I’m all about Christmas. Yes, I know Thanksgiving is first and I love that day as well. But Christmas forces the entire world to think of Jesus. Whether they want to or not. I have three trees in my house, and yes, they’re already up. One in the living room with lots of Christian ornaments in pastel colors to match the room, one in the family room with deer antlers and mason jar ornaments to match the cabin decor, and one in my office with seashell ornaments to match my beachy haven.
I finished my first draft of my current book in progress. I took a week off to clear my head, visited with my parents, had lunch with my cousin, her mom, and mine. Now I have two weeks to revise it and get it turned in by November 15th. Then I’ll spend more time with my parents and have lunch and shopping days with my patient friends I’ve been putting off. Then what will I do? Why watch Christmas movies of course.
We stream TV these days and the service we use is $50 a month. Cable is unavailable where we live and I think it costs more than that anyway. We used to have a satellite, which was $70 and we couldn’t find anything to watch. This service has everything we enjoy, except Hallmark. Up until now, I’ve been adding a $20 service every two months that has Hallmark, so I can catch up on the movies. I was really excited to learn of the new Frndly streaming service. For $5.99 you get 12 family friendly channels including all three Hallmark channels. Merry Christmas to me.
Yes, I know some of the movies are predictible, but they’re clean. You don’t have to worry about people falling into bed, though they are getting kind of liberal in a few areas I won’t get into here. For the most part, the movies are a safe haven and I often get book ideas from them. When something predictible happens, I try to fix it in my mind. And boom, I’ve got a book. This year, I found four movies based on inspirational romance books. Yes, they usually take out all the Christian elements and the book is pretty much always better than the movie. But inspy romance books turned into movies gives a shout out for the authors and for the genre.
I’m really excited about Love, Alaska. It’s based on An Alaskan Christmas by Belle Calhoune. This is a Love Inspired title. Hey, that’s the line I write for. So this movie gives me hope that my dream will come true, that one of my books will someday be made into a movie. I even have a Christmas one already published. Love, Alaska premiered on Oct 26th, on UPtv. And I don’t have that channel. But the $20 service I mentioned has it, so I may have to subscribe again long enough to watch the movie.
Here’s the synopsis: It may not be the happiest of circumstances but two childhood friends, Maggie and Finn, have come home and are reunited in Love, Alaska. While starting their lives again and dealing with their pasts, will these two get a second chance at love?
I’m even more excited about Christmas on My Mind. It’s based on one of my
favorite books by one of my favorite authors, The Goodbye Bride by Denise Hunter. The movie premieres Dec 19th on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.
Here’s the synopsis: When Lucy wakes up with a wedding dress in hand, she believes that she is late to her wedding with her ex-boyfriend Zac. However, she has no recollection of the past two years, including the fact that she is engaged to another man. With Zac’s help, Lucy sets off on an adventure in Bedford Harbor to fill the gaps in her memory, and finds old romantic feelings reigniting during the Christmas season.
This one surprised me because I thought the author only wrote Romantic Suspense. Picture a Perfect Christmas is based on A Family Under the Christmas Tree by Terri Reed. It premieres Nov 9th on Hallmark Channel.
Here’s the synopsis: The movie centers around an extreme sports photographer who returns home for the holiday to look after her grandmother and ends up lending a helping hand to a neighbor who needs assistance watching his nephew.
I’m including A Godwink Christmas: Meant for Love on my list. I couldn’t determine exactly what book it’s based on since the list I found said, The “Godwink” book series by Squire Rushnell and Louise DuArt. But the Godwink series is published by Howard Books, a Christian publisher. And I watched a Godwink movie last year and enjoyed the spiritual message entwined the in the story. It premieres Nove 15th on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries
Here’s the synopsis: Multiple coincidences and a chance meeting bring Alice (Busby) and Jack (Hollingsworth),
two strangers from very different family backgrounds, together for a weekend wedding celebration. Encouraged by her family, led by mom Olga (Gifford), Alice slowly lets go of her reservations about meeting someone new following a failed long-distance relationship. Meanwhile, more and more Godwinks – those coincidences that aren’t really coincidences at all – bring Alice and Jack closer as each attempts to balance the newfound attraction with their complicated professional lives.
