This year I’ve been super delighted to have stumbled on so many non-English shows. I watch them all in their original language so that means committing myself to subtitles. Home for Christmas was one of the best subtitle-commitments I made this year. This Norwegian show (available on Netflix) is funny, quirky and emotional. And most importantly, for me, Home for Christmas was very close culturally so I felt comforted and as if at home.
PLOT
30 year old nurse Johanne (Ida Elise Broch) is single. She, in some ways, prefers this but she also notices a lot of signs from the universe that being single is not the norm. So due to an unforeseen outburst, Johanne tells her family that she has a boyfriend – who at that point, does not exist.
So the series follows Johanne trying to find said boyfriend by Christmas. This means she has 24 days to find a guy to bring home. Everything about this sounds cliché but trust me, Home for Christmas finds ways to surprise you. It is more grounded and feels a lot more realistic than other similar romance fuelled movies and shows. 
CHARACTERS
The main actress Ida Elise Broch is so fun to watch! There are a lot of different emotions in this show and she does wonderfully by balancing them all. It’s so easy to root for her and to connect with her story, which may be because I’m 30 and single and I understand how she feels. Regardless, this has a lot going for it and you’ll never get bored.
Of course since the plot is about finding a boyfriend there’s plenty of male characters to go around. Some you will learn to dislike, some you’ll like, others you might question yet find oddly comforting. But most importantly, you can’t help to wonder, who is Johanne going to bring home for Christmas?
There are also other supporting characters who add flare to the show. Johanne’s family for instance, her coworkers and patients at the hospital, as well as her strange yet totally awesome roommate (Gabrielle Leithaug). If you think about it, the show bases a lot of characters on tropes we are familiar with. Yet, like I said, it manages to twist them a little.
SUMMARY
I liked this show a lot! It had just the right amount of binge worthy episodes (six 30 minute episodes) and it leaves you wanting for more. There is a season finale twist in the end but it works out well even if there’s no season 2. Somehow though I’m hoping there is a next season because I want to, no I need to know what happens next!
By the way, Home for Christmas is a perfect show to watch over the holidays. It’s a good follow up to Love Actually too by the way, which is mentioned a few times in this show. But if you do watch it, please do it in the original language. The English voiceover just doesn’t capture the true essence of Johanne’s character – trust me, I compared them.
PS: The fashion in this is great! I love the cozy vibes and the hats! Bring on all the hats!
5
Let me guess, she finds the guy in the end while my 30 year old ass is still single lol I can’t watch stuff like that, it would just depress me 🙂
Well, let’s just say I’m 30 and forever single and it didn’t depress me because they managed to make it through happy. Also, I don’t put myself out there so I mean, hence my forever lonely status. 😀
Ooooh. I’m going to have to watch this!
Yes! It’s such a quick and fun watch for the holidays!