‘They’re so predictable … but, I love them’: Analysing the appeal of Hallmark Christmas movies

Abstract

With 60 per cent of American households reporting watching at least one Christmas movie between Halloween and New Year’s Day, the Hallmark Movie Channel has enjoyed a remarkable amount of success. In 2021, the Hallmark channel produced 41 new Christmas movies that drew a remarkable 85 million viewers. The purpose of this study was to identify the different perceptions, attitudes and beliefs of Hallmark Christmas movie fans, by using Q methodology, to determine why people love these movies so much. Our sample was selected from the attendees at the first-ever Christmas Con in 2019, sponsored, in part, by Hallmark. Participants in the study self-identified as true Hallmark Christmas movie fans who were then asked to sort through a group of statements based on the question: ‘Why I love Hallmark Christmas movies?’ The results revealed three factors or groups of like-minded thinkers, the Season’s Greeters, who are the Christmas enthusiasts who watch the movies as a way to celebrate the season; the Rudolphs, who watch to escape the troubles of the world and their busy lives and the Carolers, who watch simply for a wholesome story with happy endings.