4 Festive Massachusetts Christmas Scenes, 3 Best Hallmark Christmas
Movies Ever
Christmas
at the Taunton Green Historic District in Taunton, Mass.
Article and photos, unless otherwise noted, by Eric Hurwitz. Article
created on 11/29/17.
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This might be a first: a New England travel web site with an
article featuring
festive Massachusetts Christmas scenes while writing about the best
Christmas movies ever on the Hallmark Channel. Has that
combination ever been done before in the history of the world?
Of course, we at VisitingNewEngland, often take the road less taken
when traveling and writing about New England. You might ask, though,
"Why include
information on your web site that veers away from New England travel?"
Well, 99 percent of the time we focus on New England, but
sometimes it is good to take a "vacation break" for us and our readers.
Plus, Hallmark movies often depict small town virtues reflective of the
New England spirit even though many of the movies have been created
outside
the region. I am personally a sucker for these movies -- small town
life, strong values and sense of community wrapped in a Christmas theme
always resonate strongly with me!
Let's start first with a few Christmas scenes in Massachusetts to get
you in the holiday spirit (sorry for the lack of snow; not much in
December the past few years) and then count down the top three
Christmas
movies ever made for the Hallmark Channel...
Downtown
Norwood
What a pleasant scene: an illuminated bandstand, surrounding Christmas
lights and the grand Norwood Theater in the background. The
downtown Norwood Town Common is beautiful any time of the year, but
seems to be at its brightest around the Christmas holiday season. You
also get a wonderful dose of old-fashioned Americana in the town center
with the Town Square Diner, old school bowling at the no frills Norwood
Sport Center, Brenner's Children Shop (kids clothing), Day Street
Sports Shop (sporting goods) the Norwood Theater, and the last
remaining Mug
'N Muffin restaurant in the state. All this, plus many different
American and ethnic restaurants!
Taunton Historic
Green
More than 2,000,000 people have visited the historic Taunton
Green in Taunton since 1914 to views the spectacular Christmas lights,
decorations
and the huge Santa Claus (pictured above). The Lighting of the Green --
usually held the first Saturday in December -- kicks off the
festivities, but don't worry if you can't make it then: this wonderland
stays throughout December. Quite a lot to see here on the one
acre town green in the middle of the downtown district!
Downtown Walpole
The Walpole town green dates back to 1739, and the Old Town Hall
Building
(pictured center right in the background) to 1887, thus providing the
ideal classic New England setting for a large, lit Christmas tree and
lights
and displays. Santa also has a house on the premises! One of the great
things about
the Walpole Christmas scene is that it's safe to visit at night
(Walpole is one of the safest towns of its size in the United States),
and many dining options exist surrounding or near the town green. I'd
recommend The
Raven's Nest or Napper
Tandy's -- two classic, family-friendly Irish pubs
appropriately located in the 4th most Irish town in the United States!
Sturbridge Town Common
Many people are unaware of the Sturbridge Town Common as it is a mile
away from the main drag on Route 20 where Old Sturbridge Village -- a
living outdoor museum depicting rural New England life from 1790s to
the 1830s -- draws in the most tourists. The Sturbridge Town Common,
however, has just about as much charm as any quintessential New England
scene and looks especially appealing during the Christmas season. As
with many town greens during the holidays, the bandstand gets top
attention all dressed up in holiday garb!
And now for our next main feature attraction, the best Hallmark
Christmas movies
ever (totally subjective, of course!)...
3. Love
Always, Santa (2016)
Photo source: Hallmark Movies and Mysteries web site
This touching story centers on a widow's daughter writing to Santa
Claus in hopes that her mom can find true love again. A book author who
also writes return letters for Santa answers the daughters' messages,
visits their small town, and falls in love with the mom. Marguerite
Moreau (Celia) and Mike Faiola (Jake), as the two lost souls finding
inspiration from each other, turn in wonderful performances. At some
point, their budding relationship doesn't even seem like they are
acting. You can feel the pain of the widow and the genuine sympathy
that the author has for her. Unlike many Hallmark movies where the man
and woman initially fight like cat and dogs, act sassy toward
each other and are lost in the allure of corporate America, Celia and
Jake are both
humble, intelligent, quiet and genuine. What's more, Isadora Swan is a
gifted child actress who, as Lilly, comes across as sensitive yet
assertive and with a true interest in a writing career -- how
refreshing to see and hopefully an inspiration to her generation
watching the movie in TV! Brady Smith, as Randy, adds more depth to the
movie
as the goofy but sincere redneck who would like to be Celia's
boyfriend. He seems more occupied, however, with winning a potato gun
contest. Rounding out this Hallmark classic are the wonderful small
town scenes with true-to-life local, down-to-earth characters. The
small town with its mom and pop shops reminds me of leafy Chester,
Conn., and working class Ayer, Mass.