I recently learned that Lifetime has Christmas movies too. I have that channel and will be checking it out soon. I DVR all the movies I want to watch and then watch when I have time. I’m trying to get into a routine of watching them daily while I treadmill, so we’ll see how that goes.
So what about you? Do you like Christmas movies, Hallmark movies? What’s your favorite? What’s your favorite book turned into a movie. Answer and I’ll put you in the drawing for my Christmas title: A Texas Holiday Reunion.
Award winning author, Shannon Taylor Vannatter writes contemporary Christian cowboy romance and has over a dozen published titles. A romance reader since her teens, she hopes to entertain Christian women and plant seeds in the non-believer’s heart as she demonstrates that love doesn’t conquer all—Jesus does. She gleans fodder for her fiction in rural Arkansas where she spent her teenage summers working the concession stand with her rodeo announcing dad and married a Texan who morphed into a pastor. In her spare time, she loves hanging out with her husband and son, flea marketing, and doing craft projects.
We don’t get as many Christmas movies here and often they are repeats but a couple weeks before Christmas one channel has midday Christmas movies. I don’t pay for live streaming services as I really can’t afford them.
I enjoyed the movies from Robin Jones Gunns books about Finding Father Christmas and Engaging Father Christmas.
The one you mention set in Alaska would be good to see as I love anything Alaska.
Hi Shannon, wow three trees- it would be fun putting them up and decorating them all:) We only put a tree up if we are staying home for Christmas- so the boys like it when we do!!
We don’t have a lot of Christmas movies here, nor is there a Hallmark channel. One that always comes to mind is an old Australian Christmas movie called Bushfire Moon. It is a sweet kids movie set in colonial Australia- we watch it each year as a family. I also enjoy The Polar Express- neither are typical Christmas movies I suppose!!
Blessings:)
I don’t watch much tv so I haven’t seen hallmark movies. I would say Hunger games is my favorite book turned movie.
I’m excited about all of them! I’m going to reread The Goodbye Bride before the movie starts. :)
We sign up for PlayStation Vue each year to watch Kentucky football. I usually manage to watch a few Hallmark Christmas movies during that time. I don’t have a favorite. I have to admit I think most of them are cheesy yet I still manage to enjoy them. ;-) The only one I’ve seen that I know was based on a book is The Bridge. I had read the book first. It was, of course, better than the movie, but both were enjoyable.
My friend Lesley Ann McDaniel’s movie Home Sweet Home, based on her novel Home for the Holidays, has been filmed and will release “soon.”
I enjoy Christmas movies. We subscribe to a package that includes three Hallmark channels and UP. They all have good movies, but I’ll admit, I’m almost Christmas movie’d out already. I will probably only watch the ones that really interest me.
I love Christmas movies and I love Christmas stories! When I was still in the workforce most of my holiday story reading was done after Christmas and I could prolong the holidays over into January. Since I now have more time I have already read a few Christmas books and I’m eager to read more.
Thanks for your giveaway!
I record and watch the Hallmark movies later when I have time. The only problem with that scenario is when something goes wrong and all your recordings disappear. This just happened to us. We don’t know why, and the satellite service person didn’t have a solution. Thankfully, we found most of what we had recorded available On Demand. That has it’s drawbacks because you can’t fast forward through commercials. I did lose a couple of things we can’t find anywhere. I had recorded the movie based on Belle’s book and lost it, but it available On Demand.
Hi, Shannon!!! I watch my cable at the hotel where I work. I don’t get to concentrate on them, but usually get enough to enjoy them. The Alaska movie was fun. Thanx for the giveaway!!!
Oh thank you for the list of all the movies you’ll be watching based on books! I can write those down for myself to be on the lookout for them. I knew about Terri Reed’s because I read the book (loved it!) and am on her street team. Can’t wait for Saturday when it premiers !!
Have you seen Denise Hunter’s “A December Bride” based off her book?? I have watched that for the last two years, you’ll even see her husband & her at the very end of the movie for a brief moment. I’m also very excited about “The Goodbye Bride”….while I haven’t read the book (it’s on my list), I love her writing and can’t wait for the movie.
