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Merry Christmas, Baby! (2016)
TV-PG

| Description

• Family Movie

Determined to make her baby’s first Christmas-birthday a memorable one, Marci throws herself into both planning the perfect celebration for her daughter and building her new event-planning business. But as the business gets off to a rocky start and members of her family face their own challenges, Marci has more to discover about herself, about her family, and about the holidays.

| My Thoughts

Here I’ve finally continued the Chandler Family Christmas series with this fourth installment. My favorite of the bunch so far.

Why My Favorite?

Sure, some of the movie’s comedic and/or corny moments made me laugh. But what really got me this time? The story.

No, it isn’t full of astonishing twists or anything. But it’s a story with substance. With some emotional, genuine stuff that touched my heart real good. Even broke it just a little. And moved me to a few satisfying tears.

This is truly a family story, right here.

Continuing the Series?

It’s certainly best to watch this series of Christmas flicks in order. And I’m looking forward to checking out the last one in the series whenever the family Christmas spirit calls me to do that.

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A Baby for Christmas (2015)
Rated TV-G

| Description

• Family Movie

This holiday season, Marci and Blair are preparing to be the perfect first-time parents—or they’re trying to, at least. But with baby concerns and much more swirling among the Chandlers right now, Marci’s mom is frustrated that no one in the family seems to be in the Christmas spirit.

| My Thoughts

So far, I can say it’s worth watching the Chandler Family Christmas flicks in order, starting with Marry Me for Christmas. I watched the second and third movies back to back.

Plenty to Discover

Granted, the main reason I watched Movie Three right on the heels of Movie Two is because the end of Two leaves Marci and Blair with key questions/challenges to face in their careers. But those challenges are conveniently eliminated offscreen at some point(s) in between Movies Two and Three. Nevertheless, there are new questions/challenges for the couple to face in this third movie.

In fact, although the title singles out the upcoming baby, that’s only one aspect of the story here. Everyone in the Chandler family has interesting stuff going on this time, with something new for each of them to learn or discover.

An Ex, and a Bundle?

Now, I felt pretty weird about one character dating one of her ex’s family members, having apparently not even taken much of a pause (or any pause at all?) in between those two relationships.

And, really. When I watch a movie that includes a prominent Christmas baby theme, I expect to see an actual baby at some point, even if just for one or two shots, instead of nothing but a faceless bundle of blankets in the mother’s arms.

The Story, the Children, the Comedic

At any rate, even though this flick doesn’t boast the greatest technical moviemaking in the flow and pacing of it all, the story is good. Also, unlike in a lot of other merry and bright made-for-TV holiday tales that include children, the child characters in this movie effectively add to the plot in a way that isn’t oversweet cutesy-cutesy. And, hey—while this may have been chiefly billed as a family movie rather than a comedy like the one before it, I think that [aside from a workplace villain whose comic villainy is just too on-the-nose and over-the-top to be funny] this third movie is actually somewhat funnier than the second.

Continuing the Series?

After seven years of not being aware that this is a series of five movies, I’m more than halfway through them now. 😀 I’m likely to check out the fourth flick sometime.