2019 Wrap-Up: Christmas Movie Winners & Losers
That’s a wrap! Our 2019 Christmas movie-watching season is complete. We didn’t review as many movies as last year (thanks a lot, new jobs), but this was the year we refined our cliché palettes. If something wasn’t special, we labeled it as Not Very Merry. You deserve to watch the best.
We’ve compiled our list of the 3 winners and 2 losers of the season. Surprised by our takes? Someone (or something) missing? Let us know in the comments or on the socials.
WINNER: Netflix and their double down on dominance.
Another season, another crop of future classics from Netflix. They know what people want—high production budgets, unique plots, and a range of content for the whole family (ex. “Let It Snow”)—and they deliver. Who doesn’t like a solid sequel, like the campy third installment of “A Christmas Prince”? We’re already counting the days for our “The Princess Switch” sequel, in production as we write.
The biggest winner is Rob’s new favorite movie: “Holiday in the Wild.” A surprise Very Merry early in the season became our gauge for all other movies. And there were many disappointments from…
LOSER: Hallmark and its inability to evolve.
First, we have to mention Hallmark’s backwards, offensive decision to pull a charming Zola ad featuring a same-sex wedding because it was “controversial.” Really, Hallmark? Yes, they reversed the decision a few days later, but the damage was done. As a normally Hallmark-loving household, the news dampened our enthusiasm to collaborate with Hallmark Dream Job winners, Jasmine and Sharon, when they reached out.
This marketing debacle is one of many signals showing Hallmark’s slow evolution to expand beyond what’s made them successful. Yes, there were a few more inclusive plotlines this year, like in “Holiday Date,” but casting choices and all-too-similar conflicts make us gravitate to other networks more frequently. If it weren’t for draws like Lacey, we wonder if a Hallmark movie will even make our anticipated premieres list next year.
WINNER: Disney+, their original content, and their deep Xmas catalog.
A surprise treat in 2019 was Rob’s insistence we get Disney+ to watch “Noelle.” External reviews were mixed on the flick, but it was another Very Merry addition that we look forward to watching every year. If this is what Disney+ original Christmas content is, 2020 will be an exciting streaming season.
The other reason you should get Disney+ (#notanad) is their catalog of ABC Family classics. Two must-watches are “12 Dates of Christmas” and “The Mistle-tones,” both available for streaming anytime. There’ve been Christmases past where we’ve struggled and panicked to find both. Now, we can sleep comfortably knowing where to get our Very Merry fix.
LOSER: When content seems more important than distribution.
Speaking of struggling to watch, the biggest losers of 2019 were networks who thought their content was more important than how it reached viewers. For example, we wanted to find 2018’s “Poinsettias for Christmas” to brush up on our bract knowledge, but it wasn’t available anywhere! Only Lifetime’s 2019 premieres were available on Comcast. (Let’s not discuss the huge disappointment that was “Christmas Reservations.” Didn’t need to see that again.)
But Lifetime far outshone Hallmark. No streaming options on Comcast, Netflix, Prime, or Hulu. We were willing to buy some classic Alicia Witt Hallmark flicks so we could finally review. Not even available to purchase! (Don’t get us started on the confusing, unhelpful Hallmark App and their lack of content.)
Next year, make your movies available somehow, Networks. Otherwise, we’ll keep flocking to our winners.
WINNER: The burgeoning social acceptance of Christmas movie love.
Finally, the biggest winner of the year is all of us—our love of Christmas movies, clichés and all, is becoming normalized.
No longer must we hide in the shadows or make up an answer to a coworker’s “So, what did you do this weekend?” question. Instead, we’ve had people confess their love of Xmas flicks in shared company. We’ve had friends play Christmas Movie Bingo with their families over Thanksgiving break. And we’ve even had our parents watch a film or two based on our recommendations. (Thanks, Dad!)
Feel the same way? Tell your friends about Very Merry Movies in 2020. We’ll have more honest, proud reviews from two lovers of Christmas content.
