Some Christmas movies smell like cinnamon, honey cookies, and family gatherings. Others smell like dampness, old lights, and homes that aren’t sure if they celebrate or just get by.
The new Christmas movie by Adonis Floridis, “How We Spent Christmas,” fits into the second group – and that’s not a bad thing. It’s just a fact. It helps us understand the ‘mystery.’
Floridis isn’t here to tell us another ‘magic’ story. Magic can be tricky and not really important in this case, at least not in a fairy-tale way.
The creator prefers to keep us in a dim light, where the characters move slowly in the shadows of national events. They seem scared to wake something inside them that mixes reality with magic.
Christmas is present, but it’s not a typical Christmas story.
Here’s a quick summary:
Cyprus 1963. Young Marina’s teenage dreams are cut short when conflict breaks out between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, leaving her family stuck at home on Christmas Eve.
The film takes place entirely inside a house, a tight space that mirrors Cyprus itself. The walls and rooms are filled with tension that never goes away.
Outside, the events of ’63 unfold, but you don’t need street scenes to feel the violence and fear.
The film is set during Christmas, but if you ask it, it will say it’s not really about Christmas.
It’s hardly festive. More like a hidden historical album. A diary. A tale of ‘Marina.’
This is why Adonis Floridis didn’t rush to release the film before Christmas; it doesn’t fit that mood.
It’s a Christmas movie that doesn’t need the holiday to thrive; it doesn’t need lights to shine and tell its story.
Perhaps the first Christmas story in world cinema that goes beyond seasons.
We can’t wait. When it hits theaters, we’ll support our local cinema again to show we value its presence and trust it as an important part of our cultural heritage.
P.S. For those curious, “How We Spent Christmas” will reportedly be released no earlier than Spring 2026, and we’ll welcome it with open arms. For those loyal viewers.
Nikos Katsaros
