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Trading Christmas

  • TV Movie
  • 20102010
  • GG
  • 1h 27m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
1.6K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Gil Bellows, Faith Ford, Tom Cavanagh, and Gabrielle Miller in Trading Christmas (2010)
Trailer for Trading Christmas
Play trailer0:31
1 Video
3 Photos
  • Comedy
  • Romance

A Teacher from Washington state decides to do a house swap with a Boston Professor to be able to surprise and spend Christmas with her daughter.A Teacher from Washington state decides to do a house swap with a Boston Professor to be able to surprise and spend Christmas with her daughter.A Teacher from Washington state decides to do a house swap with a Boston Professor to be able to surprise and spend Christmas with her daughter.

IMDb RATING
6.9/10
1.6K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Michael M. Scott
  • Writers
    • Debbie Macomber(based on the novel by)
    • Bruce Graham(teleplay by)
  • Stars
    • Tom Cavanagh
    • Faith Ford
    • Gil Bellows
Top credits
  • Director
    • Michael M. Scott
  • Writers
    • Debbie Macomber(based on the novel by)
    • Bruce Graham(teleplay by)
  • Stars
    • Tom Cavanagh
    • Faith Ford
    • Gil Bellows
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 18User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Trading Christmas
    Trailer 0:31
    Trading Christmas

    Photos

    Gil Bellows, Faith Ford, Tom Cavanagh, and Gabrielle Miller in Trading Christmas (2010)
    Gil Bellows, Faith Ford, Tom Cavanagh, and Gabrielle Miller in Trading Christmas (2010)
    Add photo

    Top cast

    Edit
    Tom Cavanagh
    Tom Cavanagh
    • Charlesas Charles
    Faith Ford
    Faith Ford
    • Emilyas Emily
    Gil Bellows
    Gil Bellows
    • Rayas Ray
    Gabrielle Miller
    Gabrielle Miller
    • Faithas Faith
    Emma Lahana
    Emma Lahana
    • Heatheras Heather
    Andrew Francis
    Andrew Francis
    • Jasonas Jason
    Lucy Jeffery
    • Sarahas Sarah
    Noah Bjorgan
    • Joeyas Joey
    Eric Keenleyside
    Eric Keenleyside
    • Security Guardas Security Guard
    Michael Coleman
    Michael Coleman
    • Tonyas Tony
    Travis Turner
    Travis Turner
    • Walteras Walter
    Aren Buchholz
    Aren Buchholz
    • Anthonyas Anthony
    Elizabeth Thai
    Elizabeth Thai
    • Theresaas Theresa
    Nancy Ebert
    • Mrs. Spoonas Mrs. Spoon
    Darla Fay
    Darla Fay
    • Stellas Stell
    Alvin Sanders
    Alvin Sanders
    • Bus Driveras Bus Driver
    • Director
      • Michael M. Scott
    • Writers
      • Debbie Macomber(based on the novel by)
      • Bruce Graham(teleplay by)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    The Christmas season is approaching. In South Woodbourne, Washington, widowed second grade schoolteacher Emily Spengler loves the Christmas holidays, as do all the townsfolk, and the traditions she had built with her now deceased husband, Frank, who passed away almost three years ago, and her now grown daughter, Heather. As usual, she is expecting Heather to come home for the holidays from Boston, where she is going to school. In Boston, Massachusetts, novelist and English professor Charles Johnson is an unsentimental man, who, like his workaholic brother Ray, owner of his own lucrative business, doesn't celebrate the season. Emily and Charles meet on a house swapping website as they decide to do a one week swap with each other in the lead up to Christmas. Emily wants to go to Boston to be with Heather, who has told her that she isn't planning on coming home for the holidays. And Charles is having problems meeting deadlines for his latest novel and needs somewhere quiet and out of the way to complete his writing. Their house swap doesn't end up being anything as they expected, first and foremost because of the Christmas spirit either missing or overwhelming the other's house. In Boston, Emily learns upon her arrival that Heather has left town with her boyfriend, Jason, Heather who seems to be trying to test her adult wings without Emily's influence. But Emily meets Ray, the two who slowly fall for each other. They will have to determine both their professional and personal futures past this week, and if the other person factors into that future. And in South Woodbourne, divorced corporate events planner Faith Kerrigan, Emily's best friend from San Francisco, shows up on Emily's doorstep planning on keeping Emily company during the holidays in Heather's absence. Out of circumstance, Faith is forced to stay at the house with Charles for the better part of the week. The question with the two is whether they will both survive each other's company for the week, as it is hate at first sight, that perception based largely on the negative way their most recent respective relationship ended. —Huggo
    • christmas
    • house swap
    • writer
    • novelist
    • boston massachusetts
    • 48 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Genres
      • Comedy
      • Romance
    • Certificate
      • G
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The bus terminal shown in the movie is actually the building for the Abbotsford Flying Club.
    • Quotes

      Faith: Okay, Charles. So what do you like to go by - Chuck, Charley?

      Charles: Charles.

      Faith: Mmm - one of those.

    • Connections
      Features It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
    • Soundtracks
      Making Angels
      Written by Adrienne Pierce and Vincent Jones

      Performed by Adrienne Pierce

    User reviews18

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Christmas Romcom To Treasure
    Though I do recall seeing this many years ago, I found this more engaging second time around, perhaps not noting its merits on first viewing.

    Here we have a clever plot with three strands, which sees two disparate couples finding romance unexpectedly after last-minute change of Christmas plans in the USA - where the characters are all based in different states.

    The main plot has the romance, the subplot has the comedy and the third plot involves Emily's daughter, who's a bit annoying but whose own romance proves to be a useful distraction from the romance and the comedy of the two main romantic stories.

    The two romantic leads have superb chemistry - I wondered if anything developed off-set? A nice factor here is that these two characters contrast strongly and live completely different lives which may explain the added frisson to their unexpected romance.

    Apparently this is based on the same story that was used for the A-list screenplay 'The Holiday' with Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz. I've seen that and I can assure you this TV film is vastly superior, in that it is far more engaging than that big budget Hollywood movie.

    The romance is right, the comedy is right - it works, and rookie romcom writers would do well to keep this one as a standard to aim for.

    Though made in 2011 (TV films seem to have a shorter shelf life than theater movies) this will play on some channel a few times each yuletide.
    helpful•2
    0
    • rossmcfarlen
    • Nov 25, 2020

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 26, 2011 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Canada
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Debbie Macomber's Trading Christmas
    • Filming locations
      • Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada
    • Production companies
      • Trade Street Productions
      • Front Street Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 27 minutes
    • Color
      • Color

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    Gil Bellows, Faith Ford, Tom Cavanagh, and Gabrielle Miller in Trading Christmas (2010)
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