The Holiday Proposal Plan Parents Guide

The Holiday Proposal Plan is a romantic comedy that aired on Lifetime in 2023. It stars real-life married couple Alexa and Carlos PenaVega as Sonny Kravitz and Kip, two exes who team up to get their best friends engaged. 

Sonny is a travel columnist and Kip is her former boyfriend. Their best friends Bree and Jarod were also once a couple but are no longer together.

When Sonny, Kip, Bree and Jarod all find themselves back in their hometown over the holidays, Sonny and Kip hatch a plan to get Bree and Jarod to rekindle their romance and get engaged. Their scheme involves setting up romantic situations to push Bree and Jarod back together. Over the course of their meddling, Sonny and Kip also end up confronting their own unresolved feelings and history together.

The movie is full of holiday romance and humor as the two pairs of friends try to find love during the most wonderful time of the year. It's an uplifting story about friendship, family, and giving love a second chance.

Movie Rating and Content

The Holiday Proposal Plan is rated TV-PG by the Motion Picture Association, indicating parental guidance is suggested for younger viewers.

The TV-PG rating means the movie contains material that parents may find unsuitable for younger children. There are no overtly sexual situations or strong language, but some content requires monitoring.

Reasons for the TV-PG rating include:

• Occasional consumption of alcohol, like wine with dinner.
• Mild profanity including words like "damn."
• Romantic scenes with kissing, flirting, and undressing between unmarried couples.

While there is no graphic violence or explicit sex, parents may want to preview the movie before allowing young kids to view it.

The TV-PG signals to parents The Holiday Proposal Plan warrants monitoring for children under 10. Younger kids may need guidance in understanding some scenes and themes.

Alcohol Use

There are a few scenes in The Holiday Proposal Plan that depict alcohol consumption. In one scene, the main characters enjoy a casual dinner together where they drink wine with their meal. This reflects a normal adult behavior of having an alcoholic drink with dinner. 

Parents should take note that this models responsible alcohol consumption in moderation. While the characters are not shown becoming intoxicated, parents may want to discuss the dangers of excessive alcohol use with their teens.

According to MyLifetime.com, many Lifetime movies explore the tragic consequences of irresponsible drinking, especially in underage teens. Movies like Drunk, Driving and 17 tell cautionary tales of teens abusing alcohol. 

While there are no dangerous depictions of alcohol use in this particular film, parents can use it as a jumping off point to have an open conversation about underage drinking. Setting clear expectations around alcohol, especially for teens and college-aged kids, is advised.

Light Swearing Parents May Want to Note

While there is no harsh profanity, parents should be aware there is some minor swearing in The Holiday Proposal Plan that they may want to discuss with their kids. According to a review on US News, the movie contains words like "damn" and "hell" a few times.

Though not frequent or pervasive, hearing swear words may still be impactful for young viewers. Parents can take the opportunity after viewing to talk with their children about language and setting expectations for what is appropriate.

Romantic Scenes

The Holiday Proposal Plan contains scenes of romance and affection between unmarried couples, which some parents may want to preview or discuss with their kids. The main characters, Luna and Max, are shown kissing and flirting throughout the movie. 

There are a few scenes that feature the couples in bed together, though no nudity or sex is shown. For example, in one scene Luna wakes up in bed next to Max and it's implied they spent the night together. There's also a scene of Max shirtless in bed. 

Overall the romantic scenes are fairly tame with only kissing and hugging shown, but parents may still want to clarify their expectations around relationships and intimacy prior to watching with their kids.

According to relationship experts, movies can provide a good opportunity for parents to talk to their kids about romance and relationships in a positive way. Parents can point out behaviors they want their kids to emulate, like clear communication, showing affection, and being respectful of partners.

They can also discuss scenarios portrayed in the movie that don't demonstrate healthy relationships and explain why. With some guidance, parents can turn watching romantic movies into a learning experience for their kids.

Themes of Friendship

One of the main themes in The Holiday Proposal Plan is friendship, specifically how far one should go to help their friends find happiness. The lead characters believe they are doing the right thing by scheming to get their single friends Liam and Vanessa together, even though neither Liam nor Vanessa asked for this interference. 

