My mind drifts sometimes while watching movies.  When you see as many as I do, they tend to blend together into one meta-narrative that makes twists and turns in the course of a story fairly predictable, especially in examples like today’s film, Christmas in the Smokies (2015).  Thus, I will share with you some of the thoughts that floated to the surface of my brain while viewing it.  Is there an official “Christmas in. . . .” series of seasonally appropriate titles?  I have already done Christmas in Mississippi (2017), and I mentioned how there are a number of titles that begin with those two words.  It does not appear that there is anything official, but there are many to be found if you go looking.  Related to these musings is me wondering what it is about seeing the holidays portrayed in different parts of the country that interests people? Finally, am I beginning to somewhat enjoy these pictures?  In the end, and Christmas in the Smokies is no exception, I will take them over a number of cinematic representations of Christmas.

The first Christmas in the Smokies sees young Shelby Haygood (Elisabeth T. Smith) waiting for her boyfriend, Mason Wyatt (Alan Powell).  She is to be stood up for the next fifteen or so years, moving on to being an aspiring business woman (Sarah Lancaster) while he goes on to become a famous country music star.  She remains in her hometown, tucked away in the title Appalachian locale, selling jams and pies made on the family farm.  She gets help from Annie (Rebecca Koon) and Wade Haygood (Barry Corbin), Shelby’s parents with whom she still lives.  Despite still being in the same house in which she grew up, and experiencing some financial struggles, Shelby continues to be fiercely independent. Some of this was clearly triggered by what happened with Wyatt, which is why she is not eager to gather with the rest of the town in the theater for a community watch of his appearance on a country version of Dancing with the Stars.  Nonetheless, she goes after receiving news from the bank that not only is her request for a loan to expand her enterprise denied, but that they will soon be calling in her current debts.  If nothing else, seeing Wyatt’s embarrassing performance cheers her.  It has an effect on Wyatt, too.  The next day, Wade is in Mayor Bud Walker’s (Gregory Alan Williams) shop when dad encounters the musician hanging about the establishment.  To Shelby’s aggravation, this leads to an invitation to dinner, one that Wade does not announce to the rest of the family until Wyatt is knocking on the door.  Once she gets over her initial anger, Shelby coldly tells her ex that he can stay (because their farm is also an inn, I guess?) and charges him an exorbitant amount of money.  You might think this is enough to stave off financial ruin, but it is not.  We witness this after encountering her adversary, Mr. Baxter (Brett Rice), a land developer she sees as trying to ruin the town with his soulless business ventures.  She then goes back to the bank and gets the exact figure that she owes, which is steep.  Wyatt sees it written down on a piece of paper under a magnet on the refrigerator and offers to help, but Shelby’s woundedness is such that she refuses.  Besides, she is hopeful of a few other schemes on which she is working.  One is to allow Glenn Robertson (Tim Perez-Ross), owner of an adjacent farm, to essentially rent her land, which will allow his bottom line to grow.  Another is when she meets the owner of the Harrison Grocery Chain (Charmin Lee), who is interested in her jams and pies.  Unfortunately, these hopes are given a blow when Mr. Baxter pressures the bank to give notice to Glenn’s farm to pay its debt.  As for the potential partnership with Harrison Grocery, while they remain interested, they are not going to make their decision until after the bank’s deadline.  Meanwhile, Wyatt remains earnest in getting back into Shelby’s good graces.  This is given a boost when Wade comes up with a new idea that could help raise the needed funds: ask Wyatt to give a benefit concert on their spread.  Shelby, of course, is against it for the moment, but later relents when she makes it clear that it is simply a business arrangement.  Yet, as they go around promoting the event, she begins to see that perhaps he has changed for the better.  It is all threatened when he receives an offer to play a show in Seattle days before their Christmas Eve event.  He presents this to her, and it seems like she is seventeen all over again, standing by as he once more walks out on her.  He redeems himself by canceling his out-of-town appearance.  This is all well and good, but it proves to be not enough cash in spite of their best efforts.  At the last moment, though, they get a call from Harrison Grocery saying they wish to buy Haygood Farm products for their stores.  The terms of the deal, it would appear, are enough to save the farm.  A grateful Shelby hugs Wyatt, who has pledged to not leave, as our film comes to an end.

One of the reasons I said I would take Christmas in the Smokies over many others of its ilk is because it is wholesome.  It may be cheesy, but at least it actually speaks to the heart of the holiday.  It is said best by Wade, who when comforting Shelby about her troubles, points to their Nativity scene and reminds his daughter that Jesus was born in a manger.  Our Savior starting life in such a setting would seem to be an inauspicious beginning for the Messiah, but it was to be the ultimate sign that everything is going to be alright.  This theme is carried through the entire film, and Christmas is the symbol that underpins it.  For Wyatt, it is about coming home.  The holiday, in a general sense, is a time when many people literally go to the land of their birth.  Indeed, this is what was being done by Jesus’ earthly parents, Joseph and Mary, when she gave birth to a Son.  Bethlehem was their family’s ancestral land, being the City of David, of which Joseph was a descendant.  Jesus being of the House of David was a key aspect of what the prophets had foretold about the Messiah.  Put differently, Jesus could not have been who He was without coming into the world in this location.  It is something He could not forget because He is God, but Wyatt appears to have lost his way.  Thus, it is good that these days on the calendar exist so that people like him can reconnect with his roots.  Once more, unlike so many other similar movies, this would not be possible without Jesus.

Christmas in the Smokies does not beat you over the head with this fact, but it is certainly noticeable.  It is in the actions of the characters, if not the music.  It is a good thing that I do not make films, especially about Christmas, because I would be tempted to beat people over the head with the correct message.  Since this is not the case, please freely enjoy this morally upright movie.