Christmas Movies by Tara Randel



I know getting ready for Christmas happens earlier and earlier every year, but when it comes to original movies from the Hallmark Channel, I’m a total sucker! Don’t you love the Countdown to Christmas? C’mon, admit it, the movies get to you too.

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


This year there are twelve new movie premiers. Yes, I was on the Hallmark website reading the synopses of each movie. Between this weekend and Christmas, my DVR will be getting a workout.

What is it about these movies? I enjoy them because most have romance in the story. As a contemporary romance author, I’m hooked. The movies also get me in the Christmas spirit and in this harried world we live in, it’s nice to sit down with a mug of hot chocolate or a big bowl of popcorn and take a few hours to enjoy the season. 

If you take a look at the Heartwarming releases this month, there is a prevailing theme. You guessed it. Christmas! Besides reading, watching Christmas movies ranks a close second. Take advantage of the beautiful Christmas stories by the wonderful Heartwarming authors this month. I know I’m going to carve out a few hours to read the books.

On a side note, two author friends of mine were in Starbucks a few months back. They were helping me brainstorm the book I am currently working on for Heartwarming. A man, dressed nicely in a button down shirt, tie and slacks, sat beside us, reading his newspaper. Well, actually he was listening to us. Finally he asked if we were writers. A conversation started and he told us he was a lawyer and offhandedly mentioned he also writes books.

"Have you heard of The Christmas Card?" he asked. (The story of a woman who sends Christmas cards to soldiers overseas and the military man who comes to town to thank her.)

"Yes," I told him. It happens to be one of my favorite Hallmark movies.

"I wrote it," he tells us.

After a moment of stunned silence, we flipped. Asked him a million questions, because that’s what writer do. He glossed over the experience, since he’d originally written the story as a historical and Hallmark updated it, then proceeded to tell us about his current work. Still...as an author, who wouldn’t want to see their book on TV?

So tell us, what are your favorite Christmas movies or books? Share now so we can set the DVR and order the books!

Comments

  1. So jealous of that man lol. That is my dream- to have a book turned into a hallmark movie. They are my favorite;) we started watching several older ones a few weeks ago and I'm super excited for the new ones this year-I looked them up too! How alike we all are lol

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  2. That's so exciting--that's one of my favorite Hallmark movies. (Of course, Ed Asner's one of my favorite actors, too.) I like all of the Christmas movies and books, though. I have to read Muriel's A Carol Christmas page-by-page because the binding has disintegrated over the years.

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  3. I, too, love the Hallmark Channel! "Borrowed Hearts" with Roma Downey and Eric McCormack is one of my favorites - it's pretty old. I watched HC all weekend because I'm waiting for a revision letter and was trying to fortify myself. Nothing quite accomplishes that like a glut of romance movies and the knowledge that those authors had to have struggled with all the same things we deal with. And, Liz - hugs and thank you! Good post, Tara.

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  4. How cool was that to have a chance meeting with another writer and one so successful? I love watching the Christmas movies too, but I'm not ready for the holidays to be so near yet this year. Hold them back for another month please.

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  5. That is such a cool writer encounter! And I loved that movie too!

    I enjoy watching Christmas movies. We finally got the Hallmark channel this year, so I can indulge in my love for both Christmas and romance. The Lifetime channel also shows quite a few, so my DVR gets pretty full with them :)

    And I enjoy Christmas romance novels just as much. I've made myself wait a little longer before I indulge though. I try to wait until after Thanksgiving, but some of the new ones are making me itch to get at them.

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  6. What a delight to have met with another author... especially one who wrote the story that inspired such a beloved novel! I would have asked a million questions too :)

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