Review

Movie Review: ‘Tis the Season to Be Merry
Subtitle: “When Holiday Stress, Romance, and Too Many Christmas Cookies Lead to One Big Christmas Epiphany.”

‘Tis the Season to Be Merry is Hallmark’s holiday masterpiece that mixes romance, a slight identity crisis, and the kind of holiday stress that only happens when you’re juggling your career, your love life, and way too many Christmas parties. Spoiler: it’s cheesy, it’s chaotic, and it’s everything you want in a Hallmark Christmas movie. If you’ve ever had a breakdown in the middle of a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, this one’s for you.

The story follows Merry (Rachael Leigh Cook), a highly successful relationship expert who is definitely not taking her own advice. After a high-stress year, she heads to a small town for the holidays, only to realize that she’s about to get way more than she bargained for: romance, family drama, and a whole lot of Christmas spirit (read: glitter, cookies, and spontaneous town parades). Enter Chris (David Iacono), a small-town guy with an “I’m here to ruin your professional facade” charm, who immediately challenges Merry to reconsider her whole "perfect holiday" blueprint.

Rachael Leigh Cook’s Merry is everything you want from a Hallmark heroine: she’s smart, driven, and seriously over-scheduled, which makes her complete inability to cope with small-town Christmas charm both relatable and hilarious. David Iacono’s Chris is the quintessential Hallmark guy—easygoing, adorable, and annoyingly good at making Merry laugh when she definitely doesn’t want to. Their chemistry is like a mug of spiked hot cocoa: sweet, warm, and just a little bit intoxicating, even if they start off as “I’m only doing this for the cookies” level acquaintances.

The humor is pretty much guaranteed, mostly because Merry’s life is so jam-packed with plans that she can’t help but run into all the holiday mishaps imaginable. Whether it’s getting trapped in a Christmas tree lot, misplacing her “perfectly organized” holiday to-do list, or realizing that she’s accidentally caught up in a small-town Christmas festival—Merry’s holiday journey is like watching someone try to juggle flaming fruitcakes. Hilarity ensues, and we’re all in for the ride.

The small-town setting is so picturesque you’ll need a minute to recover from the snow-covered streets, twinkling lights, and hyper-organized local businesses who all seem to have their lives together way more than Merry. The town practically breathes Christmas spirit, so much so that you half-expect the postman to show up wearing a Santa hat and delivering presents with a song. Merry’s attempts to keep her holiday “perfect” get increasingly derailed by her own inability to embrace the small-town chaos—and, let’s face it, that’s when the real magic happens.

As the movie progresses, we watch Merry slowly unravel her need for control and finally admit that maybe Christmas (and life) are better when they’re a little messy and a lot more fun. The romance builds slowly but predictably, with the usual mix of banter, accidental hand brushes, and so many moments of “Wait, are we falling in love under the mistletoe right now?” By the time the big confession of love happens, you'll be grinning like someone who just found the last piece of pumpkin pie at the Christmas dinner table.

The grand finale delivers exactly what you expect: a heartwarming Christmas miracle, a kiss under the mistletoe, and an epiphany that maybe—just maybe—the perfect holiday is the one you never planned. Merry’s transformation from overworked professional to someone who can laugh at herself (and her very messy life) is inspiring in its own weird, holiday-themed way. There are also a lot of cookies involved, because who doesn’t love a good Hallmark cookie montage?

‘Tis the Season to Be Merry is a fun, festive, and slightly chaotic holiday movie that reminds us that sometimes the best Christmas gifts are the ones that aren’t wrapped in perfection—just a little holiday chaos, a big love story, and a lot of cookies. Watch it with a glass of eggnog (and maybe some tissues for your inevitable “aww” moment) and enjoy the ride! 🎄❤️🍪