel (Thomas Beaudoin) who was killed a century ago. Now attorney Kate (Jen Lilley), is assigned the job of selling Daniel’s estate, which has become Hollygrove […]
Christmas Movie Review: A Paris Christmas Waltz (2023)
Allow me to tell you a story . . . two years ago, during the holidays, I took the trip of a lifetime to Ireland, Northern Ireland, and England (specifically London). My goal was to hit every Christmas market I could find alongside my friend Clare and (sometimes) her now husband, Chris. Magical doesn’t begin […]
Christmas Movie Review: Holiday in the Wild (2019)
This may be one of my favorites for the season . . . for one . . . Rob Lowe. For another . . . the wilds of Africa. Kristin Davis gives a solid, believably performance. And, did I mention, Rob Lowe? Holiday in the Wild (you can watch the preview by clicking on the […]
Christmas Movie Review: The Christmas Contract (2018)
A Christmas movie set in the bayou . . . proof that even in warmer weather one can experience a sparkly and wonderful holiday. In The Christmas Contract, we have the quintessential “I need a date for Christmas so my family doesn’t think I’m a failure” scenerio. But that’s where the “oh, yeah, that” ends. […]
Christmas Movie Review: The Noel Diary (2022)
What is Christmas without 1) a Richard Paul Evans novel, and 2) a Richard Paul Evans movie. Throw in Justin Hartley, some snow, a dog named Ava (close!), the lovely Bonnie Bedelia, the beautiful Barrett Doss, and a search for truth . . . and you have a great film. I had seen this movie […]
Christmas Movie Review: A Christmas in Vermont
A Christmas in Vermont released in 2016 as a TV movie. It enjoys some big-name actors: Chevy Chase (in a Scrooge-type role), Howard Hesseman (absolutely adorable with a cute puppy), and Morgan Fairchild–who seemed a little pumped up with collagen. Brief overview: A city executive (Abigail Hawk) is sent to a small town in Vermont […]
Christmas Movies (October 1, 2025)
Something strange happened to me last month. I started watching Christmas movies, which I typically do not watch . . . or like . . . or tolerate (unless, of course, we’re talking The Santa Clause with Tim Allen or White Christmas with Bing and Danny and Rosemary and Vera-Ellen, or (of course) It’s a […]
The Story Behind the Picture: A Boat on the Galilee
We began our day, on that first morning of my second trip to Israel–the one in which Miriam, a Jewish woman, and I, a Christian woman, would “walk the land together”–with a hearty meal. The night before we’d stayed at wonderful hotel, Nof Ginosar, along the Sea of Galilee, then woke to enjoy one of […]