Why I love a Christmas romance

Self-published author, Helen Hawkins, looks at what makes the perfect Christmas romance…

The recent rise in popularity of the Christmas movie has almost overtaken the UK’s obsession with the cheesy Christmas jumper. And I am here for it. As soon as everyone returns to school in September, I’m already itching to watch them. And these days, I don’t even have to wait for Christmas 24 to start streaming. Some might say, ‘You’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.’ But for me, that’s the beauty of it. I settle down in my pjs and fluffy slippers, mulled wine in hand and I want to watch a particular type of film. The good news is I know I won’t be disappointed; because whatever happens, there are certain tropes that can be expected and here’s my top six:

There’s one thing that I am always jealous of when watching a Christmas film and that’s the fact that the protagonist always seems to have a different coat for every day of the festive period. Not only that, but all of them are festively coloured or themed and come with their own set of accessories. I don’t shy away from a Christmas jumper and you will usually find my nails are sparkly red or green for the whole of the festive season, but there is something about having a seasonal coat (or 25 of them) that makes me smile.

In a similar vein, one trope is to always see the characters buy the real Christmas tree from the Christmas farm (usually with their extremely attractive love interest) before dragging it home to decorate by fairy light. And without fail, their interior decorator (I assume they have one, because they can afford at least 25 good quality coats) has already ensured that their flat has tones of green or red so that the Christmas decorations fit right in. A good example of this is the McAllister’s house in Home Alone. That place would look festive in July.

Anyone based in the UK will know that the weather is unpredictable. I think I can remember one white Christmas in my lifetime and outside of that, we can usually predict drizzle, cloud, or, if we’re lucky, occasionally a crisp and sunny day. Not in the land of the Christmas romance, oh no! It will always snow eventually and definitely by Christmas day. Usually it can be expected at the most romantic part of the film – and someone will definitely kiss as the first flakes begin to fall.

One of the best bits of settling down to watch a Christmas film is working out where you’ve seen the actor before. Were they in Mean Girls or One Tree Hill? Or perhaps they do the rounds on the Hallmark Channel and it’s another romance that you’ve seen them in. Occasionally, it’s because I’ve realised I’ve seen the film before… but it’s always fun to work it out!

When you watch a Christmas film or read a romantic Christmas novel, you know what’s going to happen. Early on, the characters will meet and by the end, they’ll fall in love. The 90 minutes in between will consist of reasons why they should and shouldn’t be together working against each other to the backdrop of snowman competitions, cookie making and Christmas tree decorating. There’s something to be said for knowing that everything will be all right in the end and the struggle makes that success all the more delicious.

Who doesn’t want to live in a small town or village at Christmas time? Even in the films that are set in giants like London or New York still seem to project a lovely sense of community. There’s always a friendly librarian or a kind next-door neighbour. The community gets together for dances or Christmas competitions, each creating another wonderful opportunity for our heroes and heroines to realise they should be with each other. Lovely.

If I wasn’t in the mood for a Christmas film before, I definitely am now – and it’s never too early! If you love the hug a Christmas movie gives you, then you’ll love our anthologies, More Than Mistletoe and The Mistletoe Mixtape, available to order now.

Written by Helen Hawkins

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