Tag: Netflix Christmas

Holiday Films

Champagne Problems

LizLocke1 Comment
Image: Champagne Problems, 2025

Holiday movie season is upon us, which deserves a toast with whatever you can afford. Thanks to tariffs, it may not be Champagne, but even if it’s just your finest bottle of Trader Joe’s Blanc d’ Blanc, everyone deserves to taste the stars. On that note, I couldn’t think of a better movie to kick things off than the new Netflix release Champagne Problems.

First, I want to welcome Minka Kelly to the Christmas Movie Universe. Her Friday Night Lights co-star Aimeé Teegarden has been riding this seasonal train for a few years now, and it’s about time she had another Dillon, TX resident out there with her. In Champagne Problems, Minka plays V.I.B.P. (Very Important Business Person) Sydney Price, who travels to Paris with the intent to purchase a champagne company. But before the Big Meeting™ happens, her flaky sister encourages her to have one magical night in the city. She quickly meets-cute with a charming French guy in the most charming French bookstore, and they end up sharing a Before Sunrise evening together. However, at the Big Meeting™, guess who walks in- the charming French guy she just slept with!! It turns out he’s heir to a Champagne fortune, and now she’s got to go to his family’s chateau to compete against other V.I.B.P.s to win the company. This competition includes:

  • Eating a smorgasbord of French cheeses
  • Trimming the vines
  • Snuggling with the cutest dog alive
  • Fixing a vintage Citroën (in true holiday movie fashion, she is not just a businesswoman; she’s also an amateur mechanic!)

Obviously, the best beverage pairing for this movie is Champagne. You could certainly open a nice bottle and call it a day, but I wanted to challenge myself to come up with a sparkling cocktail worthy of Minka’s debut. While watching Champagne Problems, I recommend drinking this American in Paris cocktail.

American in Paris

1 oz St. Germain

½ oz Cocchi Americano

3 dashes orange bitters

3-4 oz Champagne or sparkling wine

Lemon twist and romemary (garnish)

In a cocktail shaker, combine St. Germain, Cocchi Americano, and bitters with ice. Shake to chill, then strain into a coupe. Top with Champagne, then garnish with a twist of lemon and sprig of rosemary. (Optional: dust Rosemary with powdered sugar to mimic “snow”)

This movie checks a lot of boxes for me, including international travel, alcohol, attractive actors, and the aforementioned cute dog. If you only watch one streaming/TV holiday movie this year (although, why would you ever stop at just one???), make it Champagne Problems. Cheers!

Holiday Films

Hot Frosty

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Image Credit: Hot Frosty, 2024

After a rough November, I’m ready to laugh again. Somehow, the Netflix gods knew exactly what I needed and delivered in the form of the delightful holiday flick Hot Frosty. Starring Lacey Chabert as a widowed small-town diner owner, and Dustin Milligan as a snowman come to life, this movie exudes all the innocent charm of the Jimmy Stewart classic Harvey… if Jimmy was totally shredded and shirtless for half the movie.

Why do I like this one so much? Well, in addition to Dustin’s abs, I also related to the snowman’s problems with temperature regulation. After the hottest fall on record in Texas, I felt this line in my bones: “He has extreme heat sensitivities! He’s not going to make it till the 26th!!!” Am I… a snow woman? Do I need to start munching on ice cubes to stay cool? Become a streaker? Happily, he and I both found partners who are understanding about our heat sensitivities and don’t force us to submit to uncomfortable situations. They want us to “lay low”. They recognize that we’re indoor kids, and we’d be better off watching cooking shows in a cold house than sweating in a crowded diner. To this end, the best thing about Hot Frosty is the way it shows a romance where people are simply nice to each other. They take care of each other. No fake dating, no lies, no triangles, no second chances—just straight-up kindness. And boy, couldn’t we all do with a bit of that right now.

