Christmas at Cartwright's

Name: Christmas at Cartwright's
Genre: Christmas, Big City, Angels/Heaven, Supernatural, Mistaken Identity
Released: 2014-01-01
Duration: 1 h 24 min
Rating: 6.1
Cast: Alicia Witt, Gabriel Hogan, Wallace Shawn, T.J. McGibbon, Linda Kash

6.1/10 · 2,290 ratings20141h 24mChristmasWeirdness 8/10Bingo card

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The premise

A single mom gets a holiday job as a department store Santa to help boost her finances, and then an angel enters her life and brings about some positive changes, including the spark of a new romance.

Themes:The importance of honesty Christmas miracles Overcoming socioeconomic barriers Mother-daughter bonds Supernatural intervention

How unusual is it?

Very. Angels/heaven, mistaken identity, Santa himself and an actual miracle all turn up in one movie — the strangest 7% of everything we've logged.

Rare specifics

Tap to find the other Hallmark movies that share it.

Who’s in it

Our Girl

Alicia Witt

as Nicky

The Lead

Gabriel Hogan

as Bill

You’ve seen this pairing before: Alicia Witt and Gabriel Hogan have made 2 Hallmark movies together.

Alongside them

Show all 10 cast

Behind the camera

Show

Directed by

Graeme Campbell

Written by

Wait, what?

The quirks and curveballs that make this one a little weirder than your average Hallmark. No spoilers, promise.

The protagonist has actual psychic powers while wearing the Santa suit, knowing children's travel plans and family secrets.
The 'Christmas Consultant' is a literal 311-year-old angel who explains that angels no longer have wings due to 'downsizing' and 'allergies' to feathers.
The store owner suggests Fiona should have fired herself because the 'impostor' Santa was too good at the job.
A grown woman successfully passes as a male Santa Claus in a high-end department store for weeks without her voice or face being recognized by her own crush.

Every trope, all in one place

Here’s everything this one has going on, from the setting to the way it wraps up. Tap any of the 26 to find more movies that do the same thing.

Why we’d put this one on

Weirdness 8, and a gloriously goofy department-store fantasy. Alicia Witt plays Nicky, a struggling single mom who, after being turned down for a sales job, gets accidentally hired as the store Santa, then finds herself guided by a mysterious consultant played by Wallace Shawn. The committed strangeness is the fun: while in the suit, Nicky develops actual psychic powers, knowing kids' travel plans and family secrets, and Shawn's character turns out to be a 311-year-old angel who says angels lost their wings to "downsizing" and feather "allergies." There is also a woman passing as a male Santa for weeks without her own crush recognizing her. Delightfully unhinged holiday whimsy.

How it all plays out

Already seen it, or just can’t wait? Open this up for the whole story, ending included.

Full story (spoilers)

The story follows Nicky Talbot, a single mother who has recently lost her job and is struggling to pay rent to her manager, Mrs. Rositani. Her daughter, Becky, is having trouble with reading and spelling in school, adding to Nicky's stress. After finding a 'lucky' angel coin, Nicky applies for a holiday job at the prestigious Cartwright's Department Store but is dismissed by the head of Special Events, Fiona Aldrich, for only having experience at a discount mart. While leaving, Nicky wanders into a dressing room where she meets Harry Osbourne, a 'Christmas consultant' who insists she put on the Santa suit. Despite being a woman, Nicky takes the job as 'Santa Nick,' using a deep voice and padding to hide her identity. As Santa, Nicky displays an uncanny, almost psychic ability to know what children are thinking and what their families are going through—a trait Harry calls 'Santa magic.' She becomes a massive hit with customers, though she draws the ire of Fiona, who is suspicious of the new hire. In her civilian life, Nicky repeatedly runs into Bill, the handsome head of the men's department. They begin dating, but Nicky is terrified to tell him she is the store Santa, especially after Bill reveals that his ex-fiancée's dishonesty destroyed their relationship. This leads to a disastrous first date where Nicky flees when the topic of her job arises. Fiona eventually discovers Nicky's secret and orchestrates a public exposure, firing her in front of Bill and the store owner, Mr. Cartwright. Bill feels betrayed by the lie, and Nicky returns home in despair. However, Nicky's friend Liz uses her PR skills to leak the story to the news, framing Nicky as a hardworking single mom who was unfairly fired. The public's overwhelming support for the 'Female Santa' forces Mr. Cartwright to reconsider. He fires the antagonistic Fiona and offers Nicky a permanent executive role as the Head of Special Events. In the finale, Harry is revealed to be a literal 311-year-old angel who was sent to help Nicky. The movie ends on Christmas Eve with Becky successfully reading a book to her mother, and Bill arriving at their apartment to forgive Nicky and celebrate their new beginning together.

