Can Hallmark movies teach us something?

Hallmark Movies! What feeling does that bring to you when you hear it? Well, I already know that several people will scroll on passed this, and not read this blog when they see the title! It’s okay, I get it! I can already tell you which of my friends are rolling their eyes at me this very second! Yeah, I see you out there! I know how much you’re laughing that I love these silly Christmas movies! I am; however, very secure in myself, and I don’t care who makes fun of me! I love them, and I literally could sit from November 1st until Christmas Day, and do nothing but watch Hallmark in my comfy clothes! Yep, I’m that person! Guilty as charged! No shame here! I think I should buy the Hallmark sweater!

Before you start judging, hear me out! Christmas is very hard for some people. I never truly understood this until recent years. I have a huge family. Christmas get togethers used to be huge, and loud, and obnoxious, yet amazing! That’s what the holidays used to be for me! Although I would feel sorry for those who struggled around the holidays, I never understood anyone struggling this time of year. Age has a way of changing things. I rarely see my brother for Christmas, and this year my mom may not be able to return to Indiana because of COVID. I have been dealing with a great deal of depression over this in recent weeks. I now understand how some can struggle. Christmas is not a happy time of year for so many. For some, it brings feelings of loss, depression, and reminds them they’re alone. I agree, it’s the most wonderful time of the year to so many of us, but it really isn’t for everybody. If you have friends and family struggling, make an extra effort to check in this year.

As I set on Sunday and pretty much did nothing the entire day except watch Hallmark, it dawned on me that although they’re predictable, and although they always have a happy ending, and they’re sappy, there is still something to be learned from these Christmas movies. Here are the things I feel we can learn from Hallmark Christmas movies:

Faith, Hope, Love, Joy, Forgiveness, Giving, Sometimes life doesn’t look like we think it should, yet it turns out, and the importance of home

Let me play devil’s advocate for a minute because somebody is for sure going to say these movies also make people feel worse. To some they will see people living in fantasy land and that draws attention to what is lacking in their own lives. While I agree that to some these fantasies are not healthy, to some of us, it’s a way of escape from feelings of sadness for the 120 minutes they’re on. So let me ask you, is it so bad if we take a minute during this holiday season to reflect on the fact that maybe we need to love a little more? Maybe we need to forgive a little more. Maybe we need to enjoy the people in our lives a little more. Call it corny, but I’m going to say a large resounding NO! While I sincerely doubt anybody will ever call these movies classics, I do believe the messages they are trying to portray are not bad.

Back to how I started this. I am not trying to convince anyone to watch Christmas movies on Hallmark. In fact, this isn’t truly about Hallmark it all. It’s about the feelings that are invoked by what we do this time of year. We must find the things that heal our hearts. We must find the things that heal our minds. We must find the things that truly bring us joy, those are the things we should focus on. Those are the things we need to spend this month doing. It’s been a crazy hard year, and many are still struggling. Many are still fighting depression and anxiety. So if watching Hallmark Christmas movies brings you joy then watch on. If listening to Christmas music brings you joy then I say listen from Halloween to Christmas. Whatever brings your heart some peace, and some joy, do it, binge it, and take it all in. If this crazy year of 2020 has taught me anything, it’s to slow down, have a lot more faith, things will work out, and I need to focus more on joy. So go ahead and sneak a cheesy Hallmark movie, I won’t tell! I wish you all faith, love, joy, blessings, and health!

With love for you all,

Shauna