Sometimes Christmas is so special to people that they want to have everything occur around the holidays to make it more special. We can’t object to that, because hey, it means something.
Cherry Lane is a beautiful place. But sometimes it feels like its own little world and a place that people learn from and then leave. I have to wonder what it is about No. 7 Cherry Lane that makes it magic. Because it definitely feels like it has to be filled with magic.
While Happy Holidays from Cherry Lane isn’t our favorite from the franchise – it is still worth a watch.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Three very different families celebrate Christmas Eve in the same house on Cherry Lane over the course of many years. In 1960, writer Eli (Benjamin Ayres) and his hairdresser wife Penny (Erica Durance) help their son create a Christmas-themed time capsule, but Eli’s irascible father (Serge Houde) makes it difficult to get the job done. In 1998, widowed Regina (Catherine Bell) finds herself caught up in an unexpected Christmas romance when a contractor named Nelson (James Denton) gets stuck at her house due to a blizzard. And in 2015, Jessie (Julie Gonzalo) has to help her sister put on a Christmas Eve wedding that is being officiated by the Jessie’s high school sweetheart, Tim (Ryan Rottman), who broke her heart.
WHAT IT’S GIVING: Foggy Christmas Eve Rules
STANDOUT PERFORMANCE: Benjamin Ayres. I really adore him and the roles that he chooses to play. Now, No 7 Cherry Lane – that house gets sold a lot. The turnover rate is high. But I don’t feel like that is a bad thing. I feel like the house gives you what you need and you have to figure out how to use it. The house may be like Target used to be – it doesn’t ask what you need – it gives you what you need.
That being said, Ayres plays Eli. He’s a complex character – one with issues with his father, but is determined to be a better father and husband than his father ever was. And then there is the fact that he doesn’t know how to get along with his father, but finding common ground is needed. Just the way that Ayres brings him to life – Eli is the person you are rooting for to succeed, but also to realize that everything is not what it seems.
GRINCH-ISH THOUGHTS: Now, the Cherry Lane franchise is one of my favorites. Why? Because it approaches life with the gentleness and strength and real life possibilities. The stories could be real. And I appreciate that no matter the timeline – because it takes place in three different timelines that are somehow interconnected. And well, it’s not just the house.
In each timeline, it’s Christmas Eve. 1960, 1998, and 2015. In each timeline there is something that each family considers an emergency happening. It’s all about the emergencies, the way that they handle them and the way that it means something to each one of them.
But it’s also about the changes in time – the differences in time.
In 1960, Eli and his father do not get along, but he’s forced to have him there for Christmas. He was hurt and needs to be looked after. For Eli it is torture, because he’s never going to get along with his Dad. Everything he does is wrong.
Eli needs to help his son make a time capsule. He gets a box, and it’s wrong. His father says its not right and gets a different one. It’s these little passive aggressive things that make their relationship more difficult. But, what happens when they find a clock – one that belonged to his Mom. His Dad wants it and Eli’s wife is the only person that can find a way to get them to get along. Penny is the only person that can get them both to see things from a different perspective.
While I love the traveling back in time, I knew that the capsule would come into play. It’s just that because it was only supposed to be seven years buried, I thought that it would be like 1967. But no, it was 1998.
Regina is single and we’re seeing where she met Nelson. Regina is single, it’s Christmas Eve and her kids couldn’t make it in because of a snow storm. She’s got a plumbing issue and you know – Christmas Eve? Well that creates an issue. No one can get there and she’s spending time with her friends whose flight was delayed.
Nelson is a contractor and his friend, the plumber, sends him over. Regina seems off put by this, but it’s Christmas Eve and one should take what they can get. So after a bit – she lets Nelson get to work. Her friends are able to finally leave, because their flight is taking off.
Oh and did I mention that they find the time capsule? I kinda love that.
But after coming up with a temporary fix, Nelson can’t get out – his car won’t start and so he’s going to be stuck on Cherry Lane. Nelson and Regina end up watching a movie while they are waiting and she falls asleep on his shoulder.
She’s embarrassed, but secretly I love it. She’s a hard worker, is there for everyone else and yet there is something about Nelson that makes her feel comfortable enough to be able to fall asleep next to him. That’s trust and I LOVE that.
And 2015. Jessie suddenly has to deal with her sisters Christmas Eve wedding and the worst thing – all of the stuff for the wedding is locked inside the venue that was shut down. She’s going to now have to help her sister put the wedding together and host it. Then she finds out that the person that is officiating her wedding is her ex. Her sister is under a lot of stress – get that. But making an ex the officiant. If I was Julie I would not be attending. Lines have been drawn there.
Not a person that wants to revisit the past with an ex. But we do get to see how the two look at it differently. Each one thought the other one broke their heart and in reality, it was what a lot of endings are – miscommunication.
All three timelines are a lot of miscommunication, stubbornness and the inability to let go of the things that hurt them. No resolution is to be had, but it also is something that they are all going to keep fighting for. Feelings are very complicated.
While this movie wasn’t my favorite, it still embodied what the series is filled with – a lot of heart. The characters were intriguing, but it was the script with the corny lines and the fact that it just didn’t deliver all of the Christmas cheer that the other two have that made me pull back a bit.
The characters felt as though they were going to get in their own way and stay there. Yes, resolution. But the resolution felt meh and that drew me out. I wanted to stay in because I do love Cherry Lane.
Cherry Lane is the place we all wish we could live… just not in 1960, 1998, and 2015.
CHRISTMAS CHEER: 🎄🎄🎄.5
