This film was entertaining enough and certainly fit the bill when it comes to cheesy Netflix Christmas rom-coms but it doesn’t really stand up to a lot of scrutiny. Firstly, the title calendar is barely featured in the second half of the movie. Secondly, I can’t help but think the story suffers from that Indiana Jones effect of everything happening anyway even if the calendar hadn’t have been there.

Was a bit nervous going into this one because the first movie, whilst fun wasn’t exactly a classic. And it’s about parenting which is probably one of my least favourite subjects. But it’s a Christmas movie, and we’re on a roll, so hey!

I had heard that a new version of Baby It’s Cold Outside was going to be released, with updated lyrics, but I hadn’t heard it until recently. Kelly Clarkson and John Legend have rewritten the old classic which has come under fire for some difficult lyrics that could be considered to fall on the wrong side of consent. I do get why the old song is problematic for some people. That line “what’s in this drink” can absolutely be taken out of context and if you read the lyrics at face value, it does sound like a guy trying to coerce his date to stay longer than she really wants to.

So, Anton du Beke has written a series of books, and would you believe it, they’re about old school ballroom dancing in a posh London hotel. It’s exactly what you would expect from Anton, really, the swoosh of proper ballroom dancers in the luxurious grandness of a swanky hotel in the pre-war era of misquiet and distrust.

I’ve read one Baldacci book before, and my dad recommended I invest in some more as he’s quite taken with the thriller writer. I picked up this one in an Apple Books sale and was soon caught up in the intrigue of it all. It’s an interesting style, because Robie is an assassin and the book has that arms-length detachment that comes with that kind of job.

I read this after seeing the film, which was a really good one. The movie is pretty close to the source material, with just a few tweaks here and there, but the main thing I took from it was that Simon, as a complex teenage character, doesn’t quite generate as much sympathy on the page as he did on screen.

Three books in one, this is a handy way of reading the first few books in the Malory Towers series. I have fond memories of reading these as a kid, although I didn’t remember the specifics, only that most of the girls were goody-two-shoes and adventures and midnight feasts were had. Actually, they really weren’t all that goody-goody. Even our heroine Daryl had a wicked temper that sometimes was totally misplaced.

Final thoughts! How can it be over already? I mean, I know it’s been weeks and we’ve all been on a journey and it’ll be quite nice to have my Saturday nights back but still… it’s all done! What a final show it was, kicking off with an incredible routine, and featuring Taylor Swift, plus all the old gang back for one more round including lovely Will! I really, really would have been happy with any of those three winning it but Kelvin edged it for me, and I’m so happy he and Oti took home the glitterball.

Thank goodness, this movie is a return to form - well the form applicable to the Nativity movies anyway. It was really quite enjoyable, and moving in places, and actually has a timely story about immigrants and just treating people as human beings even in times of trouble.

What a terrible movie. Honestly, the Nativity series has so far been in the so bad it’s good category of brilliant Christmas movies, but this one does not stand up to the rest of them. For a start, the plot makes no sense, it’s far-fetched and contrived and the sequence of events is utterly ridiculous. I know you’re supposed to suspend your disbelief, but hey, I haven’t even started talking about the fact that Mr Poppy takes a bunch of kids to New York without permission or enough supervision.