Being as heat intolerant as a snowman, I can tell you that frozen beverages are the only way to survive. Jack Snowman makes a mean eggnog, so why not make it frozen? After all, it’s still ridiculously hot in many parts of the country, and I’m pretty sure my winter coat won’t see the light of day in 2025. While watching Hot Frosty, I recommend drinking a Frozen Eggnog.

Frozen Eggnog

2 cups Store-bought Eggnog

½ cup Half-and-Half

½ tsp Nutmeg

2 oz Brandy

2 oz Dark Rum

1 cup Ice

Star Anise + Grated Nutmeg (garnish)

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth, then pour into a chilled glass. Garnish with a dusting of nutmeg, and star anise.*

*Note: If you’re lucky enough to own a Cuisinart Soft Serve Machine (as I do), I recommend blending the ingredients first, then pour into the machine. Let it churn for 10 minutes, then dispense. This gives the drink a much better consistency than straight out of the blender.

I admit, I was skeptical when I first learned the premise of this movie; it sounded too corny to be believed. And yet, it does make me believe in the power of love and community. If you enjoy Ted Lasso and Schitt’s Creek, you’ll probably like Hot Frosty for the same reasons. And if you’re just there for the abs, well, you won’t be disappointed. Cheers!

Holiday Films

The Spirit of Christmas

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The Spirit of Christmas
Image credit: The Spirit of Christmas, 2015.

Sing it with me: It’s the most…wonderful time…of the year. That’s right, I’m talking about CHRISTMAS MOVIE SEASON!!!!  I’ve featured a lot of great holiday classics over the years, but now it’s time to move to the small screen.  We are living in the age of the made-for-TV Christmas Movie, and Hollywood just can’t compete anymore (see: Last Christmas).  Thanks to Hallmark, Lifetime, and Netflix, we’ll never have to experience this holiday without bland men in chunky sweaters, klutzy heroines, and cookie baking contests ever again.  There’s literally a movie for every day of December.  It was tough picking just 4 or 5 for Cinema Sips, but I suffered through a lot of research to bring you the best of the best (really, it was my husband who suffered.  I loved it). Kicking things off is my personal favorite, The Spirit of Christmas (Disc/Download).

Remember what I said about bland men in chunky sweaters?  Yeah, not this movie.  The Spirit of Christmas features a sexxxxxxxxy bootlegger ghost haunting an inn for twelve days every December, mixing up cocktails, trimming his beard, and trying to figure out who killed him nearly a hundred years ago.  Enter Kate, the big city estate attorney tasked with getting the inn appraised for sale, who comes face-to-ghost-face with hot bearded Daniel, forcing him to open both his heart and his liquor cabinet for her.   This movie truly has it all:  romance, cocktails, actual snow, a little murder mystery, and cheesy supernatural effects.  It’s like they decided to throw all the genres together and see what happens.  The plot is ludicrous, but I’ll have you know that Daniel wears GLASSES, a vest, suspenders, a shawl cardigan, and in one glorious scene, an unbuttoned shirt.  And did I mention the beard?

Before his fatal death blow, Daniel made a living as a talented rum-runner in the days of Prohibition.  So let’s celebrate The Spirit of Christmas with this Rum Runner cocktail!

Rum Runner

3/4 oz overproof rum

1 oz banana liqueur

1 oz Chambord

1 oz grenadine

1 1/2 oz lime juice

Combine all liquid ingredients in a shaker filled with ice. Shake until chilled, then strain into a hurricane glass filled with crushed ice.  Garnish with lime and cherry.

It may seem a little strange to be drinking a tropical tiki drink while watching a Christmas movie, but honestly, it’s not as strange as the movie itself.  Case in point, Kate’s “gift” to Daniel is an old birth certificate proving that it was his baby who died shortly after birth, and not his girlfriend’s supposed lover’s. In other words, “Merry Christmas, it was YOUR dead baby.”  All I can say is: it’s gonna be one wild December on Cinema Sips.  Cheers!