Have I mentioned my love of feel-good stories? Probably, but it bears repeating. No matter how mushy and predictable they might be, I really like a movie or TV show that makes me root for the hero, cry when they fall down, and cheer when they get up again. Put all that together, and it’s probably no surprise that I never miss the Hallmark Hall of Fame.
I love those movies, and I love all the Hallmark commercials, too. Brian’s really not a commercial guy at all; he loves to watch TV on the DVR so he can fast forward through the ads, and, barring that, he mutes them all. Me, ads don’t bother me (except for some stupid local commercials, when car salesmen and furniture dealers scream too loudly, but we’ve all got those, right?), and I actually like to watch them to make sure I’m up to date on movies, products, whatever. And, some of them are even entertaining. But Hallmark commercials? Well, those are in a class all by themselves. They’re like little mini movies, telling a whole story in 60 seconds or less. They are as much a part of the Hall of Fame experience as the movie itself.
Of course, not all Hallmark movies are holiday movies; their subjects are varied, and many of them are adaptations of literature. But it’s the Christmas ones I’ve been enjoying lately, including the most recent installment, Christmas with Holly. Also, the Hallmark Channel has been having a “Countdown to Christmas”, so they’re showing all manner of holiday films, including some of the Hall of Fame entries. (If you missed it, Christmas with Holly will be making its way there in about a week.) There is no shortage of holiday films (though some are definitely better than others), and I usually watch one every night. Have you seen A Dog Named Christmas, or Silver Bells? Those are some of my favorites.
The thing about the Hallmark movies—and especially the Christmas ones—is that you always know what you’re going to get. In truth, I’ve watched enough TV and movies over the years that it’s pretty rare that anything surprises me much, but these types of films are extremely transparent. You meet all the main characters within the first fifteen minutes or so, and by the time the first commercial break rolls around, you know exactly how it’s going to end. But that’s okay, because these films aren’t about intricate story lines, they’re about feeling good at the end. And, at Christmastime, they’re about rebuilding families and restoring faith and reliving the holiday magic.
Brian thinks they’re sappy, and I can’t deny that. And he laughs at me that I always tear up somewhere along the way, but I don’t make excuses for that. I want a movie to make me feel, and it’s okay if that feeling shows up in the form of tears. When you’re watching movies on the Hallmark channel, they’re almost always tears of happiness.
So if you’re feeling in the need of a little holiday spirit, drop by the Hallmark channel. (You can find their schedule here.) They’ve got Hall of Fame movies, some original movies, and all sorts of other cheesy Christmas tales, and I think everyone needs at least a little bit of holiday cheese this time of year.
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