Are you a workaholic? I am. Do you hate Christmas? I do. So can I understand hesitation and withdrawing from the holidays 100%.
Because it’s life and if we’re being honest, that’s part of what’s expected in life. The craziness and chaotic nature of it all. But when your life changes, it’s how you handle it that can change you or keep you same.
In today’s Countdown to Christmas, we’re talking about Christmas Under the Stars, a 2019 Hallmark movie that I loved and hated. But one that, overall, made me examine my feelings for the holiday and how the choices that I make can and do affect others.
Deep shit for a movie that isn’t supposed to be anything but fun.
So what is Christmas Under The Stars about?
When Nick, a career-focused investment banker, is fired from his high-powered firm at Christmas time, he takes a job at a Christmas tree lot owned by a warm-hearted widower. There, he meets Julie, an astronomy teacher who’s always looked to the stars for hope. As the Christmas spirit washes over him — and he begins falling for Julie — the once self-centered Nick discovers the joy of helping others. When he learns that Julie and the tree lot owner are facing hard times, Nick strives to end their troubles in time for them all to share a Christmas under the stars.
Let’s see. Where do I even begin with this one?
Nick is a piece of shit, egotistical, wanna make all the money all the time dude. He’s cocky cause his Dad is this superstar in the whatever world they are in, so he thinks that everything is always going to go his way.
But news flash, when you become too cocky, the world is likely to slap you in the face.
And that’s what he’s gonna learn really quick.
So he takes this job at a Christmas Tree lot, which is fantastic and how can you get more cheerful than that. Everyone excited for Christmas and all of that cheer is needed to help him find himself.
Because Nick doesn’t know who he is. He can barely see left from right and anything that deters him from his goals is not the best thing. But these moments working in a Christmas tree lot are some of the best moments of his life, because he gets to start living his life for the one person that he should be living it for.
Himself.
He’s seeing that Christmas is important. He’s seeing that finding yourself and what you want to do is important. Making assumptions about what other people want from you are just that – assumptions.
And then there is Julie, who seems to have every bad thing in life that could happen, happen to her. She’s experiencing a hard year – with the passing of her father and trying to make things okay for her son.
She’s on the brink of losing everything, because her father’s medical debt was sold to some collection agency and they won’t stop harassing her about it.
She’s a teacher that just wants to do the best for her kids, but doesn’t know how to make it all happen for everyone else when she can barely make sense of what is happening to her.
She’s scared. She’s upset. And she’s alone.
But when she finds out that Nick used to work for the company that helped her medical debt be sold, she’s destroyed. Who can she have faith in? Who does she have faith in? Is this the type of man that she wants to be with?
And is this the type of man that Nick wants to be?
Through twists and turns and seeing Julie’s pain, Nick is able to find out what he wants to do and how he’s able to help.
And their love story – their Christmas love story has just begun.
All the merry and bright Christmas cheer that these two find in each other, while helping themselves and helping others is beautiful. It’s an adorable movie that I probably overthought, but I am okay with this.
It stars Jesse Metcalfe (“Desperate Housewives”), Autumn Reeser (“The Arrangement”) and Clarke Peters (“The Wire”) – which hey, isn’t a bad cast.
And if you can’t tell by my “being nice and not calling anyone the worst things that come to mind review” that I can like this movie, I don’t know how else to help.
Watch it and then love on your local Christmas tree lot.