Review: “Angels in the Snow” (2015)

Fancy banner done in a navy ground. On either side, Hollywood red curtains tied back with pearl-white cords. In the center of the banner are four gold-navy-&-red art deco-styled brackets framing out the words “Books by Alicia Presents” (in gold), an art deco element beneath, then “Christmas Romance Reviews” (in pearl white).
Basic banner of navy ground and very light gold art-deco brackets in the upper left and bottom right corners. In bolded pearl white, a movie title is written. This one says, “Angels in the Snow.” Beneath it, in gold, is the date (2015) the movie came out sandwiched between two gold art deco elements.

~ A “Twilight Zone” Christmas That Almost Works Despite Syrupy Child Acting ~

Section Header: Basic banner with a pearl-white ground. In the center, in navy, are the words, “Movie Details” that are sandwiched between gold art-deco elements.

  • Kristy Swanson as “Judith Montgomery”

  • Chris Potter as “Charles Montgomery”

  • Colin Lawrence as “Joe Tucker”

  • Catherine Lough Haggquist as “Amy Tucker”

  • Jaeda Lily Miller as “Emily Montgomery”

  • Platform: Tubi

  • Date: May 4, 2025

  • Location: Filmed in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada

Classic Cinema Scale: Fancy banner with a thick gold border. In the center, in Hollywood red, the words, “Classic Cinema Scale.” Beneath it, three film reels—the top in gold, middle in silver, bottom in bronze. Each has words done in navy. For the gold reel, “Golden Age Worthy: Exceptional performances, chemistry, and production that capture the magic of classic Hollywood.” For the silver, “Matinee Material: Good entertainment with solid elements, though not quite reaching classic status.” And the bronze, “B-Movie Blues: Missing the mark despite potential.”

  • B-Movie Blues — Would be Matinee without the annoying too-cute Emily

Tissue Box Scale: Fancy banner with a thick gold border. In the center, in Hollywood red, the words, “Tissue Box Scale.” Beneath it, a column of tissue boxes, all in red, gold, and navy—the top is a single box, middle is two, bottom is three. Each has words done in navy. For the single box, “One Box: Keep a tissue handy, but your makeup is safe.” For the duo, “Two Boxes: You’ll definitely need those tissues, but you’ll still be presentable after.” And the trio, “Three Boxes: “Is pepperoni okay?” territory — don’t even bother with mascara!”

  • One Box — When Chris Potter starts crying, grab those tissues!

Section Header: Basic banner with a pearl-white ground. In the center, in navy, are the words, “First Impression” that are sandwiched between gold art-deco elements.

I wasn’t holding out much hope. And right away, this struck me more as a family story than romance—and I was right.

Gold-framed banner with Art Deco brackets in top corners. The banner reads: “Reality Check: Inspired by the novel "Christmas Journey" by Rexanne Becnel, this supernatural family tale takes a page from classic anthology shows.”
Gold-framed banner with Art Deco brackets in top corners. The banner reads: “Classic Connection: Jimmy Stewart (yes, I’m giving Cary Grant a break!) would do wonderfully as Charles. Or maybe Grant as Charles and Stewart as Joe (since there weren’t leading black actors back then—at least none I can think of, though by the Fifties and Sixties there would’ve been Poitier or Cosby). This could’ve been made back then, complete with the twist ending.”
Section Header: Basic banner with a pearl-white ground. In the center, in navy, are the words, “The Chemistry Test” that are sandwiched between gold art-deco elements.

Initially, chemistry felt staged — actors didn’t seem comfortable with each other. But as the story progressed, interactions became more natural.

Chris Potter deserves credit for his emotional scenes. When he starts crying, it’s genuinely moving.

My only significant issue?

Eight-year-old Emily was made to be too cute.

At that age, you’re inherently cute — you don’t have to MANUFACTURE it. They did this with Raven-Symoné in The Cosby Show, the twins in Full House, and just about every show with young kids.

It doesn’t make them cute but annoying, and shows never seem to last long after such characters are introduced.

Gold-framed banner with Art Deco quote marks in top left and bottom right corners, done in red and shadowed in navy blue. The banner reads: “ ‘Life goes quickly, but kindness lasts forever' — Amy Tucker’s wisdom captures the film’s heart.”
Section Header: Basic banner with a pearl-white ground. In the center, in navy, are the words, “Behind the Scenes” that are sandwiched between gold art-deco elements.

The cabin is GORGEOUS! I would absolutely love it as my own Christmas getaway.

When the Montgomerys arrive, it’s professionally decorated with simple elegance—just evergreen and yellow lights.

The Tuckers suggest adding cranberry and popcorn strings plus paper ornaments—old-fashioned tree decoration.

While the result doesn’t look bad, it was better with its understated elegance before.

Gold-framed banner with Art Deco brackets in top corners. The banner reads: “Decor Pro Tip: Simple elegance provides the perfect backdrop for a rustic lodge. It classes up the rusticity without overwhelming or removing the country charm.”
Subsection Header: Basic banner with a pearl-white ground. In the center, in Hollywood red, are the words, “Wardrobe & Styling” that are sandwiched between gold-&-red art-deco elements.

Basic jeans and sweaters throughout. Nothing exciting.

Gold-framed banner with Art Deco brackets in top corners. The banner reads: “Fashion Pro Tip: There’s something annoying about tie-sweater trends. When left untied, they look unkempt and plain stupid—and the longer they are, the dumber they look.”
Section Header: Basic banner with a pearl-white ground. In the center, in navy, are the words, “The Story's Heart” that are sandwiched between gold art-deco elements.

