As an adult, I have acquired a new guilty pleasure – Hallmark Christmas Movies. Although who am I kidding, I also occasionally partake in the Hallmark fall collection. There is something about being transformed into a world of predictability that has become so appealing for me in this day and age.
The predictability that a man and a woman will meet, grow to like each other, have a conflict, resolve the conflict, and end up happily ever after is one of the best ways for my active brain to unwind. The simple plots, lack of violence, and family values draw me in from October until December. Spending two hours watching characters fall in love while they drink hot cocoa and frolic in the snow makes my heart happy. Plus, there are always a few takeaways from each of these short movies.
The character’s perception is always challenged in these movies. They see their love interest talking to an ex and storm out of the snowy cabin only to discover that their love interest was telling the ex how happy they are now. Lessons of jumping to conclusions are taught among snowy small town movie sets. Lessons of working together as a community and staying positive are taught over pancakes in a fictional diner.
As humans, we need that sense of community. We need to know that when things get tough that we have help. Community can come from family, church, school, city, or many other places. When we connect as a community we grow stronger, and we can affect positive change.
We are living in a world of unpredictability. We are consumed with watching people’s misery. The more dreadful their misery is, the more publicity it receives. Being transformed into a fictional small town where struggles are resolved with barn dances and winter festivals gives me hope. If this fiction can be created and successfully entertains, then maybe there is still a demand for family-friendly entertainment.
