Merry Christmas!!!! (2025)

Merry Christmas everyone!!

I honestly don’t think a better sermon on the meaning of Christmas has ever been given than the one given by Linus in the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. So I’ll just share that again. I will assume everyone in the sound of these words has seen “A Charlie Brown Christmas Special” and I won’t need to give any background.

“I guess you were right, Linus. I shouldn’t have picked this little tree,” said Charlie Brown. “Everything I do turns into a disaster. I guess I don’t really know what Christmas is all about. Isn’t there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?”

“Sure, Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about,” said Linus.
“Lights, please.”
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

That’s what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

I hope all of you have had and will continue to have the Christmas season that you have always wanted! Merry Christmas!

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Once again, I committed to watching 25 Christmas movies I’ve never seen before. And I did it for you! And for Lacey Chabert and the rest of the Mean Girls. But mostly for Lacey Chabert.

Here are my 25 Movies of Christmas. You will be shocked that I had never seen a couple of these I’m sure:

A Very Jonas Christmas Movie (2025)

• Stars: Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, & Chloe Bennet
• IMDB Synopsis: Three famous brothers race against time and face mounting challenges during a chaotic journey from London to New York, desperate to make it home in time for Christmas with their loved ones.
• Bennett Synopsis: The music does a lot of the heavy lifting here, but if the music is good, you can forgive a lot. Just let Kevin sing!

A Merry Little Ex-Mas (2025)

• Starring: Alicia Silverstone & Oliver Hudson
• IMDB Synopsis: A separated couple tries celebrating one last Christmas together with their kids before their divorce. However, the husband’s new girlfriend joins the festivities, causing tension and chaos during the holidays.
• Bennett Synopsis: If you watch only one Alicia Silverstone movie this year, watch BUGONIA. Although she doesn’t have any lines in it. This movie isn’t necessarily bad, but you should watch BUGONIA. That is all I’m trying to say.

Champagne Problems (2025)

• Starring: Minka Kelly (500 Days of Summer – I mean she was in other stuff, but if you are in 500 Days of Summer even though it was a bit role, you lead with that)
• IMDB Synopsis: An executive travels to France to secure the acquisition of a renowned champagne brand before Christmas, but her plans are upended when she falls into a whirlwind romance with a charming Parisian – only to discover he’s the founder’s son.
• Bennett Synopsis: Basically an Emily in Paris wannabe, but with the new season of Emily in Paris out, no need to watch this one. Minka Kelly really phones it in on this one or Minka Kelly just doesn’t have as much charisma as I remember. But she was in 500 Days of Summer, so maybe she just longs for those days again.

A Sprinkle of Christmas (2024)

• Starring: Hayley Sales (Nothing I’ve Ever Seen)
• IMDB Synopsis: Libby, an up-and-coming baker, has opened up her storefront business just in time for the Christmas season. Trying to get everything off the ground, she finds herself in a heated anonymous online feud with Peter, an A-List actor, after (hiding his real identity) he gives the bakery a scathing review. At the same time, in real life, Libby takes on a game-changing side-gig: catering cake and confections for Peter’s brother’s high profile holiday engagement party. Neither realize they’re already in a fight with each other.
• Bennett Synopsis: The alleged movie star in this movie looks more like a guy I used to work with named Chris Clevenger than he looks like a movie star. And while Clevenger was a good guy, I never saw him as leading man material. Maybe character actor or friend of the movie star. He wore crocs to work like every day! That is comic relief. Not leading man. Watching this Chris Clevenger wannabe prancing around like he was a movie star was very off putting. Also, it is a pretty blatant rip off of YOU’VE GOT MAIL.

Jingle Bell Heist (2025)

• Starring: Olivia Holt (Heart Eyes)
• IMDB Synopsis: At the height of the holiday season, two strangers team up to rob one of London’s most famous department stores while accidentally falling in love.
• Bennett Synopsis: One of the best Christmas movies I watched this year. Mostly cause it is about poor people sticking it to rich people. Which is the real Christmas spirit.

