I have so many issues with this movie. As a native Santa Fean who was born here all of my life, I find almost everything about this movie insulting. There is no "Annual Ham Toss" in Santa Fe. Nor is there a Chili Eating Contest. The only thing mentioned that was a traditional food was tamales. No person who has spent their life in Santa Fe would order mole over green or red chili. Heck if you combine the two anywhere in New Mexico it is called "Christmas." Talk about a missed opportunity. The montage that the niece showed at the end of the movie was all shots of downtown, even though she stated that she was showing off her city. Also who in their right mind would let their 13 year old run around the Plaza alone. I guarantee that if my teenaged children were unattended for more than 15 minutes in the plaza (with the exception of Fiestas) the gallery owners would call the sheriff to report delinquents. Speaking of the sheriff, I found the representation of our law enforcement hilarious. I know the current Sheriff personally and I feel like he would be very insulted by his movie counterpart. As others have pointed out the "WinterFest" would have been called the "Winter Fiesta" if we actually had one.
As for the plot. I find it very Ironic that one of the "conflicts" is that the Big Bad Company "Best Wishes" plans to buy out Casa De Milagro and turn the brand into taco themed Christmas decorations. This insults Mario Lopez because it reduces his family's legacy to a stereotype. But when you take a step back and look at this movie as a whole, that is exactly what Lifetime did to the people and culture of Santa Fe. The writers didn't bother to do even the most basic research into what we do to celebrate Christmas. They filmed in Santa Fe and couldn't ask a single local what we do for Christmas. Of course they filmed almost exclusively downtown so finding a local to ask would be a bit challenging. The only scene that wasn't filmed downtown (apart from the home scenes) was at Rockin' Rollers which is 4 miles away but has a much bigger "local" feel.
I wonder how many of these movies set in real cities around the world have their traditions trampled on or white-washed to make them more marketable to the masses. I know that it is good that Santa Fe is represented but not this way. It is very wrong and doesn't represent our lives or our culture.
As for the plot. I find it very Ironic that one of the "conflicts" is that the Big Bad Company "Best Wishes" plans to buy out Casa De Milagro and turn the brand into taco themed Christmas decorations. This insults Mario Lopez because it reduces his family's legacy to a stereotype. But when you take a step back and look at this movie as a whole, that is exactly what Lifetime did to the people and culture of Santa Fe. The writers didn't bother to do even the most basic research into what we do to celebrate Christmas. They filmed in Santa Fe and couldn't ask a single local what we do for Christmas. Of course they filmed almost exclusively downtown so finding a local to ask would be a bit challenging. The only scene that wasn't filmed downtown (apart from the home scenes) was at Rockin' Rollers which is 4 miles away but has a much bigger "local" feel.
I wonder how many of these movies set in real cities around the world have their traditions trampled on or white-washed to make them more marketable to the masses. I know that it is good that Santa Fe is represented but not this way. It is very wrong and doesn't represent our lives or our culture.