It’s the middle of summer, and while most people are planning beach trips and BBQs, I’ve found myself pulled into something a little less expected—Hallmark Christmas movies.
Yeah, I know. Those “too perfect to be real” love stories that critics love to roll their eyes at. The kind where the snow always falls just right, the misunderstandings resolve themselves before the final commercial break, and the big-city girl always rediscovers the magic of a small town and true love.
Some say they’re cheesy. Predictable. Unrealistic.
And I get it.
For some people, those movies are a reminder of what they never had… or what they lost. For others, it just feels dishonest—like life wrapped in a bow that never existed. Real love is messy. People disappoint us. Happy endings don’t always arrive on schedule.
But maybe that’s why these stories matter.
Because beneath the scripted smiles and picture-perfect snowfalls, Hallmark movies whisper a deeper truth that many of us are too afraid to say out loud:
We still want to believe in love that’s gentle. In people who choose us without games. In the kind of connection that’s safe, simple, and soul-deep.
Call it “vanilla” if you want—but there’s something brave about choosing hope in a world that’s constantly telling us to settle. Something powerful in believing that kindness still wins. That forgiveness is possible. That someone could see the parts of us we try to hide… and still stay.
Maybe that’s why these movies hit differently when life feels a little lonely, or when the world feels like it’s moving too fast. They remind us of something sacred: Love doesn’t have to be loud to be real.
I know what it’s like to hope for that kind of love. To be the guy who still believes that a woman could fall for the man who puts her first—not for how much he has, but for how much he gives. For his loyalty. For his heart.
And maybe that’s why I don’t mock those movies—I relate to them.
So if you’re like me, watching a Christmas movie in July and hoping that kind of connection still exists… you’re not alone. You’re not foolish. And your heart isn’t too soft for this world—it’s just strong enough to keep believing.
And if you hate Hallmark movies? I get it. But maybe, just maybe… what they represent isn’t as far off as it seems.
Maybe we all need a little more Hallmark right now.
Even in July.
Troy P Zehnder 