It is getting difficult to choose a Christmas film.  Then again, I make it hard on myself.  In my desire to watch more than one a day, I tend to go for the shorter examples.  This means a lot of romantic comedies with a seasonal theme, which I have already discussed in previous reviews thus far this Advent.  To peel back the curtain further, many of the titles are similar.  There are the “Christmas in . . .” fill in a random location variety; there are those dedicated to singular aspects of the season, like mistletoe, snow globes, or cookies; and then there are some that feature getting a gift, usually related to falling in love.  Is there a Catholic Christmas title?  Maybe, but they are not on the streaming services through which I am typically scanning.  Related to my preference for tradition, I did recently find A Dickens of a Christmas.  I do like Charles Dickens, who, between him and Queen Victoria, were responsible for bringing across the Atlantic Ocean many of the things we associate with the holiday.  There is also a lot of hockey in it.  I am not sure what to make of this feature, so I will be using the synopsis to sort it out.

The person who appears to have her life sorted out in A Dickens of a Christmas is ambitious lawyer Zara (Ashley Newbrough).  She is hard working and about to be promoted, which the head of her firm hints will be all but assured when she wins a case he hands her.  It is her best friend and paralegal, Chloe (Kaya Coleman), who has inside knowledge as to why Zara has been so focused on her career of late.  In some unseen Christmas past, her brother had died in a snowmobiling accident, leaving her uninterested in anything having to do with this time of the year.  Chloe believes it is time for Zara to move on, and the assistant convinces her boss to attend a Charles Dickens themed Christmas party in a restored Victorian home.  It even involves dressing up in period costume.  Feeling ridiculous, Zara is not intending to meet a guy, but she is all but shoved at Rafe (Chad Rook), a contractor and owner of the house.  One of the stories he shares about the building is that it is haunted by a ghost named Aubrey (Mark Bellamy).  While nobody believes it, Chloe is stunned when he appears in her camera as she is trying to take a picture of Zara.  Chloe is also trying to play matchmaker for Zara, encouraging getting Rafe’s phone number.  Instead, Zara has Rafe give his card to Chloe before leaving.  Because they had not warned Aubrey to stay away, Aubrey follows Zara home without her being aware of his presence.  It is, of course, fortuitous because she comes home to a soaked carpet owing to a leaking pipe in her garage.  Who could she call to fix such a problem?  Rafe, obviously, whose card magically appears in her purse curtesy of Aubrey.  Rafe offers to come the next day to make the repairs and she expects this to be the extent of their interactions.  Yet, soon thereafter she finds a book from Rafe’s house containing versions of Dickens’ novels, with another of his business cards as a marker.  Zara thinks this Chloe’s doing, but she denies any part in it.  Adding to the wonder is the fact that every time she opens to a new story, the accompanying illustration morphs to depict Rafe and Zara as the prospective couple.  Giving into the nudge, she begins spending more time with Rafe whenever she is free.  This is where the hockey comes into play, which is played by Rafe’s son Nate (Zachary Dean Friesen).  Their growing attraction even leads to her getting more into Christmas, baking cookies with her mother and putting up a Christmas tree complete with toy train.  What could go wrong?  The inevitable twist comes when Zara’s case goes to arbitration and the expert witness called by the defense is Rafe.  Because it involves shotty construction, he is asked to testify about building techniques that the defense hopes will show they were not negligent.  In cross examination, Zara forces Rafe to admit that he is not a structural engineer, and that his degree is in business.  It leads to a decision in favor of the plaintiffs.  On the way out, he confronts her, wondering how she could make a fool of him.  She is not happy about having to do so but explains that it is her job.  It does not mollify him, but she does get the promised promotion.  However, on delivering the news to Chloe, Zara points out that it will mean longer hours for them.  Having tasted somewhat of a normal life with Rafe, Zara is not eager to give that up, leading to her quitting her job.  In getting back Rafe, she receives help from Aubrey, who makes Rafe fall from his ladder.  Zara visits Rafe in the hospital and they make their amends.  Hence, she can be present for the all-important hockey tournament, during which Nate inevitably scores the winning goal.  Finally, they all get together for opening gifts on Christmas and Rafe and Zara get their long-awaited kiss.

While watching that long-awaited kiss at the end of A Dickens of a Christmas, I was looking in vain in the background for mistletoe.  Why not?  It has everything else you would expect from these movies.  Because it is so run-of-the-mill, I was struggling to come up with something to say about it.  My notes are slim.  Indeed, I had only jotted down one thought until the last moment before the credits when we are treated to a quote from David Copperfield (1849): “A loving heart is the truest wisdom.”  To that, this Catholic says Amen.  I am not sure what it has to do with the movie, though.  Perhaps it can be applied to how forgiving is Rafe to Zara after she publicly humiliates him at the arbitration?  What I can say is that forgiveness is a sign of God’s love.  The film inserts the case and Rafe’s role in it for dramatic effect, though the drama is muted.  It is revealed that he had been a last-minute addition, and all she does is point out the fact that he does not have a degree in engineering.  If this sort of offense was all we had to contend with in dealing with our fellows, the world would be a much simpler place.  Unfortunately, we are guilty of far greater crimes amongst ourselves because we are a fallen people.  Some so-called offenses require divine assistance in order to be overcome.  Even if that is not accomplished between two or more persons, God will forgive us if we have the requisite contriteness because He loves us more than we can ever understand.  Christmas itself is evidence of that love.

What is less evidence of God’s love for us is movies like A Dickens of a Christmas.  There is nothing wrong with in terms of its content.  It is just predictable.  Still, if that is what you are looking for this time of year, have at it.