While some might say it’s too early for holiday movies, The Hallmark Channel certainly doesn’t agree. Their Countdown to Christmas has been going since October 20th, churning out multiple new movies every weekend. Like any Christmas-obsessed person who also loves a good romance story, I recently spent the weekend catching up on all the new releases I’ve missed. While most follow the perfect standard Hallmark formula (which I love), The Santa Summit surprised me with its unique spin on the cliches we’ve come to expect and love.
Inspired by real-life SantaCons, the movie follows three best friends who put on their best Santa suits to participate in the town’s annual Santa Summit. Jordin (Hunter King) is the ringleader of the group, who ropes her friends into joining her because she needs help getting over her ex. At the first location, she hits it off with a fellow Santa, but, unfortunately, they get separated in the sea of people. Meanwhile, Ava (Amy Groening) is determined to tell her crush she loves him and cynic Stella (Stephanie Sy) finds herself slowly getting into the holiday spirit.
The Santa Summit is full of talented actors, a fun premise, and hijinks that are reminiscent of big-budget holiday movies. I hope it helps usher in a new era of Hallmark Christmas movies. Why? You ask. Well just like the ladies in the movie, you have to keep moving forward (aka reading) to find out:
It’s Puts Friendship At The Forefront
Most movies that air on The Hallmark Channel during the winter season are centered around romance. A big city girl comes home to her small town and falls in love. A corporate businessman is sent to a rural town to find the perfect Christmas tree, and he ends up falling in love with the farm’s daughter. That sort of thing. While there’s definitely romance in The Santa Summit, a large portion of the movie focuses more on the platonic love these three best friends have for each other.
Though they do get lost in the romance of it all at one point, Jordin rightfully gets them back on track declaring that the night is meant for them and them alone. They end up having the best time, egging each other on as they participate in various activities (like sled racing and line dancing). They’re there for each other when they’re feeling low, and they know when to push each other to put themselves out there. In the end, the trio are closer than ever, proving that friendship is the most important thing in this movie. It's refreshing to see a holiday movie about female friendship!
None Of The Usual Hallmark Traditions Are Here
Throw out everything you know about Hallmark Christmas movies, because The Santa Summit doesn’t follow any of the usual cliches. Okay, that’s not totally true. There is a tree-lighting ceremony at the end of the movie, but that’s it!
The rest of the flick is full of fun and unique activities that don’t usually make the cut in these kinds of movies. I definitely didn’t have “silent disco” on my Bingo card, that’s for sure. There’s karaoke, line dancing, and lots of drinking. Since it broke away from the traditional activities, I was glued to my seat wondering what was going to happen next.
There's Three Happy Endings In One
Let’s be honest, it wouldn’t be a holiday Hallmark movie if there wasn’t a little bit of romance. While the film does emphasize friendship over everything else, our trio of teachers still get their happily ever afters as promised.
With three love stories to wrap up, there was less time for those grand romantic gestures that can sometimes feel cheesy. The movie made up for it with grounded, real moments that made the three unique love stories all the more real.
The Santa Summit felt on par with modern holiday flicks like Netflix’s Holidate, while still bringing that same heartwarming aspect that I only find in Hallmark movies. If this is the direction the channel is going in, I can’t wait for more.
The Hallmark Channel is currently in the midst of their Countdown to Christmas festivities. You can catch reruns of The Santa Summit on the cable network or with a fuboTV subscription. Don’t forget to check out our Upcoming Hallmark Movies list and 2023 Christmas Movie Schedule so you don’t miss any holiday cheer!
