Christmas in July is one of our favorite season, but you know what. We’ve never made a secret of that. It’s the start of trying to get into the Christmas spirit (and yes, for some of us it does take a bit). The Unwrapping Christmas franchise has been a delight to make sure that we feel the Christmas spirit.
The movies, which follow four best friends and their gift wrapping shop, as they put on the biggest gala in Saint Paul, Minnesota – the Christmas Gala. Mia is the optimistic one of her friends, doesn’t speak up, and would rather live with her head in a book than to experience the pain of the real world.
But that’s kind of what is precious about Mia. She lives in her dreams and works hard for them. She wants them to come true, but also to be there for everyone else. Mia just doesn’t realize that she’s been neglecting herself along the way.
Loosing herself along the way means that she’s going to have to find herself and that can come with a lot of drama.
DERBYSHIRE DREAMS
When you have a book that you love, you read it over and over again. At least this writer does. When Christmas comes around, Mia rereads Christmas at Derbyshire. It’s a romance – filled with falling in love with a prince, forbidden romance, and more.
She’s sleeping – having the same dream that she has frequently – that she’s running away from the Prince in the story, but he catches her and is willing to give his birthright for her. She’s awaken by one of her besties, after nodding off reading the book.
It’s time for the store to open and the four besties are going over the gala plans quickly before opening, Mia thinks that she’s everything under control. BUT, you know what they say about the best laid plans and all that.
Mia prides herself on hard work, friendship and being there for others. The one thing that she wants for herself is a first edition copy of Christmas in Derbyshire. She saves every single tip in order to buy the book that is at the local used book store.
Mia’s life is very chill and she likes it that way. But sometimes, you have to be pushed out of your comfort zone and who knows, you may like it that way too.
SISTER, SISTER
Mia, sweet, sweet Mia. First of all, we should never leave thousands of dollars in a box on our fire place. So many reasons for this, but we won’t go there. Yes, we should suspend belief. Totally understand.
Second, sweet, sweet Mia, never leave your front door unlocked, because you never know who will be coming through that front door. And yes, sometimes that could be your sister.
Mia’s sister comes to visit and brings her cat. Ashlyn is very the opposite of her sister and is more of a fly by the seat of her pants type of person. She’s divorced, starting her life over, and is trying to figure out who she is. She knows that she loves to cook and that’s about the only direction that she has in her life.
Rather than tell her sister that the cat has to go, she goes to sleep at the store. What is giving up comfort, when your sister is comfortable?
It is her being there that night that she hears a frantic knock at the door. A gift wrap emergency if you will.
THE PRINCE
Sometimes when you dream about someone and they come over into – you know – reality. When Mia comes face to face with the real thing – it takes her a back. She’s not sure if she’s imagining things when the next morning she can’t find the tip that she believed he left.
Not to long to think about it though because everything starts going wrong. Deliveries are getting screwed up, everything for the event goes wrong, and she’s still keeping it to herself.
But the Prince that she’s been dreaming about shows back up at the store – hands filled with gifts and trying to make excuses to see her. She’s taken with him and is a little excited that he wants to hang out. The thing is though, she’s busy and so is he. He’s willing to make time, but she’s committed because she’s giving back.
And that’s admirable.
Mia sees the beauty in others. She listens when Beau speaks, but also listens when others speak about Beau. She doesn’t want to be dragged into drama, but she soon finds out that drama is all around him.
THE GREAT THING ABOUT FEELINGS
Beau’s family foundation is well known in St. Paul. They are philanthropists and want to give of their time and money. Mia is a little intimidated by who he is and who his Mom is.
She’s also thrown off when she finds out that Beau is engaged to a woman named Penelope. She thinks that she’s coming in between them, but what she is soon told (from both of them) is that they don’t love each other, they are besties and they just want to make their mothers happy.
Beau wants to help Penelope, but he never expected to feel so many emotions towards someone else. Mia was a welcome surprise to him – one that he treasured. He’d never felt the way that he felt about Mia – that can’t eat, can’t sleep kinda love.
His Mom does everything that she can to drive him towards Penelope and keep him from Mia. She’s so mean to Mia and even goes as far as to buy the book that she’s been saving up for. The Mom is mean or protecting her son and the foundation. Who knows.
But what made Beau so frustrating and yet so redeemable is that he is the type of man that wants to love deeply and do everything for others, but forgets how to do that for himself. He’s putting everything on the line for a friend and he’s trying to please his mom. But in the same breathe, he knows there is something about Mia and he’s willing to fight.
PARTIES AND DECORATIONS
Beau and Mia are a couple that we can get behind, but also we’re a little taken aback by the fact that he won’t stand up to his Mom. Well, by the time he does, it feels too late.
And that’s something that is hard to see. Women are complex in the sense that they don’t wanna marry the Mama’s boy, but they do want their sons to put them first. It’s in movies like this one that we see that this is a double edged sword. Then again, part of the thing about movies like this is seeing that there is more than one way to look at things.
While Beau and Mia find their way to each other, there are many obstacles along the way. The road to falling in love isn’t one that is linear, but you will get there. These two do and it’s really the magic of Christmas that gets them there.
After all, isn’t love magical?
That an a gala of course.
The Unwrapping Christmas franchise is streaming now on Hallmark+.
OTHER THOUGHTS
- Beau and the things that he’s wanting to do in order to impress Mia – I wish he’d stand on his own
- Beau’s Mom is too much
- Love that Beau’s Mom set it so that Mia would win the book she bought out from underneath her
- Mia take the book
