Eloise At Christmas Time

Eloise At Christmas Time, Thursday night Lifetime Television premiered their very own modern Eloise At Christmas Timeholiday classic aimed at their usual Women 18-49 audience. And since I fit comfortably into that demographic, I needed to put the 12 Men of Christmas on my list! Err, my viewing list, of course!

Kristin Chenoweth plays one of those jaded career women who could be on her way to her own version of Ebenezer Scrooge but for a cruel twist of fate that tears her away from everything she knows. Losing both her job and her equally successful fiance during her office holiday party, Chenowith’s character picks up and moves to snowy Montana to start all over. It is there that she gets the idea to try to save a local rescue mission– and spread a little Christmas cheer– by getting the hunky rescue workers to pose for a pin-up calendar. And when Santa hands her twelve eligible men, it is only cliche but perfect that sparks fly with at least one!

Alongside Chenowith for the (sleigh)ride are Josh Hopkins (Cougar Town) and Jessie Pavelka (Lifetime’s own; DietTribe), among almost a dozen other cuties who may not have famous faces yet but who certainly will be more well known amongst a very specific crowd once their calendar gets downloaded and printed from the interwebs! 12 Men of Christmas admittedly has a much more specific and limited appeal than other holiday movies, but it is fun and joyful nonetheless and will undoubtedly be brought back on that channel for many years to come. Lifetime certainly knows their audience, and who in their audience wouldn’t want to be snowed in and snuggling by a roaring fire with any one of these guys??

ABC Family Channel manages to churn out mad-for-TV holiday movies like they simply fall from the sky like fresh snow. Every year they create about half a dozen new ones to add to the roster, allowing Christmas movie marathons to start earlier and earlier. Three years ago, they premiered a modern-day tale about a businesswoman who has to drop everything in her hectic, high-powered life to rush home and help her ailing father with his business. But what made this particular tale magical was that the woman was Santa Claus’ daughter, and the movie was Santa Baby.

Starring George Wendt and Jenny McCarthy as Santa and his daughter, respectively, the movie doesn’t have all of the frills of a big budget blockbuster, but it holds more heart than most. McCarthy’s Mary Claus returns to her roots and learns what is really important when she not only tries to make Santa’s workshop more efficient but also gets reacquainted with her first love (played by Ivan Sergei). The spirit of the holiday finds her once again, humbles her of course, and sets her up for a brand new life where she no longer has to deny who she really is.

Both actors seemed unlikely in roles that come with so much cheer, but both sparkle and shine with the spirit of the season. McCarthy has always had a big personality and an even bigger laugh, and though she stands out amongst the elves for such a boisterous nature, she manages not to be too over the top with it. And that’s perhaps a hard thing to do when you’re fighting with reindeer and forced to convince an ex-boyfriend he’s seeing things when he stumbles upon the real toy workshop in the North Pole!