It鈥檚 that time of year again. No, we aren鈥檛 just talking about the holidays. We mean that it鈥檚 officially Hallmark holiday movie season. Each year, there鈥檚 a new lineup of cozy, festive holiday romance movies to watch while you鈥檙e sipping hot cocoa or wrapping gifts.
If you鈥檙e a fan of these movies, chances are you鈥檝e noticed that they stick to several common romance tropes, like people leaving the big city to find love in a small town or work rivals realizing they were in love all along. In one of Hallmark鈥檚 most popular movies ever, , a doctor leaves the big city and finds love in a small Alaskan town with a man whose father may or may not be Santa Claus. That movie broke records for the network with over 5.8 million viewers.
Is it cheesy? Sure. Far-fetched? Of course. But that鈥檚 why these holiday classics are so beloved. To get you ready for your next movie night, here are 17 words you can expect to find in every Hallmark holiday movie line-up聽as well as some suggestions of what to watch:
1. cozy
A good holiday movie can leave you feeling 鈥渟nugly warm and comfortable,鈥� which happens to be the exact definition of the word cozy. The cozy might come from , a movie about a cozy, miniature Christmas village set that grants real Christmas wishes. Cozy first appeared in English in the early 1700s and may be linked to the Norwegian koselig, or 鈥渢o enjoy oneself.鈥� Don鈥檛 mind if we do.
2. hometown
You can鈥檛 have a holiday romance without a plucky heroine who goes back to her snow-covered hometown to find the partner of her dreams. The trope is featured in , a movie about a children鈥檚 book author who goes home to find love. The heroine of returns to help with her family’s Christmas Carnival鈥攁nd what else?鈥攆inds romance. A hometown is 鈥渢he town or city in which a person lives or was born, or from which a person comes,鈥� but after watching one of these movies you might just think of it as the place where true love was waiting all along.
3. executive
An executive is 鈥渁 person or group of persons having administrative or supervisory authority in an organization.鈥� It鈥檚 also an essential role in holiday movies. Just ask the cast of 聽This one features a real estate executive and a cozy Alaskan bed and breakfast. Two words in one movie!
4. Christmas spirit
The word spirit comes from the Latin 蝉辫墨谤颈迟耻蝉, meaning 鈥渁 breathing.鈥澛� In a holiday romance, the Christmas spirit might refer to 鈥渁n attitude or principle that inspires, animates, or pervades thought, feeling, or action,鈥� or it might refer to a supernatural being who helps the main characters. Some movies even do both, like , which features a ghost helping someone rediscover their Christmas spirit.
5. old flame
Holiday movies may feature two lovebirds getting cozy by a fire, but in this case the word flame means 鈥渁n object of one’s passionate love; sweetheart.鈥� In聽films like 听补苍诲 , people return to their old flames, or past loves, to finally get a holiday-themed happily ever after. In Mystic Christmas, the old flames are a pizza shop owner and an animal expert now working at an aquarium. The fires of love may burn low when one leaves their hometown for the big city, but in Hallmark land, they never go out completely.
6. jaded
Jaded means 鈥渄ulled or satiated by overindulgence.鈥� It鈥檚 a state of being for many a romance hero. But what, according to the holiday movie powers, is the cure? Love, of course. In just one short movie, people can go from being jaded and dejected to understanding the real meaning of Christmas, as in , in which a jaded engineer realizes the boss at the job she鈥檚 about to quit is actually a dreamy royal from a Christmas story. In a jaded author and recluse returns to his hometown鈥攚ill he rediscover the spirit of Christmas? (If this list is any indication, you know the answer is yes!)
7. royal
Think the royals are immune to the charms of holiday romance? Hallmark鈥檚 聽may prove you wrong. Royals, like kings, queens, and other sovereigns, are a fan favorite in the romance genre, especially during the holidays. Public fascination with all things royal is probably as old as the word itself. It was first recorded in English all the way back in the 1300s. If only the royals from back then could see their movie counterparts now!
8. competition
From fictional reality shows to Christmas bake-offs, holiday movies often lock the love interests in a heated competition. It makes sense, given that the word comes from the Latin 肠辞尘辫别迟墨迟耻蝉, meaning 鈥渢o bring together.鈥� A healthy rivalry keeps the character鈥檚 in each other鈥檚 sights and helps create opportunities for sparks to fly, as seen in , featuring a budding romance between rival choir directors.
9. ranch
Big cities and small town bakeries aren鈥檛 the only places to find love this holiday season. Some characters might have to go all the way to a ranch. Ranch is a Spanish word borrowed by English speakers that means 鈥渁n establishment maintained for raising livestock under range conditions.鈥� For this trope, check out , about a rancher who unexpectedly meets the love of her life
10. second chance
In ,聽a woman returns to her hometown to help her mother move and is surprised to be reunited with her ex. This is called a second chance romance, and it鈥檚 a Hallmark staple.聽贬别谤别,听chance means 鈥渁n opportune or favorable time; opportunity.鈥� Whether the characters were childhood sweethearts who鈥檝e grown up or exes giving it another go, there鈥檚 always another chance underneath the mistletoe.
11. small business
Nothing promotes small businesses quite like a holiday movie. These characters are bakers, designers, inn keepers, and even the owners of the local restaurant, as in , a movie about a quest to save a beloved Chinese restaurant that ends in romance. It might surprise you to know that the term small business is an American English invention circa 1910, but it won鈥檛 shock you even a little bit when saving the family business helps the movie heroes learn the true meaning of Christmas.
12. reunion
How about a ? Or, maybe you鈥檇 prefer 聽about reunited best friends? Either way, a reunion, or 鈥渢he act of reuniting,鈥� is kind of a big deal in Hallmark holiday movies. The reunion, usually at a Christmas party or on a snow-covered street downtown, is the catalyst for the holiday romance audiences crave.
13. Christmas wish
A Christmas wish is kind of like a regular wish, except it might be granted by Santa Claus, a magic star, or even one of the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, or Future. If you wish for something, that means you 鈥渨ant, desire, or long for鈥� it. (Sometimes, in holiday romance tradition, the wish might come from other people as well, like in the pun-inspired title .) In , the protagonist wishes for a year without Christmas and then must work to undo the wish鈥攚hich has turned the world black and white.
14. matchmaker
It isn鈥檛 just mistletoe that brings people together during the holidays. Sometimes there are actual matchmakers involved, like in , in which a matchmaker unknowingly connects two competing small business owners. Tropes abound! A matchmaker is 鈥渁 person who arranges or tries to arrange marriages by introducing potential mates.鈥� The term has existed in English since the 1630s.
15. secret identity
Just because holiday movies are wholesome doesn鈥檛 mean the characters can鈥檛 have a secret or two. One trope is the secret identity, in which knowledge about one love interest is kept from the other. Think: a royal or heir who heads off to the snowy mountain town and doesn鈥檛 reveal their true identity until the end or an undercover pop star, like in the movie
16. family recipe
From Christmas cookies to latkes, no holiday movie is complete without a family recipe. These 鈥渋nstructions for making or preparing something鈥� might also provide the recipe for true love. Or, they could offer a little drama that brings the characters together, like in the Hallmark movie 聽in which a famous family recipe gets stolen. Oh, the drama!
17. overworked
No Hallmark holiday movie word list would be complete if we didn鈥檛 give a shout out to the overworked career person. This trope includes a character who works relentlessly at the expense of their quality of life, as seen in . This movie, Hallmark鈥檚 first featuring a same-sex couple, is about a career-driven businessman who falls for the guy next door. This trope is as classic to Hallmark movies as twinkling lights and snow, and we wouldn鈥檛 have it any other way.
