This Christmas

This Christmas

Year: 2007

Runtime: 117 min

Language: English

Director: Preston A. Whitmore II

Budget: $13M

DramaComedyRomance

The Whitfield family gathers for Christmas, and old tensions resurface as siblings reconnect after years apart. Each carries emotional burdens and unspoken truths, threatening to disrupt the holiday festivities. As they navigate familiar traditions and confront buried secrets, the family must reckon with their past and rediscover the meaning of togetherness, ultimately leading to a heartwarming exploration of love and forgiveness.

Warning: spoilers below!

Haven’t seen This Christmas yet? This summary contains major spoilers. Bookmark the page, watch the movie, and come back for the full breakdown. If you're ready, scroll on and relive the story!

Timeline & Setting – This Christmas (2007)

Explore the full timeline and setting of This Christmas (2007). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Christmas Season

The story unfolds during the Christmas season, a time known for family reunions and celebrations. However, this particular Christmas is tinged with tension and unresolved conflicts, as the characters confront their pasts and present issues. The festive period serves as a backdrop for both reconciliation and conflict.

Location

Ma'dere's home

Ma'dere's home serves as the central gathering place for the family, symbolizing their roots and shared history. It is traditionally a space filled with warmth and memories but also becomes a battleground for unresolved issues and familial disputes. This location encapsulates the complexity of relationships within a middle-class African-American setting.

🏠 Family Home 🎄 Christmas

Last Updated: October 22, 2024 at 18:59

Main Characters – This Christmas (2007)

Meet the key characters of This Christmas (2007), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Ma'dere

Ma'dere is the matriarch of the family, embodying strength and resilience amidst the chaos of family dynamics. She serves as the glue that holds the family together, even as tensions rise during their holiday gathering. Through her character, we see the struggles of managing familial expectations and the burden of unspoken issues.

👩‍👧‍👦 Matriarch 💪 Strength

Sister

One of the sisters serves as a voice for change, advocating for the sale of the family business to redistribute wealth among siblings. Her character adds a layer of complexity, showcasing how business and family can conflict. She's determined, but her actions also spark significant family disputes.

💼 Business 🔥 Advocate

Brother

The brother entangled with loan sharks represents the struggles many face in trying to balance familial responsibilities with personal challenges. His character arc highlights the effects of financial pressure on family relationships, showcasing his vulnerability beneath a tough exterior.

💸 Financial Struggles 😟 Vulnerability

Last Updated: October 22, 2024 at 18:59

Major Themes – This Christmas (2007)

Explore the central themes of This Christmas (2007), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💔 Family Dynamics

The film explores intricate family dynamics, showcasing the love, tension, and conflicts that can arise when family members reunite. It highlights the challenges of communication and the latent issues that emerge when long-separated family members come together. The authenticity of these relationships reflects real-life experiences many can relate to.

💥 Conflict

Conflict serves as a central theme, with family members engaging in heated discussions and confrontations. The physical and verbal altercations illustrate the emotional stakes involved in their relationships. This theme underscores the reality that family gatherings are not always harmonious and can often lead to chaos.

🌍 Cultural Identity

The film delves into the cultural identity of African-American families, showcasing their unique experiences and challenges. It presents a narrative that strays from typical Hollywood portrayals, offering a raw snapshot of life that resonates with the audience. This theme emphasizes the richness of their cultural background and the complexities of their lives.

Last Updated: October 22, 2024 at 18:59

Mobile App Preview

Coming soon on iOS and Android

The Plot Explained Mobile App

From blockbusters to hidden gems — dive into movie stories anytime, anywhere. Save your favorites, discover plots faster, and never miss a twist again.

Sign up to be the first to know when we launch. Your email stays private — always.

Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Dramatic Holiday Reunions like in This Christmas

Families gather for the holidays, forcing long-buried secrets and tensions to the surface.If you liked the blend of festive cheer and family drama in This Christmas, you'll find similar movies here. These stories feature families coming together for holidays, where old wounds are reopened and secrets are revealed, all set against a seasonal backdrop. They capture the bittersweet reality of family gatherings, mixing conflict with eventual warmth.

familialdramaticconfrontationalheartwarmingturbulenthopefulemotional

Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern follows a family reuniting for a holiday, often after a long separation. The festive environment initially masks underlying tensions, but these pressures eventually boil over, leading to major confrontations about past grievances, financial struggles, or personal betrayals. The story arc moves from conflict towards a cathartic resolution, where characters must choose forgiveness over continued strife.

Why These Movies?

These movies are grouped by their shared setting of a family holiday and their focus on the dramatic tension that arises from forced proximity. They share a bittersweet tone, balancing the warmth of tradition with the raw emotion of familial conflict, and typically feature a steady pacing that allows character issues to unfold naturally.

Raw Family Dramas like in This Christmas

Siblings and parents confront painful truths in a turbulent journey toward forgiveness.For viewers who enjoyed the honest portrayal of family strife in This Christmas, this section features movies with similar emotional journeys. These films explore sibling rivalry, parental failures, and hidden truths within a family, building towards a climax of confrontation and eventual healing. They are characterized by their medium emotional weight and hopeful conclusions.

dysfunctional familyrawconfrontationalunfilteredhopefulemotionalfamilial

Narrative Summary

Stories in this thread follow a family, often adult siblings, who are brought together by an event, forcing them to address long-standing issues like rivalry, betrayal, or financial strain. The plot hinges on the unveiling of secrets and the resulting confrontations, which test but ultimately strengthen their bonds. The emotional journey is from division and anger to understanding and forgiveness.

Why These Movies?

These films are connected by their central focus on the intense, often painful process of family members facing their shared history. They share a medium intensity level, balancing dramatic fights with quieter moments of reflection, and a consistent emotional weight that deals seriously with issues like adultery or debt without becoming overwhelming.

Unlock the Full Story of This Christmas

Don't stop at just watching — explore This Christmas in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what This Christmas is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

This Christmas Summary

Read a complete plot summary of This Christmas, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

This Christmas Summary

This Christmas Timeline

Track the full timeline of This Christmas with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

This Christmas Timeline

This Christmas Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of This Christmas that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

This Christmas Spoiler-Free Summary

More About This Christmas

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about This Christmas: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About This Christmas