T&K's XMas (2023) Advent Calendar: Day 7 - Christmas Island

2023, David Weaver (Christmas Town) -- download

 The Draw: Because its set / shot in Nova Scotia, duhhhh. But seriously, I actually grew up going to Christmas Island, which is in Cape Breton and is ... well, not an island, and not the fictional locale depicted in the movie. But the tradition set forward in the movie, that people send tons of presents and cards and letters, to be remailed from Christmas Island is a real, true thing -- people want the Xmas related mail to come with that famous post mark.

Also, after having listened to the Deck the Hallmark podcast episode which features this movie, and how it was so incredibly panned, I just had to actually watch it. But honestly, it was on my list.
 

HERstory: Kate (Rachel Skarsten, Lost Girl) is being interviewed for a charter pilot position with the Rich Family Sharpe. They've done the background check, her references were impeccable, and.... would you like to fly to Zurich with the Rich Family Sharpe RIGHT NOW ? Uhhh, sure, says Kate. Kate's got the job, as long as she understands she will cater to their every whim, and be stuck in Europe for Xmas, cuz ya know, pilots often... cater to whims. Whatever, sure, says Kate.

Halifax LA Airport (I am pretty sure California has never been that overcast, like ever) and the Rich Family Sharpe arrive. Rich Dad (Jefferson Brown, Hudson & Rex), Rich Wife (Kate Drummond, Wynonna Earp), Rich Teen and Little Rich. Everyone is Rich Distracted thinking about nothing but work work work and resentment. But, they are polite, not bad as Rich Families go.

Somewhere over the Atlantic. BIG STORM !! You must land now! Oh noes, the Rich Family Sharpe will not be happy, but let's let Kate duck out from the pilot's seat for a moment to serve them cocoa, cuz that's a pilot who caters to whims kind of thing. But, OH NOES, you must land now! While arguing with the air traffic control guy, she loses the two spots at Real Airports and is forced to land on a small island off the coast of Nova Scotia called Christmas Island. The plane landing scene shows a pretty decent sized airport, like Halifax airport sized, not tiny-island-airport sized. Also, no snow, no storm.

Now, Christmas Island is popular at this time of year, because Christmas, and there are no B&Bs available for the Rich Family Sharpe, so Postman Jim (Peter MacNeill, Hudson & Rex) offers to find them a place with his daughter Maggie, who is also town mayor. His son Oliver (Andrew W Walker, Christmas Tree Lane) is also the cranky air traffic control guy Kate just argued with. So, the Rich Family Sharpe will camp out in quaint PST island homes while cranky co-pilot bunks at the airport until things open up again, cuz this storm has shut down THE ENTIRE EASTERN SEABOARD ! Except, there's no snow, no storm outside.

Now, this movie shines for having been shot in Nova Scotia, in the Halifax / Lunenburg area, so many of the external fly over shots (barely any snow, no storm) are some of the best PST shots (yes, I am biased) this year. And the interiors are ... well, let's just say they look reallllly familiar. These are lovely homes decorated for Xmas with love and care, and ... well, by Mr Christmas Island himself, cranky air traffic control guy Oliver.

Over the next few days, because the storm (note: still not much snow other than digital stuff, and no storm) Kate is tasked with keeping the Rich Family Sharpe amused, but mainly their kids, cuz the Sharpe Dad and the Sharpe Mom must work work work. Again, they are rather nice and polite for Evil Rich People. But Kate, with Mr Christmas Island Oliver in tow, flit about the rather lovely PST to experience all the things people do on Christmas Island during the holidays. Note: despite the claim that all the B&Bs were full up, I don't think we ever see another tourist. 

Distracting children with candy making seems... unsafe. I mean, making candy implies boiling sugar, which is hinted at when Kate burns herself, and then balks at Oliver showing any concern for her. They are still pretty much cranky at each other, as is (one of) the Hallmarkie tradition. They also do some Xmas Tree decorating in Maggie's house, and go out for Lobster Rolls. 

Eventually, slowly, the Sharpes start unwinding from their work work work, and actually try to connect with the town and their family. The kids also learn a bit about disconnecting from their phones and connecting with people, especially daughter Cali who has been hanging with the postman -- dad of Oliver and Maggie, which is where we learn of the fictionalized version of the Christmas Island post mark popularity AND she lends her digital skills when everyone realizes that an island where no planes are flying means no mail & packages going out. And that's ignoring the idea whether mail gone out days before Xmas would have actually arrived. Her idea is to digitize the letters & postcards and send them out by email. Cuz, there is a public directory of everyone's email addresses, right? RIGHT? And Sharpe Dad abandons work (and family, for that matter) to help gather lobster traps to make the Lobster Trap Tree, also a thing from Real Life, depicted for the movie. 