Beat by beat

Opening
Nicky Talbot is rejected for a sales job at Cartwright's but finds a lucky angel coin with her daughter.
Inciting Incident
Nicky is mistaken for the new Santa by Harry Osbourne and decides to take the job to support her daughter.
Midpoint
Nicky begins dating Bill, a department head at the store, while successfully maintaining her secret identity as Santa Nick.
Complication
Nicky flees her first date with Bill when he emphasizes how much he hates dishonesty, fearing his reaction to her secret.
Climax
Fiona exposes Nicky's identity in front of Bill and the store owner, resulting in Nicky being fired.
Resolution
Mr. Cartwright fires Fiona and hires Nicky as an executive; Harry is revealed to be a literal angel.

Did you know?

A few things that make this one stand out once you stack it up against every other Hallmark movie.

At a weirdness score of 8, it lands among the strangest 7% of Hallmark movies we've scored.

Top 7% weirdest

Out of every Hallmark movie we've scored, this one lands among the strangest 7%.

The backstory

Filmed in Ontario.
Music by Sean Nimmons-Paterson.

Christmas at Cartwright's is a 2014 American-Canadian romance television film directed by Graeme Campbell and starring Alicia Witt, Gabriel Hogan and Wallace Shawn.

From Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA.

How it stacks up

Where this one’s rating lands against every other rated Hallmark movie.

Higher-rated than 22% of every rated Hallmark movie. The median is 6.4.

Where this one fits

The corners of the catalog Christmas at Cartwright's belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.

BINGOA quiet moment under string lightsPadding and a deep voice hide her identityA single mom scrambles to pay rentThe leads laugh at the same momentA heartfelt love confessionSomeone hides their store job from a dateA warm hug that lingersPlans get derailed by the weatherA second chance worth takingA scene-stealing cute kidSet in winterThe story ends with a wedding★A single parentA walk-and-talk through townA charming local cafe or dinerA best friend who has all the answersSanta seems to know a child's family secretsOld flames reuniteA lucky angel coin turns upA calendar reminder raises the stakesSet in a big cityA pep talk that changes everythingSomeone decorates a Christmas treeA first impression that turns out completely wrong

Hallmark Bingo

Your Christmas at Cartwright's card is dealt.

Twenty-four squares pulled from this movie’s own quirks — the cosy classics, a few only-in-this-one curveballs, and a couple of decoys. Mark them as you watch.

Open your card

Lines worth quoting

The lines that stuck with us — the ones you’ll be repeating after the credits roll.

“The newer models such as myself don't have wings any more... The feathers... Allergies?”
— Harry OsbourneExplaining to Becky why he doesn't look like a traditional angel.
“It's the Christmas spirit that counts.”
— Nicky (as Santa)Answering Bill's question about whether fake trees are 'anti-Christmas'.
“I think you should have fired yourself.”
— Mr. CartwrightTelling Fiona that her decision to fire the popular Santa was a mistake.

Meet the characters

Who’s who before you press play. Nothing here gives the ending away.

Nicky Talbot
Lead
Department Store Santa / Head of Special Events
resourcefulkind-heartedprotectivedishonest for a good cause
Bill
Love interest
Head of Men's Department
Romantic interest and coworker
honestathleticforgivingtraditional
Fiona Aldrich
Antagonist
Head of Special Events
Boss and rival
elitistsuspiciousvindictiveunfriendly
Harry Osbourne
Supporting
Christmas Consultant / Angel
Mentor and supernatural benefactor
mysteriousencouragingeccentric311 years old
Becky Talbot
Supporting
Student
Daughter
artisticstruggling readeroptimistic

Questions people ask about Christmas at Cartwright's

Where can I watch Christmas at Cartwright's?

Christmas at Cartwright's is available via fuboTV, Philo, and Hallmark+ Amazon Channel. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.

How long is Christmas at Cartwright's?

Christmas at Cartwright's runs about 1 hour and 24 minutes, and was released in 2014.

Is Christmas at Cartwright's a Christmas movie?

Yes. Christmas at Cartwright's is a Hallmark Christmas movie, set during the holiday season.

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