User Reviews

There is one word for this Hallmark Christmas movie and that is "Amazing". I'm amazed at the writing of both the original plot and the clever and funny dialogue. Yes, it is based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens which is hardly original, but I have never seen such a creative take on the story.

For centuries and centuries, every Christmas season teams of 3 ghosts (all of whom died on Christmas) are sent out worldwide to "Scrooge" hand-picked mortals who need to discover the true meaning of Christmas. Charles Dickens was Scrooged last century, and it changed his life. In fact, he wrote a book about it. We meet the 3 ghost team who are the focus: Arlene, a cynical no-nonsense Asian woman (brilliantly played by Lori Tan Chinn), A wise, warm and sophisticated Reginald Vel Johnson (did I hear a reference to Die Hard come out of one character's mouth?) And the young and beautiful Kat Marley played by Kim Matula.. But this year, something weird is going on. The man they are sent to "scrooge", Peter Barron isn't perfect (he is a bit of a coward with his awful father) but he is kind and good and filled with the Christmas Spirit. Arlene (Christmas Past) does her number on Peter, and Kat (Present) comes along to help. Peter and Kat get to know and start to fall for each other. They give Peter the courage to stand up to his father and the 3 ghosts return to headquarters, a little confused, but mission accomplished. But Oops. Charlie, the angel in charge, in a humorous turn by Blair Baker, screwed up big time. It was Peter's father that was supposed to have been given the scrooge treatment! Or is it? They have to go back, but I'll stop there with the plot. But it is not until Christmas Future steps in that we are given the final piece to the resolution. There are lots and lots of threads that come together and many layers to this funny and touching tale. The mysteries that wind through are solved in a very satisfying way but with enough clues to give the viewer a fair chance to figure it out on their own.

All of the actors were new to Hallmark, and they were all fantastic. I think it is significant that they didn't use any popular Hallmark mainstays as a crutch. I'm not sure this would have worked with a Lacey Chabert or an Andrew Walker. I loved the self-aware sense of humor the writer exhibited. Two of the "Scroogees" know what's going on immediatelywhen the ghosts come to visit because of all of the Christmas Carol-based movies that they have seen. Scrooged with Bill Murray is a favorite. But also a Carrie Fisher version, that is "highly underrated." That would be Hallmark's own It's Christmas, Carol! Only Hallmark devotees would know this. It's kind of an inside joke partially because it is rated very low.

The detailed attention to the sets, the wardrobe, the graphics, the casting, the character building, and well, just everything, shows that Hallmark knew that they had something special here and they were proud of it. They have every right to be.

Ghosts of Christmas Always Summary:

Katherine's Ghost Team, the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present, and Future visit Peter; the ghosts will show him how to restore his Christmas spirit, called The Scrooging of Peter Baron. Something seems all too familiar about Peter, who is already full of the Christmas Spirit. Meanwhile, Katherine and Peter do not want to leave each other's company and strive to get to the bottom of why the Ghosts have truly been sent to help Peter.

MeetCute:

Katherine, as the Ghost of Christmas Present, wants to visit Rootie Tootie, a fun musical bar in her neighborhood growing up. Peter walks in and can see her! He says he believes he knows her from somewhere. She is surprised and confused, as she is a ghost and no one can see her unless a person is being "scrooged".

One year later, her team is assigned to "Scrooge" Peter and they meet again! He instantly recognizes her. There is a palpable connection.

Ending Kiss:

Katherine is told that the "scrooging" was all orchestrated for her! Katherine decides to step into "The Great Unknown" and turns into a human in another lifetime so that she can be with Peter, who is her destiny!

Katherine walks into the Rooty Tooty, where Peter and her first met and they kiss in the sweetest, most Chemistry-flaming kiss!

A later Christmas, at the fully transformed into a vibrant community center serving warm Christmas dinners, Rooty Tooty, Peter's Dad is smiling and enjoying serving the community.

Peter asks Katherine if she wants to dance, she says "absolutely" and they walk inside the Rooty Tooty.

There's hundreds of adaptation of the holiday classic "A Christmas Carol" and I can safely say that this is another favorite of mine.

Long story short, this movie has tons of humor, heartwarming holiday moments, a tearjerker reveal, and it's all tied together in the end to leave you with an uplifting feeling.

SPOILERS!!!

I personally loved how it was revealed that Katherine was the grandma's best friend who died trying to help those in need. It tied in nicely with the overall theme of the movie and helped resolved the main issue between the father and son.

I also loved how Katherine realizing what she wanted and venturing into the "Great Unknown" lead to her getting a second chance at life with not only Peter, but with helping out other on a greater scale.

...Flirting with his grandma?!! Lol that's all I thought until the very end of the movie. It was a great new take on the overdone classic. I didn't think I would enjoy the movie based on all the ads but gave it a try as nothing else was on. What a surprise! I loved the "mystery" and the unexpected twists. It was a great story and the characters all had depth and it explained why they were the way they are. I was confused with the ending - does she remember she was a ghost and all that happened? Did she get a whole life and they suddenly meet and fall as non ghosts? It seemed like they were both "in on it" and the life they build was after the whole story happened. Time travel stuff is always so confusing. Anyways it was a lovely movie and I'll be watching it again.