Rating: 🎄🎄🎄
Premier Date: November 9, 2025
Description: Christmas of Giving follows Belle Carter (Tsai), the overworked heart and soul of a small-town nonprofit, Bedford House. When the mayor brings in consultant Clara James (Reilly) to “help,” Belle’s forced to face the possibility that maybe she’s been giving everything to everyone but herself. Add in the return of Marine Sgt. Will Mattinson (Williams), some rekindled feelings, and a dash of Christmas spirit, and you’ve got yourself a classic Great American cocktail of duty, doubt, and predictable redemption.
Chemistry: “Comfortably familiar” is the phrase that comes to mind. The leads clearly had history—the kind where you can imagine them exchanging polite smiles at a high school reunion—but not much heat beyond that. They felt more like old coworkers reconnecting at a Christmas potluck than “the one that got away” finding their spark.
Plot: Nothing wrong here — but nothing new either. The “self-sacrificing nonprofit leader learns to let go and love again” formula was executed with textbook precision. The real issue? The dialogue. There were more than a few lines that sounded suspiciously like they were generated by our good friend, ChatGPT, about five minutes before the script deadline.
Design: Credit where it’s due—Great American really leveled up the set design. From twinkle-lit donation drives to the Bedford House interiors, everything looked surprisingly upscale. For once, it didn’t feel like Christmas was filmed in an abandoned community center.
Overall: Christmas of Giving won’t make your holiday list of favorites, but it’s perfectly pleasant background viewing. Average in every way, though that uncanny script rhythm might pull you out of the moment if you listen too closely.
Best Enjoyed With: A cup of lukewarm cocoa and the comforting hum of your dishwasher—something equally serviceable and entirely forgettable.
Holiday Movie Wrap 