2.
A Christmas Wish (2011)
Photo source: Hallmark Movies and Mysteries web site
One of Hallmark's darker movies, A Christmas Wish has an ominous
tone
right from the beginning. A homeless mother -- dumped a few weeks
before
Christmas from a worthless boyfriend who emptied her bank account --
moves to a small town and lives in a motel room with her two young
daughters and stepson. She struggles mightily, finds work at a diner
that doesn't pay much, and can barely pay the room rent. Her car breaks
down, the bills don't go away, they can't afford a Christmas tree, and
she emotionally breaks down, at one point,
sobbing, pleading and praying to God for better times to come. What she
eventually finds is a Christmas miracle: kind, caring townsfolk
that treat her as family and help her through the trauma. Kristy
Swanson, as the earnest, sweet Martha Evans, shows further depth as an
outstanding actress (she was Buffy in
Buffy the Vampire Slayer), while Tess Harper, as Trudy, and Page
Petrucka, as Lola Metcalf, stand out as the supportive,
tell-it-like-it-is diner owner and waitress, respectively. The late
Edward Hermann -- a fine actor best known for his role as Richard
Gilmore on The
Gilmore Girls -- turns in a tremendous performance as Les, the grumpy,
gruff cowboy who is a diner regular. K.C. Clyde plays Joe, the stud
sheriff in town who is a gentle soul shyly showing an interest in
Martha. K.C. does a fantastic job with this role as he portrays the
epitome of a good person in a noble profession trying to make a
difference in a small town. The
isolated small town with just a few businesses and lots of farm land
reminds me of Rochester, Vt., a beautiful rural community.
1.
The Christmas Card (2006)
Photo source: Hallmark Movies and Mysteries web site
I rank The Christmas Card right up there with the best Christmas movies
of any generation. It's about a U.S. Army soldier (Sgt. Cody Cullen,
played by John Newton) who, while deployed overseas, receives an
inspirational Christmas card from a nice, young woman (Faith Spelman
played by Alice Evans) living in Nevada City, Calif. When on leave,
Cody visits the beautiful small town and falls in love with Faith.
Problem is, she already has a boyfriend -- a narcissist and manipulator
named Paul (great spot-on performance by Ben Weber). Faith's mom and
dad, Luke
and Rosie (Edward Asner and Lois Nettleton) think highly of Cody and
accept him virtually as a family member. This is a movie of faith,
hope, prayer (church presence throughout the movie), strong values, a
respect for our brave men and women soldiers protecting our freedoms,
and the virtues of family, sense of community and strong work ethic.
Asner is especially brilliant as the gruff military vet who loves his
wife, family, friends, small town, church and his own lumber business
while
Newton and Evans wonderfully portray genuine, mature younger adults
humbly searching for true love. They are people we know in real life,
but that we just don't see enough of anymore in a fast-paced, often
impersonal,
superficial world. The Christmas Card slows down the pace, delves into
what matters most in life and does that through small town connections
and a cast of characters -- from the feeble, old lady needing
assistance (and receiving it from Cody) to the loud, no-filter ways of
a genuinely nice, working class man (Richard, played authentically by
Peter Jason). This is the type of movie you could watch over and over
again (I have!). Plus, the downtown Nevada City and high and
lonesome river and mountain scenes on the outskirts of town look like
some place we loved vacationing in as kids. Locally, it reminds me of
Saranac Lake, Lake Placid and Keene Valley in the Adirondack Mountains
of New York -- some of the most beautiful, appealing towns you will
ever see.
If you
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thanks!
Also be sure to read:
Small
New England towns that would look great in a Hallmark movie
What
it feels like to visit downtown Walpole, Mass.
Underrated
New England small town: Warren, R.I.
Discovering
retro Massachusetts travel
Classic
Vermont: Weston and the Vermont Country Store
Explore
Massachusetts travel! Read
the Massachusetts
Town Greens book -- Discover New England's first travel
attractions:
town commons. Includes chapters on Walpole, Norwood, Sturbridge and
Taunton.
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