Your Christmas or Mine gave me a brief existential crisis when I realized Asa Butterfield is now old enough to play the boyfriend in a silly Christmas rom-com. When did that happen? And will it ever stop happening? I mull this over a mug of hot chocolate that makes me feel as cozy and toasty as this lovely little (non-existential) flick.

The movie stars Butterfield and newcomer Cora Kirk as a pair of new lovebirds going to their separate homes for Christmas. But, due to movie contrivances, they each unknowingly decide to surprise the other by heading to each other’s homes instead. He winds up at her folk’s house, she winds up at his. And there they learn more about each other than they did together… and a merry Christmas was had by all.

This is a lovely little rom-com full of heart-warming moments with a fun cast. Everyone is perfectly kooky or cranky as we are in the best of family traditions. It’s sweet and occasionally laugh-out-loud funny. But mainly it’s just charming and watchable.

This is the kind of Christmas movie and rom-com that reminds me good versions of these do exist. That not everything has to be a pre-packaged bit of dimwitery or overkill schmaltz. That every contrived Hollywood story doesn’t have to leave you rolling your eyes and drumming your fingers as the plot goes through the motions. No, this movie won’t surprise you, but at least it also doesn’t insult you with generic mediocrity.

I may have issues.

Anyhow, this is a good one. A good Christmas rom-com and I wish they could figure out how to conjure more of them since the good ones are like a warm hug. Especially random Amazon Prime ones that you hit play on without much hope.

Score: 85