My Love for Hallmark Movies

My name is Erica, and I’m a Hallmark Channel Movie Junkie. There…..I said it.

Look, here’s the thing…

Yes, for the most part they are cheesy. Yes, for the most part, they all follow the same basic storyline.

Story Line #1: There’s either a single parent whose former spouse has died. They find a new love interest. The kids are reluctant to the new interest. They overcome the odds and all live happily ever after.

Story Line #2: No kids are involved. There’s a guy and there’s a girl. One of them more than likely lost both of their parents in a tragic accident during their teenage years. One of them is in a relationship with a snobby, career-centered, cold-hearted other half. In fact, many times, they may even be engaged. Circumstances arise that bring the two stars together with the bad boyfriend or girlfriend not in the picture. The two stars fall in love all while trying to resist it. One finds out about the pending engagement or whatever, and they’re torn apart for about 15 minutes while the engagement is broken off and our two stars reconnect in the last five minutes of the movie, solve all of their problems and finally have their first kiss and credits roll.

That’s it….the summary to every Hallmark Channel Movie you may ever see. NOW, if you watch a Hallmark Hall of Fame Movie, which premiers usually on CBS…those story lines are often different and deeper. That’s another story for another day.

All that being said, I’m sucked right in EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

Hallmark starts airing their “Countdown to Christmas” on November 1^st…and it’s nothing but holiday movies 24/7 all the way to January. It’s magnificent. (Although, I do miss my late night Golden Girls episodes. I’m an 75 year old trapped in a 32 year old’s body.)

I’ve gathered my Top 6 (because I had more than 5 but not enough for 10) Favorite Hallmark Christmas Movies for a fun Friday list!

The Christmas Card

An encouraging card sent to troops overseas finds its way to a young soldier who holds on to it during difficult battles and believes keeps him safe.  Once back in the U.S., he sets out to find the sender of the card. Naturally, they develop feelings for each other and her family loves him. But wait! She’s in a relationship with a guy who’s crazy about his career. Where does she fit in?! Eventually, true love prevails. It’s heart-warming.

Mrs. Miracle

I love Doris Roberts…and it’s DAWSON! It’s a cute movie about  a single father who finds love with the help of his kids’ nanny, Mrs. Miracle. It’s a sweet little movie.

Hitched for the Holidays

Guy and girl find each other via the internet to use as each other’s fake holiday dates to their parents houses. YOU GUESSED IT…they eventually fall in love for real. One family is Catholic and the other is Jewish. It would definitely fall under the Rom-Com category.

I don’t know if I should be ashamed to admit that I really get into Joey Lawrence movies and t-shows. I guess it’s  my early days watching Blossom that still have me hooked. WHOA.

Window Wonderland

This one came out just last year if I remember correctly. Guy and Girl compete over designing the major Christmas window display at large department store. They disagree, they fight, they fall in love. I love the big city department store window design theme. Makes me think of NYC during the holidays. My heart just pattered a little bit.

Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Single mom burdened down with the stress of the holidays and life in general. Uncle Fonzie shows up with a sidekick. They bring the true meaning of Christmas and the spirit of Christmas alive for her and her son. Love happens. The end. It’s several years old at this point, but I still like watching this one whenever it’s on. It must be a fan favorite like The Christmas Card, because they still play both of these regularly.

A Very Merry Mix Up

Another rom-com with a series of errors that leads our damsel in distress away from her original fiancé to her true love. Alicia Witt has been in SEVERAL Hallmark movies. This is one of my favorites starring her. Her laugh is annoying and infectious at the same time. I just saw this a few weeks ago even though it’s from 2013. Yeah, I liked it that much that it’s on my favorites list. She stars in one of the 2015 movies, “I’m Not Ready for Christmas”, I caught it a couple weeks ago while I was painting. Heck, that’s typically when I catch most Hallmark movies, while I’m painting. (The Mr. is not a big fan of my obsession.) ANYWAY, her new movie…it was surprisingly good. The commercial didn’t stand out to me, but I was surprised.

HOWEVER, my two favorites from Hallmark this year have been fall-themed movies. October Kiss and Autumn Dreams were both REALLY good. Acting makes a huge difference in these movies, and both of these had great casts with familiar faces. I LOVED both of these!

The Hallmark Movie Trump Card will forever go to these two though….

The Boys Next Door (HELLO, FITZ!! a little Scandal shout out there) touching and hilarious and The Lost Valentine (be sure to have Kleenex….lots and lots of Kleenex). These were both Hallmark Hall of Fame movies, and like I said earlier, they’re a different ballgame.

I could go on and on about Hallmark movies. My love runs deep. There’s always some fun movies around Valentine’s Day and wedding themed movies in June and then BAM it’s Christmas movie season again!!

Are you a Hallmark movie junkie? Do you stay up late because you’ve GOT to see one end even though you’ve seen it a half a dozen times before? What are your favorites from Hallmark?

Happy Christmas Movie Season!!