'Tis The Season

Every year when the leaves start to turn and the temperature starts to drop I get excited because I know it's almost time for one of my favorite traditions...the annual viewing of the painfully cheesy yet somehow touching holiday TV movies. About this time I start doing weekly searches of the Hallmark, Lifetime, and Family Channel schedules because they start playing these things like 24 hours a day leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Now, I'm not making an argument that they are quality entertainment, but much like the Holiday foods that are staples of the season, they just good even if they aren't good for you. So, if you decide to partake, here are a few things to look for.

• They usually have some vaguely holiday title involving the word miracle, such as "Mrs. Miracle," "A Season for Miracles," or "Our Christmas Miracle."
• They typically involve some element of magic - santa is real, miracles are real (see above titles), or angels are real.
• Often the main characters are orphaned or partially orphaned children, single parents, and kindly older neighbors, relatives or strangers that have a slightly magic quality (see above note on magic).
• The best ones have a little bit of romance where some lonely soul learns the true meaning of the season and falls in love with the previously mentioned single parent and partially orphaned child.
• They often star previously famous TV stars from shows past. Some examples include Dean Cain, James Van Der Beek, Doris Roberts, and Henry Winkler .

If you find any combination of the above, you are in for a treat. It may be so cheesy at times that you have to look away from the screen, but you might be a little dead inside if these don't tug at the heartstings even a little. Happy Holidays!