When it comes to channels like Hallmark, Lifetime, and now streaming websites like Netflix, Prime Video, and even Hulu, it can be challenging to keep up with the surplus of holiday films. It can also be frustrating not knowing which movie is worth a specific viewer's time depending on their brand and the cliché factor they can stomach overall. For some, the cornier, the better; for others, only romantic comedies like The Holiday or Love Actually are all a person wants to watch.
However, there's one film in the ethers that feels like it should be a cult classic for everyone, but especially those who adore mysteries interwoven with their romance. The Spirit of Christmas, starring Jen Lilley and Thomas Beaudoin, is the type of top-tier holiday film released in 2015 and passed too many radars.
Set in a snowcapped inn in New England, The Spirit of Christmas follows a lawyer and a ghost in a slow-burn romance that surprisingly works to showcase the wonders unveiled through blazing chemistry and an intriguing premise that seems utterly bonkers on paper. When it comes to the romance genre, and perhaps even elements of the supernatural, viewers should suspend belief to allow themselves to fully experience what the film's placing forward. In this case, it requires sitting back with a cocktail (or tea, whichever) of choice, a cozy blanket, and candles for the kind of holiday romance bound to leave a mark.
Daniel Forsythe, The Ghost
No one wants to be haunted by a ghost, let alone during the holidays, but if it's going to happen, it should be Daniel Forsythe, played a little too well by Thomas Beaudoin, who's very easy on the eyes. For reasons unknown until he meets Kate (Lilley), Daniel returns to The Hollygrove Inn for 12 days every Christmas. He spends most of that time eating, playing the piano, reading, and warding off anyone trying to enter the property.
Daniel's sarcasm is a delight throughout The Spirit of Christmas as he essentially represents the perfectly brooding hero every romance should have. When viewers first meet him, he not only locks Kate out of the house, but he throws blankets out with her, then spends the majority of time moping about his solitude, which is more relatable than anyone's company at times. Thus, it's frankly easier to relate to Daniel of all people during this time of year. Scrooge who? Further, as the narrative progresses, Daniel has to participate in a holiday party against his will, during which he shows off his bar-tending chops on top of his expansive vocabulary, old-fashioned chivalrous ways, and his tremendous capacity to love.
The Romance Flows Seamlessly
Chemistry and well-balanced tropes are the keys to sealing a believable romance into a film that's less than two hours. In The Spirit of Christmas, writers allow Daniel and Kate to rightfully get off on the wrong foot, only to have the progression of their romance flow through solving the mystery. The two aren't necessarily antagonists or enemies in the traditional sense, which would've required far more screen time to develop something worth rooting for, but the slow burn between two relatively similar grumps is where the sparks fly. Daniel and Kate's romance brings two jaded, heartbroken people and pushes them toward finding the partnership they'd been lacking.
Kate, like Daniel, hasn't necessarily celebrated Christmas after her mother passed, but she isn't bitter toward the holiday either. In this way, the two have their issues to work through while they attempt to figure out how to help Daniel cross over to the other side. In their means of figuring out the mystery, decorating the house for Christmas, planning for the holiday party, bickering, and opening up to each other in ways they haven't to others showcases why they're so thoroughly fit for each other. In the 12 days, as much as viewers know it's impossible to learn about each other entirely, we're at least given a couple who have the agency to choose one another despite the odd circumstances. The forced proximity, moments of vulnerability, and intimate conversations allow Daniel and Kate to find in one another a kindred spirit they could both fully trust and challenge to bring their best forward.
The Holiday Decor
Some holiday films aren't brimming with the kind of cozy extravagant decor we're hoping for. But in The Spirit of Christmas, the Hollygrove Inn alone is a snowcapped sight to behold, even before we venture inside towards its cozy walls with staircases draped in garland. Further, throughout the film, as the holiday party ensues, something about the inn's Edwardian-era decor that remains astutely put together alongside modern decor allows the place to feel more spirited (pun intended). Additionally, we don't just see glimpses of holiday decor in the present, but because we get bits and pieces of Daniel's past and the day he died, we also get flashes of what Christmas was like 95 years ago, making the film feel that much cozier despite the mystery looming over us.