“A not so merry Christmas” is, indeed, tedious! Aren’t we already done with the Christmas virtues? The film is the same old story of a mean man learning to love and cherish the life he is blessed with during Christmas. Chuy is a miser who does not believe in the exuberant celebration of Christmas. He buys cheap gifts for his family and always believes that he is the victim of every situation. Chuy cursed his luck for being born on Christmas. Naturally, people tended to merge the two events, giving Chuy all the more reasons to play the victim of life. While Chuy was busy complaining, he missed out on the beautifully perfect life he was blessed with.
Spoilers Ahead
‘A Not So Merry Christmas’ Plot Summary: What Is The Film About?
Chuy simply hated Christmas; the responsibility of organizing the Christmas dinner at his place every year was what he despised the most. Moreover, for all the effort he had to put into the party, he only received a single present from each guest. On his way to buy presents for his family, a beggar asked him for money, but instead, he offered the man a flat soda. He gave no thought to the gifts that he bought. He was rather irritated with the customs because they involved spending money on others. Unlike Chuy, Daniela cared about the moral values their children imbibed. She was a dedicated mother, and she aimed to start her own pet salon someday. She wanted to be a mother and a businesswoman, but Chuy was not encouraging her dream. He believed that she would fail to find a balance between the two roles. He even expressed his hesitation about helping her financially.
To celebrate Christmas and his forty-first birthday, his family gathered at his place as usual, but they were completely turned off by Chuy’s cynicism. He attempted to poke fun at his sisters, Nouri and Roberta, for trying a new diet and traveling away from home. He tried to ridicule Ale’s relationship with her new beau, Esteban. He was completely thrown off when he learned that his brother was camping at their parents’ plot instead of renting his own apartment. He believed that Christmas was problematic precisely because people simply hand out gifts regardless of the little to no effort the recipient puts in. Chuy called out his relatives for being hypocrites and left the dinner. He drove to an empty bar, and a magical bartender attended him. Chuy was surprised to find out that they knew him without ever meeting him. The bartender revealed that Chuy was mentioned on Santa’s list of naughty people, and the beggar he met in the morning was a test that he failed to pass. The bartender revealed that they were his diva godmother, who intended to help Chuy with his suffering. While Chuy denied being bitter and lost, the godmother stated that by making him relive Christmas, they would teach him a lesson that would help him value life and learn about the importance of Christmas.
Chuy did not believe in a word spoken by the godmother, but to his surprise, his life had truly changed. Just as the Diva Godmother had promised, he was reliving his Christmas day. Every day that he woke up in the morning, it was just another Christmas or birthday with his family. But as he grew older in the course of the Christmas journey, he noticed how the family dynamics were changing, thanks to his intolerable behavior. Will Chuy change his ways and learn the Christmas lesson?
What Did Chuy Learn After Reliving Christmas?
Chuy tried to explain the magical phenomenon that he was experiencing, but Daniela simply laughed at his bizarre story. He frantically reached the shopping mall, found the Diva Godmother, and requested that she lift the curse. But the only criterion for lifting the curse was learning to enjoy Christmas, something that Chuy failed to do. The first Christmas after the curse was spent by Chuy in the usual disinterested way. The next day he woke up; it was his birthday and Christmas again. This time, Chuy tried to forcefully bring his family together to enjoy the Christmas dinner. He was not doing it out of love; he simply wanted to get over the curse. Even though his son behaved distantly, he did not try to understand what he was going through. Instead, he forced his desire to celebrate Christmas lavishly as a way to get rid of the spell on him. Chuy tried hard to enjoy the Christmas dinner, but when he learned that his brother was building a room for himself on their parents’ land, he could not hide his disapproval. He woke up the next morning, and it was Christmas again. This time he attempted to replicate Santa Claus’ selflessness. Even after donating hamburgers, he was back to celebrate Christmas once again.
Years passed, but the curse was not lifted. His daughter was expelled from school, and Daniela was figuring out a way to fund her business. She wanted Chuy to be present for the family, but all he cared about was the Christmas spell. He focused on only giving, but even that failed. The next year, he learned that his son, Oscar, was being bullied in school, and he wanted to transfer, but Chuy never gave it any serious thought. He was obsessed with the curse, and he decided to pray to God with his family for extra impact. But nothing changed. Chuy’s business flopped, but Daniela’s career looked promising. Over the years, Daniela managed to run a successful business, while Chuy was mostly lost and sad. When Oscar expressed how he had been continuously bullied all these years, he tried to enroll him in boxing classes. His son was disappointed in the solution his father found. Instead of changing schools, he wanted him to start fighting. The problem was deeper than simply learning to defend, but Chuy never tried to understand him.
Eventually, there was no one to wish him a happy birthday. His wife was busy with her work, and his daughter had grown up to be just as bitter and cynical as him. Chuy was completely broken; he accused the Diva Godmother of taking his family away from him. But they reminded him that he was the one responsible for the distance between him and his family. Instead of focusing on changing himself, he obsessively tried to break free from the spell. When Chuy promised to change in the present, the Diva Godmother agreed to lift the spell. Though he would not get back the lost years until he actually changed.
‘A Not So Merry Christmas’ Ending Explained: Did Chuy’s Opinion On Christmas Change?
The spell was finally lifted from Chuy’s life. He was overjoyed and wanted to share the news with Daniela, but after meeting her, he learned that she wanted to get a divorce. She was frustrated with his obsession with wanting things that he did not have instead of caring for all that he was blessed with. Heartbroken, Chuy visited his father for comfort. He learned that his mother had passed away ten months ago. One Christmas, she gifted him her old photograph, but he did not value it then. Now that she was gone, he realized how he should have cherished the moments he got to spend with her. He could have been a better, more loving son, but it was too late now. When he discussed the property with his father, he explained that he gave it to the son who needed it the most. Chuy was living a good life, whereas his brother was unemployed, which was why they decided to help him. But Chuy never tried to understand the situation; he simply believed that he was a victim of his parents’ preferences.
All alone now, Chuy visited the grave of his mother and offered her flowers. He begged for her forgiveness for being impatient with her and not valuing her when she was there with him. After realizing how the property would help his brother, Chuy decided to put the property under his name. His brother was pleasantly surprised by Chuy’s change of heart. Next, he decided to ask for forgiveness from his wife. He expressed how proud he was to watch her fulfill her dreams. He regretted not being with her when she needed him the most, but he promised to be there now. He stated that all he wanted was to have a Christmas dinner with his family. Daniela informed him that Oscar had stopped talking to Chuy after he behaved strangely upon learning about his sexuality. Chuy went to meet Oscar to apologize. He apologized for making Oscar feel insecure about being gay and for creating a scene in a public place. It was not easy for Oscar to forgive his father for trying to turn him into the person he was not. But he could not ignore Chuy’s heartfelt apology. He managed to convince his daughter, who hated Christmas as much as he did before, to join the family for Christmas dinner. Chuy had nothing but gratitude for having his family by his side, even though he had messed up several times. He learned to value the presence of his family and the opportunity that Christmas brought to show love for the ones he cared about.
The Diva Godmother was finally relieved; Chuy had learned his lesson. They lifted his curse, and he woke up to realize that he had been given another chance at life. Now that he had seen how sad his future would be if he continued to be bitter, he knew that he had to put in more effort to make his life and the lives of those he loved better. At the end of “A not so merry Christmas,” Chuy celebrated his forty-first birthday once again, and this time with a broad smile on his face.
“A not-so-merry Christmas” is a 2022 Drama Comedy film directed by Mark Alazraki.
