Making the Hater in Your Life Love Christmas Movies
We have them in our lives, too: loved ones who don’t understand your adoration of made-for-TV Christmas movies.
They call them Cheesy. Trite. Shallow. Poor Quality. Or (the most offensive to us) Cliché.
We have one response: You’re watching the wrong movies.
We’d be lying if we said that we blindly loved all TV Christmas movies. Some can be dull and move so slowly. Others take the formula but don’t use it to drive the plot. It’s why we created our Very Merry, Merry, and Not Very Merry designations. When the acting elevates the clichés, you suspend your disbelief and get sucked into the spirit of the season.
So, how do you get those haters to believe that Very Merry movies exist?
Here’s our list of gateway made-for-TV Christmas movies that helped us fall in love with the genre:
12 Dates of Christmas
A gem from 2011, this might have been the first that we actively watched rather than had on in the background while we cook.
Why Your Hater Will Love It:
The acting. Amy Smart and Mark-Paul Gosselaar are earnest and charming, giving the movie immediate credibility.
The familiarity. It plays off of the “Groundhog Day” plot device. Getting Christmas Eve right is a fun, quick journey to watch.
The different aspects of Christmas. Because our lead repeats the same day again and again, you get cookie baking, tree trimming, family, and love all in the same movie.
Watch It On: Freeform
Buy It From: Amazon (Streaming)
A Christmas Kiss
Another 2011 release that we stumbled upon while channel surfing but got sucked into because of the characters.
Why Your Hater Will Love It:
The ensemble. It’s not just about our leads – the friends, the sage theater janitor, and even the Evil Fiancée hold their own on screen.
The music. One of the few movies where the music stands out and adds to the Christmas ambiance.
The love of tradition. Christmas means so much to us because of familial traditions. The emphasis on Adam’s grandmother’s book or Wendy’s ritual of watching movies with her father should warm the most cynical heart.
Read Our Review
Watch It On: UPtv
Buy It From: Amazon (Streaming) and Amazon (DVD)
A Very Merry Mix-Up
A 2013 Hallmark Channel classic that we bought on a whim from a Target endcap but became a household must-watch.
Why Your Hater Will Love It:
Alicia Witt. You can’t help but find her delightful. And boy can she act, especially when she bares her teeth at her Evil Fiance’s stark family gathering.
The chemistry. If you love “While You Were Sleeping,” the family dynamics of that movie parallel the charisma of the Mitchum clan.
The romance. Hearing Grandpa Mitchum talk about how he saw his future wife across the room and then checked his watch to mark the time – melting.
Read Our Review
Watch It On: Hallmark Channel
Buy It From: Amazon (Streaming), Amazon (DVD), and Hallmark
