Christmas and Holiday Rom-Coms - Here We Go!

in

Whaaaa? Did I miss 3+ weeks of Hallmark Holiday Rom-Coms because I was too focused on Halloween and, like, the rest of regular Fall life? Apparently! YIKES! Hallmark started rolling out its 2023 snow-filled holiday romcoms in mid-October this year (maybe that’s normal and I’m always behind?). I should have been more clued in, because people have been getting my Christmas monologues for months now. I love it! YES! Christmas theater and movies are here!

(And if you want to try your own hand at a holiday romcom, check out my “HOW TO WRITE A CHEESY HALLMARK CHRISTMAS ROMCOM.”
btw—I totally embrace “cheesy” for Christmas romcoms!)

So what can you expect from Hallmark this holiday season? From a planetarium to to an aquarium, fashion to photography, travel around the world (France, Scotland, Norway, Germany, England and more) and of course, a bit of time travel, a time loop, a magic pen and there’s gotta be at least a little bit o’ royalty — and loooots of stuff in between, you’ll get that predictable jingle-bell cozy atmosphere Hallmark is known for. Hallmark isn’t exactly known for their diverse casting of leading-ladies (have you seen the meme-calendar of blonde-haired, fair-skinned leading ladies from Christmases past?), but this year, they have some romcoms with different hair colors, skin tones, at least one different body shape, one romcom of two leading ladies who fall in love, and one Hanukkah romcom.

Read More

Hallmark Christmas Movies Announced: Are You Ready? Plus Theater Actors join MFTV Christmas Magic

in , , , , , , , , ,

Okay. It’s still September. SEPTEMBER. But I have been seeing social media posts and hearing friends talk about putting up Christmas trees and lights extra early this year. Not like, November 25 early. I’m talking September 25 early! And really, in this very tense, anxiety-filled, unprecedented, relentless season of our lives, who can blame anyone for wanting to elongate a traditional feel-good season?

The Christmas season is cozy, cold but warm; it brings us hot chocolate, eggnog and peppermint, calming lights, early dark evenings, soothing music, colors everywhere amidst a landscape of mainly brown. It is comforting and familiar, and those are two things that we all crave—especially now when both feel a bit out of reach. And so…you know what also brings comfort and familiarity around that time of year, right? Hallmark Made-For-TV (MFTV) Christmas Movies! Keeping pace with the Christmas trees going up in NYC apartments, they’ve announced their Holiday Season already! You can check out Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas line-up here. And don’t worry, Netflix and Amazon will have their own Cheesy Christmas Movies coming too (“A Royal Toddler Goes to Virtual Preschool” perhaps?), but I have to give props to the originator, Hallmark.

Read More

A Grinching Good Time!

in , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

My youngest son has a Grinch-inspired holiday party coming up this week, and in discussing this, I’ve realized how many Grinch dramatizations we’ve actually seen. If you’re looking to add another Grinch-drama to your holiday mix, check out these 5 incarnations of the classic green-haired creature (and beware—there are tons more grinchy-dramas out there!).

Read More

2019 Cheesy Rom-Com Christmas movies: It's never too early (or is it?)!

in , , , , ,

I’m a bit buried in planning two 12-hour road-trips next week, followed by family visits, lots of volunteering, parties, events, writing, theater—so Christmas is kind of sneaking up on me this year. It doesn’t help that Thanksgiving comes late in the month, as it seems everyone has observed. But tonight, I stopped in my leaf-raking tracks when I received this message from a friend:

“Just got an email from Netflix about ‘The Knight Before Christmas.’ I am so excited!”

My heart just did a little back flip.

Is there any better pre-Thanksgiving reminder that the Christmas season is ready to burst through the door?

I mean, come on, look at this write-up of the movie:

Read More

Nostalia and the Season: My Top Three Christmas Movies You Might Not Have Heard Of

in , , , ,

Nostalgia rings loud and clear this time of year—scents, songs, books, movies. My mother passed away two years ago, and my childhood (and adulthood) memories with her practically explode this time of year. Our main December holiday in my family is Christmas, and my mother made this holiday so special for us. From parties to games to crafts, cookies, books, music, cards, service, prayers and more! All those singing stuffed animals in our hallway? Gifts to my kids from my mom. The burlap Advent Calendar hanging on our wall? My mom made it. The ornaments on our tree with permanent marker dates on the bottom? My mom dated of all of those. While nostalia comes in many forms, one thing that harkens me back to the magic of childhood Christmas is simply: Christmas movies. Those classic tales of…

Read More

How to Write a Cheesy Romantic Christmas Movie in 10 Easy Steps (Or, Writing for the Hallmark Channel)

in , , , , , , , , , ,

Well, Thanksgiving is not quite here, but we’re already into November, so…you know what that means? Tis the season for Cheesy Romantic Christmas movies! On November 2, the first new one of the season popped up on my Netflix account, boasting the crazy magical cupid-like hijinx of none other than, that’s right, an advent calendar. It’s not just angels, santas and mystical animals bringing you Holiday romance anymore. It’s now inanimate calendars too! I've been watching these types of movies for years, and have learned, as similar as they may be, it never hurts to add another 25-50 new Hallmark-Channel inspired Christmas movies to the season (I say Hallmark Channel, for those old enough to know that term, but it’s not just the Hallmark anymore. The digital services have the format down pat.)! So here I've given you 10 easy steps on how to write your own Cheesy Romantic Christmas movie. And who knows, if you follow these guidelines, maybe your screenplay will be produced in the next Amazon prime line-up of Holiday-themed romances! Write away!

Read More

A Playwright's Top Christmas Movies You Might Not Have Heard of

in , , , ,

Everyone can probably give you their favorite Christmas movies, and I definitely love a lot of the classics, like Miracle on 34th Street (with Elizabeth Perkins), Rudolf, Elf, A Christmas Carol (Muppet version of course), It's a Wonderful Life, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, The Santa Clause, Love Actually. But there are some that don't get as much attention, and maybe deserve some exploration.  So here are three of this playwright's top films that you might not have heard of, but are worth a watch....

Read More