Review

Northern Lights of Christmas: Reindeer, Romance & Ridiculousness

If you think you've seen all the Hallmark holiday movies the genre has to offer, prepare your heart and your hot cocoa for a tale as sweet and colorful as the Northern Lights themselves. "Northern Lights of Christmas" is the cinematic equivalent of your favorite holiday sweater—awkward yet inexplicably comforting, with a reindeer or two thrown on for good measure.

The film follows Zoey, an aspiring pilot who unexpectedly inherits a reindeer farm in a town so small that its postal code is probably "Holidays." It's a place where time stands still, and the budget for fake snow knows no limits. Cue the entrance of Alec, the chiseled-yet-adorable hometown hero with a jawline more defined than your Christmas carving knife.

From the predictably unexpected power outages (who knew reindeer farms had issues with electric grid stability?) to the town's annual Holiday Festival, Hallmark movies have never felt so delightfully formulaic. Zoey discovers her true passion isn’t aviation but rather saving endangered traditions—and, rather predictably, falling for the dashing Alec in the most "Whoops, I slipped on a patch of ice and you caught me" way possible.

The film manages to tick every box in the Hallmark holiday movies checklist. There's a charming small town filled with quirky characters, check. A heartwarming story of self-discovery that defies all plausible logic, check. An ending more predictable than your Aunt Susan’s fruitcake recipe, double check.

Northern Lights of Christmas is not just a movie; it's a rite of passage for anyone who loves to cringe through their holiday cheer. Sure, it's a bauble of nonsense, but it’s as irresistible as that second helping of Christmas pudding. So, dim the lights, grab your favorite festive mug, and prepare for a journey that’s as predictable as it is enchanting. Because if Hallmark movies have taught us anything, it’s that beneath the bright lights and glitter, sometimes all you need is a little love, a few reindeer, and maybe, just maybe, a new pair of thermal socks.