My Secret Santa (2025)

• Starring Alexandra Breckenridge (Virgin River)
• IMDB Synopsis: Taylor disguises as Santa at a resort to fund her daughter’s ski lessons. Working with the charming manager Matthew, she finds holiday cheer and a chance at love amidst challenges.
• Bennett Synopsis: In this movie they make the villain a person that has been working for the ski resort for years and is highly qualified for a promotion, but then the ne’er do well son swoops in and is just given the promotion because he fell out of the right vagina. This movie is just basically pro-nepo baby propaganda. But I’m sure there are other aspects of this movie that are interesting.

Just Like a Christmas Movie (2023)

• Starring: Marlie Collins (Not A Single Thing I’ve Ever Heard Of)
• IMDB Synopsis: On the verge of a massive deadline, a cynical workaholic is zapped by faulty Christmas lights while stranded in a small Colorado town. She finds herself cast as the lead in an over-the-top Hallmark-style holiday movie.
• Bennett Synopsis: Tries to be a meta Christmas movie by making fun of Christmas movie tropes. A SCREAM for the holiday season. It’s ambition exceeds it’s reach.

El Camino Christmas (2017)

• Starring: Luke Grimes (Yellowstone), Vincent D’Onofrio (Full Metal Jacket), Tim Allen (The Santa Clause), Michelle Mylett (Letterkenny)
• IMDB Synopsis:The project, scripted by Melfi and writer Chris Wehner, is about a young man (Grimes) who seeks out a father he has never met and, through no fault of his own, ends up barricaded in a liquor store with five other people on Christmas Eve. The story takes place in the fictitious town of El Camino, Nevada.
• Bennett Synopsis: The greatest disappointment is there is NOT a single El Camino in the entire movie! Not a single one! I is a movie that is mostly about how police are a combination of inept and corrupt. It is even more disappointing that the “big reveal” is that Tim Allen is Luke Grimes dad. Which was the least surprising plot twist, maybe ever. And then for no real reason, Tim Allen sacrifices his life to get Luke Grimes out of trouble. Merry Christmas, with a body count.

White Christmas (1954)

• Starring: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and Rosemary Clooney
• IMDB Synopsis: Having left the Army following W.W.II, Bob Wallace and Phil Davis team up to become a top song-and-dance act. Davis plays matchmaker and introduces Wallace to a pair of beautiful sisters (Betty and Judy) who also have a song-and-dance act. When Betty and Judy travel to a Vermont lodge to perform a Christmas show, Wallace and Davis follow, only to find their former commander, General Waverly, as the lodge owner. A series of romantic mix-ups ensue as the performers try to help the General.
• Bennett Synopsis: I didn’t see this storyline coming. But basically Bing Crosby is already a famous musician before the war that Danny Kaye emotionally blackmails into being his musical partner after the war. Even though they are famous musicians, apparently the first hot chicks they have ever seen are Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen. So they become infatuated with them and stalk them to a failing ski resort in Vermont… which happens to be run by the general they served during the war. They put all their celebrity into helping the general and scoring the hot chicks. Eventually, it snows and people come out of the woodwork to ski and everything is saved!

She’s Making A List (2025)

• Starring: Lacey Chabert (ChristianMinlgle.com The Movie)
• IMDB Synopsis: A Naughty-or-Nice inspector evaluating a girl’s Christmas status falls for her widowed father, making her question the strict rules of her consulting firm and forcing her to choose between protocol and love.
• Bennett Synopsis: It has Lacey Chabert in it. The Queen of Christmas Movies. This isn’t her best work. Despite it’s anti-corporate America vibe. And the ending where she meets Santa… some really bad special effects. Lacey deserved better.

