Her name is on everyone’s lips during the holiday season.
After decades of seasonal practice, Mary Christmas has finally come to terms with the persistent and popular misspelling of her name.
“Oh, it’s old hat for me now. I’m 83, you know,” said the Hamilton matriarch of a festively named family that includes seven children, 13 grandchildren and two great-grand-children.
“But it can certainly be confusing. You know, walking through the mall and everyone is wishing each other ‘Merry Christmas’ and I think they’re talking to me.”
Christmas isn’t really an uncommon surname: 12 are listed in Hamilton and more than 150 across Canada.
Genealogy websites tend to attribute the surname to babies born on or near Christmas, or to medieval bureaucrats responsible for planning the important Christian celebration for important people.
Researchers in Britain, who appealed for volunteers to provide sample DNA in 2006, found significant roots for the Christmas family tree in Sussex and Essex.
It’s probably less common to hear your full name constantly repeated in song or shouted across public spaces, however.
It can play merry hell with your concentration, admitted Mary Christmas, but otherwise the phenomenon goes largely unremarked along family and friends.
That wasn’t always the case.
Christmas recalls receiving a surprise call from a couple of London, Ont., radio hosts close to 20 years ago around this time of year. “They wanted to talk to me about the name. They had me lined up with a gentleman named Jack Frost,” she said. “I thought that was pretty good, too.”
Rewind back even further, to a long-ago December day. Christmas’ young son, Brian, who went on to work at The Spectator and Globe and Mail, had run home from school upset about his particular family tree.
“He was crying because the other kids were calling him Christmas tree,” she recalled. “I said, ‘Oh, for goodness sake, just be thankful your name isn’t Mary.’ ”
The great-grandmother knew what she was getting into when met her late husband, Albert “Bud” Christmas, at St. Christopher’s United in the east end of Hamilton more than a half-century ago.
“People warned me what I was in for when I married Albert,” she said, laughing.
“I didn’t much care about the name. I cared about marrying the right guy — which I did.”
Mary Christmas Photos
Movie Info
A reporter (Cynthia Gibb) reads a letter from an 8-year-old (Jenna Boyd) whose one wish is for a new mother, a wife for her widowed father (John Schneider).
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Rating:
G
Genre:
Holiday, Drama
Original Language:
English
Director:
Producer:
Writer:
Release Date (Streaming):
Dec 1, 2018
Runtime:
1h 37m
Cast & Crew
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 16, 2016
"Holiday" theme films get a bad rap. That's too bad because I enjoy many of them and this one is near the top.
The description of this film on IMDb doesn't really isn't accurate. What I will say is that the film is self aware not to send the audience into a diabetic coma.
IN this film a reporter must do a Christmas story after her boss forces her into it. She all work but to call her hard nosed is 100% wrong. She is not hard at all. She is not mean to anybody at all. Even her jerk-off boss she is nice to. She is however disappointed that she always has to do this "Soft news" segments. Her contract however is up and if she doesn't deliver a good story she maybe out of a job. Cynthia Gibb plays the reporter.
Now I am a huge Cynthia Gibb fan. I loved her work in "Fame", "The Karen Carpenter Story" and she more than held her own in the film "Gypsy" playing opposite Bette Middler.
The story she must do is a story on a man who is a single dad at Christmas. Now you may think you know what is going to happen BUT there is some nice surprises in this film.
If you can't find this playing on television during the holidays then buy it. Its worth the $$$ Buy it and share with friends.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 20, 2005
This was an excellent movie but there are too many questions left unanswered at the end. In fact, the last two minutes go by so fast you have to look quick to see what's happening. This great story was not handled very well at the end, mostly due to the speed of events. It's like being served a big juicy steak and then forced to swallow it whole.
In Mr Schneider's commentary he says "The purpose of the movie is to raise questions, then answer them at the end". But they were not answered.
Why didn't the director add a few seconds of text to complete the story as other movies do. To me, we were cheated out of a complete ending to a very good story.
Did Mary go home on Christmas eve? What were the conservations after the miracles? What did Mary include in the "At Home For Christmas" final program? Did Mary get her job promotion and become a part-time mother? Did everyone accept the miracles and become an instant family with Mary becoming a full time mother? These are just a few questions that come mind. I haven't been able to find a book that may furnish some of the answers.
