Happy December, My Friend!
I know it’s been December for a whopping 9 days now, but this is the first I’m writing to you this month! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We sure did; it’s our family’s big holiday together, and this one was extra special as our youngest son got engaged to his lovely girlfriend a week later. We are still all grinning from ear to ear.
I have a (not even one little bit) serious matter to discuss with you today. Please don’t groan when you read the subject matter: The Hallmark Christmas movie. Notice I say “movie” and not “movies,” as it’s basically just one storyline repeated, perhaps changing out actors (perhaps not). Are you a fan of this genre? Or do they make you cringe?
Surprisingly, I’ve gone from cringing at the very thought—to watching a million of them and, dare I say, enjoying them. I’m trying to figure out this change of heart, as I’m not typically a mushy gushy story lover. I prefer books and movies that one might call “deep.” I’m not a fan of “beach reads” or “fluffy” stories. I don’t mind books that are a bit depressing, and I don’t need everyone to live happily ever after. How, then—I ask you, how—have I come to enjoy watching Hallmark Christmas movies? I can think of a couple of reasons.
The first one is that I started watching these movies with my daughter and granddaughters a couple of summers ago when we were all in Wisconsin together. It was “Christmas in July” on the Hallmark channel and someone how we got hooked. My middle granddaughter, Olive, likes to sit next to me when we watch these movies, and we both are pretty darn good at predicting what the actors are going to say. I mean, it’s not complicated. Once you’ve seen one of the movies, you’ve basically seen them all.
Note: The typical storyline is as follows—A hunky hometown guy who lives in a picture-perfect little town, probably with a Christmassy name, is faced with some sort of dilemma. It may involve puppies or children in some capacity. You know, something cute that pulls on your heartstrings. Along comes a big city girl (always from New York City) who is doing a story somehow about life in this utopian town. They have a “meet cute” involving hot chocolate and probably more puppies, and as it happens, her work is making her do something to somehow destroy this man’s purpose in life. There is a crisis of some sort, but she can’t bring herself to hurt him or the puppies. There’s a possibility she may be engaged to a jerk, also from New York City. The jerk shows up in Utopia, makes a complete fool of himself, and the girl decides she’s giving up her life of evil in New York and staying in Utopia to drink hot chocolate and help puppies with the hunky guy forever. The end.
Olive and I can complete the sentences and predict the responses almost verbatim during these shows. It makes us feel like we should be Hollywood scriptwriters.
But I wonder if there’s another reason I can’t stop watching these movies.
Could it be that they are so dang chock-full of hope? Beauty? Love? Even though they are covered with an extra thick coating of sugar and peppermint?
All one needs to do is watch one episode of the evening news and one will quickly find out how much horror there is in the world right now: Wars in several countries, starving people, shootings in our schools and in our streets, people fleeing oppression in their own countries—and that’s in just the first five minutes. Is it any wonder we need a bit of levity? A bit of hope? Maybe that’s why I take respite in a dripping-with-honey movie every now and then.
I’m grateful to know that this place we all live right now isn’t my final destination. There’s a place that’s even better than the perfect utopian town in a Hallmark movie. I don’t know if there will be hot chocolate and peppermint sticks in Heaven someday, but if not, I’ll bet there is something even better. Thank You, Jesus, for coming to live with us on earth, gather up all the sins of the world, and take them on Your own shoulders so we can live with You and Your (our) Father someday forever.
Do you have a spot reserved in this wonderful better-than-a-Hallmark-movie place called Heaven? I sure hope so. I want to see you there, where we can hang out together. Believe me, you don’t want to go to the “other place.” (And I don’t mean New York City!)
May you see less darkness and more hope and beauty this week!
Written with love – – – -Patti XOXO
“I just like to smile. Smiling’s my favorite.”
Buddy the Elf
Comments 1
Amen! Also so grateful this place is not our home. Thank you, Jesus.