Not a romance but definitely formulaic: struggling family won’t survive past the holidays meets perfect family during freak storm. The wholesome strangers show them true family values.

The Montgomery family is falling apart—Judith threatens divorce, Charles is consumed by work and success trappings.

The Tucker family arrives after supposedly crashing their car in the storm, demonstrating what marriage and family should look like even after kids come and grow.

Gold-framed banner with Art Deco brackets in top corners. The banner reads: “Spoiler Alert! - I figured out the twist within 25 minutes, but viewers unfamiliar with “The Twilight Zone,” “The Outer Limits,” or “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” might find it surprising: The Tuckers actually died in that crash but were sent to help the Montgomerys learn how to be a family.”
Section Header: Basic banner with a pearl-white ground. In the center, in navy, are the words, “The First Kiss” that are sandwiched between gold art-deco elements.

Not a romance, but if you consider the Montgomerys falling in love all over again, their “first kiss” happens Christmas night at the dinner table—nothing but a peck.

Still, Potter knows how to pucker.

Earlier, there’s a sweet “meet-cute” moment when Charles answers Judith’s previous indictment: “I bet you wouldn’t even remember what I wore the first time we met.”

During their heart-to-heart, he tells her exactly what she wore—their first meeting all over again for her.

Section Header: Basic banner with a pearl-white ground. In the center, in navy, are the words, “Christian Corner” that are sandwiched between gold art-deco elements.

No issues whatsoever. Family value, friendship, cherishing life and each other displays poignantly throughout. Love and respect take center stage as the Tuckers demonstrate what husband-and-wife teams should be.

Section Header: Basic banner with a pearl-white ground. In the center, in navy, are the words, “Final Cut” that are sandwiched between gold art-deco elements.

This ended better than it started. Initially, the cast seemed wobbly, but they settled in eventually. Though I knew the ending early on, I still appreciate the twist for viewers who might genuinely be surprised.

Subsection Header: Basic banner with a pearl-white ground. In the center, in Hollywood red, is the words, “Highlights” that’s sandwiched between gold-&-red art-deco elements.

  • Beautiful cabin setting

  • Chris Potter’s emotional performance

  • Simple, elegant Christmas decorations

  • Meaningful family values message

  • Supernatural twist (if you don’t see it coming)

  • Natural chemistry develops over runtime

Subsection Header: Basic banner with a pearl-white ground. In the center, in Hollywood red, is the word, “Lowlights” that’ sandwiched between gold-&-red art-deco elements.

  • Emily’s forced, syrupy-sweet “adorableness”

  • Wobbly performances initially

  • Predictable twist for anthology show fans

  • Untied tie-sweaters everywhere

  • Tree looked better before “improvements”

Section Header: Basic banner with a pearl-white ground. In the center, in navy, are the words, “Personal Notes” that are sandwiched between gold art-deco elements.

I just can’t take child actors directed to be pure sugar. It makes good stories awful. I didn’t hold much hope initially but would’ve been pleasantly surprised to learn it was good… had it not been for Emily’s overtly “adorable” acting.

Baby Bella was the Montgomery daughter they lost three years prior—adding emotional weight to their family struggles and making the Tuckers’ intervention even more meaningful.

Have you watched this supernatural Christmas family tale?

Share your thoughts on twist endings in holiday movies, and whether you predicted the Tucker family secret in the comments below!

Related topics: Christmas family movies, supernatural Christmas films, family healing stories, Kristy Swanson movies, Chris Potter, holiday entertainment, cabin Christmas, seasonal magic, twist ending movies, Christmas redemption tales, seasonal entertainment

This review is part of “BBA’s Christmas in July Romance Reviews Week” series. Check back daily for a new review!

Love Christmas movies? Don’t miss a single review! Sign up for my newsletter (below 👇) to get notifications of new posts and exclusive holiday movie insights!

Color photo of me, Alicia, authoress and writer of this blog. Because these specific posts are all about Christmas romance movies, I enhanced my photo with a Santa hat and with a bough of holly bracketing the bottom right. In the center of the holly bough are two candy canes crossed like lovers in a romantic embrace. (See what I did there? 😊)

Alicia Strickland

As a romance novelist with expertise in fashion, interior design, and a deep love of classic Hollywood, I bring a unique perspective to holiday romance reviews. Join me in exploring the magic (and occasional missteps) of Christmas movies!

Alicia Strickland

Hi! I write across multiple genres under various pen names. But for nonfiction, I write as myself.

As a designer with a love of Old Hollywood and all things creative, I bring diverse perspectives to my storytelling... and to my blog.

In the unlikely event that I’m not writing, I enjoy crafting, gardening, or spending time with my flame-point Siamese, Hunter.

Want to stay updated? Sign up for my newsletter (below 👇) to receive exclusive content and be the first to hear about new releases!

Subscribe

POPULAR POSTS

NEWSLETTER

Subscribe to Books by Alicia’s mailing list to get the new updates.

Subscribe
Logo for A.J. Strickland novels. At the center of the logo is a blue circle. There's a woman sitting on the bottom of the circle, her knees bent so she can prop up the book she's reading. She's wearing a red sweater, black leggings, and brown boots. Her hair is long and brown. Around the circle is written, "Contemporary Romance." Under the circle are the words, "A.J. Strickland."

Crafting passionate tales for adult hearts and creating magical worlds for young minds!

Stay in touch!

Click “subscribe” to get weekly newsletter updates on all BBA news and books.

SUBSCRIBE

©️ 2026 booksbyalicia.com