AK's Column: A Hallmark break from local news reality?
It’s the most wonderful time of the year and there’s a host of reasons for a self-proclaimed news junkie to require a respite from 2023’s realities. Our staff can attest that covering local news can be merry or murky in the same news cycle. Hyperlocal news never stops but we find creative ways to turn off news alerts and relax over the holidays.
A few years ago, I did a little “research” for a story about favorite seasonal movie traditions. While the focus was primarily on the big screen, one person interviewed asked if I was partaking in the growing trend of oh-so-bad that it’s good-ness Hallmark movies.
That’s all she wrote!
Since then, it’s been my guilty, news break pleasure. Unsuspecting friends have confessed to wine-and-popcorn evenings snuggled up in comfy pajamas and a Hallmark movie. I asked for specific titles, but few could recall one by name. After a season of watching, I can see why. The general plot of those movies goes pretty much like this: A woman returns to her hometown around the holidays, and her family immediately tries to set her up with an eligible bachelor who just happened to be working in the same small town. He’s handsome, kind and goofy but often has a secret to share later in the storyline.
The heroine doesn’t go for him immediately but with patience, he wins her over. They fall in love and seal their romance with a kiss under the mistletoe at the town Christmas gathering. Yes, it’s hard to believe the popularity of movies that sound like the plot of a paperback you would buy at the airport.
Hallmark plot predictions turned out to be fun from my friend Mavis’ family this Thanksgiving.
At one point, we turned down the volume and made a sport of narrating for the” trope of a lonely but successful executive/beloved local at a crossroads in his/her life and/or career, and of course, a need to learn a magical lesson about the meaning of the holiday season. Once you've got your formula in order, you have yourself a very little merry Christmas Hallmark movie!”
Some of the highest ranked include:
1. A Royal Christmas (2014)
2. Christmas in Evergreen (2017)
3. Let It Snow (2013)
4. The Note (2007)
5. Northpole: Open for Christmas (2014)
My all-time favorite is still the “The Mistletoe Secret” which originally aired on November 10, 2019. Protagonist, Aria (Kellie Pickler), owns a diner in Midway (not NC but Utah). She’s president of the local tourism board and applies for a travel writer’s contest. Alex, a long-time ghostwriter for Sterling Masters, the star of a TV travel show, “Masters of Travel” comes to town and makes an impression on Aria. The complication comes with keeping secrets about Alex’s ghostwriter status because it turns out that she is actually in love with his words. Note: The film had controversial representations about how ghostwriters operate and received slight criticism from The National Ghostwriter’s Association.
For those willing to abandon logic, sappy Hallmark movies are winning over audiences of all persuasions. I didn’t understand the attraction to Hallmark movies at first, but it got easier when I accepted that they aren’t meant to be realistic.
Davidson Local isn’t taking an official “break” during the holidays, digital news never really stops. But we will slow down to spend time with family and friends.
From our sofa to yours, Happy Hyperlocal Holidays!
