Christmas movies on Hallmark can rekindle spirit
This time of year, I best identify with the Grinch.
I find that the pressurized Christmas crunch, which seems to kick off earlier every year — like September — and the corresponding onslaught of holiday tunes in stores, massive crowds and gridlock traffic can make me more janky than jolly.
Attempting to give my spirit a jump-start this year, I came up with an idea. An awful idea. A wonderful, awful idea.
I would undertake a daylong marathon of Hallmark Channel Christmas movies, those cinematic chestnuts that pop up annually with hollycovered titles such as “Marry Me at Christmas,” “Christmas Next Door,” “Miss Christmas,” “With Love, Christmas” and “The Mistletoe Inn.”
Every year, starting in late October and continuing until late December, the cable channel presents a nearly nonstop parade of original holidaythemed movies.
The programming stunt has become a popular holiday staple for Hallmark, which this year added 21 new original movies to its lineup. The films often feature familiar faces from vintage shows such as “Full House,” “The Wonder Years” and “Beverly Hills 90210.”
With their slick, colorful production designs and lighthearted tones, the films have long attracted a loyal fan base of viewers who binge them while sipping hot cocoa or wrapping presents. They embrace the Hallmark formula: freshly scrubbed performers, romantic tension (but no sex), small-town values, family harmony and caroling children.
The kids are all adorable. At least one key character — adult or youth — is facing the loss of a loved one, but their grief is healed by the holidays. Hugs are plentiful, and happy endings are a given.
My colleagues embraced my concept with elf-like glee, eager to see whether a Hallmark marathon would boost my holiday spirit. They outfitted a small viewing room with a tree and other holiday decorations, set me up with eggnog and cookies and picked out the programming. The selections were:
“Christmas in Evergreen”: Ashley Williams stars as Allie, a veterinarian in smalltown Vermont who is preparing to move to Washington, D.C., to start a new life with her hunky boyfriend. But her plan is (merrily!) foiled after meeting a traveling, recently widowed man and his young daughter who become enchanted by the town’s all-consuming Christmas fever and a magical, wish-granting snow globe.
“Christmas at Holly Lodge”: Sophie (Alison Sweeney) owns a picturesque mountain lodge where a “Christmas miracle” occurs each year, but it has fallen on hard times. She forgets her financial woes when she becomes attracted to a handsome visitor, Evan (Jordan Bridges), but is dismayed to discover he’s been dispatched by a greedy developer to purchase the property.
“The Christmas Train”: Dermot Mulroney is Tom Langdon, a journalist who takes a cross-country train trip at Christmas. Passengers include movie director Max Powers (Danny Glover), who is accompanied by an aspiring screenwriter — and Tom’s ex — Eleanor (Kimberly WilliamsPaisley, sister of Ashley of “Evergreen” fame above). The former flames battle before their love slowly re-ignites.