When Christmas Was Young (2022 TV Movie) User Reviews

Deceitful agent wins over reluctant singer songwriter in this Holiday romance.

[cgvsluis · 5/10 · 20 December 2022]

Filled with holiday decorations and one Christmas song, this holiday film is about a self-indulgent agent who looses his job and in a desperate attempt to keep his one remaining client he promises to get her this one particular Christmas song by an unknown writer.

This is how Luke Dawson meets Melody Douglass and her daughter. This is a hate to love romance because things do not start well between this aggressive agent and this small town heart of gold girl.

Eventually Luke wins Melody over only to have a misunderstanding derail their budding romance. Can a Christmas miracle save these two?

This was a sweet holiday romance, for those liking grinch-y or Scrooge-y style holiday romances. Taylor Hilton who plays Luke is particularly handsome...but I though Melody was a little too mature for Luke.

Not my favorite of the holiday offerings this year...but maybe still fun to watch.

Pleasant enough Christmas romance

[vchimpanzee · 23 December 2022]

Here we go again. CBS gives us yet another pretty woman who doesn't want to do what the demanding man wants, and yet we're supposed to believe they will end up together after they get off to a really bad start.

And yet it's the formula I'm glad CBS is giving us over and over. I wish more of the movies on stations I can watch were like this. I'm not yet willing to deal with streaming, free or not. Who has the time?

Despite being pestered by this obnoxious music executive, single mom Melody Douglass is always polite and tries to be friendly. And when she can, she persuades this man to actually work for what he wants, even though she seems unlikely to give it to him. And surely these two won't get together? They despise each other. Well, not really, but being polite doesn't mean a romance will happen. Does it?

And this executive Luke Dawson is unbelievably nasty when the movie starts. You wonder how someone like him will be able to avoid saying those things which will make the TV-G rating go away. And yet somehow, the movie keeps that TV-G rating viewers were shown at the start. He says two curse words total (these are allowed) and he's not even mad when he says them. But somehow, Luke becomes much more pleasant and even nice. Scheming is more like it, but we actually believe him. Maybe he is sincere.

Grace Sunar is an adorable daughter. And an actor with one name, Dhirendra, doesn't have much to say but is a loving father to our female lead. With his accent I'm guessing he wasn't born in this country but iwhere he is from is never revealed or relevant.

Barbara Wallace is kind of a female Scrooge who is having trouble enjoying the holiday. In her brief time in the movie, can she too make a similar transformation? I will say she does a great job.

And of course this is one of those ideal Christmas towns, with snow and everything. The snow is on the TV screen, the only place I want it. A couple of camera shots are really beautiful where it is established this town is in the mountains. Not Tennessee, of course, but someplace in Canada pretending to be Tennessee, according to the credits. And one scene takes place at a beautiful lake outside town.

This movie is about music, and there is some good music. The song for which this movie is named is pleasant enough. I'm not that interested in the meaning of the words and a description of an ideal Christmas, I'm interested in how the music sounds, because you can have great lyrics with terrible music. But for someone who is more tolerant than I am, the music will likely be enjoyable. There are traditional carols performed in the traditional style, and there is country music which to me sounds more like rock, and not the sort of thing I want to hear at Christmas. And some country music that sounds good. It's not actually the bad kind of country but I'm just saying how I feel.

Once again, CBS has come up with a variation on the formula that works.

A feel-good Christmas story with music as the (un)sung hero

[underthefeather · 9/10 · 28 December 2022]

Truth be told, Christmas rom-coms are not my usual genre at all; a familiar face on the cast list reeled me in. I have to say, I am pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it!

The story follows self-absorbed music manager Luke on a mission to save his career, as he tries to acquire the rights to a Christmas song for his last remaining client. However, his big promises don't impress songwriter Melody, who has since Marie Kondo-ed her big music dreams into a box to focus on family instead. It's no surprise these two headstrong characters clash before they connect ("It won't work! [...] You're not that charming." "Challenge accepted!"), but the stereotypes soften as they start peeling away some of their polished layers.

The story has all the elements to spark nostalgic longing and fuzzy feelings: small-town antics, rekindled relationships, buried dreams to chase, a winding road to romance, and copious amounts of snow.

But what actually struck me the most about this film is that music is the connecting force - something that very much resonates with me. Songs come with the most intriguing stories, woven together by life experiences, connections, and a pinch of serendipity. Under the magnifying glass of the holiday season, it all adds up to an entertaining feel-good Christmas story. In this case, one with a Sheryl Crow-penned title song in a starring role. And with thanks to Karen David's voice fitting this song like a glove, this hero doesn't remain unsung.

Heartwarming Christmas Movie

[melanievanos · 9/10 · 28 December 2022]

What I love is that it's not the standard Christmas movie about a woman having to fall for a guy. Yes, there's some sweet romance in there in the end. Though, it's not the center of the movie. It's about a strong woman, who has her life together and in the end decides that she's ready to go for her dream in music again. The emotional scène between Melody and her father was so beautiful. Karen David portrays this character with such grace. Her very natural acting, in my opinion, makes the movie even better. Also love the title song! When Christmas was young is still stuck in my head, days after.

A Christmas movie to watch!

[EmmaEsberger · 10/10 · 7 January 2023]

When Christmas Was Young is such a wonderful Christmas Movie, suitable for the whole family!

I adored the Storyline, it was inspirational and it really touched my heart. All the feels. Complete holiday vibes, set in picturesque Christmas Scenes.

Sheryl Crow executive produced and wrote the title song. Karen David (actress, singer and songwriter) sang it. I filled up with tears watching it, and Karen's beautiful voice was mesmerising. I immediately downloaded the song from iTunes and it is at the top of my Christmas List!

When Christmas Was Young most certainly is a film to watch year after year. It's so heartfelt; the perfect Christmas Movie. I enjoyed it so much that I recommended we watch it as a whole family on Christmas Day. I'm hoping that there will be a sequel!