When I saw A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong towards the end of last year it must have been a sort of test run because the Mischief crew are going big with promoting their new London production and short UK tour run. They’re popping up everywhere and releasing lots of promotional content, including this excellent behind-the-scenes video of how the show has come together, and generally what a great bunch of people are involved.

In December, we visited Warwick Castle to see their light trail. It was spectacular, although some of the organisation around the site could have been better. But kicking things off with a purple castle is a great way to entice me in.

Absolutely loved this. The timing of its availability means we have been waiting so long to watch it that the anticipation was quite high - thankfully it delivered. I wasn’t sure it was going to, with the opening titles that were so very 70s, and quite a slow start. But it grows on you and gradually gets warmer and more heart-warming, even as these characters are opening up about their difficult lives. At the end, that small handshake between the lead characters was so much bigger than some of the huge professions of love and hugs that other Christmas movies finish with. It was wonderful.

This is a fun book, based very much on the film The Holiday - referenced right at the start. Rather than two people swapping Christmasses, however, this time we have three. That did make it quite confusing when switching between them - it might have helped to have the location as part of the chapter headers rather than just the character name, because it wasn’t until very near the end that I could actually tell them apart. But still, contrived as it might be that they all find their own version of romance, I still really enjoyed it.

It’s become a bit of a tradition now that each Christmas I set about working on a music playlist to replace some of the more traditional ones on radio and streaming services. I get slightly annoyed with them because they either feature songs that are clearly not Christmassy (slowed down pop tunes for festive adverts should not be there!) or they repeat the same classic tunes over and over.

Of course it’s not Christmas without a Sarah Morgan book. This latest one features various members of the same family heading home for Christmas, and all dealing with their own various dramas - family issues, falling in and out of love, all that you’d come to expect. I did feel like there was a lot of preamble and the good stuff didn’t really happen until the final third, but still, a good cosy read.

Judge me all you want, but I really enjoyed this film. It’s got all those festive Hallmark tropes - it’s cheap, the script is clunky, and the chemistry is questionable. But I loved the time travel aspect of it, and how it all worked itself out, it was fun. You do have to question how quickly the guy seemed to accept everything in the modern world, I know he’s an engineer but a microwave must be mind-bending for someone where barely electricity exists. Cheap and cheerful, warm and cosy, I recommend this one.

It’s been a whole year since I wrote anything about Mischief Theatre, but I recently got to see their festive stage show Christmas Carol Goes Wrong and it was spectacular. I’d previously only seen the BBC version, an hour long special which features the main story of Scrooge and the ghosts, and of course, plenty of things going wrong.

This is, objectively, a bad Christmas movie - not really much going on in terms of plot, lots of weird coincidences and that faux romance that is quite hard to believe. But, at the same time, I really enjoyed Chad Michael Murray’s performance in this, it was all over the place, but also quite cute. The script lets all the actors down on many occasions, but he, at least, does a watchable performance with it.

I was really keen to watch this having enjoyed the series enormously. It was very confusing right from the start, given that it takes place before the events of the series finale, and with Angie alive and kicking again. But also, it just wasn’t very good. Not very much happened, and all the characters were just sniping at each other for an hour, which wasn’t exactly entertaining to watch. It didn’t seem to have the heart or the gentle jokes or anything that the series excelled at. I feel like we should have just stuck with the three series and left it there.

For a brief minute once I’d started this, I almost gave it up - it was so brash, so in your face, quite overwhelming. But I’m glad I stuck with it because although it took a moment to settle in with these characters, once I had, it was brilliant. So relatable, such a complex family with brittle and evolving relationships… all plunged together for a Christmas they’ll never forget. Loved it.

This was a weird movie. The anti-news rhetoric was not subtle and really got quite old, the guy’s just doing his job for goodness’ sake. The two leads were fine but it didn’t seem like they had a spark to end up together particularly. The kid was great, but some of the things he was allowed to get up to didn’t seem that appropriate. I don’t know, it was watchable, and it steered clear of some of the generic Hallmark movie tropes but it wasn’t great.

