Picture it now.

You’re walking down the steps of a grand palace wearing a beautiful gown, maybe it’s hand sewn by the shy maid you formed a friendship with.

At the bottom of the stairs a prince who could never accept their duty stares at you. You realize that, although there was a rivalry between you both at the beginning, you have come to care for them.

They take your hand and lead you into the ballroom. You dance.

The prince’s fiance that they are literally cheating on is aghast. They have every right to be and yet you are our protagonist and they our villain.

Is this wattpad fanfiction? No. It’s a Hallmark Movie.

As the Holiday season progresses we turn to our favorite movies which celebrate this time of the year.

Maybe it is Home Alone or A Christmas Story. Perhaps you cry during It’s a Wonderful Life.

Or maybe it is the experts at Hallmark Channel to which you bow.

Since Hallmark’s “Countdown to Christmas” began on Oct. 24, each movie has drawn millions of viewers according to a Vulture News article by Josef Adalian entitled How Hallmark Keeps Winning the War for Christmas.

The question is why. These movies are not good and that is not an opinion. They are cheesy and shallow and the acting is sub par and yet they are infinitely enjoyable.

This year in particular I found myself turning to them, occasionally when I had many other things to do. Actually I always had other things to do. That’s because they are the perfect brain break. The perfect place to go when the world isn’t what you need it to be.

Hallmark movies are happy endings and while corny, the stories are heartfelt.

There is a certain guilt you feel for enjoying the story of a prince, who, despite being from some made up country, always has a British accent, falling for the Business Woman™ who doesn’t believe in love.

We know that these are not good movies per se and yet still we watch them. It’s a little like eating french fries when you should be on a diet.

That guilt, just like that you get from eating french fries, is ridiculous, especially this year.

There is no shame in needing an escape. Hallmark movies are a perfect option.

This year has been hard on all of us. As a student I’ve had to tackle the challenges of online learning, something which has been frustrating and exhausting. With hours of zoom and scrolling through the news addictively, things like books and Netflix have become practically lifelines. Books, Netflix, and Hallmark.

“Countdown to Christmas” may be closing with A Christmas Carousel coming out on Dec. 19, and Cross Country Christmas on Dec. 20, but we can still look forward to another escape like this in July when Christmas comes again in Hallmark world.