There are so, so many Christmas movies on cable television. O to the M to the G, my friends!
What unmet need is Hollywood–or whatever production companies make these flicks–trying to fill? Is there no limit to viewers' capacity for “feel good for the holidays” type of media?
I still remember the days when all it took was a one-time viewing of A Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman to fully propel a child into the Yuletide zone. As an adult I added It's a Wonderful Life to the mix. Now, there are dozens of Christmas movies or other programs on every evening across an unlimited digital spectrum, aimed at all ages–but especially targeted at adults looking for a little holiday romance, I tell you…
The holidays are romantic, to a certain extent. They can be leveraged to re-generate old “warm fuzzies,” or enhance freshly blossoming love.
They also can be a source of lingering loneliness, with memories of what once was–and sappy Christmas love story movies only serve to amplify such painful emotions.
Am I calling for a boycott of cinematic holiday schlock? (Some of you might already have self-imposed such a thing.) No…just a reminder to myself, and anyone else who cares to read, that I must reach for something deeper inside in order to connect with the old holiday magic. Something that transcends a predictable two-hour script, and the onslaught of merchandise marketing that accompanies the programming…and is often indistinguishable from it.
