A DASH OF CHRISTMAS

A DASH OF CHRISTMAS is a Christmas romance on the Great American Family network about a young female marketing expert who returns to her small hometown in Connecticut and almost literally runs into the young, handsome owner and chef of a popular local bakery eatery. A DASH OF CHRISTMAS needs a stronger sense of jeopardy and a better sense of the Reason for the Christmas season, but the romantic leads have good chemistry, the movie’s presentation and resolution of the plot problem are nicely done and enjoyable, and the movie has a positive Christian, moral worldview promoting sacrificial love and American values supporting free market capitalism and patriotic service.

The movie opens with Megan Blake deciding to move on to greener pastures when a bigger company takes over the company where she works as a marketing executive. It’s Christmas time, however. So, she decides to visit her sister and young niece in their small hometown of Maple Grove, Conn., and relax until New Year’s.

When Megan arrives at the train station, however, her Uber ride isn’t there, so she starts walking down the street while she calls the Uber driver to see where what happened to him. While she’s on the phone in front of a restaurant called Hometown Bakery, a bright red truck from the bakery pulls up in front, and a man gets out and runs into the place. Megan gets hold of the Uber driver and tells him her location.

While she’s waiting for him, she notices that the passenger door of the red truck is open. So, she naturally closes the door. Just then, the driver comes out of the door carrying a bunch of small boxes of baked goods. Chagrined that she shut the truck’s door, Megan tries to open it for him, only to find that it’s locked. She then tries to help the man with the boxes while he hunts for his keys, but the boxes start dropping onto the sidewalk. They share a good laugh. Then the guy, whose name is Aaron, gives her one of the baked goods boxes and helps her with her luggage when the Uber pulls up.

Megan’s sister, Sarah, and her niece are happy to see her because Sarah’s husband is serving in the Army overseas and won’t be back for the Christmas season. Soon after she arrives, however, Megan gets an unexpected call from a headhunter she contacted. The woman tells her that a new startup food company in California wants to consider Megan to be their new marketing development person. There’s a catch, though. They would like video evidence that Megan can cook, something which Megan hasn’t done much of for years.

Megan learns that Aaron has a popular local baking vlog and holds classes teaching people how to bake. She asks Aaron if he would help her tape a sample of her baking some recipe. He suggests she take his next baking class to do a test run. She does well, but instead of putting sugar into the gingerbread cookies they were making, she puts in salt. Megan is discouraged, but Aaron reminds her she only messed up on one ingredient.

More unexpected complications ensue, and Megan inadvertently ends up entered in a state-wide Christmas bakeoff.

A DASH OF CHRISTMAS needs a stronger sense of jeopardy and a better sense of the Reason for the Christmas season. For example, the movie sometimes seems to downplay the drama and conflict in its story. Also, it only has some recognizable instrumentalized Christmas carol music. There are no references to Jesus or the Nativity Story in it.

However, the romantic leads have good chemistry together. Also, the movie’s presentation and resolution of the plot problem are nicely done and enjoyable. In addition, the Christmas bakeoff sequence is fun.

Furthermore, although the movie doesn’t really have any overt Christian references, it does have a strong, albeit subtle, Christian, redemptive worldview. For example, it promotes sacrificial love when Aaron does a selfless act for Megan’s personal benefit that’s detrimental to his own happiness. Everything eventually works out for the best, however, for both Aaron and Megan, and their future together, when the movie’s final plot problem is solved in a clever way. Another plus is that the movie also promotes free market capitalism and small business.

So, media-wise families will find A DASH OF CHRISTMAS to be enjoyable, worthwhile viewing overall.