It is that time of year again when The Legionnaire leans into the Christmas season.  With the beginning of Advent and through to the end of Christmas, which the Church counts as the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on January 11^th, 2026, it will be nothing but Noel cinematic material.  There will be some exceptions.  We will continue to bring you new releases as they premier on the weekends.  Otherwise, it is back to the struggle for the identity of a span of roughly seven weeks, one that should be tied to the birth of Jesus, but has become about a bland sense of good will towards men and peace on Earth.  Let us also not forget about Santa Claus and presents.  I do not wish to sound bitter.  However, with these trivial themes making up the majority I will be watching for the foreseeable future, a Catholic reviewer can get frustrated.  I would like to tell you that today’s entry, A Christmas in Tennessee (2018) is different, but that would be a lie.  It being a time of preparation for the arrival of the Savior, it would not be proper to mislead you.

There is also nothing misleading about A Christmas in Tennessee.  In a quaint town nestled in the Great Smoky Mountains lives a struggling baker named Allison (Rachel Boston).  The single mother trained in the French pastry tradition may not have the most successful boulangerie, but she loves being able to work with her mother, Martha (Patricia Richardson), and walk her daughter, Olivia (Kate Moyer), to school every morning.  After a visit from the mayor, Paul (Bill Lake), with more unpaid bills, it is the trek to class with Olivia that brings home Allison’s financial problems.  Olivia wrote a letter to Santa Claus (Tom Young) for her teacher, Lindsey (Cherissa Richards), discussing Allison’s lack of business and money.  Lindsey shows it to Allison, offering Olivia a chance to revise.  However, on the way back to the bakery, a gust of wind blows the original copy away from Allison’s grasp.  Arriving in town about that time is Matthew (Andrew Walker) and his assistant/junior manager Rebecca (Stephanie Moroz).  They represent a Mr. Mulligan (Paul Essiembre), a real estate developer based in Miami, Florida, who wishes to turn the town into an upscale ski resort.  Allison is not aware of these plans when she first encounters Matthew at the local antique store.  There are the expected sparks at first glance, and she helps him pick out a Christmas gift for his mother back in Vermont.  What she also does not know is that there is an arcane provision in the town’s charter that says only those who are descended from the founders can sell property on the square.  This means her and her neighbor’s establishment, a dollar/hardware store owned by Clive (Blake Taylor).  When Matthew and Rebecca encounter resistance from Allison, they next go to Clive.  Given his age and the amount of money offered, Clive appears ready to sell.  Allison is less inclined, not just because of the fact that the business has been in her family for generations, but because sales are suddenly increasing.  This is because they have been visited by Madame Claus (Caroline Rhea), who had read Olivia’s letter.  She has come to place an order for cookies, leaving a shipping label with strange lettering that the adults, of course, do not recognize as being for the North Pole.  Olivia knows, and it inspires her to write another article, this time placing it in the school newspaper, which everyone in town reads, apparently.  In this missive, she outlines how Mr. and Mrs. Claus have come to her mother’s bakery, and that everyone else should do the same.  Allison is upset about being exposed for her difficulties, but she makes the even rasher decision to outbid Mr. Mulligan for Clive’s business.  Because Clive is sympathetic to Allison, he agrees to a deal, buying her time.  At the same time, Mr. Mulligan accuses Matthew of not being dedicated to his job.  In response, Matthew tries to spend more time with Allison in order to convince her of the wisdom of selling.  His strategy seems to be winning over Olivia, who approves of the newcomer, I guess because she sees how Allison lights up around him despite mom’s best efforts.  Not all of his efforts are as underhanded as getting in Olivia’s good graces.  He later shows up at the bakery as Allison is about to prepare the massive order to ship to the North Pole.  After some light conversation, he agrees to help with the baking.  This is the inevitable moment that draws them together, with him going so far as to say that he plans on quitting his job.  Following this is the equally predictable instant when it all falls apart.  An approaching snow storm is about to ground all air traffic, meaning Allison will not be able to send her cookies.  Next, Rebecca had snuck into Matthew’s room and forged Allison’s signature on the sales documents, absconding in the morning.  Matthew does not discover this until he goes outside the bed and breakfast and finds a car waiting to take him out of town on the last flight.  He tries to call Allison, but she is too shocked after learning of the development from Paul.  Early the following day, Christmas Eve, Allison and Martha enter the bakery to find Mr. and Mrs. Claus waiting for their cookies.  Of course, they come by sleigh, but they bring Matthew.  He has returned, not only to give the news of Rebecca’s malfeasance, but to announce that he has purchased Clive’s store.  And everyone presumably lives happily ever after.

Yes, everyone is happy by the end of A Christmas in Tennessee.  Do not get me wrong, it is great that it all works out.  As discussed in the introduction, my sole objection here is the cookie cutter nature of the plot, pun intended.  Of all the expected story points, it is this notion of happiness that is the only aspect upon which this Catholic reviewer can focus.  In talking about Allison, it is pointed out that she “deserves to be happy.”  It is the kind of cliché, common phrase you can say about anyone.  In a Christian context, it is also true that God wants you to be happy.  He has also given us everything we need to for that to happen.  We can see this in the two sides of the sell or stay debate in the film.  Allison is blessed.  She may not have a big house or lots of money, but she is appreciative of what she does possess.  She does not put this in a Christian context, but her thankfulness has her content with her current lot.  Such an attitude is not to suggest that we should remain in our current station in life no matter what.  God calls upon us to different tasks at unexpected moments.  You can observe this, too, with Allison’s (and Martha’s) commitment to never again fall in love.  This is when Matthew comes along.  He holds out all the material things that the false “Prosperity Gospel” says should come to someone who is faithful to their duties.  In other words, his offer is the happiness that Allison supposedly deserves.  Instead, he comes to realize that it is bigger than a large paycheck.  Allison and Matthew find something that God places in all our hearts, love, if not for Him than for each other.  That is as good a present as one can receive.

I hope the other cinematic presents I get during this seasonal run are better than A Christmas in Tennessee.  Actually, I should not be too harsh on it.  I can be a sucker for tradition.  And at least the plot made sense, even if I could see everything coming from a mile off.  Anyway, this one is on Disney+.