I can see the idea behind this film and I like it, it’s quite creative - really just a natural family getting together and us watching the various things they get up to. But we didn’t really have any chance to connect with the people, I didn’t know who I was looking at at any given moment (only Maria Dizzia because I know her from other things), and it was all just a bit dull.

Overall, this is a fun Christmas movie, enjoyable to watch and with plenty of heart and a good story. Lots of fun elements - fish out of water, the guy that does every job in the town, the wonderful Derek Jacobi stealing the show, and a panto at the end. It’s not without problems though. Rebel Wilson is miscast in this from the get-go. The accent is terrible and she’s not believable as a love interest for either Danny Dyer or Keifer Sutherland. I like her but this is not it.

I was curious about this film because I didn’t realise Luke Goss was an actor (turns out he’s done a few things) and what on earth is he doing in a film with Joan Collins? The trailer didn’t look great but I gave it a go… and couldn’t get past twenty minutes. It’s so bad! Lots of films start with someone down on their luck but this was so miserable and cheap looking and hard to engage with, I honestly couldn’t wait to switch it off.

This probably isn’t a movie I would have reached for if it wasn’t a holiday movie, because I’m not mad about dogs particularly. Actually, it was pretty good, very funny, an excellent rom-com which is always a nice surprise in the current movie climate. The only real problem with it is that it’s not all that Christmassy… they go on holiday to a Florida beach and so most of the film is on the beach and in the sunshine. There’s a bit of festive fun at the start and end though, so it’s worth a watch at this time of year, for sure. Also, Charlie Cox is so adorable.

I don’t know about this film, it was a bit of a slog to get through it. I thought we were going for the out-of-place character in the small town vibe, and then she basically almost died in a frozen lake. So that took a turn. After that it got so slow and drawn out, I honestly couldn’t care about the relationship, I just wanted her to be found and to get on with the rest of her life. On the flip side, the two best friends were incredible - I could have watched them all day. The phone call to the police whilst chatting on about weed was exceptional. Overall best avoided though, this one.

I’ve been obsessing over Matt Haig this year, and this follow up to A Boy Called Christmas was available to read via the library. If I’m being honest, I didn’t enjoy it as much as the previous one, it’s a bit chaotic, a lot of different elements going on and quite a lot to follow. But I do like the way it’s written, and even the more grown up sad elements are handled so well. It’s good stuff.

Overall this is a good movie, but it’s a very odd vibe. You think it’s going to be a fun, festive family frolic, but it’s actually quite a lot more depressing than that. It is funny, and I love what they were doing with the film references and casting her as the lead rather than the endless male heroes. It’s a great cast, and they work well together as a modern family. It’s just a bit grumpy, I guess, but the perfect film if you’re in that kind of mood. As always, not enough Eva Longoria.

The setup and premise of this book is mad - these friends must know that their dear departed friend would not want them to put their lives in danger just to see the Northern lights on that particular day. But if you ignore that, you’ve got a nice festive tale of people stuck together, learning about each other’s lives, opening up to each other, and of course, falling in love. The added elements of a culture that is drifting away, plus the climate issues, alongside all the food notes, make a comforting read.

I love, love, LOVED this film. Right from the start and every minute of it until the end. The trailer looked fun but I wasn’t really expecting a lot - a sort of Jonas brothers rip off of Planes, Trains and Automobiles. And it was that, but it was also so much more. It was hilarious, right from the start, I laughed a lot. They don’t take themselves too seriously, and stack the whole thing with great jokes and self-deprecating moments. The songs are good, maybe not as Christmassy as I hoped, but still excellent for a modern musical.

