People love Christmas and holiday-themed movies. And if it seems like more and more are premiering on cable channels between October and December, then you’re not wrong. According to Entertainment Weekly, 116 new holiday movies are premiering in 2023, up from 98 movies back in 2019 (and for those keeping track at home, that is actually on par with inflation).
It’s likely you know someone obsessed with Christmas movies. They pop their popcorn, pour a cup of hot cocoa, and eagerly await the weekend to watch the latest pair of hopeless romantics meet cute and fall in love in an impossibly short amount of time. But even if a Hallmark movie isn’t must-see viewing for you, it’s for a lot of people. Forbes states that over 80 million people will watch at least a little bit of a Hallmark movie.
That doesn’t include those who forego the cable channels and turn on their perennial go-to Christmas movies like Elf, Home Alone, It’s a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story or Die Hard, to name a few.
Overall, Statista has concluded that, based on the age group, anywhere between 69-81% of adults watch Christmas movies in the United States.
What’s behind the obsession? Let’s break down a few reasons.
Christmas Movies are Predictable and Comfortable
One reason why Christmas movies are a must-watch is because they are predictable. It’s the same reason why we can watch any other movie over and over again. How many times did you start searching for a new movie to watch but settle on something you’ve seen a bunch of times?
Predictability equals comfort.
And in a world filled with unpredictability, we love knowing what’s going to happen. When the holiday season comes around, people start watching National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation again because it brings comfort, which stems from knowing what will happen. We anticipate, and still enjoy, the jokes.
Hallmark movies offer the same predictability and comfort. If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen most: the overworked/ambitious woman who can’t seem to find a guy must go on an adventure of some kind, finds what’s meaningful in life, and ends up falling in love.
‘National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation’
Christmas Movies are Family Movies
With few exceptions, Christmas movies are made for the whole family. They allow us to come together at any age and watch a movie that is seasonally appropriate and entertaining for everyone.
What does that have to do with our obsession though?
According to this article in Popular Science, it’s because the memories we make on Christmas movie nights become traditions. We remember the times we spent nestled on the couch alongside a glowing Christmas tree watching a classic movie. This amplifies positive emotions which make us want to share these traditions as we get older.
For example, my wife watches Miracle on 34th Street, the 1947 version, every Thanksgiving. It’s a tradition that started when she watched it with her mom as a child and now we watch it as a family as we cook the Thanksgiving turkey.
We pass these traditions from generation to generation, whether they involve watching a specific movie on a specific day, or just finding time for everyone to sit down and enjoy Elf.
Read More: 14 Scripts You Should Read During the Holidays
‘Elf’
Christmas Movies are Nostalgic
To piggyback off the previous point, Christmas movies make us remember a time when things were simpler. Everyone fondly remembers “the good old days” because everyone’s good old days were when they were kids and things were more fun and less stressful – there was no worrying about finding a white elephant gift for work, paying the electric bill, or scrolling through social media.
These nostalgic times involve watching Christmas movies with parents and friends or going to the theater and witnessing the magic on a big screen.
Christmas movies also promote nostalgia. A Christmas Story is about that very thing: a grownup narrating their childhood memories and the year they desperately wanted a Red Ryder BB Gun despite the constant warnings he’d shoot his eye out.
Finally, Hallmark movies are filled with nostalgic elements and tropes that make us long for those simpler times such as Christmas tree shopping, sipping on hot cocoa, singing Christmas carols, or experiencing the snowfall and lights during the holidays.
Christmas Movies Can Be Therapeutic
Another reason for the obsession with Christmas movies is because it’s similar to doing relaxing things like enjoying a glass of wine or hanging out with a good group of friends. Essentially, Christmas movies have therapeutic value.
The holidays are filled with a great deal of stress such as pushing financial limits on gifts and parties to having to spend time with family who share their unasked-for political opinions.
That’s why we gravitate toward things that make us happy and provide that serotonin boost that makes us feel good. It also reminds us of the importance of family, friends, and the magic of the season. Countless Christmas movies provide us with that feeling and it’s why we crave it every holiday season.
Laughter is known to reduce stress and can act similarly to antidepressants, which is why holiday comedies are often considered classics. In an article for Psychology Today, Pamela B. Rutledge Ph.D., M.B.A. shared that emotions such as hope, empathy, awe, gratitude, and joy have longer-term psychological benefits and that a steady diet of positive emotions can increase optimism and resilience and make us more open-minded, creative, and productive.
In a Fielding Graduate University article, Rutledge points out that Christmas movies provide easy access to an effective coping strategy. A movie becomes a healthy escape that makes us feel good, reminds us of the meaning of love, helps us feel gratitude for family and friends, and even allows us to have a little vicarious romance.
Read More: 10 Great Short Christmas Movies That’ll Bring You Cheer
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Why are we obsessed with Christmas movies? It’s the sappiness that attracts us like flies to honey. It’s the memories they conjure of spending time with family. And it’s the comfort they bring us by letting us bask in escapism, even for just a couple of hours.
No matter the reason, ’tis the season to kick back and enjoy classic Christmas films or any number of the 100+ holiday premieres on cable channels or streamers.
Read More: Screencraft’s 2023 Holiday Gift Guide for Screenwriters
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The post The Psychology Behind Our Obsession with Christmas Movies appeared first on ScreenCraft.
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Author: Steven Hartman
