At some point I will have to get over this aspect of Christmas movies because, as they say, enough is enough: there are innumerable similarities between them.  Today, while watching A Very Vintage Christmas (2019), I brought this subject up with a friend who called me during my viewing.  I discussed it in comparison to the last entry in the seasonal slog, A Christmas in Tennessee (2018).  They each feature a female protagonist who is a struggling business owner, and a male lead who travels a lot for their business.  To place this in a broader context (and forgive me for repeating this complaint), they are further examples of a romantic comedy with holiday appropriate dressing.  Hence, why did I pick A Very Vintage Christmas?  In short, the word “vintage.”  I can be a sucker for such things, especially this time of year.

Another person who is a sucker for all things old is Dodie Brite (Tia Mowry), the co-proprietor of the newest, small town antique store that lends its name to A Very Vintage Christmas.  Her and her business partner, Olivia (Agam Darshi), are opening close to December 25^th and are nervous about their success.  They have borrowed heavily and need to be successful.  Dodie believes hanging a wreath above the entrance will bring in customers, but it turns out that she needs help from a passerby.  This happens to be contractor Ed Willoughby (Jesse Hutch), who is happy to assist.  They exchange a little more than pleasantries, enough to realize that her antiquarian tastes are at odds with his modern sensibilities.  Nonetheless, when Dodie re-enters the store, she is prodded by Olivia for details of the conversation.  Dodie dismisses the interest, claiming she has no time for romance.  Instead, she turns her attention to cleaning up a 1930s era wardrobe.  In the process, she finds a tin of nicknacks that seem to tell a story of a long-lost love.  Because she loves stories for all her items, she is particularly intrigued by this one, wanting to know about the people behind it.  All she has are the names Carl and Ginger, and a partial address in town.  Going from house-to-house on the named street, she meets Margaret (Patricia Richardson), a realtor who has lived in the area for years.  She is showing a house that Dodie hopes is her target, but Margaret directs the seeker to the person working inside.  That person is Ed, so Dodie is once more thrust into his life.  She explains her quest, and because he is evidently sweet on her despite her protestations, he once more offers his assistance.  You can see where this is going, right?  Most of the movie is taken up with them following clues from the box, the majority of which end in a dead end.  At the same time, she and Olivia are worrying about making enough money from the opening of their shop.  The determined Dodie refuses to be a failure, but she is consistently distracted by the mysterious tin.  Still, because of Ed’s proximity, she is able to combine these prerogatives when he fixes a leaky roof for them the day before the grand opening.  At the event, a customer notices a post office box key amongst the collection that has been occupying her attention.  The next day, she and Ed go to the post office and discover an engagement ring and a note from Carl asking Ginger to marry him.  With Ed directing the clerk’s gaze away from the computer, Dodie is able to get the address.  However, it is at this point that he points out the folly of this mission.  She overreacts, basically telling him that he is only mad that she is not returning his affections.  With that, she goes to meet Carl Baylor (Fred Keating), who answers his door dressed as Santa Claus.  During their conversation, it is evident that he is still in love with Ginger despite those feelings being unrequited for decades.  Wanting to see the story to its conclusion, Dodie asks if she might find Ginger.  Carl has no objections, and gives Dodie Ginger’s real name: Margaret.  Now, before you go jumping to obvious conclusions, understand that Carl writes Margaret’s maiden name, which is why it takes Dodie an extra day to figure out the solution.  Asking Ed to lunch, he suspects that Dodie has solved the mystery, but is astonished when his mother sits down with them.  Ginger had been what Carl had called Margaret since they danced together when they first met, she reminding him of Ginger Rogers (not pictured).  And, of course, despite marrying Ed’s father, who promptly left her, she is still in love with Carl.  Thus, Dodie and Ed conspire to get Carl and Ginger back together.  With that accomplished, Ed joins a troop of vintage carolers to serenade Dodie and Olivia outside their store.  Dodie goes outside, she and Ed kiss, and presumably they live happily ever after.

I could say “live happily ever after” about just amost every one of these films, and A Very Vintage Christmas is no exception.  However, there I go again restating complaints I have about this cinematic subgenre when I already said I have to stop.  Yet, there is one more aspect of this that bears a little more analysis, if only because it is directly said in the movie.  Facing a difficult test with her business and learning Carl and Ginger’s identities, Dodie makes the statement that during this time of the year, she is “very big on miracles.”  That phrase struck this practicing Catholic, and this time I use that descriptor in a more pointed manner.  Somebody who “practices” is wont to do something consistently.  If you do something sporadically, I would be hard-pressed to consider that “practicing.”  Hence, one could call a “practicing Catholic” somebody who regularly takes part in the Sacraments, like Mass, Communion, and Reconciliation.  In each of these moments, one can see a miracle happen.  During the Mass, Christ physically embodies the Eucharist, which we then take during Communion.  In Reconciliation, God wipes away our venial sins and makes us anew.  These are things that take place throughout the calendar, not just during the weeks around Christmas.  To be fair, I understand what Dodie means.  What she does not mean is how Christians understand the holiday.  For her, it is that “Christmas Magic” that has become conflated with the very real miracles God initiated with Jesus’ birth.  That is what makes Christmas special, but God is special every day of the year.

Speaking of days, A Very Vintage Christmas makes two films down in the seasonal movie run.  Here is to hoping there will be some hidden gems this year, but so far, no such luck.  I cannot find anything objectionable about this one, so I guess it has that going for it.