One of the New Hallmark Christmas Movies Seriously Wowed Me
“Christmas With the Darlings” broke so many molds that I’m still surprised.
While I’ll readily admit that Hallmark Christmas movies once got me through a psychologically fragile time, they have been widely criticized in recent years, and rightfully so, for dropping the ball on everything from feminism to representation. You can find dozens of critiques on this all over the internet. Have a look at this recent one by Tressie McMillan Cottom, or read some of my own criticisms — and theories about the movies’ appeal — in the aforementioned piece about my mental health.
However.
I watched the latest release this past week from Hallmark’s 2020 holiday lineup, and it left me wowed. For real. I’m torn between wanting to sing its progressive praises and not wanting to spoil the plot, but after you read this, you have to watch Christmas With the Darlings.
Yes, that’s a painfully corny title. And when I saw the synopsis… and the first couple of minutes… I was neither impressed nor intrigued. The premise: some woman and her (insanely wealthy) boss’s (insanely wealthy) brother become temporary caretakers for three orphaned children during the Christmas holiday. So far so boring: I’m not big into Hallmark’s holidays-with-kids stories. Probably because motherhood feels very far from my reality right now. Then again, so do other Hallmark tropes like having a successful big-city career, taking hot-cocoa breaks every 20 minutes, over-wintering in postcard-worthy towns/lodges/chalets, throwing giggly gingerbread bakeoffs, and meeting men I can see a future with.
Anyway, my household’s currently recovering from the trauma of a covid hospitalization right now, so we’re spending lots of together-time around the living room TV. I buckled in and watched Christmas With the Darlings — and my liberal, sociology-grad-degree heart was pleasantly surprised on SO many levels that I was not at all expecting. Let me count the ways.
The same-sex relationship
First things first: I was shocked and delighted early in the plot to see a budding same-sex relationship. This wasn’t a read-between-the-lines attraction between two women that you…
