If you’ve read my blog for a long time, you probably know that I have lamented that our world lacks a lot of good married romance movies, both comedy and drama. That includes Hallmark-type movies. The default weekly date for my husband and me is to watch a rom com, but after a while I wished there were more that focus on marriage. I’ve found a handful of gems that I list over here. Only one is Christmas themed.

I’m happy to report that I recently found a Christmas-themed, Hallmark-type romance movie that involves marriage! It’s not Hallmark, but from Candace Cameron Bure’s new brand, The Great American Family. It’s called A Christmas Present. You can watch it free here in YouTube.

I love this movie because it involves marriage, showing the all-too familiar struggle of finding time for each other and learning how to be in the present without micromanaging, especially during the holidays. I love that it is Christmas-themed, and I love that it shows family time and traditions, like playing games such as Christmas trivia and sharing memories around a firepit with s’mores. It realistically shows a mother’s role of being chief merrymaker, with the tendency to overschedule. I give it 3 out of 5 stars. The acting from some of the actors could have been better, and some of it was a bit implausible, what with the whole family of 4 being able to just up and leave all of a sudden for ten days to take a Christmas vacation, some gaping plot holes, and the overdosing of Christmas decorations. I mean, what real families can afford to have this many Christmas decorations, inside and outside the home? Every single inch was plastered with holiday finery. It was fun though to watch. Despite these drawbacks, I still recommend it and encourage you all to go watch it tonight, either as a family movie or for date night!