My mom and I have a lot in common. Like…a lot. My impeccable sense of humor, love of running, knack for karaoke and obvious humility I can all attribute to her. However, the best quality that she has passed down to me is her deep appreciation for Hallmark Christmas movies. Yes, I am one of those people that celebrates Christmas as soon as possible; and yes, so is my mom. My birthday is August 25th and I pretty much see that as the start to the most wonderful time of the year. Luckily, so do the lovely people at Hallmark.
This year, the Hallmark countdown to Christmas began in early November. This schedule is completely necessary if they want to feature their 40 brand new Christmas movies in a tasteful fashion. Yes, I said 40. Brand new. One network. Lots of people like to criticize the Christmas movie-making machine that is Hallmark. However, I see absolutely nothing wrong with spreading some Christmas cheer as early as possible.
My mom and I have seen an embarrassing number of these films in our time. It did not take us long, however, to deduce that although they may have different titles and (occasionally) different actors, every single Hallmark movie follows the exact same plot. This unique quality of Hallmark allows us to turn on the tv, watch approximately 2 minutes of literally any movie at any point in time during the film and both fill in the previous scenes and predict the ending. Some movie snobs (Dad) may see this as a pitfall of the movies, yet we see it as their main appeal. As two extremely busy and important women, we simply do not have the time to sit down and watch a FULL movie. Therefore, Hallmark allows us to watch 10 minutes of a film and receive a quick burst of Christmas spirit all while avoiding literally any confusion.
Apart from the convenience, these movies have become a sort of tradition in our house, which allow my mom and I to spend time together (and my dad and brothers to make fun of us). Great family bonding! The mindless plots make it easy for us to talk over the movies themselves and catch up on our lives. As the years go by, I find myself becoming more and more like both of my parents in different aspects. Now that we are in college, it is hard to find moments where you can spend quality time with your parents, or even find something to relate over. This is where these movies come into play. No matter the time of year, Hallmark movies give us something to laugh about, and put us in the holiday mood (if only for a few minutes). This is why you will find me watching Christmas movies at literally any time of the year, and I highly encourage the same behavior. It’s all about family, right?