Pride, Prejudice and Mistletoe (2018)

• Starring: Lacey Chabert (Mean Girls)
• IMDB Synopsis: Darcy (Chabert) started her own company rather than work with her father. Returning to her hometown for Christmas, Darcy reconnects with an old rival from high school, tavern owner Luke (Penny). Darcy’s mother has them plan a charity event together. As Darcy and Luke plan the event, she tries to find what she wants in life. 
• Bennett Synopsis: There is this whole scene at the beginning of the movie where our girl Lacey interacts with a hot dog vendor and he tells about how his daughter got into Stanford and he wishes that he could invest money with Lacey’s financial firm, but he doesn’t have enough money to meet the minimums and she tells him that she will invest his money and then we never see the hot dog vendor again. And I think about the hot dog vendor. I think about him more than any other part of this movie. Like the fact that they tried to make a bunch of references to Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” and I don’t know if any of them work. But hey, an attempt at a highbrow Christmas movie. Sign me up. If it has Lacey Chabert in it.

The Christmas House (2020)

• Starring: Treat Williams (Hair)
• IMDB Synopsis: Working through some difficult decisions, Mitchell family matriarch Phylis and patriarch Bill have summoned their two grown sons, Brandon and TV star Mike, home for the holidays. They hope that bringing the family together to recreate The Christmas House will help them find resolution and make a memorable holiday for the entire family and community. As Brandon and his husband Jake make the trip home, they are anxiously awaiting a call about the adoption of their first child. Meanwhile, Mike reconnects with his high-school sweetheart Andi.
• Bennett Synopsis: This movie was sold to me as the “first gay Hallmark Christmas movie”. Quite frankly it wasn’t all that gay. There was a gay couple, but they were secondary characters. The brother of the heteronormative main character. Quite frankly the gayest part of this movie was the little kid that wanted to get into magic. Cause magic is pretty gay. Although he was doing that to score a chick. So maybe that wasn’t even that gay. Be gayer Hallmark!

The Christmas House 2: Deck Those Halls

• Starring: Treat Williams (The Christmas House)
• IMDB Synopsis: Hollywood television star Mike Mitchell heads home to the Hudson Valley in upstate New York for the Christmas hiatus, planning for a quiet holiday, especially as he contemplates popping the question to his childhood friend, divorced travel agent Andi Cruz. In the thought of proposing to Andi, he is also trying to be more of a parental figure to Andi’s son Noah, especially as Noah’s father, Ryan Zane, who has a history of being in and out of his life, has once again re-entered his son’s life with a bang. This Christmas would be unlike the near fiasco of last Christmas, the final year of the Mitchell family’s “Christmas house”: his parents Bill and Phylis Mitchell’s long-held tradition to transform completely their family home for Christmas, the last year as Bill and Phylis have since retired and want to focus on other things in life. The other people involved, Mike’s older brother, bakery owner Brandon Mitchell, his architect husband Jake, and their two infant children, are coming from Denver also wanting to eke out their own family Christmas traditions between the four of them, they staying in Andi’s mother’s otherwise empty house next door. Things take a turn when Mike’s publicist Kathleen has arranged for Mike to be on “Deck Those Halls”, a head-to-head annual house Christmas decorating competition show between two celebrities, Mike reluctantly agreeing in succumbing to the pressure to do so from all sides, including Andi, Noah and his family, meaning the last minute resurrection of the Christmas house. But when the other celebrity has to bow out, Kathleen, in seeing the rivalry between the two of them, has what she thinks is even a better idea: for Mike’s competitor to be Brandon, the second house to be Andi’s mother’s. As Ryan unexpectedly arrives on the scene to add to the complications, the question becomes whether the Mitchell family as a collective and the three individual pods – Mike, Andi and Noah in one, Brandon, Jake and their two children in a second, and Bill and Phylis in the third – will be able to survive the proceedings
• Bennett Synopsis: Meh… maybe a little gayer, but still not gay enough.

