With Thanksgiving in the past, our thoughts turn to winter holidays and all of the joy that they bring, as well as all of the movies that are now timely to watch. I’m not talking about one of the hundreds of versions of A Christmas Carol or Miracle on 34th Street, I’m talking about Hallmark and Lifetime holiday movies. Movies that you catch on TV during the month of December as you’re flipping through channels, movies with titles like Catch a Christmas Star and Comfort and Joy (Yes, seriously, these are real and perfect movie titles.).
They’re predictable, cheesy, often poorly written, but who ever said substance was a necessary component of entertainment? Plus, these movies have their own pull, even if it’s not about content. There is emotional substance to these movies—they make viewers (well, at least me) happy and feel full of holiday cheer. The cliché plotlines allow us to relax for a while and clear our minds while enjoying something that gets us in the holiday spirit.
I decided to sit down and think about my favorite ones, so that I can pass them on to you to enjoy when you get a chance, maybe inbetween panicked study sessions in Olin, or maybe in a world where exams are over and you are back home with your family and hot chocolate and pets. My personal favorites of these movies include (in no particular order):
1. A Very Merry Mix-Up
2. Window Wonderland
3. Matchmaker Santa
4. Under the Mistletoe
5. Dear Secret Santa
These movies made the list because they are either especially emotionally weighted or are so clichéd that it’s laughable. I’ll leave it to you to figure out which ones are which. Either way, they’re a joy to watch.
Holiday time is a period of relaxation, and loving one another, and I think that these mindless, cheesy movies are the perfect way to celebrate. To view a schedule of holiday movies, click here for Hallmark and here for Lifetime.
The happiest holidays from HCK!