Review

Christmas Bells Are Ringing: Jingle All the Clichés

If you've ever dreamt of diving headfirst into a mug of hot cocoa while a snowstorm of holiday clichés swirls around you, then look no further than "Christmas Bells Are Ringing." In this latest addition to the Hallmark movies winter wonderland, viewers are treated to the cinematic equivalent of wrapping yourself in a fleece blanket of predictability.

Set in a picturesque fictional town where everyone knows your name (and your business), the story follows our plucky heroine, Holly. A city girl turned quaint-town photographer, she is back home for the holidays to capture the magic of Christmas for a magazine spread. But wouldn't you know it? She gets caught up in capturing the heart of her high school sweetheart, who, shockingly, never left town. Who saw that coming? (Spoiler: literally everyone who's watched two Hallmark holiday movies.)

As per the Hallmark holiday movie playbook, the ensemble cast features all the classics: The snowman-building contest officiated by a jolly old man who may or may not be Santa incognito, a cookie-baking montage that could induce diabetes just by watching, and of course, a last-second miracle that wraps everything up with a bow as tight as Holly's perfectly combed hair.

"Christmas Bells Are Ringing" amplifies its charm with an iconic small-town Christmas festival, where mismatched mittens are the height of fashion and the cider flows like eggnog at a reindeer party. The protagonist learns life-altering lessons, like how true love is worth more than a swanky job in the city, and that no vacation is complete without chopping down your own Christmas tree while making intense eye contact with the local hottie.

In summary, if you love Hallmark movies and have been training all year for the official Hallmark holiday movies binge-watch season, this film will jingle your bells. Sure, it won't win any awards for originality, but for die-hard fans, it's like finding that fuzzy pair of festive socks at the bottom of your Christmas stocking—comforting, warm, and snugly familiar. Just be sure to stock up on eggnog, because you'll need it to wash down all the cheesiness!