The holiday season has kicked off most dramatically. Every movie leading up to the New Year will all be about love, family, and the bringing together of elements that bring family, friends, and love closer to one another. It is hard to imagine Christmas and the New Year without such love-filled films that are bound to leave you smiling from end to end. Directed by Jim O’Hanlon, “Your Christmas or Mine?” is all about two lovers getting to know one another through their family members after two months being in love. A tale not different from any other love story, but will the love birds still be in love after they come to know a lot more from their families?
Spoilers Ahead
‘Your Christmas or Mine?’ Plot Synopsis: What Happens In The Film?
James and Hayley, after two months of being insanely in love, are headed toward their hometown two days before Christmas. Both are madly in love with one another and can’t seem to break away from each other, even for the next three to four days. James brings Hayley a gift, even though they had decided they wouldn’t give each other any gifts this holiday season. James is pushing Hayley to join him for Christmas, but Hayley knows her family too well; her mother would freak out and create a scene if she didn’t show up for Christmas. They parted moments after reaching the train station. James is headed toward Kemble, and Hayley is headed toward Macclesfield, their respective hometowns. On entering their trains, they realize they want to spend Christmas with one another. James heads to board Hayley’s train. Hayley jumps out of her train and boards James’s. Both are unaware of the fact that they won’t be meeting each other once they reach their designated station. James and Hayley are very much in love, and their dramatic act is proof of that. They would rather spend time with each other’s families than stay apart for the next few days. They have been in love for just a short while, and in this time, they have gotten to know each other and are willing to find out more.
Hayley reaches James’s town of Kemble only to lose her mobile phone on the train. Unable to contact anyone, she is helped by the station master, who guides her to James Hughes’s home in this small town. As she reaches a thickly forested area, she is stopped by an old man with a gun who, after a few words, points out James’s home to her. Hayley is shocked to see a beautiful home nestled between snow and forest. As she enters James’s home, she is mistaken for the cleaner who was to be interviewed by James’s father, Humphrey. After looking around the house, Hayley realizes James isn’t who she thought. He is a royal, the son of Earl Humphrey Hughes. Meanwhile, as James reaches Macclesfield, he heads toward Hayley’s home. As he reaches the road where home is located, he is mugged by two small kids. On reaching Hayley’s home, he realizes those kids are Hayley’s younger brothers. James’s idea of how Hayley lives is slightly different from how he lived with his family. Her family also consists of her aunt and great-grandparents, who are elated about the Christmas season and are waiting for her to join the festivities. As James reaches her home, her father, who runs an ice cream truck, comes home with the news that he could not find Hayley at the station. James informs her family that he is Hayley’s friend from college and is gay to avoid raising any suspicion. James and Hayley are both taken aback by the turn of events as they can’t find each other at their respective homes. They conclude that either they will have to take the train the next day for their hometown or spend Christmas with a family they barely know of. They are surprised to see each other’s families but are intrigued to know how their families will behave with them without the presence of their child.
James gets an urgent call on his cell phone from Hayley from his landline number at home, expecting his father, but fortunately, he hears Hayley’s urgent voice, who is shocked to learn of his parentage and lineage. James admits that he is a royal and is 307th in line for the throne of England. Hayley also learns of his real name, Hubert James Hughes. His father, Humphrey, is under the impression that James is at Sandhurst for military training, for everyone in his family has served in the British army. Hayley agrees to say that even though she is training with James at the academy. Humphrey believes her words and asks her to stay for the night in Hubert’s room. Meanwhile, James loves the Christmas festivities thrown at every corner of Hayley’s home. They also believe the fact that he is indeed gay and let him be and ask him to stay in for the night before heading out the next day. James is surprised to know Hayley performed magic, something which she had never mentioned all this while. James and Hayley are on opposite sides of the Christmas environment. James is happy to see so many colors, while Hayley is shocked to know his household doesn’t celebrate Christmas anymore. Hayley gets a glimpse into James’s life until college, and vice versa for James. They are not exactly happy to be in the situation but are more than glad to adjust and accommodate.
‘Your Christmas or Mine?’ Ending Explained: Do Hayley And James Accept Each Other For Who They Are?