‘Twas the Fight Before Christmas (2021)

• Starring: It is a documentary, so no actual stars. Not even a cameo by Lacey Chabert
• IMDB Synopsis: A Christmas-loving lawyer’s obsession with bringing Christmas cheer to all sparks a conflict with the local Homeowners’ Association who believe his planned holiday extravaganza violates their neighborhood rules.
• Bennett Synopsis: How big of a douchebag does the Christmas light guy have to be that I was 100% on the side of the HOA? A pretty big douche-bag. A great example of what happens when a brain gets soaked in the FoxNews propaganda ecosystem and start sbelieving in things as mythical as the made up “war on Christmas.”

The Merchants of Joy (2025)

• Starring: A documentary. No stars. Not even a cameo from Lacey Chabert.
• IMDB Synopsis: Follows five NYC families as they source, bargain and hustle to sell Christmas trees, blending street smarts and holiday spirit.
• Bennett Synopsis: I’ve never had a real Christmas tree. I’ve never hated trees enough to have one murdered, tied to the top of my car, and then put its corpse up in my house while I pretended to keep it alive by giving it a few sips of water. Meanwhile throwing lights and decorations on its corpse to mock it while it slowly dies and cannot cry out in pain and agony. Call me a tree hugger if you want. I’ll wear that badge with honor. But the people who murder trees and sell them to the people of New York City are pretty interesting. It is a good watch. Despite the very heavy body count.

Oh. What. Fun. (2025)

• Starring: Michelle Pfeiffer, Dennis Leary, and Felicity Jones.
• IMDB Synopsis: Claire plans a special Christmas, but is forgotten by her family. When they realize that she’s missing, their holiday is at risk until she returns to give them the celebration they deserve.
• Bennett Synopsis: A nearly criminal misuse of Felicity Jones. No fun, but at least it is better than Grease 2.

Your Christmas or Mine 2 (2023)

• Starring: Asa Butterfield and Cora Kirk
• IMDB Synopsis: They’ve swapped Christmas – again. Can Hayley and James’ relationship survive another turbulent family Christmas or has their future together gone off-piste?!”
• Bennett Synopsis: Her family is poor. His family is rich. We get it. Didn’t need a second movie to hammer it home.

Merry Little Mystery (2025)

• Starring: Amanda IP
• IMDB Synopsis: Natasha comes home to her grandmother for Christmas. It’s the first Christmas since her grandfather passed away. He has left a letter for Natasha in which it turns out that he had been the town’s secret Santa all these years, and now he hopes that Natasha will take over. She takes on the task and seeks out people in need, secretly leaving gifts for them at night. Meanwhile, the reporter Adrian is chasing a scoop and hopes to uncover the identity of the secret Santa. He meets Natasha and asks for her help in finding the mysterious giver.
• Bennett Synopsis: This greedy Santa doesn’t leave a single good deed for the rest of the townspeople to do. Not a single one. Sociopath.

Love the Coopers (2015)

• Starring: Steve Martin, Amanda Seyfried, Diane Keaton, John Goodman, and Alan Arkin
• IMDB Synopsis: The intertwined stories of four generations of Coopers unfold right before the annual family reunion on Christmas Eve. Can they survive the most beautiful time of the year?
• Bennett Synopsis: Alan Arkin is a national treasure! He should be in every movie. I know he is dead now. But point still stands. He makes every movie better. Including this one.

Dashing Through the Snow (2023)

Starring: Ludacris and Lil Rel Howery

IMDB Synopsis: A separated social worker for the Atlanta Police Department despises Christmas because of a painful childhood memory. When he’s sent on a call while spending Christmas Eve with his daughter, he inadvertently evokes the wrath of a local politician but meets a man who helps him understand the joy and magic of Christmas.

Bennett Synopsis: This actually might have been my favorite Christmas movie I watched this year.

