Twas the Night Before Christmas Movie

Do we really know who wrote the poem Twas the Night Before Christmas? That's the premise of a new Christmas play that an actress wrote, and will be directing. This fun Hallmark movie takes a popular Christmas story and mixes in mystery, magic, and love. Here's my full review for one of the last Christmas movies Hallmark presented for 2022.

Twas the Night Before Christmas Movie Synopsis

Madison (Torrey DeVitto) is an actress who wants to get back to the theatre, and she'd love to branch out and get into directing. So she writes a play, and will direct a one night only production of a courtroom drama that questions who wrote the Christmas poem that is now referred to as Twas the Night Before Christmas.

Because this his her directorial debut and she wants things to go smoothly, she calls in her friend Connor (Zane Holtz) to play one of the leads in the play. The other lead goes to the producers girlfriend Lena (Sophie Bastelle). Lena is originally terrible, but Madison works with her and gives her some tips for memorizing her lines. And, understanding how to think on her feet if she needs to improvise.

The movie takes place in a small town known for its Victorian Stroll. It's essentially an outdoor Christmas festival where people dress in Victorian attire. It is the perfect setting to hold a Christmas Eve play that deals with a topic dating back to the 1800's.

Twas the Night Before Christmas Controversy

The play that Madison wrote is a courtroom production that disputes whether Clement Clark Moore was the author of this popular poem. The poem that we all know as Twas the Night Before Christmas was originally called A Visit From St. Nicholas and it was published anonymously. It was later accredited to Moore, but some historians have argued that it was actually Major Henry Livingston, Jr. who wrote the poem. This movie puts a fun spin on this debate.

Review of Twas the Night Before Christmas

This movie originally aired on December 17, which makes it one of the last Christmas movies on Hallmark this season. And I have to say, what a way to end the season. This is a wonderful movie. Twas the Night Before Christmas is fun, original, and magical.

It has all of the elements I look for in a good Christmas movie. First, the story is so unique. It was fun learning about the history of this poem through the play. And without giving things away, let's just say that there are some magical moments in the play that make this movie fun.

I also loved the cast. Torrey and Zane were both good, although I have to give top billing to Torrey. She was really wonderful in the lead role. It was really nice to see the two of them work together. And because they are supposed to be long-time friends, they have an easy rapport with each other. Their relationship was so natural, and it was very appealing to watch them together.

The Verdict: Magnificent. This one is a keeper, and one that I highly recommend. On the final weekend of original Christmas programming for Hallmark this year, it was really nice to see them finish the year on a high note. This one had a lot of charm, and character to it. It was a completely new story, and I thought that was so refreshing.

Twas the Night Before Christmas Movie Recap

I hope that you'll check out Twas the Night Before Christmas this year. It really is one of the best Christmas movies this season and will be towards the top of the list for my ranking of the 2022 Hallmark Christmas movies. Will it take the top spot?

Watch on Hallmark

Wikipedia page with history of the poem and the controversy behind who wrote it.