By Colleen Meosky
It’s the holiday season, but true Hallmarkies know it started on October 22nd with the Hallmark Countdown to Christmas kickoff. Still, it’s better late than never to join in on the action and give the Hallmark Channel a chance this year. Here’s why you should include Hallmark’s latest lineup in your festivities this holiday season.
With 41 new movies, the Hallmark Channel has something to offer everyone. Some naysayers will claim that they aren’t worth watching because they all have the same plot. Junior Jonah Ruddock believes his issue with Hallmarks is the “sterile predictability.” However, the most misunderstood aspect of Hallmark movies are ironically their simple plots.
The beauty of Hallmarks resides in their simplicity. Therefore, people need to learn not to overanalyze the storyline and instead enjoy the relaxing feeling it allows for with its small-town setting and slower pace. While Hollywood romances involve grand and unrealistic spontaneity, the Hallmark Channel has perfected capturing the smaller but undoubtedly heartwarming moments everyone can relate to. Mrs. Ehmann explained this saying, “I think they are comforting because I always know you’re going to have this nice, cozy ending, and the world will be right side up when the movie is over.”
The quintessential aspect of Hallmarks is that you can depend on a happy ending, and in their Christmas specials, the characters have a renewed appreciation of community as well. Mr. Nogowski sarcastically said, “Christmas movies on Hallmark are the true joy of Christmas.” Although he said this with more than a hint of sarcasm, the statement itself is accurate because Hallmarks shine with the holiday values of friendship and family.
The homecomings, family reunions, and town tree lightings are some of the touching life moments that often go unappreciated but are important nonetheless. It is true that the repetition of these events across several movies can come across as rather formulaic, but that doesn’t necessarily prevent individual scenes from having sincerity.
Overall, if you avoid overthinking the plot, I believe you will find watching a Hallmark to be a rewarding experience this holiday season, especially if enjoyed with a cat and some cocoa.
