Tis the season… to drink hot chocolate, eat red velvet cake, and enjoy holiday novels. I have a lot of friends who have great romantic reads coming out this holiday season. Be sure to look for COMING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS by RaeAnne Thayne, A MRS. MIRACLE CHRISTMAS by Debbie Macomber, and CHRISTMAS IN HARMONY HARBOR by Debbie Mason.
And when you’re done reading, I bet you’ll want to grab a bowl of peppermint popcorn and watch a movie. When it comes to holiday movies, we all have our favorites, so I thought I’d like to share some of mine.
Usually, when we think holidays, we think Christmas but I want to start you off with Halloween and recommend one of the sweetest and most romantic movies ever, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir. This movie was shown way back in 1947 and starred Rex Harrison and Gene Tierney. Ms. Tierney plays a young widow, Lucy Muir, who rents a house in a secluded beachside town only to discover it’s haunted by the ghost of a sea captain. It’s a charming love story and I watch it almost every year. And I always cry at the end. If you’ve never seen it (or even if you have, kick off your holidays with this romantic tale.
Then Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without a showing of “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles,” the hilarious bromance starring Steve Martin and John Candy. Such a fun tale of learning to get along and share. And it ends with the best sharing of all – one’s life.
Once Christmas hits I have to watch “It’s a Wonderful Life,” in my opinion one of the best movies ever made. This movie is about love and sacrifice and realizing how rich we all are if we have family and friends who care about us. There’s a whole generation coming up who have never seen this movie and I think that’s a shame. If you’ve got kids or grandkids in your family who haven’t watched it, why not gather them around the TV and do so this year? Not only will they see true sacrifice in action, they’ll also have the opportunity to see how events of history impacted the lives of the average person.
Next comes The Family Man, a modern day Scrooge tale about a man who sees what he could have if he reconnects with the love of his life. This movie came out back in 2000 and starred Téa Leone and Nicholas Cage and oh, my gosh, I still laugh over the cake fight scene. “You’re a bad girl and you make me so hot.” Nice try, dude. Better luck next time.
Hallmark, of course, always has something to offer. Have you seen Christmas Joy based on the book by my friend Nancy Naigle? Nancy is quickly becoming the queen of the Christmas movie, and you know if it’s Hallmark it will have a happy ending.
Of course, my husband often likes to watch The Nine Lives of Christmas, based on my novel of the same name. Ambrose the cat had plenty to say in the book. Alas, in the movie, he didn’t get a speaking part. Neither did I but my hubs and I enjoyed our cameo role as diners in the restaurant. You might just spot us if you look carefully!
The last movie I always try to watch, which gives me a good mental adjustment for the new year is A Christmas Carol based on the famous story by Charles Dickens, which I happen to think is one of the best stories ever written. I love the version done back in 1984 with George C Scott. You can still buy it or watch it on Amazon Prime. No romance in this one but it does deal with love, love for our fellow human beings. And being inspired to show more love to those less fortunate – isn’t that a great way to begin the new year?
I bet you have some holiday movies you’d recommend. Can you top mine? :)
Sheila Roberts
Sheila Roberts is married and has three children. She lives on a lake in the Pacific Northwest. Her novels have appeared in Readers Digest Condensed books and have been published in several languages. Her holiday perennial, On Strike for Christmas, was made into a movie for the Lifetime Movie Network. When she’s not writing songs, hanging out with her girlfriends or trying to beat her husband at tennis, she can be found writing about those things dear to women’s hearts: family, friends, and chocolate.
USA TODAY bestselling author Sheila Roberts takes readers to the charming, snowbound town of Pine River in this irresistible holiday romance.
Sometimes you need to look beyond the big picture to see what really matters
Olivia Berg’s charity, Christmas from the Heart, has helped generations of families in need in Pine River, Washington, but this year might be the end of the road. Hightower Enterprises, one of their biggest donors since way back when Olivia’s grandmother ran the charity, has been taken over by Ebenezer Scrooge the Second, aka CFO Guy Hightower, and he’s declared there will be no more money coming to Christmas from the Heart.
Guy is simply being practical. Hightower Enterprises needs to tighten its belt, and when you don’t have money to spare, you don’t have money to share. You’d think even the pushy Olivia Berg could understand that.
With charitable donations dwindling, Olivia’s Christmas budget depends on Hightower’s contribution. She’s focused her whole life on helping this small town, even putting her love life on hold to support her mission.
When Guy’s Maserati breaks down at the edge of the Cascade foothills, he’s relieved to be rescued by a pretty young woman who drives him to the nearby town of Pine River. Until he realizes his rescuer is none other than Olivia Berg. What’s a Scrooge to do? Plug his nose and eat fruitcake and hope she doesn’t learn his true identity before he can get out of town. What could go wrong?
