Review

A Snowy Carousel of Clichés: Love Always, Santa

Walking into Love Always, Santa feels like you've just wrapped yourself in a cozy, oversized sweater hand-knit by the Hallmark Channel's magical elves. You know what's coming—a delightfully predictable parade of snowflakes, hot cocoa, and heartfelt letters—because Hallmark holiday movies, and their irresistible formula, have become our favorite yuletide jigsaw puzzle: most of the pieces are identical, but somehow it’s comforting to fit them together while sipping eggnog.

Picture this: A spirited single mom, whose heart is as chilly as the Minnesota winter, unexpectedly stumbles upon a handsome, rugged Santa Claus impersonator. This "Santa," whose job is to grant Christmas wishes, is undeniably charming and unexpectedly hip. With a beard more convincing than a department store promissory note, he's the stuff of Hallmark movies' dreams. Her daughter's earnest letter to Santa inadvertently delivers him onto their snow-draped doorstep, as if the postal service conspired with Cupid to bring these two love-seekers together.

The twist? There isn’t any. But let's be honest, that's the cheese we signed up for. Love Always, Santa does not disappoint in delivering an array of Hallmark holiday movie staples: an ice-skating scene to classical music, the accidental mistletoe moment (cue the romantic sighs), and a town square that's a blazing winter wonderland by nightfall. It’s easier to predict than your Aunt Margaret’s annual fruitcake, yet somehow just as sweet.

Our cynical heroine slowly thaws, thanks to Santa's twinkling eyes and an impossibly well-timed snowfall. Their journey from flirtatious banter to inevitable, picture-perfect embrace is served with a side of gingerbread and topped with more sugar than Santa’s cookie plate.

While you could argue that innovation in Hallmark holiday movies might be illegal, this movie is a holly-jolly reminder that sometimes we need a break from plot twists and gravitate towards something wonderfully, shamelessly predictable. Love Always, Santa is like watching a Mad Lib you’ve already filled out a hundred times, where each outcome brings a laugh or a joyous tear.

Embrace the clichés; after all, they’re what makes Love Always, Santa a part of the holiday fabric. Grab your coziest blanket, settle by the fire, and let yourself be wrapped up in the merry magic—because Santa’s love letters are best read with a cup of cocoa in hand and a knowing nod to Hallmark’s holiday delight.