This year’s Christmas in Coronation Street is not only about sparkling lights and a Christmas tree full of gifts, but also a “laugh-unable-to-laugh” wedding of Debbie Webster and Ronnie.

Right from the first spoiler images, the audience clearly felt the uneasy atmosphere surrounding the bride: a pair of broken glasses, a few small details that seemed meaningless were considered by Debbie as bad luck for the big day.

The more Debbie tried to calm herself, the more anxious her face became, as if she was facing a wedding where she herself was not sure she could smile until the end of the ceremony.

Preparing for the wedding, the whole Weatherfield group bustled together in the car to the venue.

The atmosphere was like a “village wedding”: some people took the opportunity to gossip, some worried about outfits, some just wanted to sit still and drink to get drunk. In the middle of that noisy picture, Debbie tried to keep calm next to Ronnie – her husband-to-be who always appeared confident, but the audience could see that he was also trying to hide a lot of tension behind. On one side was love, on the other side was debt, secrets, family drama… all mixed up in a wedding car that should have been fun but ended up being choked up.

Bernie, with her “big mouth but loving” personality, became the one to try to bring “luck” to Debbie. She rummaged through all kinds of silly amulets, from lucky horseshoes to funny stories to ease the tension. But the audience knew clearly: when Corrie used the Christmas wedding trick, lucky charms were often just accessories to decorate the tragedy. The more details were emphasized, the easier it was to feel like the scriptwriter was preparing for a twist at the altar.