I am the biggest fan of Christmas out there. I set up all my decorations and tree the day after Thanksgiving. Almost every room has Christmas decorations (except my sons' - they are grinches). One of the best parts of Christmas is yes, the sappy movies.
But... there are things I hate about those movies. If you're going to write/produce a Christmas story, please DON'T do these:
1. Have the hero be able to save Christmas with Santa by re-wiring the electrical panel by twisting two wires together. Yeah, it ain't that simple. I'm not an electrician, although I have a cousin who is, so I KNOW it's not that easy. Just make it a tripped breaker. If you don't know what that means, you need to talk to a professional. Throwing in something you haven't researched only irritates readers who can see through it. Don't go for the quick, easy way. If something is too complicated, then simplify.
2. Have the two love interests do the following: have a 'surprise' snowball hit, 'suddenly' bump (as in spill the coffee all over them) at an awkward or convenient time, or win a contest for something where they're up against the people who win every year. I roll my eyes but I really want to gag.
3. Introduce a last-minute 'magical' element to save the story. If there's magic all through the story, I'm good with that; I believe in the magic of the season. It's the holiday of miracles- but not a last minute pull-the-rabbit-out-of-the-hat to save the day magic. It's hokey and a lazy way out. The fans aren't pleased.
4. No snow in places where it's not supposed to be, like California (unless it's in the mountains). Even in The Year Without a Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus had to enlist the help of Mother Nature. Again, unless there's a magical element, it's tooooo convenient. (Almost) everyone wants a white Christmas, but statistically, it doesn't happen a lot, especially as global climate change has us wearing a light sweater in December rather than mittens and boots. I get the whole ambiance of the idea, but seeing sheets of cotton doesn't feel like Christmas.
5. The decorations. I LOVE Christmas decorations, but it seems the decorations in the movies are either made up of too sparsely decorated trees with not enough ornaments or lights, to places where there are bows on the kitchen cabinets. Who hangs garland from every single doorway? I have never seen real people do that. I know some people who have so much going on in their homes it looks like a Christmas store, but in the movies EVERYONE decorates to the max. And this is a pet peeve- fake snow that is too obviously fake. Cotton does not look like snow, especially when someone steps on a blanket of it. I understand there can't be real snow since most of the movies are filmed in warm locations or seasons without snow, but at least don't have the actors walk on the blankets. Have them walk up a clean walkway and then it's a little easier for me to believe that's snow.
I'm writing two Christmas stories so I have Lifetime and Hallmark movies on to help remind me not to do the above. Ultimately, I love sappy movies even with a few plot faux pas because they put me in the Christmas mood.
Blessings of the season-
Char
