For a channel so devoted to Christmas, it’s amazing how little actual Christmas there ever is in any Hallmark movie. Don’t expect any signs of Christmas beyond cozy fireplaces, time with family, decorating trees and giving gifts. It’s a Christ-less Christmas. No one ever mentions Jesus. If you’re lucky you might get a verse of Silent Night sung in a caroling scene or a glimpse of children in shepherd’s costumes in the background. It’s all style and little substance.
The movie ends, but life goes on. We need more than fuzzy feelings for a life that isn’t lived in a 90 minute window. Suffering and sorrow are still a real part of our lives. For many of us, the holidays are the most painful days of the year. The reality is that family gatherings often bring out the worst in some people, and Christmas has a way of straining our finances to the limits. Hallmark movies can’t offer you a hope that doesn’t disappoint, even when life does. That kind of hope is only found in Jesus.