This is a classic festive read - two characters start out not enjoying each other’s company, are forced together over the holiday season, and end up falling in love. It felt like it took a really long time to get going, and was sort of contrived to start with, but go with it all and it makes for a cosy comforting and Christmassy read. I hadn’t realised I’ve already read a Wynbridge book before, and that there are so many others. I’m definitely going to have to check out a few more!

This is such an implausable and strange movie - and that’s even by Christmas nonsense rom-com standards. I feel like in this day and age there’s no reason a woman couldn’t be considered for a santa job. If she went in and did the impression she can clearly do, and they were so desperate to hire, why wouldn’t she get the job? And the HR for this hotel is clearly lacking if they didn’t do any background checks on this very strange individual. How did she get the discount if she was signed up under a different name? It makes no sense! Ryan Eggold is adorable in it though, particularly when he’s wrestling with why he has feelings for Santa… before he finds out what’s really going on. It’s all very weird.

This book paints such a great picture, that old school department store decorated for Christmas. I could picture all of it, and it felt like a Willy Wonka scenario gone very wrong. Once the murder mystery part of it started, it got really interesting and I ended up really enjoying it. As the different characters started to fall into place, it was great. The only issue I have is that the big twist wasn’t quite so impactful because there was a namedrop earlier on that made it really obvious. But I still loved reading it.

I finally made it to watch Jingle Bell Heist after getting distracted by the previous film on the last attempt. This was a bit of a slow starter, it took a while to get going and to really care about these characters to any large degree - despite their situations being quite clearly shouted in your face. But as the heist activities started, it got better and better. The relationship developed, the banter improved, and the twists started coming.

So I was on my merry way looking to watch Jingle Bell Heist when this popped up - I hadn’t heard of it and watched it purely on the strength of Minka Kelly being in Friday Night Lights that I loved so very much. And what a brilliant find this was! Okay, it was entirely predictable and ok the guy from Drops of God was in a film about wine that also included a wine challenge, but put those things aside and it was brilliant. The rom-com at the centre was over-dramatic and entirely wonderful, great chemistry between the two leads. The family drama was also brilliant, the big business plot set a nice backdrop and then you had the exceptional bromance brewing between Roberto and Otto. Fantastic. Plus there was a lot of French in there and it was all gloriously Christmassy. LOVE.

This has so much going for it that I should love - it’s a musical version of A Christmas Carol featuring Albert Finney and with input from Lesley Bricusse. It should be ticking all the boxes but somehow it doesn’t. Firstly, it feels pretty drawn out and long, and so much is on Albert Finney’s performance which is an acting masterclass but doesn’t really fit the rest of the film. The songs are kind of upbeat (even I Hate People is actually quite a fun number), the mood is pretty sombre, and I just wasn’t too sure where I stood with it. It’s a shame, but on the other hand, I’m very glad I watched it because I had no idea this is where Thank You Very Much came from!

I’m all for a cheesy Christmas movie, and I thought with the addition of Mayim Bialik, this might be pretty good. Sadly, it was terrible. The two leads do an okay job individually, especially given the terrible script they’re working with and how awful the characters are, but they have no chemistry and so there’s no chance they fell in love overnight. Meanwhile, the plot is bonkers, why is she so mad that he’s going to propose to his girlfriend based on one overheard conversation? Why did he go all the way to the airport and bottle it? It’s really just a bit of a mess, and Mayim deserves better.

There was so little Christmas in this, I feel a bit robbed. A little montage of Christmas in London does not a festive movie make. So I was already a bit grumpy with the whole thing and when it turned out to not be very good, that was the final nail in the coffin. It’s not really a good sign that the best characters were not in the family… There was the occasional funny moment but generally it was just a mediocre spy thriller with some lazy plotting. I’m sure there’ll be a third one though - which member of the family can we drag out of the past next time?

I loved this. The sets were a bit cheap and there wasn’t enough Melissa Joan Hart, but apart from that I can’t find too much to complain about. The cast were fab, the story fun, and the rom-com element of it was really good. I thought I’d be annoyed that she didn’t end up taking the big job and moving to Boston, but actually it wasn’t too bad, because she found that she was making a difference where she was… it wasn’t all just for the guy. A lovely feel-good Christmas movie.

I didn’t necessarily want to read this one quite so in advance of Christmas, but it’s when it became available so I went with it. It’s a nice book - obviously enjoyable with the characters we love, but also because it has that Agatha Christie feel. The setup feels a bit contrived, how our detective friends end up in this big house over Christmas, and then there’s a murder, but you go with it because you want to get stuck into the mystery of it. I liked the twists and turns and that Ryan figured it all out in the end. And ooh, personal developments at the end, so moving on in the series is a must!

A good premise, very much like One Day in style. I thought we were going to get more of a will-they-won’t-they to start with, but they were already in a relationship at the beginning, and having a child by the second update. But there were lots of twists and turns, and I always like this style of book, checking in on a relationship over the course of many years. The subplot with the wonderful best friend Sarah was brutal, as well. Had to keep reading to find out what happened to her!

I’m quite forgiving of a slushy nonsense Christmas movie but I just couldn’t get through this one. The premise was weird, there were so many coincidences and weird conversations, I just had to give it up. Sorry Christina, better luck next time!

Couldn’t even get to the twenty minute rule with this one. It was slow and boring, so wasn’t feeling that fond of it and then there was a snake in the toilet and now I can’t go to the bathroom ever again. Thanks Ben Stiller.

I mostly watched this because Justin Long was in it, and they were going back to Ireland which of course means lots of brilliant accents. I enjoyed that part of it but oof, it was not good. Of course the woman didn’t want kids but had to change her mind by the end, because not having kids is not a valid choice, is it? Infuriating. The whole thing around the football was similarly rage-inducing. And our main couple were all over the place in their relationship, like they were speaking completely different languages. Annoying. Avoid this one, I reckon.

At first, I thought this was going to be a twenty minute rule. It felt very low-budget, and with a very bleak start, I couldn’t really feel where it was going. I stuck with it, and I’m not sure if it got that much better. The story sort of went nowhere, and there was a lot of artificial tension introduced. I did enjoy the growing friendship between the main two, and was surprised by the ending at least. But no, steer clear.

This is based on three books by Richard Curtis, so it makes sense that there are various strands that pull together to make on intertwined film. That’s the only similarity to Love Actually, though, really. Instead, we’re focused on a bunch of kids and adults from a snowy village who are separated on Christmas Day for various reasons and need to feel the festive season again to be reunited. It was good, didn’t blow me away, but it was cute. I really enjoyed Rhys Darby’s character and Jodie Whittaker should do more voice work, it felt so warm.

I read some of this and then paused for a while, trying to decide whether it had grabbed me or not. Usually if you have to ask the question, it hasn’t, but I dipped back in and actually quite enjoyed the rest of the story. Two people who had a brief holiday romance agree to meet back up in ten years, and we follow the journey to see if they actually show up. Dipping back into what happened then, and forward to what’s happening now, inevitably it is about finding that comfortable love that was there all along.

It’s billed as a Die Hard style Christmas film and it definitely wants to be that, whilst not quite living up to the Bruce Willis legend. But I have to admit, I quite enjoyed it. The story is pretty woolly, and if you know anything about airports and planes, there are plot holes galore. But Taron does a great job as the twitchy hero, and they were really good at ramping up the tension at various points. It’s weird to see Bateman as the bad guy but it was an entertaining couple of hours!

One of my favourite things about the festive season is revisiting all the great films and TV specials that have gone before. The vast array of choice is only growing with each passing year but there are some classics that will never not be aired over Christmas. Love Actually, the Vicar of Dibley’s Christmas Lunch Incident, and these unaired bonus clips from Peter Kay’s Car Share. I’d have it every four years if it were up to me, like the Olympics… It’s just a load of stress at the end of the day. You put on two stone over two weekends, you don’t know what day it is and when your bins or gonna be emptied. There’s piss all on television, then they’ve got the cheek to repeat that twice.

