A Christmas tree decoration competition in which all the villagers take part with enthusiasm and vivacity? Yes, of course.
Published at 1:27 am. Updated at 8:15 a.m.
A toy drive at Jack’s Bar for forgotten or disadvantaged children? Absolutely.
A holiday program in the community center like “Love Actually,” the scene of all misunderstandings? Inevitable.
Thick wool hats, cozy green and red sweaters, funny Christmas pajamas that still have the wrinkles from the store? But of course.
Cups of hot chocolate with marshmallows, awkward looks under the mistletoe and completely unexpected presents shoved under the Christmas tree? Yes I want it.
Christmas in Virgin River is celebrated exactly the way you imagine: in a cozy Hallmark movie universe, with an “acoustic folk-pop” soundtrack peppered with musical performances from Michael Bublé and Norah Jones.
The two Christmas episodes of Virgin River, which have been online on Netflix since Thursday, “deliver the goods” that one hoped and desired from the handsome bearded man. It’s sweet, calming and warm. And it makes you want to buy stylish outdoor clothing at LL Bean.
Yes, it will snow in this postcard village when the time is right. Yes, the Boboche rink at the Virgin River Christmas Market, which is the size of a picnic table, will host both tender and awkward moments. It’s a classic, there’s always a clumsy character who can’t skate, who gets stuck and, poof! who is caught up by his partner as their intense gazes meet and tell each other what you have been wanting for two hours.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY NETFLIX
Christmas in Virgin River is celebrated exactly the way you imagine: in a cozy Hallmark movie universe, with an “acoustic folk-pop” soundtrack peppered with musical performances from Michael Bublé and Norah Jones.
This second part of Virgin River’s fifth season begins shortly after the end of episode 10. In an orgy of pine garlands and crackling fireplaces, our heroes (and fiancés) Jack and Mel prepare to reunite with their respective families in Virgin River for a Christmas inspired by rococo decor straight out of a Holt Renfrew advertisement similar, but rustic-chic.”
Apparently Jack cuts down his own tree in the forest. Can it be different that he wears checkered shirts? A dedicated midwife, trained nurse and now private investigator, Mel never takes time off: Charmaine, pregnant for five seasons, is (finally) preparing for the birth of her twins, who are not Jack’s but the villain’s Calvin acts.
And why is the dapper redhead Mel investigating? She discovered that her mother (deceased), a Los Angeles resident, had a torrid affair 37 years ago with a man from Virgin River, a mysterious correspondent who is believed to be Mel’s biological father. Pardon. The two lovebirds wrote each other postcards, which Mel read while drinking mint tea from a large mug. The only clues that beautiful Mel has? A mailbox in Virgin River and a nickname, Champ.
Thankfully, it was the current mayor, the indefatigable Hope McCrea, who founded the post office in the Northern California village, and she will spearhead Mel’s investigation, which will lead her to the neighboring village of Clear River!
At Jack’s Restaurant-Bar, the ancestor of the West Coast version of Lady and the Ox, Preacher has the perfect romance with Kaia, the firefighter who helps women give birth via Zoom while wildfires destroy the charming establishment. But (metaphorical) clouds and a (very real) corpse cool Preacher and Kaia even more than the ice water bath they take with the smiles of serial killers.
As for Virgin River’s “wintery” climate, you’ll notice that the characters fog up when the special effects guy does it. So not often. And everyone wears their parka unbuttoned, like a 14-year-old teenager, in running shoes as they wait for the bus in -35 degree weather.
Couples Mike and Brie (sans cranberries, LOL) and Brady and Lark will also undergo trials that result in eggnog that’s too sweet in Virgin River or a light that won’t blink, dammit.
Once you get here in the text, you’re probably sighing: But it’s way too sweet and over the top, call for help! No way. It’s delicious in all its telling, darling.
This is Virgin River, chiseled ex-soap actors and impeccably coiffed actresses living in a glass ball that you shake to create a whirlwind of snowflakes.
It’s December and it’s finally legal and allowed to listen to Christmas music and movies, so why not? The #$%&@ of the naughty elves, on the other hand, can be thrown in the trash, thanks.
I’m floating
With The Version That Nobody Cares about by Emmanuelle Pierrot
One of the most influential Quebec novels of the fall, even of the year. It’s a very tough book with incredible dynamics, set in Dawson City, Yukon, where two best friends from Montreal, Tom and Sasha, end up. The two twenty-somethings build a community of punks/vagrants like themselves, who live in poorly heated huts, do drugs, drink bootleg alcohol and play music in between jobs at a restaurant or as a guide in the gold mine. The bohemian fairy tale of Sasha, author Emmanuelle Pierrot’s alter ego, turns into a nightmare when the Dawson community turns against her. And it hits hard. And it’s no longer the Klondike.
I avoid it
Tattoos in If We Loved Each Other
We need to protect contestants from themselves and ban them from the annoying habit of getting major events from their real-life TVA adventure tattooed on their faces. These ink drawings won’t age well, friends, you don’t need a session with Louise Sigouin to understand that. Do you think Sam will dream about her friend Mélody while looking at her Rocky Mountain-inspired mountain on her thigh? What happens to Marie-Josée’s crush if she ever breaks up with Julien? Regret written under the skin always hurts.