Podcast in a Pear Tree: Christmas Movie Reviews · Aaron Lee Harvey, Danielle Espino, Samantha Gifford

Sorry Halloween, it's time for Christmas

·26 min·5 clips

Aaron Lee, Samantha, and Danielle open by laying out what they are excited about, what they are scared of, and what they expect from the Christmas season. One host jokes that the market is swashing around here. The Christmas Quest gets the first real spotlight. The panel likes scavenger hunt movies, and this one gives them a premise they can actually tug on, with Lacey Chabert, Christopher Palaha, and the idea of Iceland and ice caves keeping the conversation moving without the preview giving too much away. A Christmas to Treasure lingers in the background as the one they all hated, so their curiosity about the new movie feels earned rather than automatic. The discussion then shifts to a small-town theater venue that needs saving. Britt Robinson, Christopher Palaha, Chad Michael Murray, and other attractive men all come up as the hosts unpack the setup. Someone notes that this many attractive men in a small town is not especially realistic. The show treats that as part of the fun. Hot Frosty comes up next. Then the panel turns to Our Little Secret. Lindsay Lohan is back, this time with Kristen Chenoweth. The two exes forced to spend Christmas together get an immediate reaction. Falling for Christmas returns as the earlier Lindsay Lohan title, and the hot pink snowsuit gets its own affectionate mention. From there the hosts step back and notice that the season is light on European Christmas stories on the UK side, aside from an Irish Christmas film. Instead, the slate leans toward Scandinavia, including a Finnish title that seems to have been shot in Rovaniemi and a dog-sledding film that naturally invites hopes for cute dogs. A private princess Christmas set in a fictional land also gets a warm reception. The episode closes with the sense that they will keep covering more of the films they have seen, then asks listeners to rate, follow, subscribe, and find the show wherever podcasts live.

As heard by us

A loose, reactive tour of the Christmas movie slate.

Podcast in a Pear Tree turns this preview episode into a loose read on what feels promising, and what still feels uncertain, about the Christmas season.

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Why you'd press play

You get a holiday preview episode that sorts through what this panel is excited about, what they're worried about, and what is coming this Christmas season.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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