The Third of December
I don't KNOW, Margo
Today’s Quote:
“Christmas is for children. But it is for grown-ups too. Even if it is a headache, a chore, and nightmare, it is a period of necessary defrosting of chill and hide-bound hearts.”
Lenora Mattingly Weber
Reviews:
Candy Review: Today’s candy is Merry Berries , which are berry gummy things with dots. They are fine. I am realizing that spending $40 on a box of candies MIGHT not have led to the highest quality candies, but I will soldier on. The box is really cute though, big win on that.
Movie Review: A Christmas Frequency (2023, Hulu): Dr. Christmas Jones returns!
Sometimes you need just a classic Hallmark/Lifetime movie to cleanse the palate (from murder), and this recently-released Hulu title A Christmas Frequency really does that well. It stars Bravo troublemaker Denise Richards as Brooke Walkins, an Ann Arbor radio icon in the vein of Delilah ( who I used to listen to religiously as a child). Denise Richards’ character is still on the radio doing her “Breakfast with Brooke” segment, but listeners are dropping out because she is not her usual jovial self, due to the fact that she is having MAN troubles. Her producer Kenzie is also a character, and she runs into a handsome man in the elevator at work, with whom she will fall madly in love in less than a fortnight.
Brooke and Kenzie aren’t telling the studio bosses that the reason for the show’s decline is because Brooke can only think of her recent separation with her husband, so they devise a plan to have Brooke go through blind dates as a way to drum up interest. This is a fine plot honestly, it is exactly what would happen on day-time radio in the United States of America in the year of our lord 2023.
So Brooke is meeting men and talking to them while realizing her true love is her husband, because of course it is. Meanwhile Kenzie is flirting with work man, who we learn is a REPORTER named Ben, who wears a three piece suit every single day to work. I cannot abide by this shameless lack of research, I have never met one reporter in my entire career who would ever do that, they don’t even go into the OFFICE anymore. This man is also a lifestyle reporter who reviews restaurants in town, which is absolutely not a JOB anymore, but all of that pales in comparison to the monstrosity which is his office:
What in the actual name of God is going on with this room? The man has THREE large Christmas trees (that we can see!) plus an entire large string of garland on a SECTIONAL DESK. This lunatic has room for a well-sized merry-go-round replica and a very weird blue lamp, but no monitor? Like I get it, you want to remind viewers that this is a Christmas movie, but come on. This desk scene distracted me for the rest of the movie, I will say that.
Anyways, turns out that Ben has also signed up to date Brooke which makes Kenzie sad, but turns out Ben didn’t actually sign up (probably because his computer isn’t plugged into the outlet in that greenhouse of an office). Ben is nice and so Brooke takes a liking to him, but really she just wants to be with her husband. They end on a Christmas eve work party, a completely normal time of year to socialize with your colleagues, and everyone is happy - except for the set decorator who had to take down those three full-sized Christmas trees.
This movie was short and dumb, watch it if you want to turn your brain off for an hour or so. Fun fact: according to Wikipedia, Delilah has been married four times, and is “currently married to her longtime pal Paul Warner.” Longtime pal is certainly one of the best ways I’ve ever seen a spouse be described, and I will try to use it more frequently in my day-to-day.
Musings:
