Since October, the Hallmark Channel has been playing Christmas movies almost non-stop. And I wish I could tell you I am immune to its candy cane coated version of life, but I am not. Over the past month or so, whenever I’ve felt under the weather or had to fold laundry, I have found myself sucked into another one of their love stories.

She’s a lawyer who just wants to make ice sculptures and he’s the Christmas tree farmer with a broken heart. Or He’s a movie star looking for a place to call home, and she’s the woman planning his baby sister’s Christmas wedding. How these beautiful couples ever fall in love in their idyllic little snow covered towns, is a mystery. But they always do, and I am always a sucker for it.

Only while I can’t bring myself to turn the station or shut off the TV, I also can’t help but notice how different these movies are from real life. How they seem to magically drop us into an old painting by Currier and Ives, without even asking us to suspend our belief. It’s as if they assume we all live in towns where everyone is looking out for each other. And that our biggest problem is winning the cookie baking contest. But more likely, it’s that they know

Many of us wish this was our life.

Because, besides being envious of their cozy little towns that could rival Stars Hollow, I find myself jealous over how easy their Holidays are. Very rarely does the main character worry about what to buy everyone for Christmas. Nor do we see them stressing over difficult family dynamics—or if we do, they are solved by the end of the show. No one on a Hallmark movie has ever had a real panic attack over trying to balance work, family, and the preparations of Christmas.

In the Hallmark world, everything is so easy. That is why many of us watch these movies; because they are an escape from our very real, very hard world. But if there is anything I am learning from these grown-up Christmas Fairytales, it is that what I love about them the most, are the simple things.

The cozy parts of each movie, are often the ones that include holiday activities that we can make a part of our own celebration of Christmas (if we don’t already do). Baking Christmas cookies with friends, taking our time decorating the tree with our people, or walking down streets strung with Christmas lights, are all affordable and enjoyable Christmas activities. And in our own way, we too can make the holiday bright.

Though we can’t wave the magic wand of television—creating perfect relationships for our single loved ones or solving challenging family dynamics that rise to the surface at the holidays—we can still make this season special. We only need to remember that many of the best parts are the simple ones. Time spent with loved ones trumps anything that can fit under a Christmas tree. Good conversations around tables of food, are way better than having a fancy house to invite people into. And where possible, personal connections mean more than Christmas cards.

So though Hallmark may subliminally be telling us to buy their products to make our season bright, the secret to a wonderful Christmas, is simplicity. It is taking the emphasis off the appearance of things or the push to do or buy more, and instead paring down to what matters most. We may not live in a cozy hallmark town, but we can bring warmth to those around us in some of the most meaningful ways.

What matters most to you this Christmas?

How can you bring warmth  and joy to those around you?

 

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