Check Inn to Christmas: How Capitalism Was the Grinch All Along

Eight months to Christmas!

I know, I know. I’m barely thinking about it myself. Especially now that the weather is turning and is getting all nice. I’m focused on spring and summer right now. But I’m still reviewing one Christmas movie a month, so here we go!

Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays/for the holidays you can’t beat home sweet SPOILERS!

Christmas Cookies

Successful business woman has lost the Christmas spirit when she is sent to make a deal with the owner of a wildly popular cookie factory known for their Christmas goodies. And of course, the owner is cute and single. Whatever will happen?

I told you. These things are formulaic. But with the right characters and actors, it can still seem fresh.

Does this one? Let’s find out!

Upstate…somewhere…is a little town called Cookie Jar. It is home to Aunt Sally’s Christmas Cookies, a little factory that makes delicious cookies and treats only at Christmas. People flock to the town, which lives for Christmas, and enjoy the cookies.

Meanwhile, Hannah (Jill Wagner) had lost that Christmas feeling. She’s not a complete Scrooge but she’s just not into the holiday. Especially when her boyfriend Gavin (Jim Thorburn) keeps pushing for her to attend his law firm’s Christmas Eve party. She says it was stuffy the year before and just not something she’s interested in. He asks her to consider going for his sake and she promises to think about it.

The next day, Hannah meets up with her sister Kelly (Chelsey Reist) for lunch…I guess. They don’t really do much eating. Kelly pushes her sister about whether or not Gavin proposed but Hannah doesn’t seem keen to the idea. They then notice a story on the news that involves Hannah’s company, Whole Foods. Rumor is that the company is going to buy Aunt Sally’s and Kelly remembers their trips to Cookie Jar as children. She says Hannah should run that account but Hannah says she can’t just go and demand it from her boss. She then heads back to work after promising Kelly to help make Christmas cookies.

OUAT: Nobody Seeks Revenge Like Gaston

Last time on “Once:” Rumple opened a portal for Hades to bring Peanut to the Underworld. It also brought Belle and a newly returned Zelena, who believed Hades wanted her daughter for the time travel spell she created back in Season 3. She pleaded with Belle to let her protect Peanut but Belle decided not to trust Zelena. So Zelena was forced to turn to Regina and Robin, who convinced Belle to give them Peanut. But they made the wrong decision to trust Zelena, who ran off with the baby.

Belle, meanwhile, learned she was pregnant…and that Rumple already gave it away centuries ago in a deal. She also learnt that he was the Dark One again and she ran off, unable to process everything.

In Oz, Hades sought out Zelena because he heard about her attempts to make a time travel spell. She tried to take the Scarecrow’s brain but a grown up Dorothy stopped her. Hades explained that he could lead Zelena to the Scarecrow and wanted to use her time travel spell to get revenge on Zeus, who stopped his heart until he received True Love’s Kiss. Which he figured was never going to happen. Feeling a connection with him, Zelena agreed to let him help. Together, they found the Scarecrow and Zelena took his brain. When she returned to her throne room, Hades revealed that he believed Zelena was his True Love and prepared to get a TLK from her. But she turned on him, thinking he wanted the time travel spell for himself. Hades went back to the Underworld and Zelena continued with her spell.

Afraid Hades wanted her daughter to enact the time travel spell, Zelena gave Peanut back to Robin for her own protection. Robin decided to go hide in the woods with her. Snow and Charming learned the message they sent their son made it and they grew more determined to get home.

Hades met with Zelena and assured her that he didn’t intend to hurt Peanut. He was trying to get her for Zelena because he still loved her. Zelena, though, wasn’t sure if he was playing her and so left him once again.

And now for tonight’s episode of “As the Underworld Turns”…

We open in the Enchanted Forest. Lord Maurice is back and trying to track down his daughter. Belle is in the stables and not even Regina’s riding coat can hide the fact Emilie de Ravin is heavily pregnant. But we’ll ignore that for now.