Saving Christmas Spirit

American movie makers are getting better at Brit flicks! Ironically the most stereotypical character is the over-the-top camp New Yorker, but fortunately he's not in it much, and even he gets some of the many amusing lines to make him slightly less run-of-the-mill. There's a good mix of characters, with three generations providing a range of plots. Many of the set-ups have the usually predictable endings, but plenty occurs to keep watching for as everything eventually resolves. I like a bit of sadness to add depth even in a Christmas movie, but there is a lot of bereavement and divorce here to deal with, which of course the characters do. This could be a series of films, exploring different elements of Scottish history.

Saving Christmas Spirit (2022) -

This was by far the best pond crossing film that I've seen from this genre of Made For TV Christmas Films. I have watched some absolute doozies lately and so I was thankful to see how well this one was put together and that I found an interest in their relationship which had been lacking from many of the films that I have seen from 'Hallmark', 'Lifetime', Etc lately.

In a strange way, because of the archeological element, it did have a slight suggestion of 'Outlander' (2014-) about it, which, if it was deliberate, was a clever move on the producers part.

I also liked the fact that the other stories, running alongside the central romance, didn't interfere, but actually helped the main story along. Nothing detracted from the blossoming connection and a touch of magic will always help. It wasn't over the top or too hard to believe, but cute and an appropriate addition to the story.

There were a couple of dodgy performers involved, but the story was a slight tweak on those that I've seen before and in the proper direction, so that it balanced out against the rougher elements.

I will definitely be checking in to watch this one again.

7.06/10.

What a wonderful Christmas movie! The scenery is gorgeous and the acting is delightful. Very special, unique Christmas movie. Loved all the locations, the landscapes, the house, the mountains, the scenery. The actors are warm and endearing. I laughed and cried and I wanted to know each of the characters more. The kids were adorable and believable. Loved their story line about the girls rugby team. Loved the innkeeper. She's hilarious. The two leads were great. Loved the reindeer. And the music, especially the last song is really nice. There's a lot of history and Scottish folklore too. Definitely worth seeing on a cold night around a warm fire!!

I watched this on C5 last night.

Thank goodness, a new Christmas film, it made a change from the constant repeats we've been given recently.

This was a bit of a mixture, it was like any other romantic film. But, in places, it seemed a bit of a fantasy.

Like the steam train. Obviously a heritage line, but why just the heroine and the station master alone on the platform, twice?

The ghost of the landlady's husband, moving stuff about.

The brewery? Far too big to be what we were supposed to believe it was.

The "bed and breakfast" more like a castle.

The reindeer turning up unaccompanied, one complete with a bell around its neck, from where did they come?

The young star rugby player? You could tell he'd never touched a ball in his life from the clips of his training. But a nice little sub-plot romance.

However, it was a pleasant enough film and despite its faults I enjoyed it.

I was really impressed with close out song.

"It's the light of Christmas."

It suited the fantasy.

Anyone know, who was the girl singer?

A very attractive voice.

I've done a search but can find nothing.

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This was an enjoyable watch for a run of the mill Xmas movie set in the Highlands of Scotland (Fort William and Lochaber). The story was easy to follow and entirely predictable with almost no elements of surprise, with pleasant enough characters acting entirely within stereotypes.

The most enjoyable part of the film was spotting the Scottish cliches abundantly thrown around, from dancing in the snow with a piper in the background to the bonnie wee Scots girl with ginger hair as a secondary love interest (albeit more believable than the main relationship).

Scenery, as ever in this area, was stunning and there were plenty of shots of local landmarks to whet the appetite for more.