Christmas as Usual Plot Summary
Christmas as Usual is a 2023 romantic comedy starring Ida Ursin-Holm and Kanan Gill in the lead. Ida plays Thea, a Norwegian girl and Kanan plays Jashan, an Indian boy. The two have been dating and living together for a while. Just a few days before Christmas, Jashan proposes to Thea. She invites him for Christmas holidays with her family in Norway and drama inevitably ensues.
How does Thea’s family react to Jashan?
Jashan’s and Thea’s family’s meeting is anything but smooth. Thea’s mother, Anne-Lisa, does not outright approve of Jashan as Thea’s partner, but she keeps her pretenses up to not spoil the festive season. Thea’s brother is not very happy either, but he keeps his comments to himself for most of the time. Thea’s sister-in-law is an eccentric character who approves of Jashan but keeps her approval under wraps to fit in with the family’s stance.
How do Thea and Jashan celebrate Christmas in Norway?
Thea’s family in Norway has their own set of Christmas traditions. The Christmas celebration is Norway is different from the most parts of the world. Jashan is of course, oblivious to these traditions. But he wants to be a part of Thea’s family and wants to get to know them well, so he agrees to following every tradition there is.
The result is part hilarity, part embarrassment. It has been a year since Thea’s father passed away, and the family wants to celebrate it just like the time when he was around. But Jashan’s addition throws a wretch in their plans. Thea’s mother and brother are not happy with these disturbances.
Why does Jashan leave?
On December 24th, while opening the gifts, Jashan lashes out at Thea. He is frustrated and disappointed that Thea is delaying announcing their engagement to her family. He is disappointed that Thea was not honest to him about her ex-boyfriend whom she dated for five years before meeting Jashan.
He is also angry that he was ridiculed in front of Thea’s family in his attempts to fit in and make a place for himself. Out of anger, Thea throws him out of the house. Jashan head’s to the airport to board a flight back home.
Does Thea go back to Jashan?
After Jashan leaves, Thea and her family sit in silence talking the usual small talk. But Thea has had a lot to drink by then and suddenly she gets up to go after Jashan. She is crying and wailing at her mistakes and wants Jashan to come back.
In that fit, she also announces that she and Jashan are engaged to be married. She starts the car but bumps into a tree. When she does, her mother comes to her aid. She hasn’t consumed alcohol the whole night and therefore, is safe to drive. She drives Thea and the rest of the family to the airport.
Thea rushes past the deserted airport to Jashan. Jashan is sad and disappointed, but Thea apologises to him. She sets things right but just then, the airport security come in and take them both away.
In the epilogue, we are taken to the Christmas celebration the next year. We see that Thea’s family has incorporated a piece of Indian jewellery and clothing into their traditional Norwegian Christmas dresses. This symbolises their acceptance of Jashan into their family.
Jashan decides the wedding will be in India, and Thea’s family is surprised. The camera pans to Thea who jokingly says she forgot to mention it to her family.
In the ending credits of the movie, the real life Thea and Jashan – that is Petter’s sister Mia and her husband Akshay – are also seen.
Read More: Christmas As Usual Movie Review