Imagine a town that is all Christmas, all the time. There is a package, at the hotel, where everything that has to do with the tropes of Christmas movie will come true. From falling in love, to winning a baking contest, to the town mayor looking like Santa Claus – it’s all happening. This town is called Christmasland and in Believe in Christmas, it exists.
Bea and Emilia are the best of friends and spend every Christmas together. It’s normally on their couch, watching bad movies, and eating. They’ve done it forever and it’s their tradition. But this year, Emilia wants to do something else. You guessed it, she wants to go to Christmasland.
Having won the ultimate package, Emilia wants the ultimate experience. Bea is insistent of not going, however, Emilia wears Bea down and off they go to spend Christmas in what seems like every Christmas lovers dream. For a Grinch, it seems like it would be their nightmare.
And well, Bea is kind of a Grinch. But before we write her off, she’s got every reason to be a Grinch. The holidays have never been a pleasant time for her. She grew up in foster care, and when it came to the holidays, they were never something to look forward to.
But as Emilia tries to embrace Christmasland, Bea is taking a different approach. For her, she’s got an article due for work and that’s what she’s going to focus on. She’s going to find an angle for the article that is due and everything else is just whatever.
Enter Ethan. Ethan is the son of the inn owner. He’s charming and handsome. He’s got a way with people. When Bea wants to spend time just exploring the town, his Mom tells him to go with her. For Bea, she’s insistent that he doesn’t have to go, but he says that he does.
Their time together is endearing. He’s just showing her who he is. He doesn’t expect anything from her, and to be honest, I was not sure at this point what was an act and what wasn’t.
That goes for Emilia also. She’s off exploring the town and taking part in festivities, meeting a man named Porter. Porter is charming and loves all the things that she does. She’s taken by him and thinks that he is a guest, so it’s safe to really like him.
But how are either of them supposed to know what is real? Part of the package at Christmasland is that they are supposed to meet someone. It’s so strange to watch both Emilia and Bea start to like someone, because both of them are part of a package that they are going to meet someone.
As everything unfolds, I couldn’t figure out what was real and what wasn’t. I was watching and also wondering what was real, what feelings were part of the act, and what was real. I knew the things that would normally happen in a Christmas movie, but I was unsure if when those things unfolded, they were part of the act. It was quite frustrating – in the best way – to watch the movie, because I really couldn’t guess what was happening and what was part of the act of Christmasland.
When things start to unfold, my heart went out to Bea and Emilia. Both, who were afraid of feelings that were coming to life, and also unsure of what was real. When Ethan’s ex comes to town and the tropes start playing out strong, I was finding myself upset at the movie and my want for resolution between Bea and Ethan.
Through misunderstandings and breaking through the script of Christmasland, we do find out what is part of the act and what isn’t. I’ve always wanted a movie like this, and seeing it come to life, I realize that it would play with feelings a lot which can and does become very complicated.
Believe in Christmas helped me embrace my inner Grinch, but also helped my heart size grow for my love of Christmas movies. It was a fun ride, filled with a lot of joy, love, and heart.
Well, and all of the heart of Christmas.
Now, if you’re wondering if the love/like/attraction between the couples were real? If you know Christmas movies, you know. And hey, if you don’t know Christmas movies, well, Believe in Christmas is a good movie to start with and learn all about Christmas movies with.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- Porter is endearing – he’s so charming and so nervous and it’s like it’s okay dude, own your presence, cause we all love you
- Talk about a lot of Christmas lights and can’t even imagine what that bill is like
- Bea needs a new wardrobe
- I don’t know why, but I laugh every time someone says cocoa
- When the rich ex shows up, I was like this has gotta be fake… this movie made me question my own knowledge of movies
