Category Archives: Christmas theme

The Noel Diary (2022)

From IMDB:

The story of a man who returns home on Christmas to settle his estranged mother’s estate. Once there, he discovers a diary that may hold secrets to his own past and of a beautiful young woman on a mysterious journey of her own.

From Netflix:

Cleaning out his childhood home at Christmas, a novelist meets a
woman searching for her birth mother. Will an old diary unlock
their pasts — and hearts?

From Netlix you can stream this 1 hour 40 minute romance drama.

While a step up from a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation, this is still in the same vein.  Of course the famous popular writer Jacob Turner (played by Justin Hartley) will eventually fall in love with Rachel (played by Barrett Doss).

And no, I have never heard of any of the actors.

Still, it is a relief from all the omnipresent violent entertainment in today’s streaming choices.

And it is NOT sappy.

Surviving Christmas (2004)

From IMDB:

A lonely, obnoxious young millionaire pays a family to spend Christmas with him.

From Amazon Prime  you can stream this 1.5 hour comedy.

As a perfect foil to Ben Affleck’s millionaire Drew Latham is James Gandolfini’s father-of-the-family Tom Valco.  Affleck as an exaggerated comical focal point is a departure from his other films. He is actually quite successful in the part, as is Gandolfini (who, unfortunately for us, died in 2013.)

Everyone’s reaction to comedy is personal, but this film worked for me.