Real Life Holiday Movies?

 

Whatever happened to: A special look at those wonderful holiday movies!

The holiday season is upon us, and I can’t wait to watch my favorite holiday movie. I love to watch classic movies, especially those around the holiday season. You know, the one where the angel saves the guy from committing suicide, then gives him a glimpse of what life would be if he had died OR the one where the guy wants to impress his neighbors with a thousand lights, and a comedy of errors ensues. How about the one where the family gets together, and all hell breaks loose because of petty jealousy. So many movies to name and enjoy based on what the mood calls for. 

My favorite holiday movies are shown on the Hallmark channel. The Hallmark Holiday movie! Yea!

I want to live in one of those towns depicted in these tv movies. I love, love, love seeing the crisp mountain air and the bluest skies ever seen and watch the snow come down in big fat flakes. That deep fluffy kind of snow that never seems to stain boots, or mess your hair for that matter. I can’t wait to see the clean, nothing out of place open-floor-plan homes or the cozy confines of the cabins; I swear you can almost smell the knotted pine. Speaking of pine, those trees; Douglas Fir, Blue Spruce, or Balsam, with no nettles out of place. Oh. My. God. The perfect holiday decorations and that hot chocolate with marsh mellows you can just about taste. And the cars! Not a speck of dirt or snow on any vehicle, not one! No run down, beat up hooptie, no sir and if you do see one, it’s an old Ford truck that runs like a dream. It has that nostalgic look which makes you say to yourself, “I want one of those!” So cool!

Then there are the characters. Women are beautiful, and men are ruggedly handsome and all are well dressed in the latest fashions. Women carry Birkin or Dooney & Bourke bags; apparently, Coach bags are not allowed, and high-end sweaters and legwear abounds. Always smiling, and if a frown can be found, it's because of forlorn love. Ah, we can’t wait for the couple, pair, parents, grandparents, neighbors, and community to find happiness. True love, ah true love. Such joy.

The commercials are stellar. Either selling artificial Balsam Christmas Trees or wringing a tear or two from your eye at a sentimental commercial; gets me every time. Very well produced and timely, these commercials capture that holiday spirit, which harkens back to when we were young, or touching that particular spot in your heart that no one can know because the memory is your very own.  

Okay! Spare me. Is this real life?

In the real world, when I get to my destination to celebrate the holidays, it ain’t no Hallmark movie. I have to endure wet snowflakes mixed with rain, smelly damp hair, and dank, dark skies. The snow that once was white is now a dingy grey from dirt and splashbacks that have messed up my boots and ruined my coat. The house is a mess of clutter with breakfast dishes still waiting to be washed, kids clamoring for the tv remote, lots of noise from a barking dog, and I’m exhausted trying to get dinner on the stove. Struggling up to bed is an adventure of wading through toys on the floor, water from the tub, and soggy socks from playing in the snow for longer than allowed. The husband is cranky because the Christmas wish list is far too long, and I have to prepare for in-laws to visit, AGAIN! My forty-dollar tote bag is ruined from the crud on our family car, which hasn’t seen a wash in a month of Sundays. “The First Noel” is being sung off-key outside my door by well-wishing Carolers, and I’m too exhausted to say thank you, although I really, really appreciate the effort.

At the time when the house is finally quiet, I find myself thinking of those movies. Those otherworldly movies on the Hallmark channel and wonder how the heck they come up with this stuff? BUT…I have to say it is an inspiration. The movies provide an escape from the reality that most of us live. I can’t speak for everyone, but I, for one, like the fact that I can get lost in the fantasy of Brentwood, Montana, for a few hours with Kleenex at the ready for the commercials. And wonder, where she got that bag, how do they keep their cars so clean, and are people really that nice?  

So go on, indulge.

Enjoy the escape and remember – hot chocolate tastes really good on a cold frosty morning when the house is a mess, the kids are a terror and the husband is not the best engager. You’ll get by…until the in-laws arrive.

Happy Holidays!

~ DaMarie

Photo Courtesy of Toa Heftiba

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