Who wouldn’t want a chance to right their greatest mistakes? In The 12 Days of Christmas Eve, part of It’s a Wonderful Lifetime on the Lifetime channel, Kelsey Grammer‘s Brian Conway gets a chance to do just that. It’s a little bit Groundhog Day and a little bit Silent Night, Deadly Night. After all, it’s not often that Santa himself is responsible for killing a man a dozen times until he learns his lesson.
We all have moments in our life that we regret. Brian’s regrets are (hopefully) a bit bigger than most. Although he’s a successful businessman, his professional achievements have come at the expense of his personal relationships. In particular, his relationship with his daughter, Michelle (Spencer Grammer), has suffered. When he dies in a car accident on Christmas Eve, Santa himself gives Brian twelve chances to re-live the day, correct his mistakes, and find the true meaning of Chritstmas.
On paper, the concept is – let’s be honest – a little macabre. Particularly since Santa seems to relish finding new ways to kill Brian each time he fails. It’s part plot device, part dark humor, which might remind Supernatural fans of the episode “Mystery Spot.” But it at least gives Santa a chance to Monday morning quarterback Brian’s attempts, giving him suggestions for how he could do better next time.
Unsurprisingly, Kelsey and Spencer Grammer have good chemistry as father and daughter. They should, since they actually are. And the elder Grammer shines as both the curmudgeonly businessman and the reformed father and grandfather.
If I’m honest, not all of the loops in The 12 Days of Christmas Eve entirely work. In particular, the loop where he pays his daughter’s debts felt a little bit like they had to find a reason to make her angry to justify a loop reset. But maybe that’s because, as someone with substantial student debt, I can’t really imagine turning that gift down. Yeah, he went through her mail to find out what debt she had, so he could pay it off. But I can’t remember the last time I got a bill in a mailbox that wasn’t electronic. So if someone wants to peruse the Kohl’s coupons and horse supply catalogues I’ve inexplicably received for ten years (no, I’ve never owned a horse) to pay off my student debt? Have at it. You won’t hear me complain.
These are relatively minor quibbles, in the grand scheme of things. The fact is, we all have mistakes in our lives that we wish we could correct. We don’t get Brian’s opportunity to do so. Thankfully, that means we also don’t get the repeated fatal experiences. But it also means that we have to life with our regret, more often than not. And, like Brian, sometimes we only see how to fix our mistakes when it’s too late.
Which is why it’s important we keep trying. After all, as Brian discovered in The 12 Days of Christmas Eve, it’s never too late to connect with the people we love.
Agree? Disagree? What did you think of The 12 Days of Christmas Eve? Share with us in the comments below!
Nice review. I particularly agree with the student debt assessment. It didn’t resonate with me why it seemed that she got so angry. Either another scenario or some better explanation on why would have worked best.
As stated, minor points of contention for an otherwise good movie.