Ever since it was announced that Lindsay Lohan would return as a big Hollywood star in the Netflix film, Falling For Christmas, fans of the actress were full of anticipation to see what it would entail and if it would include any of the early 2000s nostalgia that was often a critical part of the actress’s roles. What I never expected, though, was that there would be a direct callback to the cult classic Mean Girls and Lohan’s role as Cady Heron. For that reason alone, it may just become your new favorite Christmas movie.
For those that don’t know, Falling For Christmas follows Sierra, played by Lohan, who is a hotel heiress that gets into a skiing accident and suffers from amnesia just days before Christmas. Luckily, though, she doesn’t have to go through it all alone as Jack, the local ski lodge owner, played by Chord Overstreet, takes her in and certainly makes it a Christmas to remember.
The iconic Mean Girls callback takes place about 14 minutes into the film. Sierra and her then-boyfriend (as these Christmas movies all start out) are taking a trip for a photoshoot. While driving in the car, “Jingle Bell Rock” comes on, and Lohan belts out the first line before anyone can stop her. Her joy is interrupted, though, when the boyfriend, Tad, tells her that she’s “a little pitchy, sweetheart.” She responds with, “Where’s your holiday spirit?” and continues singing as she turns the volume up before he ends up changing the radio station completely.
If you don’t know, “Jingle Bell Rock” played a very pivotal part in Mean Girls. During the film, Cady and The Plastics do the annual tradition of performing “Jingle Bell Rock” in the school’s talent show. However, the performance starts to go amiss when the boombox starts to skip and Gretchen tries to fix it, only for her to kick the boombox into Jason’s face. When all hope is thought to be lost, Cady decides to sing an a cappella version of the song, which the rest of The Plastics quickly join in on as they finish their performance. They receive lots of applause and Gretchen announces that “it’s the best they’ve ever done.”
The scene lives in the minds of many millennials and Gen Z’ers, and is even considered a “must-watch” for the holiday season. In fact, it’s so groundbreaking that Ariana Grande recreated it back in 2018 in her music video for “Thank U, Next,” along with Liz Gillies and Kris Jenner as the role of the “cool mom.”
If you were like many and disappointed that Lohan’s performance got cut short, don’t worry! A full version of her singing “Jingle Bell Rock” plays during the credits. While she isn’t accompanied by her fellow Plastics, she does sing the song with Ali Tomineek, who adds his own verse to the Christmas classic.
Whether you’re a lover of Mean Girls, Christmas movies or both, chances are you will love Falling For Christmas. It’s available for streaming on Netflix and Lohan’s version of Jingle Bell Rock is available anywhere you listen to music. If you haven’t watched the film, make sure you do so with a mug full of hot chocolate and don’t hesitate to let your inner Plastic out while wearing pink. I can’t wait to see what else Lohan has up her sleeve, but until then, I’ll just be watching Falling For Christmas on repeat.