The Polar Express (2004)

• Starring: Tom Hanks
• IMDB Synopsis: This is the story of a young hero boy who boards on a powerful magical train that’s headed to the North Pole and Santa Claus’ home on Christmas Eve night. During this ride, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery which shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.
• Bennett Synopsis: A mediocre white male gets all the glory for all the hard work done by a female person of color.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

• Starring: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, and Catherine O’Hara
• IMDB Synopsis: Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king of Halloween Town, is bored with doing the same thing every year for Halloween. One day he stumbles into Christmas Town, and is so taken with the idea of Christmas that he tries to get the resident bats, ghouls, and goblins of Halloween Town to help him put on Christmas instead of Halloween — but alas, they can’t get it quite right
• Bennett Synopsis: Jack Skellingtom brings a bunch of cool ass toys to a bunch of little crybabies and Christmas is ruined. Well until Santa comes and brings a bunch of mid toys to kids.

Holiday Touchdown: A Bills Love Story (2025)

• Starring: Holland Roden, Matthew Daddario, and Joe Pantoliano
• IMDB Synopsis: The movie centers around the Quinns and DeLucas who have lived next door to each other for decades in the shadow of Highmark Stadium – the home of their beloved Buffalo Bills. With their longtime friendship rooted in being proud members of Bills Mafia, the two clans have enjoyed cherished traditions that revolve around cheering for their favorite team – especially at the holidays when they celebrate the last home game before Christmas. Pediatric doctor Morgan Quinn (Roden) and the Bills’ VP of Stadium Development Gabe DeLuca (Daddario) have always been close friends, but Gabe has always held a torch for her -a fact obvious to their families (Pollan, Aaron, Schirripa, Murin)…and everyone else who crosses their path. When Morgan learns from her Uncle Tommy (Danza) that someone anonymously helped her family get by after he was drafted more than 60 years ago – and that he continues to receive a Christmas gift each year to this day – she decides to find his benefactor and give her uncle a Christmas he’ll always remember. Aided by Bills Mafia friends of theirs, Morgan and Gabe work together to unwrap the gifter’s identity. Along the way, Gabe’s love for Morgan deepens and in turn, she begins to see him in a new light though neither is daring enough to admit their feelings. Meanwhile, Morgan’s hopes of pulling off her surprise for Uncle Tommy get sacked. That is, until Gabe takes matters into his own hands and uses his connections with the Bills to pull off the surprise of a lifetime for Morgan and both their families that will make this a Christmas they’ll never forget
• Bennett Synopsis: The main takeaway from this movie is that the Bills are already moving into a new stadium next year, so if there is a Hallmark movie curse where after the fanbase of an NFL franchise has been made into one of these movies the franchise soon announces it is moving to an entirely different state, they will avoid it. But my guess is that the Bears will be featured in next year’s movie and within a year announced their move to Indiana.

Kevin Costner Presents The First Christmas (2025)

• Starring: Kevin Costner
• IMDB Synopsis: Kevin Costner shares the sacred journey of the birth of Jesus.
• Bennett Synopsis: Kevin Costner, put his picture on the poster for a show about JESUS! JESUS! That is about all you need to know about it. Kevin Costner Presents… The First Christmas. He probably thinks he did produce the first Christmas and not God! Maybe, as dreadful as it was, maybe it was best that his character was killed off for the final half of the final season of YELLOWSTONE! All hail the great and powerful Kevin Costner!

Dear Santa (2024)

• Starring: Jack Black
• IMDB Synopsis: When a young boy mails his Christmas wish list to Santa with one crucial spelling error, a devilish Jack Black arrives to wreak havoc on the holidays.
• Bennett Synopsis: Even a great cameo by Ben Stiller can’t help this movie that was okay to a point, but couldn’t stick the landing. And you might think I’m a terrible person for not liking the ending, but if this kid really wanted his dead brother back, why didn’t he wish him back with one of his 3 wishes? Instead he uses it to try to score a chick. See what I’m saying?

That is it. All 25! I hope you enjoyed this and I might do this again next year.

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But Thursdays are for flowers! I know some of the haters were hoping they would get a Christmas miracle and not have to see flower pictures on Christmas, but those haters are going to have to keep searching for a different Christmas miracle.

This flowertography collection is a continuation of the flowertography session I had at the State Center Rose Garden back in June.

Next Thursday’s flowertography session will be more roses from the State Center Rose Garden.