My Norwegian Holiday

Have you heard about the Norwegian farmer who loved his wife so much, he almost told her?

I am loving Hallmark doing some more immersive storylines within other cultures. This film adds a clever meeting and trip into the storyline which was very enjoyable. As a fellow Dutchwoman, I loved seeing both David Elsendoorn and Peter Vollebregt playing the father and son Henrik and Johan Strom. I thought they and the rest of the cast did a remarkably believable job with the Norwegian accents and pronunciations.

I loved seeing the very real city of Bergen, seeing and hearing about Norwegian Christmas customs like St. Lucia celebrations, the food, the knitting, the singing around the tree...and traditional costume. I also appreciated the conversation about the American use of the word love and the sharing of the two duvets...which I already knew about and agree with whole heartedly.

I liked the tie in to a personal journey and not making the story too complex. I thought Rhiannon Fish was great as JJ and she had wonderful chemistry with David Elsendoorn. The sibling interaction and teasing was just the right note between Henrik and Nora. It was really fun to see a wedding as well as Christmas since there are lots of traditions around weddings around the world...including the dresses.

I really loved this one, it had humor, cultural sharing and family. I recommend this to anyone who wants a heartfelt holiday film this season. This is definitely competing for the best Hallmark Holiday film of 2023...I think it just might edge out the Heidelberg Holiday, which is also very good. Cheers, Hallmark. I really thought you were done for, but movies like these are breathing new life into your network. Well done.