Where Are You Christmas Magic?

Faith Hill wrote and recorded a beautiful song called "Where Are You Christmas". The lyrics begin... "Where are you Christmas? Why can't I find you? Why have you gone away? Where is the laughter you used to bring me? Why can't I hear music play? My world is changing, I'm rearranging - Does that mean Christmas changes too?" I keep hearing those lyrics in my head as I read all about the Christmas movies for 2021.

This year, more than any other year before, there will be Christmas movies. Not only do we have a new family-friendly rom com network in GAC Family, but Hallmark and Lifetime are providing more movies for the season than ever before. But as I read each movie synopsis from all the networks (GAC Family, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, UPtv, Ion, Lifetime, CBS) I keep asking myself 'where are you Christmas magic?' This morning as I read about GAC Family's latest film to be announced, "A Christmas Star" starring Daniel Lissing and Sara Canning, I found myself hopeful I would find magic, faith, inspiration in this film which will air on December 12. The story is about a woman searching for a once-in-a-lifetime event in the stars, beyond our planet ,and it promises she finds something wonderful. I'm hoping she finds a little Christmas Magic dust.

The last few years of Christmas movies have moved more and more away from Santa, elves, magical stockings, and all things fantasy for the holidays. That's actually happened across the board in all the movies for all the seasons. Rarely, now, do we see a movie where an "unexplained happening" we once called a miracle pops up. Faith, belief, unexplained magic, have given way to stories that could really be plucked out of the Christmas movie and placed down in any season with the right props. And I may have missed one or two, but so far the only movies that may hold a bit of Christmas charm in this regard will be the new "A Mrs. Miracle Christmas" on November 6 on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries and maybe "Miracle in Motor City" on November 28 on Lifetime and "A Christmas Miracle for Daisy" on December 11 on GAC Family. Beyond that, I've noticed two movies with Santa in the title and neither one seems to be about the Big Guy.

So what is it I'm looking for? A bit of "Miracle on 34th Street". Every year, no matter how many movies come out, I watch "Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Clause" , "The Santa Clause", and "Snow". I even ventured over to Netflix the last two years to watch "Christmas Chronicles". I honestly enjoy the fantasy, the childlike wonder, of a movie about Santa. But even more than the fun, I enjoy the themes in these movies. They're always about finding your faith. Learning to believe in something. Connecting with others on a spiritual level. There's the suspension of what we term reality - and a character is forced to venture beyond his or her comfort zone of belief. After two years of quarantines and separation, now more than ever I want to be inspired. I want to spend my precious two hours of movie watching feeling good, and uplifted. I want to watch HOPE. I want MAGIC.

Faith Hill ends her beautiful song with " I feel you Christmas, I know I found you, you never fade away. Oh. The joy of Christmas, stays here inside us, fills each and every heart with love". In years past there were movies that helped me feel all the Christmas feels. Maybe this season I'll find a few more to add to the list of movies I watch every year.

I hope each and every one of you has a Magical, Joyous, Christmas season!