It's too late to fix this movie because Jenna Boyd would be too old now, but there could be a second movie that starts out with some explanation. Again, this movie should not be missed. Except for the "rushed" and "incomplete" final couple of minutes it could be one of the all time Christmas favorites. Still, it's worth the money.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 14, 2021
This is an extraordinarily difficult film to find in hard copy. Really excited to own
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 24, 2020
Loved this Christmas movie. It's very uplifting to watch at
anytime of the year.
Excellent acting and great casting. I enjoyed the theme and happy ending too.
Highly recommended for those pure in heart, and also for those not pure in heart.
Will make you feel better already!
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 21, 2016
this is a great christmas the best i've ever seen. Its got a great cast especially by tom bosley and jenna boyd. The story is about 9 year old felice and all she wants for christmas is a mommy. A news reporter mary is going to do a story on felice and her father. Tom bosley plays felice's govoner or male nanny. In the end mary relizes felice is her daughter the one she coudnt take care of when she was born. Mary had put felice up for addoption and she war addopted by new parents her father and mother but that mother died when felice was 2 years old. Great movie and it played well.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 24, 2019
I did not have cable when this movie was first aired and I had not heard of it until years later when it was shown in reruns. It is not a perfect story but it has a lot of heart and the twist in the end is what really makes the movie worth watching.
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 28, 2013
John Schneider directed this film (as he elaborates in his commentary--included in the special features on this disc) and it is a wonderful film with a really neat ending. John Schneider stars in it, and his wife Elly, daughter Karis, and son Chasen, all have a very small part in it, which I thought was interesting. :) Also, there is a very brief part where, at the beginning of a scene, there is a toy General Lee and a Boss Hogg figurine. I wouldn't have noticed it except John points it out in his commentary. All-in-all, I recommend this to anyone looking for a good Christmas film the whole family can watch. :)
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 15, 2021
Great family Christmas movie 😊👍
Top reviews from other countries
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 19, 2014
4.0 out of 5 stars A Noël les rêves deviennent réalité
Reviewed in France 🇫🇷 on January 15, 2012
Mary Maloney est intervenante dans une émission TV de prime time très en vue. Elle apprend aux jeunes et moins jeunes comment il faut écrire au Père Noël et reçoit les lettres des enfants. Devant les yeux ébahis de millions de jeunes spectateurs, stylo en main, elle couche par écrit ce qu'elle veut pour Noël et répond aux demandes des téléspectateurs. Tout le monde l'appelle Mary Christmas. UNe lettre
très spéciale arrive chez le directeur du programme qui fleure le record d'audience : une fillette de 9 ans demande au Père Noël une compagne pour son père veuf, et une maman pour elle. Il contraint Mary de faire l'interview de l'année, en faisant la fillette et son papa participer à un programme qui battra tous les records d'audience. C'est une idée qui ne motive pas Mary, mais qu'elle accepte avec la promesse, de la part de son patron , de faire l'année suivante le journal télévisé. La famille
en question que tous imaginent habiter dans une maison délabrée , vit dans une somptueuse demeure et les habitants plein de charme, Felice, de 9 ans à la frimousse angélique, et le papa un séduisant homme qui a réussi dans les finances, mais qui vit seul avec une fille, qui souhaite avoir une vraie famille. Une affaire importante réclame la présence du père qui engage une baby sitter pour veiller sur Felice, sweet heart,comme il nomme sa fille . Il est surpris de voir arriver une demie heure
plus tard un monsieur d'âge mûr se présenter comme le baby sitter. Il s'avère être un baby sitter qui a du métier, et il le prouvera. Mais Felice qui sent de la sympathie pour lui croit découvrir qu'il n'est pas baby sitter, mais le Père Noël en personne. Si elle a vu juste, alors, ses rêves pourraient devenir réalité et trouver une maman pour Noël....
Vous allez dire que vous avez déjà deviné la fin, alors non, car elle va vous surprendre. Enfin, en partie, elle décoiffe. Une charmante
comédie et une jolie histoire pour la période des fêtes et au delà. A ne pas manquer.
5.0 out of 5 stars Mary Christmas
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 2, 2013
Lovely christmas film really enjoyed would recommend to all family and friends lovely storyline the Wallace family real family feel to the film
5.0 out of 5 stars mary christmas
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 8, 2013
I first watched this film on tv before christmas and liked its story line, since then I watch it a lot as I am christmas mad and love the joy and happiness that reveals itself in many of these types of film, It with many others can give a little cheer instead of death and destruction all the time.