Everything I Learned About Romance I Learned From Hallmark Movies

I don’t know whether I’m proud or embarrassed to tell you that I am completely caught up on Hallmark Movies this year. And…I even have a T-shirt labeled “This is my Hallmark Christmas Movie Watching Shirt.” (I got it from my sis-in-law, so I’m not totally to blame.)

I can’t believe what an amazing empire Hallmark has created with its movie division—every holiday now has its own slate of original movie premiers. But there is none bigger than the Christmas dynasty. According to the Hallmark Movie App there were 21 movies scheduled on “Countdown to Christmas,” the Hallmark Channel and 17 movies scheduled on “Miracle of Christmas,” the Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Channel. (In this house we even go to Lifetime and Ion channels to find holiday flicks—but we won’t really go there right now. It’s an addiction.)  That makes 38 new Christmas movies. Fairly unbelievable.

But what does this say about us—those who love these formulaic stories? Keep in mind that every single one of the stories is about finding the meaning and magic of Christmas through love. In other words, these are romances pure and simple. To me that means that we need romance more than ever in our lives, and those of us who read and write romance have chosen an important avocation and vocation!

Don’t get me wrong – I know these stories are pure cliché. All you have to do is Google-search “Hallmark Christmas movie drinking game,” and you’ll get a list of the clichés you’ll find in every movie: 

TAKE A DRINK WHEN…

·         A character’s name is related to Christmas (Holly, Nick…)

·         There’s mistletoe

·         A newcomer takes part in a town/family tradition

·         There’s reference to a dead relative

·         A big city person is transplanted to a small town

·         You hear “Jingle Bells”

·         Someone drinks hot cider, chocolate or eggnog

·         A magical deal is made with Santa or an angel

·         The Christmas cynic is filled with the holiday spirit

·         There’s magically snow on Christmas day

And we’ve added our own drinkable moments to the list:

·         There’s ice skating

·         A kiss is interrupted

·         An overheard phone call is misinterpreted

·         Someone has a deadline on Christmas Eve

My husband loves these shows and will watch them all on his own without me. But he’s now so schooled in the art of the romance/Christmas trope that he can predict every step of every movie right along with me. My family has decided that he and my brother (also a Hallmark addict) must write a Hallmark-like story for us to read aloud next Christmas.

So why do writers love Hallmark movies despite their inevitable “sameness” one to the other? Because we LEARN from them how to write a basic romance story. Every element is right there to study:  beginning, middle, conflict, black moment, happily-ever-after. They are master classes in building the skeleton of a romance book!

Why do non-writers love these movies so much that Hallmark knows it can sustain 38 movies a year? Because these are simple, pure, often silly stories that require no emotion other than happiness. We live in a world that’s so filled with aggravation, confrontation, even downright hate, that these Christmas movies give us feel-good hope. And I, for one, hope that Hallmark continues to find and grow their audience.

I have a few favorite movies from this year, and many from past years as well. From this year, “Once Upon a Christmas Miracle” was all about a woman who needed a partial live liver transplant and fell in love with her donor—it could have been really stupid, but it was sweet. “Christmas Everlasting” was about a woman who returns home after her sister dies only to learn that the sister gave a baby up for adoption years ago. The whole movie is very tender!

From previous seasons I love “A Very Merry Mix-up” where a woman traveling to meet her future in-laws winds up at the wrong house and falls in love with the wrong family. Everything about it is just too adorable.  And I adore all the royalty movies:  “A Princess for Christmas” is awesome, starring Jamie Fraser himself, Sam Heughan, along with a fairly decrepit Roger Moore—but he’s wonderful anyhow.

The list goes on! I’m just plain a goof for Hallmark Christmas.  So---do you watch Christmas movies? Do you have a favorite? A favorite star? Please let me know what you love or hate about the whole Christmas movie genre. And whatever your feelings are—I wish you the very happiest of holidays!