don't ever phone if you can possibly come yourself. Don't ever leave if you can stay

A mixed bag, from which one learns what not to do....

The Last Time I Saw Paris (1959) - "Charles Wills (Van Johnson) returns to Paris to reminisce about the life he led there after it was liberated. He worked then for Stars and Stripes when he met both Marion (Donna Reed) and Helen (Elizabeth Taylor) Ellswirth. He soon married and was happy staying in Paris after his discharge. While working for a news organization, Charlie began to write the great novel that would come between him, his wife, and his daughter (Sandy Descher)."
source: Freevee (Prime)
I watched it because: my understanding of Elizabeth Taylor movies is pretty shallow
IMDB: 6.1/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 70% Audience: 49%
my IMDB: 5/10

notable quote: "'That lady over there. I do say, uh, she gives you the eye.'

    'That one? She's not even smiling at me.'

    'The eye without a smile, is the most dangerous eye.'"

MPAA rating: approved (TV-PG)

directed by: Richard Brooks

my notes: pretty people, disaffected and behaving badly. As a morality play, it leaves a lot to be desired.

overall: not strongly recommended

Christmas in Mississippi (2017) - "Photographer Holly Logan (Jana Kramer) returns to her hometown of Gulfport, Mississippi for Christmas. The town is resurrecting their traditional holiday light show for the first time since a terrible hurricane struck five years earlier. Holly volunteers to pitch in, but has second thoughts when she discovers that the festival is run by her high-school sweetheart Mike (Wes Brown). Now Holly must spend the next few days with the man who broke her heart. With the help of her matchmaking mom Caroline (Faith Ford) and Mr. Kriss, the kind man who will play Santa in the town's celebration, Holly begins to fall in love with her hometown, and Mike, all over again."

source: Prime
IMDB: 6.4/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 47%
my IMDB: 8/10 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

notable quote: "'I thought I was his pride and joy.'

    'You were. He loved you just as much as he loved this truck.'"

MPAA rating: TV-PG

directed by: Emily Moss Wilson

my notes: Genuine relationships and people being decent and kind. I liked it a lot!

Santa = Mr. Kriss (of course)

Star Power: Faith Ford, Barry Bostwick, Richard Karn...
overall:  quite recommended

Oklahoma! (1955) - "In the Oklahoma territory at the turn of the twentieth century, two young cowboys vie with a violent ranch hand and a traveling peddler for the hearts of the women they love. "
source: Prime
I watched it because: I've seen it several times (both this movie and a few stage presentations) - it's one of my favorite musicals!
IMDB: 7.0/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 86% Audience: 75%
my IMDB: 7/10

notable quote: "I wanted to marry her when I saw the moonlight shining on the barrel of her father's shotgun."

MPAA rating: G

directed by: Fred Zinnemann

my notes: a silly, romantic, strangely inspiring classic. And Rod Steiger, dancing!

Thing I never noticed before? The "hero" Will, encouraging Jud's suicide. What. The. Hell?!

Academy Award winner:
• Best Sound, Recording—Fred Hynes

• Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture—Robert Russell, Jay Blackton, Adolph Deutsch
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Cinematography, Color—Robert Surtees

• Best Film Editing—Gene Ruggiero, George Boemler

overall:  recommended

Deck the Halls (2011) - "Detective Regan Reilly and cleaning-woman-turned-private-eye Alvirah Meehan, investigate the kidnapping of Regan's father and a young female driver just before the holidays. The race is on to rescue the pair and get them home in time for Christmas."

source: Prime
I watched it because: I thought a Christmas mystery was a nice twist. It turned out to be a mirage. DNF
IMDB: 5.4/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 40%
my IMDB: 1/10 🤶🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻

MPAA rating: TV-PG

directed by: Ron Underwood

my notes: not even 10 minutes into this wreck, I called it quits

Star Power: Kathy Najimy
overall: not  recommended

Christmas Mail (2010) - "In this holiday romantic comedy, a mysterious woman who works at the post office answering Santa's mail captures the heart of a disillusioned postal carrier."
source: Prime

IMDB: 5.3/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 42%
my IMDB: 1/10 🤶🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻

notable quote: "It's the adults that scare me."

MPAA rating: TV-PG

directed by: John Murlowski

my notes: Is it a fantasy? A romance? A farce? Hard to tell. One thing that's patently clear--this is a totally unrealistic portrayal of USPS.

Scrooge character = Mr. Fuller, the supervisor

Santa = Sally, the Santa-hat-wearing coworker

overall: not  recommended

[the title quotation is from The Last Time I Saw Paris]