All I Want for Christmas is Hallmark Channel Appreciation

A cozy fire glowing in the hearth, the smell of cookies wafting through the house, lights twinkling on the tree. The only thing missing from this idyllic Christmas scene is a Hallmark movie playing in the background.

As American as apple pie, the Hallmark Channel is a staple of the holiday season, having released over 300 holiday films since 2009, according to Forbes. 

Hallmark is best known for producing large quantities of movies each year that lack individuality, following similar plots, actors, settings and tropes. 

It’s impossible to deny Hallmark movies are a little formulaic, but that doesn’t mean they’re all bad. In fact, millions of people love them despite the negative stereotypes, as Hallmark often beats out Fox News in cable prime time viewership. 

Although 73% of Hallmark movies have the word “Christmas” in the title, the tropes and characters vary more than non-viewers might think. 

In a New York Times analysis of the Hallmark Channel, they found while the majority of the protagonists are women, they occupy a variety of different jobs, ranging from hospitality, to design to nonprofit jobs — not just the stereotypical corporate business woman or small town baker.

Love interests also vary. From men who were part of the protagonist’s past to local townspeople, Hallmark movies have covered every meet-cute imaginable. 

While the plots do have similar key moments, Hallmark movie connoisseur Patrick Serrano wrote on his blog, Lifetime Uncorked, the reliance on tropes isn’t unlike a horror or Marvel movie — there are certain things that just happen in every movie.

Cliches, repetition and similarities are unavoidable — but are arguably Hallmark’s best quality.

The channel’s familiarity makes it easy for viewers to turn to after long and stressful days. The movies aren’t too innovative or deep so as to turn viewers off the channel, but they also aren’t so predictable that people don’t want to watch them.

“The Christmas Charade” and “Scouting for Christmas” might have similar names, but while one is about a librarian and an FBI agent on a secret Christmas mission, the other is about a single mother wanting to make her daughter’s holiday season special.

Hallmark balances cliches and outlandish plots seamlessly, giving viewers the exact ending they’re expecting while simultaneously providing them with a movie they never imagined would exist. 

For all the talk of predictability, there’s one thing continuing to draw viewers to the Hallmark Channel — its happy endings. 

In a world fraught with political turmoil, ongoing wars and environmental catastrophes, escapism is a necessary coping mechanism, and nobody provides a happily-ever-after like the Hallmark Channel.

Small-town institutions are saved, hard workers get a promotion and true love always wins. Good things happen to good people, and bad people, be they real estate developers or emotionally unavailable corporate boyfriends, get what’s coming to them. 

With this in mind, it makes sense there are weeks out of the year where the Hallmark Channel’s views outrank Fox News and MSNBC.

The Hallmark Channel provides a sanctuary where Santa is really real, love is the most important thing and everyone lives in a house worthy of a Homes & Gardens feature. 

The Hallmark Channel embodies hope. Hope that happy endings are out there and joy is promised in the future — hope that no matter what happens, love always finds a way.