When you look back at all of the Christmas’s that you have experienced, what will you remember? Are all of things that you think are horrible, really that horrible? Or were they things that made you a better person? Are they parts of life that really shaped who you are?
In Christmas at the Golden Dragon, Romy and Rick grew up experiencing Christmas at their parents restaurant. In Kansas, The Golden Dragon was never closed, and it was where these two spent most of their formable years. For Romy, it felt like the worst thing that could have happened to her – never experiencing a “real” Christmas. For Rick, he felt comfortable in the restaurant.
Both of them may have grown up in the same place, but they grew up differently. Everyone has different appreciations of home.
In Wichita, The Golden Dragon, has been a part of home to so many. It’s been a part of the area and holds so many memories for people. Rick and Romy’s parents have decided to close the restaurant and make the announcement to their staff. They even blindside their son at the announcement and you can see the light drain from his eyes.
Rick had long used the restaurant as a crutch. His sister had her job in New York and she was off living her life. But he’d never admit that being there was a crutch. Yet, his parents aren’t afraid to tell him that he’s doing just that.
He asks when they are going to tell his sister, who they gave permission to not come home for the holidays. She’s in Connecticut with her boyfriend, meeting their family.
Romy has longed to have a normal Christmas, but I do believe that she learned what that was from movies and such. Because poinsettias and gingerbread houses are definitely not everyones Christmas. Sometimes it is chinese food and time at the only open restaurant. Sometimes its not being able to go home. Sometimes it’s feeling like the odd one out.
Your own memories are what make the holidays special. Your own memories are what are important to who you are.
When Romy isn’t home for the holidays, she keeps trying to convince herself that it’s what she wants. But as everything happens at her boyfriends home, she realizes that she needs to and wants to be home. The Golden Dragon isn’t perfect, but it’s her home. It’s where everything that was a milestone in her life happened.
And it was where she found the meaning of community. And that is one of the most special things about this movie.
The community.
The story follows more than just the family – there is the restaurant family too. A workaholic executive Veronica (Canning) who longs to be a mother; recent widow Jane (Niven), who is planning her first Christmas without her husband; Nate (Cupo), a single father trying to do the best by his daughters during the holidays; and helpful delivery driver Miguel (Jason Fernandes) who is hoping to secure a college scholarship.
It’s definitely ambitious for Hallmark to do a movie that is along the line of Valentines Day or New Years Eve. But they do it so well.
As we see all the relationships between them all unfold, the way that their lives unfold, and it’s both heartbreaking and empowering. We see the relationships evolve, the way that they all are intertwined. It’s a reminder of the connections that we make and the community that become a part of who we are.
As The Golden Dragon closes, there isn’t a part of me that doesn’t feel overwhelmed with sadness. But seeing Romy return and open the Dragon on Christmas for one last dinner service is everything. Seeing this family come together, but also the way the community came together, is what makes this movie so special.
Sometimes what is the hardest part of moving on is letting go. It’s not forgetting, because I do believe that it’s almost impossible to forget. But moving forward, that feels like a betrayal to a point. Yet, all of these characters remind you that moving forward doesn’t mean that you are letting go, it means that you are appreciating the lessons that you have learned and the way that they can be something that you can pass onto others.
Christmas at The Golden Dragon is a special movie filled with heart and beauty. Personally, I am thankful that Hallmark blessed us with it.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- The way that all of these stories weave together is beautiful and flawless
- I felt for Rick and the way that he kept striking out
- Rick cooking on the last night of the restaurant felt just like a sense of pride
- So happy that Romy got engaged
Christmas At The Golden Dragon airs on The Hallmark Channel.
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