Who loves holiday romantic comedies? I do!

Old School Favorites

While you watch ION for this year’s new flicks, don’t forget to watch repeats of old favorites.

A Golden Christmas (2009) initially won my heart surrounding elementary school friends who re-discover each other as adults. It was the first time I saw Nicholas Brendon (Buffy) play the hunky romantic lead as opposed to the down and out best friend. I identified with Andrea Roth (Ringer) as the woman seeking to purchase her childhood home and Elisa Donovan (Sabrina) killed it as the quirky sister doling out realistic advice.

Christmas Town (2008), about a realtor who visits her father for the holidays, came a close second. Yes, I hated Patrick Muldoon’s bangs and didn’t understand why his happy-go-lucky character consistently pursued Nicole de Boer’s anti-Christmas/anti-him single mom realtor. But, still, I cheered for their romance and wouldn’t mind traveling to the Christmas-recreation Hollyville village anytime soon.

In 2010 and 2011, ION amped up their rom-com production with Christmas Mail (2010), 12 Wishes of Christmas (2011) and A Christmas Kiss (2011). Each film had their adorable quirks featuring beloved actors who fell off the grid or established actors with talent who hadn’t hit the gossip sites like Gabrielle Carteris (Beverly Hills 90210), Fred Willard, and A.J. Buckley (CSI:NY).

I particularly enjoyed A Christmas Kiss about a decorating assistant who accidentally falls in love with her boss’ fiancée. OK. Yes, I thought it was ridiculous that a guy re-considered his engagement after accidentally making out with a stranger in an elevator. And, yes, I found it hard to believe he didn’t recognize the pale, skinny, long dark-haired woman afterwards. But, Brendan Fehr (Nikita, Bones) did his best as the hunky lead. I sympathized with Elisabeth Rohm (Angel) as the boss and Laura Breckenridge as the girl next door. Jerrika Hinton hit it out of the park as the sassy best friend. I’d love to see her return as a lead. Plus, I’m a sucker for Christmas masquerade.

While I hated that Holiday Heist parodied professors who expected the spoiled rich kid who skipped out on class to do his homework, I liked the high production values and Lacey Chabert sparkled.

So, for the Scrooges out there, don’t poo-poo ABC Family, Lifetime or ION for creating shows filled with lots of cheer. Sure, 334 days out of the year I’d dramatically roll my eyes at any made-for-TV movies featuring puppies, down-on-their-luck scrappy heroines, or single parents with cute-as-pie kids. But, Christmas is special, and so are ION TV’s flicks.