It is the season of joy and daylight savings, though it isn’t quite winter until the Hallmark Christmas movie lineup for the holiday season begins rolling out.
Frequently, the term “Hallmark” Christmas movie is used to categorize any Christmas movie that follows a repetitive, digestible story. For example, a big city business woman who comes to a small town and finds the true meaning of Christmas and often wins a lumberjack.
There are many studios that replicate the essence of Hallmark’s holiday comfort, but only Hallmark has a committed fanbase with annual conventions to match. The weekend may include meet and greets with the stars, previews of the season’s holiday lineup and dance parties. A similar experience has been taken to the Caribbean, on the Hallmark Christmas cruise.
Those with access to streaming will find that there is a Hallmark service with 600+ hours of seasonal jolly for $7.99 a month. A Hallmark exclusive debuting this season is A Christmas in Newport, which has been well-reviewed.
Beth Ann Smith, a devoted convention attendee and guest voice on the podcast Girls Gone Hallmark, shares on the podcast that there is much more to the movies than the typical girl-meets-boy. She explains that Hallmark wants to create generational films, and suggests movies by the writers Russell Hainline and Julie Sherman Wolfe.
In addition, directors are promoting stronger ensembles. Smith recommended Haul Out the Holly and Three Wise Men.
Smith wrote, “People often say that they don’t want to watch cheesy made for TV movies because they are so silly and unrealistic, but I embrace them for what they are. If I want to see “real” then I can turn on the news or look online.”
There is something to be said about media that appeals to women. It often is considered less than or laughable. Happy endings are too soft, and family friendly is often conflated with underwhelming.
The holiday season is a great opportunity to look within and ask, what is offensive about self-insertion to a beautiful success? On the other hand, no offensive content is entirely the intent of the network.
Pitching a script to Hallmark sounds like a fun festive plot point, as long as you follow the guidelines and rules of a cheery Christmas ambiance.
“Before greenlighting a project, Hallmark executives will comb through scripts to ensure there’s nothing unseemly: no heavy drinking or acting drunk, no drugs, no full-frontal nudity or explicit sex, no swearing, no fighting, and no actual conflict between characters. Divorce is discouraged; widowhood is preferred if a partner has to be dispensed of,” emphasizes Karen Schaler, a screenwriter for Hallmark and Netflix.
Other rules may include references to war or having a male lead. All aforementioned topics are removed from the network’s festive priorities.
Many Christmas traditions are adopted from Pagan rituals, German customs and Eastern European artistic influences. Mexican Poinsettias and the Christmas cactus of Brazil adorn the holiday. In 250 years, America gave rise to its own sacred tradition born from the melting pot of these cultures, Hallmark Christmas movies.
by Katie Patterson
