Why I love cheesy Hallmark and other Christmas movies

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This article was published 02/12/2021 (1749 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The holiday is full of indulgences, though mine may look a little different from yours. From mid-November until the beginning of January, if I’m not writing, reading or frolicking around town with my other half, you can find me curled up in front of the TV, watching a Hallmark or Netflix holiday romance movie.

Picture it: Decked out in a matching pyjama set, under a faux fur blanket, seasonal candle lit, indoor Christmas lights on and with a soothing cup of tea.

They’re all about inducing the nostalgia of the holidays, with a sense of warmth, and a feel-good message that no matter who you’ve lost, or what mistakes you’ve made and regrets you have from your past, that you can find love when you least expect it.

As the audience we know what to expect. But it’s the expected that, for me, makes these films so becoming; what makes me continue to watch, holiday season after holiday season.

Perhaps though, that’s why they get so much flack.

Ghosts of boyfriends past have mocked my love of what they deem to be poorly-acted, super-obvious, entirely unrealistic scenarios.

But let’s get this straight, the Hallmark or feel-good holiday movie is not meant to be a blockbuster; its intention isn’t to get an Oscar. Instead, they allow people the opportunity to escape for but a moment. To slow down. To control our environment. As a highly-sensitive person watching people experience a whirlwind of emotions allows me to recall various moments in my life, and to access pushed down emotions.

I’m a hopeless romantic and an optimist, so what’s so wrong about spending my “me” time basking in the glow of the TV and the warmth of the love presented on it?

If you love watching a classic Christmas movie, or “Die Hard,” or avoid all festive films this time of year and would rather be at the gym or reading a book, so be it!

I love the simplicity of the plots and the kitschy decor. I love seeing the usual suspects (Vanessa Hudgens, Lacey Chabert, and Candace Cameron Bure, to name a few,) playing yet another endearing role. I love that the plots don’t ask much of me, and that I can mindlessly scroll through my social media feeds while watching.

As a millennial, watching something that’s topical and #trending — like the latest premiere in Hallmark’s “Christmas Countdown” series, or something on Netflix’s “Top 10” most-watched list — offers me the opportunity to connect with other pop-culture and rom-com lovers, writers and commentators who also take to social to give their take on whatever’s currently trending.

I want to know what everyone else thinks about when these scenarios arise.

I want to know: Would you take back that guy you love who said he couldn’t commit and dumped you out of nowhere, only for him to regret it a week later and beg for you back?

I want to know why everyone is talking about “Coyote Creek Christmas,” a Hallmark TV movie.

I want to know if — of the three characters Hudgens plays in Netflix’s “The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star,” your fave is also the fierce and fiery Fiona, whose ice-cold heart has seemingly melted in this instalment, and if you too wept during that scene with her estranged mom?

There’s something soulful and poetic about a holiday-themed movie that looks at the frustrations within our most intimate relationships and finds solution after conflict. There’s something comforting in a cliché and knowing there will always be a happy ending.

For me, these movies are time well wasted. I know what I’m signing up for.

With each Christmasy film, I’m giving myself an hour and a half or so of peace.

Despite the obvious endings, I always have tears streaming down my face in the heart of the happily-ever-after moment as the meant-to-be couple embrace in their first kiss. There’s something so sweet and innocent about it, and on my own, I can truly embrace my feelings and the ability to be selfish by watching something that brings me joy and soothes my soul.

Watching seasonal rom-coms is a form of self-care and as we all know by now, when you put yourself first, you can show up for others in your life. So in the spirit of the holidays might I suggest taking time for you by embracing that which gives you joy?

Jen Kirsch is a Toronto-based writer and a freelance contributor for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @jen_kirsch