Je déteste Noël

Yes, it's a fantasy Italy, but isn't Christmas also a fantasy? We all yearn for something foreign to ourselves. It may have been modelled on a Scandinavian setting, but it still managed to convey the Italian charm in a very warm and friendly way, especially with the lead actress. I want to see more of her, a great actress with emotional depth! I love these little entanglements, which also don't correspond to reality at this speed. It is a light and entertaining series, perfect for the depressing and gloomy times we are currently living in. The series is naive, but positive and entertaining and lets you forget about everyday life for a few moments. Sometimes you need plump things to solve more important things. And the clumsiness itself is art!

The series is okay, but it is a remake, and Netflix's original series Home for Christmas (2019 and season two in 2021) is way better. Home for Christmas just captures the Christmas spirit in a different way, and the main actress has this amazingly warm charisma about her.

All in all, I hate Christmas is an okay series, and the Italian setting certainly is charming in it's own way. But it just can't compare to the original series set in Norway. The snowy surroundings and winter wonderland-feeling in HoC is just divine.

I really hope Netflix will want to invest in a third season of the original story, rather than making a season two of this version.

No pun intended - and I reckon not a surprise that this is a mixture right here. Most often than not if you have strong feelings towards something, it means you care for it. Or about it - so there is also a lot of love here (really didn't mean to do another pun, if you choose to believe me).

Talking about believing: the show or rather each episode starts with the main character telling us something ... which she herself does not really believe. So it is a back and forth and really sets the tone for the rest of the show ... very well. If of course you are not annoyed by how the show handles things.

There are cliches here, even if it does try to avoid them. Tis the season to be ... well to watch a lot of seasonal greetings ... I mean movies. Maybe same difference one might say ... mostly action or horror related until this one ... one might say this has some of those elements here too.

This starts off well but starts to lose its way midway through the series. It is based on the Norwegian series 'Home for the Holidays", and in some respects is a funnier. However, it really is just a repeat of the script, but with a beautiful Venetian backdrop. Sometimes, there is a loss of continuity as maybe they are not planning on a second season, but overall it's fairly entertaining even if a bit silly. The story really doesn't go anywhere, and the final episode is just a bit too sickly sweet. It remains to be seen is there will be a second season , and if they will stick slavishly to the script or maybe change the story line around.

The Netflix descriptor begins ' Every Christmas is the same story' - well of course it when you copy from the original (The Norwegian Home for Christmas) which was released last Xmas on Netflix!! Do they acknowledge this anywhere? Hugely disappointing from a company that supposedly prides itself on its creativity here shamelessly copy and pasting Oslo into Venice and expecting audiences not to notice as it sinks

This Italian has a sexier lead than the Norwegian but her beauty and charm make it hard to accept the premise of her being unable to attract or keep a boyfriend.

But otherwise I'd strongly recommend Home for Christmas which feels like the real deal unlike soggy imitation that is more panned than panettone.