It's Christmas, Carol!

5.8/10 · 1,197 ratings20121h 27mChristmasWeirdness 10/10Bingo card

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The premise

On Christmas Eve in Chicago, heartless publishing-exec tyrant Carol is haunted by her dead ex-boss--who is the ghost of Christmas past, present, and future.

How unusual is it?

Very. Ghosts/spirits, time travel, royalty and an actual miracle all turn up in one movie — the strangest 1% of everything we've logged.

Who’s in it

Behind the camera

Show

Wait, what?

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

  • The ghost of the former boss appears to the protagonist in a public restroom stall
  • The ghost refers to her superiors as 'The Board of Correctors'
  • The employees literally chant 'Viva la Revolucion' while plotting to steal the company's authors
  • The protagonist is nicknamed 'Stalin in Stilettos' by her own staff

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 36 to find more movies that do the same thing.

Why we’d put this one on

A perfect 10 on our weirdness scale and an absolute treat. Emmanuelle Vaugier plays a publishing tyrant nicknamed "Stalin in Stilettos," haunted on Christmas Eve by the ghost of her late boss in a workplace spin on A Christmas Carol. The casting is the draw: Carrie Fisher is the ghost, and she first appears to our heartless exec in a public restroom stall. The ghost answers to a celestial "Board of Correctors," and the put-upon staff literally chant "Viva la Revolucion" while plotting to poach the company's authors. At 5.8 it is uneven but endlessly quotable. A delightful, slightly unhinged pick for a Carol completist.

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)
Carol Huffler, the high-powered and heartless president of Springwood Publishing, begins her Christmas Eve by denying all holiday leave requests and firing a dedicated editor, Tanya, for pitching a 'seminal' novel instead of a commercial bestseller. Carol's coldness extends to her personal life; she blocks her assistant Kendra’s transfer to London and ignores her lonely mother. At a publishing party, Carol is ambushed by her ex-boyfriend Ben Woodley, a struggling writer she left years ago to pursue her career. The encounter is prickly, as Carol dismisses his work as unmarketable. Later that night, Carol is haunted by Eve Mailer, her deceased former boss and mentor. Eve explains she is working for the 'Board of Correctors' and takes Carol on a supernatural journey. In the past, Carol revisits 1985, seeing her mother struggle through multiple jobs to support them, which fueled Carol's obsession with financial security. She watches the 'magic' of her first meeting with Ben in a bookstore and remembers giving him the typewriter he still uses. In the present, Eve shows Carol the consequences of her tyranny: Tanya is forced to return her children's Christmas gifts to survive, and Carol's entire staff is gathered at a bar plotting a 'revolution' to quit and start a rival company. Carol also discovers that Kendra is sacrificing her own happiness and relationship to mimic Carol’s cold career path. Finally, Carol sees Ben admitting to his sister that he still loves the girl Carol used to be, but finds the current version unrecognizable. Eve presents Carol with two futures: one where she reconciles with Ben and has a large, happy family, and another where she dies alone and unloved, replaced by a version of Kendra who has become even more ruthless than her. Terrified by the vision of her own lonely death, Carol begs for a second chance. She wakes up on Christmas morning a changed woman. She immediately visits Tanya to rehire her with a raise, grants Kendra a paid sabbatical to move to London and write, and surprises her staff with bonuses and two weeks of paid vacation. The film concludes with Carol visiting her mother to apologize and finally reconciling with Ben, promising to publish his book because it 'deserves to be read' rather than just for its profit potential.

Beat by beat

  1. Opening

    Carol Huffler establishes her 'Scrooge' persona by firing Tanya and denying her staff Christmas Day off.

  2. Inciting Incident

    Carol encounters the ghost of her former boss, Eve, in a public restroom after a tense reunion with her ex, Ben.

  3. Midpoint

    Eve takes Carol to the present, where she witnesses her employees chanting 'Viva la Revolucion' while planning to sabotage her company.

  4. Turning Point

    Carol sees her mother crying alone on Christmas Eve, realizing that her financial support doesn't compensate for her absence.

  5. Climax

    Carol is shown a future where she dies alone and Kendra has become her cold, heartless successor.

  6. Resolution

    Carol wakes up, rehires Tanya, gives her staff profit-sharing bonuses, and reconciles with Ben.

Did you know?

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

  • It scores a perfect 10 on our weirdness scale — 1 of just 15 movies in the whole catalog to do that.

  • It's 1 of only 4 Hallmark movies to combine supernatural elements and royalty.

  • It's 1 of only 10 Hallmark movies to combine royalty and an enemies-to-lovers arc.

Top 1% weirdest

Out of every Hallmark movie we've scored, this one lands among the strangest 1%.

The backstory

  • Based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
It's Christmas, Carol!, a 2012 adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol, premiered on the Hallmark Channel on November 18, 2012. The film stars Emmanuelle Vaugier, Carrie Fisher, and Carson Kressley.
From Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA.

How it stacks up

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

Rating 5.8 vs every rated Hallmark moviemedian 6.4This movie · 5.8567

Among the lower-rated Hallmark movies — the median is 6.4.

Where this one fits

The corners of the catalog It's Christmas, Carol! belongs to — handy if you’re after more of the same.

Lines worth quoting

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

  • “It's not about what books should be read. It's about what books can be sold.”
    — Carol HufflerCarol explaining why she is firing Tanya for pitching a high-quality novel.
  • “You lack vision, Eve. It's that simple.”
    — Carol HufflerCarol arguing with the ghost of her mentor about the business of publishing.
  • “Time is expensive. Actually, no, time doesn't have a price. You can't buy it, and once it's gone, it's gone for good.”
    — Eve MailerEve lecturing Carol on her neglect of her mother.

Meet the characters

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

  • Carol Huffler

    Lead

    President of Springwood Publishing

    RuthlessAmbitiousLonelyWorkaholic
  • Ben Woodley

    Love interest

    Author

    Ex-boyfriend

    IdealisticTalentedSentimental
  • Eve Mailer

    Supporting

    Ghost / Former Publisher

    Former boss and mentor

    ClassyWittySarcastic
  • Kendra

    Supporting

    Senior Editor

    Assistant and 'Right-hand woman'

    LoyalOverworkedAspiring writer
  • Tanya

    Supporting

    Classics Editor

    Employee (fired then rehired)

    PassionatePrincipledSingle mother

Questions people ask about It's Christmas, Carol!

Where can I watch It's Christmas, Carol!?

It's Christmas, Carol! is available via Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, and MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel. Streaming options change often, so check current availability before settling in.

Is It's Christmas, Carol! based on a book?

Yes. It's Christmas, Carol! is based on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

How long is It's Christmas, Carol!?

It's Christmas, Carol! runs about 1 hour and 27 minutes, and was released in 2012.

Is It's Christmas, Carol! a Christmas movie?

Yes. It's Christmas, Carol! is a Hallmark Christmas movie, set during the holiday season.

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Data and sources

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Sources:IMDbTMDBWikipedia