There are, at last count, three separate TV channels that show Hallmark Christmas movies. If you’ve never seen one, the synopsis is fairly simple: boy meets girl. At first they don’t get along, then they fall in love, only to encounter some giant “misunderstanding” that is only resolved five minutes before the end of the film. That’s when they kiss, make up and live happily ever after.
The backdrop is a Thomas Kincaid print of Americana: usually a picture-perfect New England town with quaint shops, fresh snowfall and plenty of community spirit. There’s an ice skating scene, or perhaps a friendly snowball fight. By the 120th minute (including the commercials), everyone in town is alive with the holiday spirit.
The stories are sweeter than candy canes and maple syrup, but they are fiction. In real life, Hallmark card stores - at least the ones around here - go out of business. Hallmark movies don’t depict the myriad of problems we face in everyday life: crime, taxes, drugs traffic jams, long commutes, lack of affordable housing, and the struggle to earn a living in a way that doesn’t cut into precious family time.
Part of the appeal of these movies is their simplicity and the fact that we tend to grow more nostalgic around the holidays. We yearn for more simplicity and less clutter in our lives. We’d love it if all of our problems could be solved neatly in a two-hour package. We’d all like an occasional Hallmark movie ending.
Our wish for this holiday season is for more of the simplicity of another time:
- A time of civility, when people spoke instead of tweeted.
- When elected officials realized that they are public servants who work for, rather than take from the people who voted them in.
- When we all had time to shop Main Street a few days before Christmas, rather than order on line early to ensure delivery by Christmas.
- When big business meant good jobs, but not big tax breaks for their wealthy bosses.
- When we could savor a ride along a country lane, rather than be stuck in four-lanes of traffic, while coming home from work or to visit with loved ones at holiday time.
- When we could savor the beauty of fresh snow and not have to worry about travelling through it.
- When we could say “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Hanukkah” and not worry about being politically incorrect.
To that end, we’ll add our wish for the season’s best to all of our readers. Thank you for your continued support. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa and Happy New Year.