The reviews for this movie had me expecting the absolute worst, but at the same time, they really made me want to see it for myself. It wasn’t that bad, was it? I mean, it’s a great cast and they really play off the Rock being the grumpy one but having to work with someone quite different to him, a role he does with easy. Chris Evans does a pretty good job as the badun-with-a-heart, out of his depth but getting stuck in anyway.

Just wanted to share this video as it’s some really solid drone work and a nice glimpse inside the White House. Not going to get political or anything, but it might be the last sensible thing to come out of that building for the next four years! I do admire good drone controllers because you want super smooth visuals and in a video like this, the turning circle needs to be managed very carefully!

A short novella that features everyone’s favourite maid Molly organising and slightly dreading the hotel’s Christmas party, whilst also trying to figure out what is going on with her boyfriend Juan. The world is always confusing to Molly and I feel slightly sorry for her - I’m not sure that Juan did the right thing here, he knows what she’s like and that she might misconstrue these events… and the moment when he proposes in front of everyone and Molly doesn’t really know what’s going on, I just don’t think that’s fair. I like the spirit of this book but I don’t think it quite works for me.

This is your traditional Christmas rom-com, and the underlying story about writing a column and a weird dating app that just suggests advice and doesn’t hook you up with anyone, plus enemies to lovers, etc etc, it’s all nonsense. It doesn’t work and is actually quite annoying. BUT, I do think Teri Hatcher does a great job, and the guy is almost too good to be true but so lovely, it’s kind of nice just to spend time with them, even if their activities are ridiculous.

An interesting idea this one, a singleton takes on the festive challenge that a dating agency proposes - twelve dates with twelve different guys leading up to Christmas, in the hopes of finding The One. I really enjoyed the inventiveness of the dates, the variety of characters that it introduced and how we eventually wound round to the end result - of course the real key to our hero’s hear twas much closer to home. Cracking read!

They’ve been building up for this movie for quite a while, and what with Chris McM winning Strictly, there’s quite a lot of expectation surrounding it. It was fun, but it’s not really a great movie. The script is mediocre and it’s a huge mashup of Home Alone and Deck the Halls with not a lot original in there. But Lee and Chris do the best with what they have, and their relationship shines off the screen so it’s quite fun to spend time with them. Probably not going to seek this out again, but would be interested in more from this duo.

In my grumpier Grinch moments over Christmas, I get annoyed at the playlists and festive collections of songs that feature ‘Christmas’ songs that I don’t think count. Those songs that are slowed down versions of absolute tunes for festive adverts, but otherwise have no connection to December. To rectify the situation, I set about creating a proper playlist, and in 2017 released the first volume.

I was expecting the worst - these movies are ten a penny, right, Christmas, royalty, romance, etc. But I quite liked it, it was cute. Danica McKellar was pretty good, considering what she had to work with, and the wooden boring-ness of the guy kinda worked in his role as stiff-upper-lip British royalty. Even though it’s not exactly an everyday occurrence, it was at least a believable plot and a happy ending.

I really liked the concept of this. It maybe wasn’t executed perfectly and could have done with a bit of editing but it kept me reading, whipped through it very quickly. The structure of the novel meant everything happened in quite a compressed timeline so it all felt a little bit more intense than it needed to but if you suspend your disbelief for the season, then it was a good read with a happy ending.

Wham! Last Christmas Unwrapped is an unwieldy title for a one-off TV episode that was mesmerising, surprising and joyful from start to finish. The hour long show manages to pack in a brief history of Wham the band, before and after, as well as the history of the song Last Christmas, the rivalry with Band Aid, and remembering George after his death in 2016. A lot, you might think, but somehow it never felt rushed or missing a beat, it was almost perfect.