Christmas Fairy Tales

The season for watching Hallmark movies is upon us. I watch them even though they are cheesy, often wildly preposterous, and total B.S. My childhood was carefree, other than watching my little brother, doing chores and being the third girl in my family. We always ate together at the dinner table. We always did our chores without resistance (well, usually) and we always had a Christmas tree with presents beneath it. We would go out on the 30 acres we owned to find the perfect tree. Charlie Brown would have been proud of us. They were usually a little lopsided or sparse on one side, but we filled the vacancies with beautiful ornaments handed down from days gone by. And we would all gather 'round the black and white TV to watch "A Christmas Carol", "White Christmas", and "It's a Wonderful Life" where love prevails and all is well in the end. I grew up believing that was the way life really was. When I discovered it wasn't, I was left bewildered and confused. Not only does love not always prevail, it can get darn right ugly. And nothing is well in the end. The struggle never ends. It only changes and morphs into the next challenge. Had I known that growing up I think I would have handled things much more gracefully and with a greater understanding of reality.

Back to movies. We listen to other's stories to remove ourselves from our own lives if only for a short time. We need a break from the day to day, the drudgery of repetition and our disillusionment. Yet hope endures. Hope is the only thing I can think of that can endure during tough times. After a while we learn that everything does change. Nothing remains the same. Even if you are without a loving person in your life, you still hope to find one. You still hope to meet someone. We still search for someone who can caress our inner child and comfort the adult. I guess that's why TV and movies are met with insatiable audiences. It is also why I watch Hallmark Christmas movies. Popcorn anyone?

Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash