Our First Christmas

Going through the massive backlog of Christmas Cheddar, I've learned that there once was a time when Hallmark was more concerned with family drama than it is now. Case in point, this film from 2008. Widow Julie Warner (Doc Hollywood, Tommy Boy) and widower Steven Eckhold (a guy from tons of tv episodes in the 90's) meet and get married in a quickly rushed montage, then prepare for their first Christmas together. The two extended families meet, and soon everybody's miserable. Not because they don't get along, because the kids can't stop crying about their first holiday season without their dead parents and grandparents are stuck on their dead kids. TV veterans Dixie Carter and John Ratzenberger (who post Cheers has carved a comfortable niche in basic cable flicks) are on hand for support, but what starts with the appearance of lightheartedness but soon sinks under its heavy melodrama. Shut off after 30 minutes. Nausea factor high. Christmas factor moderate, but not moderate enough. Not MSG approved.