I’m sure you’re aware of all the Christmas romance movies that Hallmark airs on television before Thanksgiving into the New Year. Christmas romance novellas and novels also show up on bookstore shelves and on social media sites and can easily been found on Goodreads and Amazon between Thanksgiving and Christmas. So, what is it about romance stories that take place during the Christmas holiday that glues people to the television set or to the pages of a book?
I believe there are three reasons people, and particularly women, can’t get enough romance stories set during the Christmas holiday, and we’ll look at these one at a time:
1) The Magic of Christmas
This is a secular concept where you can make a wish upon a star or send a letter to Santa to get what you’re looking for. Christmas has been touted as a time when dreams and wishes come true, if you just believe in Santa Claus delivering your much wanted item to your door while you sleep on Christmas Eve, or believe in wishes coming true simply because Christmas is advertised and promoted to be magical. I already mentioned the Hallmark movies, but there are classic movies that include Christmas romance as well, such as White Christmas and Miracle on 34th Street. All you have to do is believe in the Magic of Christmas and you’ll find love.
2) The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
When people are generally happy and will give you a cheerful greeting on the street. When people are feeling more generous and are more willing to lend a helping hand or provide something for someone in need. Nonprofit organizations send out flyers or have tables in store foyers seeking donations to help the needy. Christmas music is played over store loudspeakers or via church bells in the local town, and on the radio. Most people think of a chill in the air and the beauty of a freshly fallen sparkling white snow on the ground, and snuggling by the fire in the fireplace drinking hot chocolate. So many wonderful happy pictures are painted in her minds through the music, movies, books, and advertisements of the Christmas holiday, when even the Grinch and Ebenezer Scrooge find room to be generous, loving, and happy.
3) Jesus Christ, the Savior
To those who know and believe the Word of God, this is the best and most important reason to celebrate Christmas. We believe that God sent His one and only Son to earth around the time that Christmas is celebrated. Why? Because God saw that people needed a Savior – a way to be reconciled from their miserable sinfulness to God, the one who is the only source of true love. Jesus Christ – the true meaning of Christmas, the one who not only brought and offered love, but who is the very embodiment and example of real, true love. He came to live among us and show us how to love one another and how to live with the hope of one day spending eternity with Him, Jesus, the one who laid down his life for each and every one of us; the one who showed us that real love is sacrificial and priceless, and this is the kind of love we all hope and long for.
As a believer in Jesus Christ, I have found The Nativity Story movie, written by Mike Rich, directed by Catherine Hardwicke, and released in 2006, from which I used a picture above, to be my absolute favorite Christmas movie of all time. Though it does not include a typical romance, I think the way Mr. Rich depicted the relationship between Mary and Joseph was so perfect and touching. So, if you’re looking for inspiration for writing a romance story, you might want to consider watching this movie and paying attention to the interaction between the characters of Mary and Joseph.
No matter which of these reasons is your reason to seek and enjoy Christmas romance, they all have a “feel good” sentiment, which is what romance readers want. That’s what I believe makes Christmas romance stories so popular—all people want to be accepted, loved, and happy. So no matter which of the reasons above is your reason for watching Christmas movies, listening to Christmas music, or reading Christmas romance novels, you will find the magic of Christmas is love.
Kelly F. Barr lives in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. She is married and has three sons. She writes historical romance. She has also been a blogger for ten years, and every Friday, you can find her Flash Fiction stories posted for your reading pleasure. She loves her family, including the family dog, books, walks, and chai lattes.
You can find her online at:
Website: kellyfbarr.com
MeWe: KellyBarr8
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