Hallmark movies have become a tradition for many people during the holiday season. Though Hallmark used to specialize in greeting cards and knick-knacks, they are forming an empire in an industry that leaves a lot of people wondering if they love or hate what they create. Since 2001, Hallmark’s been producing subpar holiday films. They have gone from making 13 of these movies in a year to 53 in 2020, and that’s only on their Hallmark Channel, which does not include their ‘Movies & Mysteries’ channel.

These movies are not usually made to convey a lesson or share a story – they are commonly created for profit. Hallmark usually adds in subtle hints of their company by infusing their holidays cards into a scene and is not ashamed to promote sponsors blatantly.

Often they have the same plot: a white man and woman are lonely, then fate brings the two together (whether it be by the woman bumping into him or the man spotting her across the room) and they end up falling in love for the Christmas holiday. All Hallmark covers are similar as well: a man and woman smiling, one of them in red, the other in green and an obsessive amount of Christmas trees surrounding them. Thankfully, they have been seeing more competition through other companies like Warner Brothers, Netflix, etc. that have given more recognition to different races, genders and sexual orientations.

Most of Hallmark films are watched due to their ‘so bad that it is good’ style. No one (at least that I know) has ever thought that these movies were golden nuggets in the film industry. They often have cliché decorating montages, obnoxious holiday music, unrealistic scenes and over-enthusiastic side characters that care too much about the main character’s love life. Their bad scripts and token personality traits for their characters make it easy to sit down with a group of friends and laugh at the inconsistencies that most of Hallmark’s plots possess.

That all being said… I love these movies.

For most people, there are some downfalls to their holidays depending on their circumstances like family and financial problems. With Hallmark all of those issues wash away.

They set such high, unnecessary standards for the holidays that it makes it enjoyable to relax, look at pretty holiday décor and understand that that level of perfection is impossible and frankly, undesirable. There are no messy family relationships in these movies. No 10-year-old mismatched pajama sets. No take-out boxes instead of home-cooked meals. No making your own decorations with friends because everyone is in debt from student loans.

There’s little realism and that is what makes the fantasy of Hallmark films perfect. So, if you end up watching a Hallmark film by accident, allow yourself to laugh, smile and cringe at the lack of authenticity – it’s all part of the holiday experience.

My favorite 2020 Hallmark movies that I encourage everyone to watch are: My Best Friend’s Bouquet, Write Before Christmas, Fashionably Yours, and A Timeless Christmas.