Here’s What Happens When You Watch 7 Days Of Made-For-TV Christmas Movies

These aren’t just Christmas movies: They’re like Kay Jewelers commercials on steroids; movie-length advertisements for small-town America, capitalism and twinkle lights. There’s so much Christmas magic packed into these two-hour (including commercials) movies that even the most hardened cynic will fall under the spell ― and many Americans have indeed fallen under the spell, making the Hallmark Channel, which airs little else this time of year, a ratings juggernaut.

As I’ve learned over the past few weeks, I have a lot in common with made-for-TV holiday movie characters. I enjoy Christmas carols and the smell of pine needles. I used to bake cookies with my mom every December and rush down the stairs on Christmas morning to ogle the presents spread under the twinkling tree. But until this year, I didn’t watch Hallmark Christmas movies, maybe because my life now resembles the sad, beginning-of-the-movie heroine more than the inspiring end-of-the-movie heroine ― I grew up, moved from Indiana to the big city, got a fast-paced media job, and now live in a small apartment with zero working fireplaces. (Hallmark abhors a small apartment.)