You hear the jokes of how stores stock up on Christmas decorations right after Halloween. (Before in my neck of the woods.) And the groans when the first Christmas carol plays on the radio.
And when I start DVRing the Hallmark #holiday movies, my husband bustles around the house with a rousing, good-natured “Bah-humbug” to give me sass.
I love these movies and it’s been a part of my own tradition to watch as many of them each year as I can. I even look forward to and love the teasing from my husband, because though they don’t quite inspire him to sit down with a cup of cocoa and watch with me, he loves that I love them. He loves that they make me happy.
And as I finished watching one of the new Hallmark holidays movies for this year, CharmingChristmas, a line in the movie stood out to me. It encapsulated, for me, why I start watching these movies — these Christmas movies — before the Halloween decorations are even put away.
The line?
“A perfect Christmas doesn’t come from a store or a business deal you seal. It comes from the memories you make with loved ones that carry throughout the year.”
Now this makes perfect sense in context of the movie, but it also made perfect sense to why I don’t think it’s too early to start watching holiday movies now, when just the whisper of the season is in the air and we’re beginning to stretch out our shopping legs, think up our decorations for the year, and wonder what the New Year will hold.
These movies are a reminder to make those memories. To cherish them. To not let the season go by without realizing your loved ones are there, by your side or with you in spirit.
It might seem like we don’t need a reminder. We all know the holidays are coming. We know the shopping days are ahead. We know the food comas, the family dinners, the accessories of the holidays loom before us. But it’s because we know that, because we groan at the sound of the first carol, because we joke and send memes around Facebook that the Christmas buying season starts earlier and earlier, that we do need the reminder. And for me, these movies are that reminder.
They are the sweet, loving push that reminds me that decorations at Christmas are about joy. They are about putting smiles on faces.
These movies are the warm thoughts that joy, love and happiness are all around us. That we have so much to be grateful for.
In a Hollywood-focused entertainment options filled with grit, intensity, and angst (of which I also love), these movies are a simple focus on the good in life. The good in people. They are a nudge to look at—to truly, really see—the magic of Christmas.
And maybe those reminders need to come sooner because we’re bombarded with the other stuff so much earlier, too. It’s a way to counter the sales, the intensity of “Black Friday”, the deals, the shopping, the focus on getting something for less.
It’s a way to remind us all that the magic of Christmas is worthy of our attention.
So pay attention. DVR a holiday movie. There are plenty to choose from. And sit down, expecting something that warms your heart and offers a sweet, innocent look at the good in the world and the magic around you at this time of year. It’s a worthy way to start your holiday season.
Are you a Hallmark movie fan? If so, what’s your favorite movie and why?