You have probably seen one at some point in your life: A Hallmark Channel or Lifetime Christmas movie. These films get a bad rap, but they do not necessarily deserve to. Yes, they always have a happy ending and sometimes the acting can be sub-par but at their core, they are truly heartwarming stories.
Christmastime is supposed to be a wonderful time of year. However, for college students, one of our worst times of the year just so happens to be right in the middle of the Christmas season: finals. A lot of the time, the characters in these Christmas movies are struggling at Christmas time too. The characters usually struggle with issues that a lot of people deal with during the Christmas season: family problems, loneliness, financial issues, career problems, and the list goes on and on. Just when things seem hopeless in these movies, the characters manage to turn their bad fortune around somehow. Even if the storylines do not always seem realistic, it is refreshing to watch a heartwarming story and even be reminded of what is really important in life: our relationships with others. When people are struggling at Christmastime, it is nice to just unwind with a cup of hot chocolate by watching a movie that may not be completely realistic, but can give you hope and remind you of the things that really matter in life.
Some Hallmark and Lifetime movies that I personally recommend are "The Christmas Card," "Fir Crazy," "The Most Wonderful Time of The Year," "The Christmas Blessing," "A Dog Named Christmas," "Christmas with Tucker," "The Christmas Shepherd," and "The Nine Lives of Christmas." "The Christmas Card" is my absolute favorite. It involves a soldier who goes home and looks for the person who sent him a Christmas card while he was overseas. It eventually turns into a truly great love story with two characters that you will fall in love with. "Fir Crazy" and "The Most Wonderful Time of The Year" are heartwarming love stories too. "The Christmas Blessing" is also a love story but it is very emotional and somewhat sad as well. Finally, if you love animals, "A Dog Named Christmas," "Christmas with Tucker," "The Christmas Shepherd," and "The Nine Lives of Christmas" are all great holiday movies that involve some very special dogs and cats.
Perhaps being reminded of the Christmas spirit is not a bad thing at all, even if it comes from a "sappy" Christmas movie.
