Kicking off the story with a similar premise to that other festive gem - 'Christmas Getaway' (2017) - a double-booked chalet provides the setting for an unexpected meeting between a solitary author/curmudgeon/Grinch-type and a divorced magazine photographer (with her mother and daughter in tow) - anticipated squabble ensues.
The initial dispute over the double-booking results in both households sharing the same chalet over the festive season with the 'bah humbug' author going upstairs to the 'Grinch's Lair' under the timber roof as would be expected - and that's AFTER he took down all the decorations in the chalet which remind him of the dreaded season NOT to be jolly!
Yet despite the rules that were laid down after the dispute was settled he soon succumbs to the charms of the three women he's forced to co-habit with over the festive season. Particularly as Grandma & Grand-daughter are fans of his published works; which they refer to here and there.
What begins as a business-like/friendly arrangement spontaneously combusts into romance between Jack and Grace.
We've seen this story many times, but this one is a cut above the rest as the truth of the author's curmudgeonly pathologies and solitary nature are rooted, deeply, in family dysfunction (thus his memories of Christmas are not particularly heart-warming); and this provides the film with a double-edged sword that cuts through any festive schmaltz that might be lurking near the fripperies of the season, like fallen pine needles, figuratively speaking, behind the nowhere-to-be-seen Norway Spruce (see below). The unexpected romantic development blows the cobwebs off of Jack's heart.
Robin Dunne is excellent playing the part of the fully-rounded aforementioned famous-author/Christmas-Grinch and the rest of the cast match his sterling performance.
Perhaps the biggest sign that we're not quite seeing what we've seen many times before is the item used to create a delightful 'Christmas Tree' - charming and ingenious.
I believe this one deserves and an 8 out of 10.
