A Hallmark Christmas

So it's Christmas season and that means plenty of holiday movies and specials. For my wife, that began with the Hallmark marathon on Halloween and has continued through the new movies on Saturdays and Sundays since the calendar flipped to November.

I don't love Christmas as much as Lindsay, but this season I've been watching at least one movie a week with her. And in this "study" I've come up with some things that I gathered about Christmas from the seemingly endless supply of Hallmark original movies each Christmas. Here's my deep dive:

* American women really want to become princesses. It seems like half of these stories are about princes — or kings — from nondescript, English-speaking European countries that fall in love with a feisty American woman and throw off the shackles of arranged marriages to aristocratic women from their own country. Then said American woman leaves her life behind for love in a foreign land. And it always happens around Christmas.

* Women are always facing major life decisions at the holidays. Often this involves their career and their quest for a man. And often they get both.

* A lot of people have chosen poorly when it comes to potential mates. It seems like half of these movies involve and unexpected romance blooming between two people — at least of one which is in a serious relationship and shouldn't be available. Except they realize the flaws of their current mates, ditch them, and spend the holidays with someone new.

* If you're a man with a demanding job, prepare to be dumped over Christmas. If you have to work and aren't available for time with your significant other, you can be replaced with the ambition-free fun guy who has nothing going on and oozes charm on cross-country flights.

I am sure there are other lessons, but these are the ones that seem most oft repeated. I've taken that last one to heart, which is why I've seen about a dozen of these films this year with Lindsay.