This provides an opportunity for parents to discuss respecting boundaries with their kids and not meddling too deeply in friends' personal relationships. While it's natural to want your friends to be happy, real friendship means letting them make their own choices. As one article on a preschool friendship theme states, an important lesson is that "friends accept one another as they are."

Themes of Family

The Holiday Proposal Plan explores family relationships and dynamics through the main character's interactions with her parents. Viewers see her navigate expectations around marriage and partnerships. For some parents, this can lead to conversations with their own children about their hopes for their kids' relationships. 

Rather than placing rigid expectations on children, it's important to have open discussions about what constitutes a healthy partnership. Factors like mutual respect, trust, communication and compatibility are key. 

While parents naturally want their children to find loving relationships, it's also crucial to give them autonomy to make their own choices. Movies like this can help spark constructive conversations around family values regarding relationships.

As parents, we need to balance guidance with independence. Setting rigid timelines or specific demands for our kids usually backfires. Instead, we must realize our children need to walk their own path when it comes to romance. 

Media like The Holiday Proposal Plan allows families to explore relationship themes together through an entertaining story. But the ultimate decisions lie with our sons and daughters.

Communication in Relationships

One of the key themes in The Holiday Proposal Plan is the importance of open and honest communication in romantic relationships. As the main characters meddle in their friends' relationship, it highlights how a lack of direct communication can lead to misunderstandings and distrust.

Parents can discuss with their kids how the characters could have been more upfront with their feelings and concerns instead of scheming behind each other's backs. For example, Carlos's character could have directly asked Alexa's character if she had any doubts about marriage rather than trying to secretly test if she was ready.

This is a good opportunity for parents to emphasize the value of being fully open and vulnerable in relationships. Kids should feel comfortable honestly sharing their thoughts and feelings with their partner, even if it seems uncomfortable or awkward. As the movie shows, poor communication and holding back can breed insecurity and conflict.

Parents can advise their teens that the foundation of a strong, lifelong relationship is having complete trust and transparency with their partner. This builds intimacy and understanding over time. While the movie portrays extravagant grand gestures, real-life romance relies more on daily open communication, compassion, and emotional availability.

Staying True to Yourself

One of the themes in The Holiday Proposal Plan is staying true to yourself, even when in a romantic relationship. The main character, a travel columnist named Casey, is tempted to pretend to be someone she's not in order to impress her ex-boyfriend, Caleb. However, she realizes the importance of not changing fundamental aspects of herself just to make the relationship work. As Casey says, "The right person will love you for who you are."

This is an important lesson for kids and teens to understand when it comes to relationships. While some compromise is normal, they should not feel they have to completely change their personality, interests, values or goals simply to make their partner happy. 

As parents, it's worthwhile to discuss that relationships built on artifice rather than authenticity are not likely to succeed or be healthy. Open communication about expectations in relationships is key. Encouraging kids to have self-confidence and self-worth when dating can help them make wise choices. Staying true to oneself often leads to more fulfillment.

As mentioned in a Clandestine Events article, "The best proposals happen when both people feel fully loved, supported, and free to be themselves." While dramatic gestures can be part of proposals, the most important thing is proposing from a place of security and honesty in the relationship.

Interfering in Others' Lives

One of the main themes in The Holiday Proposal Plan is how the main characters meddle in their friends' love lives by scheming to get them engaged. While their intentions come from a good place of wanting their friends to find happiness, their meddling causes unpredictable consequences. 

This provides an important lesson for parents to discuss with their kids about thinking carefully before interfering in other people's relationships and lives.

As described in the plot summary of The Holiday Proposal Plan, the lead character Iris is stuck on a plane next to two older ladies who interfere in her love life, demonstrating how unsolicited meddling can be annoying and presumptuous. 

Parents can connect this scene to real-life examples of when kids shouldn't interfere in their friends' or siblings' relationships unless asked. The movie shows how even when coming from a kind place, meddling can make a situation worse. Parents can have thought-provoking discussions with their kids about considering both sides of an issue before interfering.