Whelp, they did it again. This time, they kicked it off right away with Santa’s helpers, so I knew we were set up for some CG shenanigans. It was a hoot, and this time with 100% more Mrs. Claus, and she was just as charming and luminous on screen as ever. A good mix of action/adventure and softer, more heartfelt moments. Definitely recommend.

Now we’re on to Coming Home for Christmas (not to be confused with the 2017 movie “Coming Home for Christmas” starring Danica McKellar). Like the last movie I reviewed—The Christmas Lodge—this 2013 movie was produced by another dead painter’s company, this time Norman Rockwell. The co-producer is the same company, Nasser Productions, and was also shot in British Columbia but set in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon this time). So it’s unsurprising it came up as recommended after watching The Christmas Lodge. Starring Amy Jo Johnson, who I know from way back on Felicity. And a dude I know from the Netflix series Virgin River. And that chick I know as Reggie from Dead Like Me. Looking up the cast just now, looks like they went to a country music awards and picked up a bunch of singer songwriters as their actors.

First impressions: that is a lot of very rich, unhappy white women. Some in bad partnerships, and some apparently sabotaging them for no reason I can tell. Cute puppy, though.

Second impressions: Reggie reminds me of Lennon Stella from Nashville. And she even sings like her.

Ultimately, it was a’ight. I couldn’t quite relate to the mom obsessed with their old home, and the general ennui and lack of any meaningful communication between family members over the incident in the opening scenes. Knowing there are so many other better holiday movies out there, I’m just gonna say nah to this one. It’s not bad, it’s just...so forgettable for me.

First reaction: Is that THE Thomas Kinkade in the opening credits? Turns out, yes, yes it is. The company that was formed under the deceased painter, Thomas Kinkade, also made a smattering of feel-good holiday movies. Best known for “The Christmas Cottage”, The Christmas Lodge is the latest entry.

Second reaction: Is that DANIEL JACKSON from Stargate SG-1? Turns out yes, yes it is.

Third reaction: Is this set in the Pacific Northwest? Turns out yes, yes it is, as a gratuitous establishing shot of Seattle confirms.

The story will be no surprise, the frequent peppering of God and heaven and Biblical passages was a bit of a turn-off for me; but overall it’s charming, has good acting, and is a strong entry for your holiday movie enjoyment.

Up next: Coming Home for Christmas, funny enough produced by another dead painter’s company, Norman Rockwell. The co-producer is the same company, Nasser Productions, and also shot in British Columbia but set in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon this time).

Immediately we (my husband and I) were both reminded how charming and quick the dialogue is. Editing is strong, CG excellent, and casting is spot on. Kurt Russel is the perfect mix of rough/gruff and kindly. The pacing is good, keeping the action going and dropping in softer, quieter moments of Christmas magic.

I recognized the adorable Darby Camp from Little Big Lies, which aired between this debuting in 2018 and now, so I wouldn’t have known her from that back then. It was delightful to see her again.

Pros: Aforementioned costuming was amazing.. The attention to details in this universe of wild color and patterns were exciting for me. I would watch it again just to see that again. The world-building in the concept of magic was a little weak, but the sets were incredible. We felt thrust into a sort of old world theme park—reminding us of Diagon Alley in Wizarding World at Universal, in fact, in a good way. It was interesting to see a Dickensian landscape with a diverse cast of characters, and African dance inspired choreographies (the ones we didn’t fast forward through...)

Cons: The magical, evil doll storyline was central, but never really felt compelling. And the arrogant Latin-lover trope was tired.

Overall: Recommend, and if you’re not into musicals (we are, but this just wasn’t good for us), you can safely skip those sequences and not miss any plot points. This show is eye candy, and acting was good.

DIRECTIONS

Slice green onions and divide greens and whites.

Combine 1lb fine ground beef mixed with the whites of the two scallions (save back the sliced greens for garnish), a good thumb size knob of minced ginger, 2 Tbsp of soy sauce, and some panko bread crumbs, plus a bit of salt and pepper.

Roll beef mixture into 10-12 meatballs and set aside.

Mix a couple Tbsp of soy sauce, 1 Tbsp honey, 4 Tbsp mayo, 2 Tbsp sour cream; plus Sriracha, salt, pepper to your liking. Set sauce aside.

Preheat oven to 425, putting rack at the top.

Start up some jasmine rice. They gave 3/4 cup for two people, and we did it in the IP with water and a bit of coconut oil; but they just basically added 1:1 water, brought to a boil, and then took off heat and covered and let it finish for 15 minutes.

Lightly oil a foil-lined baking sheet. Meatballs on one side, green beans tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper on the other. Cook for about 15 minutes until everything looks good. You could turn the beans in the middle if you are worried about blackening them too much (and add a minute or two for heat loss when you opened the oven), but we didn’t need to. They browned nicely without burning.

Fluff rice and split between bowls. Toss meatballs in sauce and put on mound of rice, pouring rest of sauce over the top. Add green beans to side and sprinkle with green onions you set aside earlier. They had Korean red pepper flakes as well to put on the top, or just add whatever other spicey pepper topper you like, if you like the heat and don’t have Korean flakes on hand.