So...About the Hallmark Christmas Movies...

A few days ago, I did a just-for-fun post about some of the most popular Christmas movies. A movie checklist of sorts. It was fun to read through it and see how many I've seen - and how many I haven't.

That led to some questions (in the comments) about a similar list for Hallmark Christmas movies. (They weren't included in the list I perused that day.) Great question!!

I found an article released last year that listed the most popular Hallmark Christmas movies as determined by how many people watched their premieres. In my opinion, this may not make it a totally accurate list, because it doesn't show how many are willing to re-watch the same movie when it airs in subsequent years. But it's still fun to take a gander!

Funny little side story for you here...

A couple of nights ago, one of my friends had come to eat dinner with us, and she stayed to hang out while Ryan went to Bible study. I had a Hallmark movie playing on TV, but I left the volume down so we could have uninterrupted conversation. Eventually we realized we were completely lost about the details of the storyline, so I turned up the volume. After a couple of a minutes, she said to me, "I feel like there may have just been a misunderstanding?"

I said, "Well it's 6:45, so cue the misunderstanding. They have 15 minutes left to figure it out!"

A bit later, we talked about how life is NOT like a Hallmark movie, and I said, "Well, I don't know. I've had many instances where life was like a Hallmark movie...at 6:45!" :)

Anyway! Back to the list. You can peruse it yourself to see which ones you love the most, but here are my top favorites from the article:

* Window Wonderland (2013). I know these movies have a reputation for all being basically alike, and of course in some ways, this is like the others, but this one is void of bakeries and lodges. It's set in the city, and the two main characters are competing against one another to decorate a window display in a department store. I liked the change of scenery (though I do love a good lodge-based movie), so I enjoy catching this one on repeat when I can. The actress is not one of the main actresses in their lineup - but she did star as Lexie Grey on Grey's Anatomy back when I still watched the show. I admit the first time I saw this movie, it was really hard to NOT think of her in medical terms! (The drastic haircut in this movie did help me make the separation. I like her hair better longer.)

(INTERRUPTING MY LIST TO SAY...How have I not ever seen Switched for Christmas (2107). The article says it starts Candace Cameron Bure and is like a grown up Parent Trap. Seriously - how have I missed this one??)

* Every Christmas Has a Story (2016). I fear I have watched this one for the last time, which makes me sad, because it really is one of my favorites. Sigh. It stars Lori Loughlin, and since they seem to have pulled everything she's ever been in from the airwaves, I'm sure this one will be next. I love this one because...hello! Did you see the part about the story? She plays a television reporter who has lost her Christmas spirit, so she is sent on assignment to the dreamy little town of Hollyvale to try to find it once again. Her ex-boyfriend "just happens" to work with her and is also sent along, and I'm sure you can't IMAGINE how that ends.

* Christmas Cookies (2016). You just saw the title. Do I even need to explain to you why I love this movie? The town is named Cookie Jar and the main employer is Aunt Sally's Bakery. In short, if this were a real place, Ryan and I would be packing up the house TODAY and moving there for the rest of our lives. This movie is a good example of a time when I fell in love with the movie for the storyline more than the actors.

* A Royal Christmas (2014). Lacey Chabert is one of my favorite Hallmark actresses, so of course I love this one. This isn't the only Christmas movie with a handsome prince over a fictitious country, and that particular line actually often tends to be my least favorite, but I really do like this one.

These didn't make the list, but...

* Ice Sculpture Christmas may be one of my top two favorites ever. Rachel Boston stars in this one, and she's also one of my favorite actresses. She plays an aspiring chef who gets a job as a sous chef at a country club. She ends up in an ice sculpting competition...and well, I'd hate to spoil the ending for you!

* A Bramble House Christmas is also in my top two or three! I kind of wanted to own the little Bed and Breakfast in the movie. (Shocker!!) It's about a young mom who inherits a substantial sum of money from a gentleman she helped take care of prior to his death. When the man's kids find out he left his fortune to his nurse, they're not exactly overjoyed, but the man's son and the nurse do end up spending the holidays together at the Bramble house, unaware (at first, of course) of how their stories were intertwined. I will watch this one EVERY time it's on.

So those are some of my top favorites so far. You have any???

HAPPY MOVIE WATCHING!!!!!