Review: “Christmas Town” (2008)

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, “Christmas Town.” Beneath it, in gold, is the date (2008) the movie came out sandwiched between two gold art deco elements.

~ Where Holiday Magic Can’t Overcome Cheese and a Cure for Insomnia ~

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  • Patrick Muldoon as “Kevin O’Reilly”

  • Nicole de Boer as “Elizabeth”

  • Gig Morton as “Mason”

  • Garry Chalk as “Jack Travers”

  • Platform: Tubi

  • Date: March 19, 2025

  • Location: Hollyville — “America’s Christmas Town” (fictional)

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 — And that’s being generous!

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!”

  • Zero boxes — No tears… unless you count those born of boredom

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The platinum blonde (“Allison”) appeared in “Eve’s Christmas,” I think.

I know I’ve seen Nicole de Boer somewhere but can’t recall if I liked her. She plays a realtor here, and I’m on record as not being big on realtors — long story involving work-related drama you would not believe.

That snowball fight with her son using laundry-detergent suds? Not okay.

Seventeen minutes in: HIGHLY cheesy. I suspected Hollyville would turn out to be Santa’s town since Nicole and son Mason stumble upon “N&P Enterprises” (obviously North Pole). I thought Muldoon might be Santa… or maybe her father.

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Nicole de Boer just seems like she’s acting — and that’s not good acting. The role should be second skin. Actors should BECOME the role so it’s not obvious they’re delivering lines but speaking from the heart, ad hoc.

This movie isn’t really a romance — it’s all about Christmas, which proves fortunate since chemistry between the leads is virtually nonexistent.

The man playing Santa, however, makes a really good Santa — the one bright spot in casting.

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: “ ‘Believing is not easy for adults' — Kevin’s observation echoes Jesus’s teaching in the Gospels about the kingdom of God belonging to children because they have faith to manifest it (major paraphrase).”
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.

Wherever filming occurred was lovely — countryside with tall trees and mountains creating beautiful backdrops. The Christmas decorations themselves were nicely done.

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Nothing special — mostly jeans and sweaters. Functional but forgettable.

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I’m not sure there was a formula here. Though… I was definitely falling asleep! So maybe it’s the perfect formula for curing insomnia?

Pragmatic, skeptical workaholic Elizabeth gets suspicious when her straight-laced banker father suddenly moves to unusual small town Hollyville during Christmas. She and son Mason investigate, discovering this town harbors Santa, his reindeer, elves, and the workshop.

Kevin runs the Eggnog Café where Elizabeth’s father now works as a short-order chef — a nose-to-the-grindstone woman meeting her transformed dad isn’t particularly “cute,” just confusing.

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.

Forced mistletoe kissing is pathetic as first kisses go. The town crowds around demanding “Kiss. Kiss. Kiss.” Elizabeth wisely refuses, saying she won’t kiss a stranger — the wisest move she’s made since the beginning.

Ten to fifteen minutes later, she caves and kisses him beneath the mistletoe. The kiss was fine, but the setup was blah. Or maybe I was totally bored by then and nothing would’ve pleased me.

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.

The juvenile “poop” joke aside, content remains acceptable for little kids — though I can’t imagine why parents would want their children emulating Mason, the least obedient child ever!

Nothing off-color beyond the poop reference.

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This isn’t one I’ll watch again. Frankly, I’m sorry to have seen it at all. When you’re nodding off during a movie, that’s probably not a good sign.

I was wrong about the Santa reveal — neither her father nor Muldoon turns out to be him. But yes, this town genuinely harbors Santa’s operation.

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.

  • The actor playing Santa is genuinely good

  • Lovely countryside filming locations

  • Nice Christmas decorations

  • That one quote about believing

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.

  • Absolutely cheesy throughout

  • Irritating, disobedient child character

  • Nicole de Boer’s stiff performance

  • Zero romantic chemistry

  • Puerile poop jokes

  • Induced actual sleepiness

  • Elizabeth’s complete lack of parental control

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.

Gotta admit I was falling asleep. I heard one quote in my nodding-off state and quickly woke to jot it down: “ ‘Discovering the magic’ means being thankful for what you have and believing something better is coming.”

Mason is irritating, and Elizabeth is a terrible mother with absolutely no control over him. Poop jokes — even about reindeer — are beyond puerile.

Possible gaffe: I think Elizabeth says “NPM” instead of “N&P Enterprises” at one point! (See? Not even the actors were into it!)

Have you suffered through this Christmas town tale?

Share your thoughts on whether Santa’s village premises can overcome poor execution, and your favorite sleep-inducing holiday movies in the comments below!

Related topics: Christmas movies, Santa Claus films, small town Christmas, family holiday movies, Patrick Muldoon, Christmas village stories, holiday magic tales, seasonal entertainment

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

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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.

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