Review

Movie Review: Nostalgic Christmas
Subtitle: “When Small-Town Charm Meets Big-Time Whittling.”

Nostalgic Christmas is the kind of movie that feels like it was baked in a gingerbread oven with a heavy sprinkle of small-town nostalgia. It’s cozy, predictable, and so sweet it might just give you a holiday sugar rush. The story revolves around Anne (Brooke D’Orsay), a big-city exec who returns to her hometown to help close up her dad’s old toy store. But wait—this isn’t just any toy store. It’s a magical haven of hand-carved toys that somehow holds the heart and soul of the entire town.

Anne meets Keith (Trevor Donovan), the small-town single dad with a heart of gold and a jawline that could cut through wood. Conveniently, he’s also the local Christmas committee leader and just happens to be running the town’s annual holiday festival. Sparks fly, but not before Anne has to decide if she’s ready to trade in her high-powered career for a life of flannel, pine-scented everything, and toy carving.

Brooke D’Orsay brings charm and relatability to Anne, even when she’s trying to explain how her corporate marketing skills don’t transfer to small-town Christmas magic. Trevor Donovan’s Keith, meanwhile, is basically a walking Hallmark checklist: rugged, kind, and probably capable of building a log cabin with his bare hands. Together, they have the kind of chemistry that makes you root for them—even as they bond over the oddly specific activity of sanding wooden trains.

The supporting cast includes Anne’s dad, who seems to believe that carving toys can solve any problem, and a bunch of well-meaning townsfolk who think it’s totally normal to pressure Anne into staying forever based on two weeks of holiday cheer. There’s also Keith’s adorable daughter, who steals every scene she’s in and is basically Cupid in a Santa hat.

The movie leans hard into its “nostalgia” theme, with plenty of tear-jerking moments about the magic of handmade toys and the importance of preserving small-town traditions. However, it also has its fair share of unintentionally funny moments:
- Anne’s complete inability to remember how to carve wood, despite her dad insisting it’s in her blood.
- The idea that a toy store selling only wooden trains and dolls could ever compete with Amazon.
- The climactic scene where the fate of the holiday festival rests on whether Anne can carve a passable reindeer. Spoiler: She nails it, because Hallmark rules.

The romance is a slow burn, with plenty of lingering looks and festive activities to keep the sparks flying. Whether they’re hanging ornaments, decorating cookies, or dramatically discussing their hopes and dreams in front of a roaring fire, you just know these two are destined for happily ever after. And, because it’s Hallmark, their first kiss happens with perfect snowflakes falling in the background.

Nostalgic Christmas is a delightful mix of holiday charm, small-town quirks, and just the right amount of cheesiness. It’s the kind of movie that makes you want to break out the flannel pajamas, drink cocoa, and pretend you, too, could carve a perfect wooden train on your first try. Sure, it’s predictable, but that’s what makes it so comforting—like a warm blanket of Christmas clichés. Watch it with cookies in hand and a soft spot for handmade toys in your heart. 🎄🧸✨