Hayley opens the gift given by James, which consists of a photo album with their photos and a Santa-themed bikini top. The piece of cloth is taken by James’s dog Peanut, which is caught by Humphrey near a forbidden door on the ground floor. Humphrey makes it clear that the room is out of bounds for everyone in the house. Hayley is confused by his statement but respects Humphrey’s boundaries. The next day, on Christmas Eve, she heads to the railway station to go back to her hometown, and Humphrey reveals that he has known all along that she and James are not training at Sandhurst but are students at a drama college. James also heads to the station to return to Kemble. Unfortunately, due to the bad weather, all the trains are canceled, and both of them are forced to spend the next two days with the families of their partners. Hayley heads back to see the mansion empty; only the caretaker, Iris, is at the property, and she informs her about James’s mother. James’s mother died four years ago, and the home has since become silent. His mother was known for being most proactive during the festive time, and their home used to light up during the holiday season. Everything changed after his mother’s untimely death in an accident. James and Humphrey stopped talking to one another after a point. Hayley feels upset and explores the room that she was not supposed to enter, takes out the Christmas decorations, and decorates the dining room with a tree and other festoons. As Humphrey comes back, he receives a rude shock in the form of such decorations and asks Hayley to leave his home immediately. Hayley admits she did not mean to interfere but wanted to bring in some Christmas cheer this time around. Hayley feels guilty for overstepping her welcome and leaves James’s home immediately but forgets her asthma inhaler. Humphrey is reminded of the joy his wife used to bring during Christmas, and the caretaker Iris reminds him of Hayley being very similar as per her demeanor and thought process towards life. She advises him that maybe she is the right choice for James after all. Humphrey, to apologize, walks towards Hayley’s room, only to find it empty with the inhaler on the table. Humphrey heads out with his dog Peanut, searching for Hayley in the snowstorm to give her the inhaler. Humphrey and Peanut find her and are brought back to the mansion by the old man with the gun. It turns out the old man is Humphrey’s father, who has lived outside the mansion since a falling out. Hayley is more than happy to see an unexpected father-son reunion and is made aware of the fact that Hayley is accepted by his family and that Humphrey enjoys her company.
James gets another rude shock when he meets Steve, who shows up at Hayley’s home on Christmas Eve. He learns from her family that Steve is Hayley’s fiancé, and they have a picture to prove it. James becomes insecure when he learns he is serving in the army. Hayley calls home and speaks to Steve. She mentions having the guts to show up at her home even though they broke up a long time ago. James isn’t aware of this piece of news, and neither is Hayley’s parents. James reveals that he is dating Hayley, and he leaves her home in an agitated manner. James comes back to pick up his phone, only to be welcomed by Hayley’s father. He says Steve confessed to the fact that Hayley and Steve had broken up, and he prefers Hayley to be with James than Steve. Hayley will always have to wait for the Seve to come back from active combat. James opens up about losing his mother to an accident, and Hayley’s father talks about how the need for their presence never goes away, but the pain eases out over time. James is happy to know that Hayley’s family accepts him and is ready to embrace him despite his outburst. Hayley’s father decides to take James back to Kemble on Christmas Day, only to be joined by the rest of the family. As Hayley and Humphrey are about to reach the mansion, she hears her father’s ice cream truck’s music. She is more than elated to see them at Kemble, moreover, with James. James and Hayley have a heart-to-heart with one another, forgive one another, and decide to continue being in a relationship, but this time by not hiding any family secrets. They spend Christmas dinner in Hayley’s hometown, and James’s father accepts the fact that his son never wanted to join the military; his first love will always be acting. James and Hayley are happy about the fact they’ve accepted each other for who they are, and their families surprisingly get along even though they are poles apart. James and Hayley commit to their family and one another; there couldn’t have been a better day to proclaim their love for each other.
Final Thoughts
“Your Christmas or Mine?” is a typical feel-good romantic comedy-drama produced, directed, and released with the only aim of providing nothing but happiness this festive season. The film beautifully gathers the essence of the small-town Christmas celebration in England, which becomes the fabric of the narrative. Thankfully, the movie is not cheesy or over-the-top and has a straightforward screenplay and story. Christmas is the overall theme of the film, and the theme does not wane from the beginning till the end. The story by Tom Parry does not go overboard with the festive atmosphere, and it stays rooted in family, love, and acceptance. “Your Christmas or Mine?” is a cute film if you want to spend some time watching a simple, heartfelt story of two people in love.
“Your Christmas or Mine?” is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video with subtitles.
