Rating: 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄
Premiere Date: November 2, 2025
Description: In A Newport Christmas, Ella (Ginna Claire Mason) is a charitable and spirited Newport socialite in 1905 who dreams of using her wealth to start a foundation to help her town. When her father arranges her engagement to a stranger at the upcoming Christmas Eve ball, Ella escapes on a nighttime sail to clear her head. After spotting a comet and wishing for a different life, she’s shocked to find Nick (Wes Brown)—a modern-day Newport historian—aboard her schooner. Somehow, she’s traveled from 1905 to 2025. As Ella navigates the modern world and falls for Nick, she must decide whether to return to her own time or stay where she’s finally found love.
Chemistry: They’re great together. Mason shines in period roles thanks to her Broadway background. Wes Brown brings his trademark humor and self-deprecating charm. And they didn’t jump right to it, either, which always helps.
Plot: I’m not usually a big fan of time-travel movies, but this script was fantastic. The writing managed to be funny without winking too hard at itself. The fish-out-of-water humor worked—there’s one line about pants, oat milk, and to-go cups that I’m still laughing at.
Design: The period details were spot-on. A trained eye might notice that the Christmas trees were fake, but they were nice fake—quality evergreens decked out with antique ornaments that sold the setting. The modern scenes held up just as well, with decor that felt upscale enough for Newport, Rhode Island, without tipping into overdone luxury.
Overall: It’s not necessarily the crown jewel of the season, but it absolutely earns its five trees and I will probably watch it again.
Best Enjoyed With: A wool blanket and your favorite antique ornament nearby—just in case you accidentally time-travel mid-movie.
Holiday Movie Wrap 