The vacation season means gifts , unstinted meal , stocking stuffers , and what seem to be literally hundreds of holiday - theme film running in perpetuity on the Hallmark Channel , which has come to interchange footage of acrackling fireplaceas the background noise of selection for cosy evenings indoors . Last class , some 70 million peoplewatchedHallmark ’s holiday programing block . If you ’re curious how thenetworkmanages to piece films likeCheck Inn to Christmas , Christmas at Graceland : household for the Holidays , andSense , Sensibility & Snowmenwith such efficiency — a total of 40 newfangled films willdebutthis season on the Hallmark Channel , Hallmark Movies and Mysteries , and Hallmark Movies Now — keep reading .
1. The Hallmark Channel Christmas movie tradition started with ABC.
The idea of unspooling a uninterrupted streak of holiday filmsstartedin the 1990s , when ABC outgrowth connection ABC Family depart a " 25 Days of Christmas " computer programming promotion that would go on to sport the the likes of of Joey Lawrence and Mario Lopez . The Hallmark Channel , which launch in 2001 , did n’t full bosom the conception until 2011 , when ABC Family prompt away from the construct in an effort to invoke to teen looker .
2. Most Hallmark Channel Christmas movies are shot in Canada.
Tomaximizetheir $ 2 million budget , most Hallmark Channel holiday features are shot in Canada , where tax breaks can unfold the dollar . Wintry Vancouver is a pop address , though films have also been shot in Montreal and Toronto . One pic , 2018’sChristmas at the Palace , wasshotin Romania to take vantage of the country ’s castle .
3. Each Hallmark Channel Christmas movie only takes a couple of weeks to film.
If you ’re wondering why a vacation movie on canonical cable can on a regular basis attract — and keep — a lean of talent ranging from Candace Cameron Bure to Lacey Chabert , the answer is partly scheduling . Most Hallmark vacation picture show take just two to three weeks toshoot , think actors do n’t have to place months out of the twelvemonth to a project . Actors likeRachael Leigh Cook , who stars in this year’sA Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas , have also compliment the channel on giving them opportunities to be with their families while on localization : Cook said that the production agenda allowed her time toFaceTimewith family back home .
4. Hallmark Channel Christmas movies use a variety of tricks to create snow.
Even more pervasive thanDean Cainin the Hallmark Channel Christmas line - up is snow . Because some of the celluloid inject in the summertime , it ’s not always possible to achieve that pulverization naturally . producer employ a variety of magic tosimulatesnowfall , including snowfall cover that mimic the real thing when laid out ; froth ; commercial reproduction snow ; crushed limestone ; and ice shavings . worker might also get covered with soapy bubbles for skinny - ups . The distinctive budget for snow per movie is around $ 50,000 .
5. There’s a psychological reason why Hallmark Channel Christmas movies are so addictive.
Like a drug , Hallmark Channel Christmas movies cater a neurological reward . Speaking with CNBC in 2019 , Pamela Rutledge , behavioral scientist , director of the Media Psychology Research Center , and a faculty member in the Media Psychology department at Fielding Graduate University , explainedthat the formulaic plot of ground and predictability of the films is rewarding , especially when viewers are try out to disentangle from the tension of the vacation time of year . “ The lack of realness at all levels , from game to yield , signals that the picture show are meant to be escape entertainment , ” Rutledge suppose . “ The genre is well - defined , and our expectations follow . This enable us to set aside unbelief . ”
6. Hallmark Channel Christmas movie fans now have their own convention.
7. Hallmark Channel Christmas movies are helping keep cable afloat.
In an epoch ofcord - cuttingand streaming apps , more and more people are deform away from line tv , prefer to line up up programming when they desire it . But viewers of Hallmark Channel ’s holiday offerings often tune in as the movie is airing . In 2016 , 4 million viewerswatchedthe line - up “ live . ” One cause might be the communal nature of the movie . People incline to look out holiday - orient programing in groups , tuning in as they air . The issue ? For the fourth tail of 2018 , the Hallmark Channel was the most - watch line internet among women 18 to 49 and 25 to 54 , evenoutpacingbroadcast internet programming on Saturday nights .
8. You can get paid to watch Hallmark Channel Christmas movies.
