Friday Facts - Hallmark Christmas Movies

Believe it or not, Hallmark did not invent Christmas Movies—but they certainly popularized them.

It's rare to meet someone who has never seen a Hallmark Christmas movie—at least when it comes to the female population.

How many of you put a Christmas movie on while you decorate the home for Christmas? We do.

What about Men? The movies aren't made for men. Some men watch these movies, but usually because they have no choice. LOL

 I do know a woman whose husband was a cop who watched Hallmark movies to unwind from his shift patroling the mean streets.

Yes, the movies are formulaic. Yes, the stories have become standardized so that the plots and elements are all too often the same. Still, there's something appealing about them that makes us tune in—again and again. Many of us have our favorites that we'll want to watch every Christmas no matter how many times we've seen them.

HALLMARK CHRISTMAS MOVIE FACTS

1. These Christmas movies are filmed in the summer—usually in Vancouver or Montreal, Canada for the tax breaks and lower expenses. This is done because it's less expensive to use ice trucks, fake snow, and dress actors in winter wear than film in winter.

2. Some productions use European castles as settings, i.e., all of those Prince and Princess Christmas movies.

3. The movies follow familiar plots, i.e. city woman meets small-town guy or vice versa and romance ensues. The main character is usually a single woman, and the story unfolds in 9 acts or major scenes.

4. The movies are filmed much faster than is usual for a production—mere weeks rather than months. Some wrap in no more than 20 days. Lacey Chabert, frequent female lead in many of these movies calls it "boot camp." 

5. Common plot elements include career-focused heroine, rediscovery of love and the Christmas spirit, picturesque small town settings, barriers to love, and a requisite happy ending.

Hallmark took note of the popularity of their early Christmas movies and scaled up their output so that dozens of new movies are now made each year.

They began streaming their own channel with these Christmas movies and mystery movies that are available year-round to subscribers.

The result is a fan base that has exploded. There are social media groups, Twitter hashtags for each premiere, and "Christmas Con" events that draw passionately devoted fans.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

What's not to love about pretty people in pretty small towns who learn some home truths and realize that love—of children / husband / wife / community—"is all there is" and that the Christmas spirit can be alive and well in all of us all year long?

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