Parents' Guide to

Christmas... Again?!

By Ashley Moulton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Rude tween learns lesson in Christmas-y "Groundhog Day."

TV Disney+ , Disney Channel Comedy 2021
Christmas... Again?! Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

  • Christmas Again: Ro's family around the Christmas tree
  • Christmas Again: Ro meets Santa
  • Christmas Again: Ro and her stepbrother Louie

Community Reviews

See all
age 11+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Balinth
Balinth Parent of 9-year-old
December 4, 2022
age 12+

Warning! Mild kissing between adults means an LGBTQ couple kissing

If your kid is not yet aware of this, maybe you don't want them to find out about it from a movie. An 8-9 years old kid not necessarily knows much about sexuality yet, and it's fine like that. Some still believe in Santa. If this is not something they see at home, or in their environment, I don't think that they need to see it on screen. I'm all in for diversity representation, but gender and sex-related topics shouldn't be presented to young kids until they don't become curious about it.

This title has:

Too much sex
4 people found this helpful.
smitchell37
smitchell37 Adult
December 19, 2021
age 16+

Boring and hard to watch

This is a modern retelling of Groundhog Day about a tween girl adjusting to her changing family over the holiday season. Meet Rowena, a Chicago girl, who wakes up on Christmas morning time after time (after time) and slowly (ever so slowly) comes to understand its true meaning. This could have been great but an hour in, in a movie only lasting 1.4 hours, and Rowena is still as sarcastic and self-serving as she was at the start. While her attitude eventually changes it feels like too little, too late. After destroying personal belongings and family heirlooms, refusing to pick up after herself, embarrassing and scaring others, going off by herself, raising her voice to others, refusing to help others who need it, and manipulating others to win money… I’m exhausted. This movie barely held my attention and I think it could be harmful to young ones who are quick to mimic the behavior of others.
1 person found this helpful.
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In 'CHRISTMAS...AGAIN?!' twelve-year-old Rowena (Scarlett Estevez) is dreading her first Christmas with her blended family which includes her dad's new girlfriend and her son Louie. The day turns out to be as bad as she expected: Louie gets all the attention, she doesn't get any good presents, and her mom doesn't let her watch the "Santas vs. Elves" hockey game on TV. After a mean outburst toward all her family members, Rowena runs outside to escape. She runs into Santa, and laments that she wants Christmas to go back to the way things used to be before her parents separated. Santa takes her request for a Christmas do-over quite literally, and the next morning Rowena finds that Christmas Day is repeating itself. At first she thinks her family is acting, but eventually she realizes that she is doomed to repeat Christmas every day forever. Rowena decides to take advantage of the fact that she can do whatever she wants without consequences, and travels around Chicago to repeat her favorite memories of Christmases past. Next, she sets her sights on trying to rekindle her parents' romance by recreating their favorite family Christmas from when Rowena was younger. With her older sister Gabby's help, Ro realizes that she can't do anything to change the present, and that the change needs to come from within. She decides to have a more accepting attitude towards her new family. Rowena's good Christmas cheer extends to everyone she has been interacting with on all her Christmas days. She helps kids stand up to the neighborhood bully, saves a proposal-gone-wrong, and finds a neighbor's lost dog. Now that she's learned her lesson, will Rowena finally get to wake up on the 26th?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (2 ):

If Rowena's attitude had shifted earlier in the repeating Groundhog Day-esque plot of this Disney Channel movie, this movie could have had the potential to be a Christmas classic. Instead, Rowena's bratty, self-centered behavior in the majority of 'Christmas Again...?!' adds a bit of bah-humbug to the sweet ending. The subpar adult acting (with the exception of Gary Anthony Williams's excellent Santa) doesn't help either. Kids will likely enjoy living vicariously through Rowena's adult-free adventures, but grown-ups will wish Rowena didn't model such sarcastic behavior. The last 2/3 of the movie, however, is completely sweet and sincere. Rowena finally addresses the source of her surly attitude, and learns how to process her emotions in a more healthy and mature way. She ends her singular focus on herself and realizes that she should be kind to people around her. The movie redeems itself and finishes full of holiday cheer.

One bright spot is the movie's positive representation. Rowena's family is Puerto Rican, and they observe several Puerto Rican Christmas traditions. Her uncles are a multiracial gay couple that kiss onscreen, and Santa is a Black man, though the movie tiptoes around his skin color and says that he looks different than stereotypical Santas because he's tall. Rowena shows some counter-stereotypical girl behaviors, with her rebellious attitude, love of sports, and dislike of makeup. While the representation isn't perfect, the movie is a definite improvement from the homogenous Disney Channel Original Movies millennial parents may have grown up with.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the changes Rowena's having a hard time with in 'Christmas...Again?!'. Can you empathize with her feeling of wanting Christmas to be the way it was before her parents separated? Have you ever felt you wanted to undo a change in your life?

  • Do you think it would be fun to live the same day over and over again? What are some things you would do if you found yourself in Rowena's repeating Christmas situation?

  • Can you think of a time when you gave someone new a chance? How did it go? Or, what do you think would be different if you gave someone a chance?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended tv lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate