Starring: Elizabeth Mitchell and Cameron Mathison
Released: 2019
Summary: Two strangers encounter each other while trying to aid an elderly woman in recovering her lost Christmas savings, and the two of them hit it off.
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| Image: Crown Media, United States LLC |
The Christmas Club Is Available Through Amazon
Did you know Hallmark's The Christmas Club is based on the novel by Barbara Hinske?
Two differences between the book and the movie are the setting and the era. The novel takes place in 1952, and the setting is Cleveland, Ohio, rather than New York City. Instead of losing $80 in twenties, Verna (rather than Gertrude) loses $30 in fives.
I still don't comprehend how $80 would cover Christmas presents for all your grand kids, but maybe I overspend.
Hinske began her career as an attorney but left the practice to pursue writing full-time. She inherited the writing bug from her father, who authored mysteries after his retirement and who made up bedtime stories every night when she was a young girl. Parents--this is why you should always read and tell stories to your kids. They could write a book that might become a Hallmark movie someday!
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| Author, Barbara Hinske, is shown on the far left. Image: Crown Media, United States LLC |
For Hinske, it was thrilling and a dream come true to hear the actors deliver lines that she had written.
If you have Kindle Unlimited, you can pick up a copy of this book for
FREE. Without Unlimited, the regular Kindle version is only
$2.99. If you enjoy audio books, you can try a one-month free trial of Audible Escape to hear this book for
FREE! The rest of you who would prefer holding the physical paperback in your hands can snag this book for $9.68.
You can find whichever version you want through this link:
Why Is the Movie Called the Christmas Club?
Younger viewers may not be familiar with Christmas Clubs to catch the tie-in to the movie title.
Christmas Clubs are offered through select banks and credit unions, offering customers a way to stash cash for holiday shopping. The customer decides on a set amount of money to save to the club each pay, and right before the Christmas shopping season commences, the bank releases the money for its intended purpose.
Christmas clubs aren't the big deal they once were, but they used to be a very popular way to save money for holiday gift-buying. Maybe their popularity has faded since too many people charge purchases to a credit card and spend months trying to dig themselves out of debt. Back in the day, people paid cash and only spent what they had in hand.
In the movie, Gertrude is despondent that her Christmas Club funds are swept away by the wind. Olivia and Edward save the day by pretending they find her $80 stuck in a tree, when they actually just pool their own resources in an act of selfless generosity--the true spirit of the season!
The best part is the four $20 bills are periodically found by other people in town, but they pay it forward and never keep it for themselves.
Undoing the Bad Stuff from Your Childhood
Edward Taylor doesn't celebrate Christmas because the holiday brings back bad childhood memories of his parents not getting along.
Can you relate?
Our childhoods shape our adult perspectives.
Instead of continuing as the victim of his childhood, Edward decides to undo the bad memories by replacing them with good ones. He enjoys roasted pecans, the Christmas festival at Evergreen Park, and he decides to stay with his sister's family over Christmas.
Edward's actions are healing. What bad memories do you need to replace with good ones? If you're holding on to unhealthy emotions from your past, decide to override them with positive experiences, like Edward did, so you no longer have to be shackled by them.
Did You Picture Elizabeth Mitchell as "Carol" From the Santa Clause 2 the Whole Time?
Elizabeth Mitchell continued her successful acting career after filming opposite Tim Allen in the second and third installments of
The Santa Clause movies, but I've never seen any of her subsequent work. Have you? In my mind, she will forever be the Mrs. Clause!
Tim Allen was such a lively and witty co-star that his light helped her shine. She holds her own, but her calm demeanor is a little bland on screen, especially against Cameron Mathison, who is handsome but lacking Allen's effervescence. It's wrong to compare the movies, but my expectations were too high, leaving me a little disappointed with this 2019 premiere.
When One Door Closes...
Olivia is a dance instructor at Miss Maggie's Dance Academy. Unfortunately for her, Maggie decides to retire and sells the building right before Christmas.
Maggie didn't even offer Olivia the opportunity to buy the business! Yet, she has the audacity to tell Olivia she'll be all right and that any dance academy would love to have her.
Olivia responds graciously and doesn't allow the sudden change to affect her close relationship with Maggie, but what a kick in the teeth! Olivia is a single mom trying provide a good life for herself and her daughter. Have you ever been in that boat?
When Olivia decides to buy her own dance studio, Maggie conveys that it all worked out for the best because it pushed Olivia to higher levels of achievement. Yes, no thanks to you, Maggie!
Still, when one door closes, another one usually opens. We have a tendency to get comfortable where we are in life and stop pushing ourselves to do better or to climb higher. Sometimes, it takes an unexpected circumstance to give us the kick in the pants we need to stop acting complacent and help us grow rather than stagnate.
Was Olivia Right to Be Offended?
Olivia needs a business loan to purchase the dance studio, and Edward gives her encouraging pep talks. He believes in her and offers his business expertise to help her get started.
After securing the loan, Olivia's confidence surges, but she learns Edward privately spoke to bank officials on her behalf, encouraging them to approve her loan.
Olivia is irate! She gives Edward the cold shoulder for not thinking she has what it takes to handle her own affairs.
Is Olivia right to be offended? Personally, I think it's chivalrous for a man to help a damsel in distress, but the women's libbers want none of that. Edward recognizes her talent and knows she's destined for success, but his gentlemanly deed is meant to iron out any potential wrinkles to the plan. I would have been touched by the gesture.
Olivia is widowed, so it changes her perspective. She wants to know she has the strength and know-how to take care of herself and her daughter. Self-reliance is important to her. All the more reason to appreciate Edward's help! After the weariness of managing all alone, she should be relieved to catch a break and appreciate someone trying to make life easier for her.
Is There Such a Thing as Fate?
Olivia and Edward neither one believes in fate; however, considering the way they meet and how many times they bump into each other unexpectedly, they start to change their tune. Maybe there is such a thing as fate?
Fate is synonymous with destiny.
As a Christian, I don't believe in fate, but I do believe in a God who loves His children and will divinely orchestrate circumstances, opportunities, meetings, etc. to help them achieve the potential He deposited in them. Divine intervention doesn't trump free will, but it does provide a road marker that points "Go this way." After all, the Bible promises that God has a good plan for our lives to give us a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).
Too often we refer to odd encounters as "coincidence," "luck," or "chance" and fail to see God's hand at work in our lives.
A Little Christmas Magic
Don't you love when Hallmark weaves a little Christmas magic into the story?
We learn that befuddled Gertrude is really Mrs. Claus, and she's at the town Festival because her husband is playing Santa--only, he's not really pretending. We know this because Olivia shares her wish with Santa (that she wants to be with Edward), and her wish is granted.
At the end of the town festival, the wall puzzle is finally solved, revealing Gertrude's true identity.
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| Image: Crown Media, United States LLC |
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