The Peanut Gallery would love us to know that there is no way they would be raiding their fishing boats for lobster traps that would BE NEEDED FOR ACTUAL LOBSTER FISHING !! It was the height of the season, afterall.

And yes, while we are watching the Rich Family Sharpe learning the True Meaning of Xmas, Kate and Oliver are getting to know each other. 

Anywayz. The lobster trap xmas tree looked nice.

Later on, Oliver shows up as Belsnickel, cuz that's a big tradition in Nova Scotia. Huh? It is? I mean, I have heard of mummering in Newfoundland, but not really familiar with this German Santa Guy in a fur coat. I am thinking one of the writers read the Porter in-flight magazine.

It is at this point that I realized, I am no longer seeing the movies for their actual "plot" progression but all the elements that make them a Hallmarkie. In other words, I don't see the story being told, or at least it doesn't sink in. I mean, we all know what the story is inherently as it is the product of the formula, but I really need to start remembering it for it.

So, yeah eventually we reach the lighting of the Lobster Trap Xmas Tree, which is the Xmas Event of the movie, but NOT the traditional exclaiming of the lovey dovey. Because we know, based on the unexpected arrival of Kate and Crew, that the not-storm eventually has to clear, and eventually the Rich Family Sharpe will board their plane and fly to Switzerland. But before that, we get the tree and the Event, and the kissing and the Red Dress (can I get a rahr!), which was homemade by Momma Sharpe, cuz before she and hubbie became the heads of a design empire, she was happy just designing dresses for herself. She has found the True Meaning of Xmas.

But they still get on the plane, before the Magic of Xmas and the whining of a little kid reminds them that the perfect Xmas is already being had, right there on Christmas Island, so they decide to stay right where they are, and Kate and Oliver get to say they will try and make it work, and they kiss and they live happily ever after.

The Formulae: OK, the PST is Christmas Island, NS, not the real one but perty like. The shots are (mostly) Lunenburg and the areas around Peggy's Cove, which are all absolutely lovely. Kate is getting The Big Job which is placed in jeopardy due to complications. There is some initial conflict between Kate and Oliver, but it is quickly overcome when they are forced together to work on Xmas-y things, leading up to a Big Xmas Event. The Xmas-y stuff includes candy, and tree decorating (one does not sew popcorn; one strings popcorn), and ugly sweaters, and hot chocolate and Xmas tree lots (well, at least via a sign in the background, but if they were proper NS-ioners, they would have trekked off the Trans Canada and cut down a spruce). It all ends with a Tree Lighting Ceremony, if you think a stack of lobsters trap qualifies as a tree, and a most fabulous red dress (repeat: rahr!).

Unformulae: Well, I am not sure if I think them flying from LA to NS as a proper "travel to a PST" as the Big City is barely present. Also, she is given the job immediately, so its not in jeopardy, but I guess it does come into play as a possible obstacle to Their Love. Everything else is pretty much by the books, except, if you want to be particular about The Tree.

True Calling? LOL, well of course, as it is the place and it is the time of year. Except the real Christmas Island is not technically on an island.

The Rewind: There was one particular "fly over" that abandoned the quaint shots of Peggy's Cove and went for... BC ? Norway? Those snow peaked mountains in the background are not quite possible in Nova Scotia, especially not a "small island off the coast".

The Regulars: Andrew Walker, the Male Lead, is such a staple in Hallmarkies that he is even used as background when he doesn't have a main role in a movie. And he is the inspiration for me to become a staple extra, so that people would recognize me from movie to movie, while never having a line or a name, maybe just that guy buying a tree, or drinking hot chocolate, or buying presents at the Xmas Fair or standing in line to buy cookies from the quaint bakery! Rachel Skarsten is a standard Canadian actor, so that means she has done a few. The rest of the cast may be familiar to Canadian TV, but not so much for the Hallmarkie world.

How does it Hallmark? Pretty damn fine. It has the conflict, the misunderstanding, the encouraged stay in a PST, Xmas all around, and the mains really do make contact. And kiss realllllly nicely.

How does it movie? You mess up depicting NS this bad, and I will always be a tad grumpy. But I have to give it top marks for at least attempting to adopt some Maritime sayings into the script, though I truly suspect that was just MacNeill, who is actually from the Maritimes, ad-libbing some localisms ("Fill yer boots!", and "I'm at yer leisure."

How Does It Snow? A mix of real snow in the stock photography shots of the town, and tons and tons and TONS of digital snow added into stock videos of the environs.