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This past Christmas season, I made a point of seeing as many new (to me) Christmas movies as I could. My intentionality in this arena really helps me get into the Christmas spirit. There are so many movies out there that are considered Christmas classics, yet I've seen so few of them. Christmas in Connecticut is one of those, which took an extra bit of effort for me to see because it starred Barbara Stanwyck. She may have been a great actress, but something about her has always irked me. I think it's the accent she turns on when she has a sort of know-it-all expression to her tone of voice. Fortunately, that was absent here, where she plays a journalist who writes a popular magazine article about home-making life on a farm in Connecticut.

Stanwyck's persona, Elizabeth Lane, is married, has a child, and is a domestic goddess of her time. In real life, she lives in the city and doesn't know how to cook. A soldier who has just returned from the war (Dennis Morgan) gets invited by Lane's boss to enjoy a Christmas in Connecticut with the Lane family on their farm. Lane has to think quickly about how to make it all happen without revealing that she has no experience. Luckily her would-be fiance owns a farm in Connecticut, and she agrees to marry him even though she doesn't love him, as long as he goes along with her plot. Of course, once she and the soldier meet, some of her plans change.

On a Christmas level, I can't necessarily say that I would watch this movie just to get into the Christmas spirit. It refers to Christmas, and the house is decorated for Christmas, but the focus isn't on Christmas traditions or music at all.

On a classic level, I definitely enjoyed it. Stanywck feels so much more at ease here, and Dennis Morgan is a naturally charming male lead. I liked the comedic moments of the movie and how they are fun without feeling too cheesy. I liked Reginald Gardiner as the unfortunate fiance, the many mishaps involving the family baby, and even the kooky chef.

I think this is likely a movie I would enjoy with repeat viewings, but I don't think it's one I will frantically seek out whenever December hits. If it's on, I'll enjoy it, and if it's not, then no big deal. It's a fun little comedy of errors that happens to take place at Christmastime in Connecticut.