DOES HALLMARK JINGLE ALL THE WAY?

WEIGHING WHETHER HALLMARK MOVIES ARE WORTH THE WATCH

Words PRO Nicolas Siller CON Abby Bower

PRO

‘Tis the season to enjoy one of the most elevating holiday productions of the decade. Year after year the Hallmark Channel never fails to grace us with its Christmas rom-coms. Whether you like them or not, everyone can admit the holidays just aren’t the same without them. The Christmas season can’t “really” start until you find yourself walking into your grandparents’ house while being simultaneously hit with the smell of about 10 peppermintscented candles and just about the cheesiest Christmas tree lighting ceremony ever imaginable showing on the Hallmark Channel.

Actually, that might just be me. But everyone can still agree that the Christmas spirit is truly enhanced by these movies. Their cheesiness allows you to soak in the joy of Christmas. The classic wreath-making, Christmas tree-picking and spontaneous Christmas parties are just some of the many Hallmark inspired activities that can really enhance one’s holiday spirit. Though we live in Texas and can hardly call 32 degrees and no snow adequate weather for Christmas frolicking, these movies just hit differently. Sophomore Abby Bower added that Hallmark movies tend to make her “giddy with holiday spirit.”

For a student stressing over midterms or a parent panicking over buying Christmas presents, the Hallmark holiday movies provide a comic stress relief. However, not all people see eye to eye on this. Some think that the movies’ predictable plot lines undermine the holiday spirit that can be gained from watching them. Interestingly enough, isn’t the celebration of Christmas predictable as well?

In other words, predictability isn’t always bad. “They always end beautifully and give me a sense of satisfaction,” sophomore Jacob Dishongh said. A big reason that they are so relaxing and fun to watch is their virtually unlimited supply of happy endings. Throughout these staple happy endings, we are reminded of the value of family and community during the Christmas season.

“I realize how much family means to me,” my grandma, Vickie Nickel said, So maybe, just maybe, Hallmark holiday movies carry some value underneath their cheesy titles. There’s only one way to find out. Join me and thousands of other Americans around the country as we tune in to the Hallmark Channel’s holiday movies airing from Halloween all the way to mid-January to really dive deep into the holiday spirit.

Hallmark PRO CON

Graphic by Hailey Kirchner

CON

‘Tis the season to fantasize about an unrealistic, unattainable holiday experience. You might be surprised over how many people include Hallmark movies as an essential part of their Christmas tradition. This means that a large percentage of people spend the holidays watching fictional characters enjoy and participate in holiday activities.

The biggest flaw of Hallmark movies is that the cheesiness is stifling. Overused one-liners, instrumental Christmas Pop, a never-changing cycle of the same actors and the exact same plot only located in a new picturesque mountain town. This is only the beginning of the excruciatingly repetitive tendencies of Hallmark movies. Films where the love story is always happily ever after and the local Mom and Pop shop never seems to close. How can anyone sit through a movie knowing exactly what will happen at every point of the plot?

Nicolas Siller denounces these movies by noting that, “These films provide fake realities of attempted romance that I could barely hope for.” Not only are the aesthetics of Hallmark movies dangerously appealing, but so is the “no one leaves disappointed” storyline. If there are times during the holidays where you find yourself dissatisfied by your entire Christmas experience, I’m willing to bet that Hallmark movies are the first suspect. When we don’t find true love in our local coffee shop after a complicated seven years in the city and then save our grandparent’s Christmas tree farm, we can’t help but feel let down.

Hallmark movies set our minds on replicating something that completely dilutes the true meaning of Christmas. Once the expectations are set, it’s often hard to focus more on praising God for his perfect gift than creating a Hallmark-worthy Christmas. In the films, the mission is to find joyous love and it leads people to believe that this is done by breaking up with your workaholic boyfriend in New York to be with your high school sweetheart. It seems that Hallmark missed out on where truly joyous, pure love comes from: Jesus.

Layout Ava Ayers

Graphic Hailey Kirchner