I love that more and more streaming services are coming out! We have cable because we got a special bundle deal two years ago when we bought our house & didn’t have cable at the time. But I know once that promotion is over, it will much more then we’re willing to pay for channels we don’t even watch! So cutting the cable cord is becoming more & more appealing :-) I subscribe to Netflix and Hulu on our Roku device and I’d love to add Acorn TV & sign up for Amazon Prime. I’ll have to check out Frndly!! Sounds like something my husband and I would enjoy. We both love the shows on Hallmark Mysteries & Movies. I only watch a few Hallmark Christmas movies, I can only do cheesy & predictable in small amounts…lol! No offense to those who love/binge watch them.
Thanks for the fun discussion about Christmas movies and TV shows! I’m definitely ready to watch a few here & there :-)
I don’t get to watch Hallmark channels in Brazil, but every now and then Netflix has a good selection (though usually the same movies, but a few more around Christmas than other times of the year). I enjoy Christmas movies /books just like any other season. I’m more about the story… though I really love Christmas time of the year.
I’m excited to see more Christian writers getting their books out there as movies. I hope people look for their books too.. (even if just a few).
I just learned something from you, Ausjenny. I didn’t knnow the Father Christmas movies were based on Robin’s books. I guess I didn’t read the credits when I watched them. I’m glad you get Christmas movies for a few weeks at least.
Hey Wemble, I’ll share pictures of my trees in my December post. I’m so sad you don’t have the Hallmark channel. A blessing I didn’t know to count. I haven’t seen Bushfire Moon. My husband loves The Polar Express. We’ve seen it so many times, me and our son are tired of it. But we humor my husband and watch it each year.
I’m pretty happy not watching TV. But it de-stresses my husband, so we watch together at night. I record the Hallmark movies then watch when I have time and they de-stress me.
Me too, Toni. I love that book.
Oh no, Sherri, PlayStation Vue just bit the dust. But I’m sure you can find your games somewhere else. I agree most of them are cheesy, but they’re clean. My favorite book turned into a movie is December Bride based on a Denise Hunter book. I also love Dashing thru the Snow based on a Debbie Macomber book. My all time favorite Hallmark Christmas movie is Seven Year Hitch. And a close second is the Shoe Addict’s Christmas which is also based on a book. I haven’t read it, since I limit my reading to Christian novels. But I love the movie because I love shoes. And like the heroine, I can put on a pair of shoes and remember a special place I wore them or something that happened. I hate retiring my shoes when they get scuffed or worn because they hold memories.
Ooh, how did I miss that one, Valerie? I’ll have to add it to my record list.
There are so many of them, Kimberly. I try to watch them all, but it’s a race to do it before Christmas. I’ve tried watching them out of season, but it’s just not the same. I’ll admit I watch more TV from Oct – Dec than any other time of the year.
I love Christmas books too, Connie. But I can’t read or watch in the summer. The Christmas in July thing doesn’t work for me.
That’s terrible, Merrillee. Where do you find them on demand in case it happens to me?
That’s cool, Jennifer. I’d be running guests off. “Um, can you come back once my movie is over?” I’ve got that one recorded. I can’t wait until I get to binge on Christmas movies. Just a few more weeks. They help declutter my brain, so I can start the next book.
Yes Trixi, The December Bride is one of my favorites. I’ve read all of Denise’s books. You’ll love the Goodbye Bride. The books are usually better, so you should read it too. And I saw them at the end. I’ve met her at a writer’s conference. That’s one of the awesome things about conferences is meeting my favorite writers. I try to play it cool and not go fan girl, but it’s hard. I’m not familiar with Acorn. I’ll have to check that out. That’s why I love the movies based on books, they skip the cheesy and predictible.
I’m glad you can get some Christmas movies, Priscila. I’m more about story too, but I love Christmas. Yes, I’m so excited about Christian books turning into movies and hoping people will look for their books. The books are always better. There’s only so much that can be packed into a two hour movies, so a lot of the story gets lost.
Acorn TV is all British shows!! Who could go wrong with that?? I loved Murdoch Mysteries but they have many, many more shows to discover. Here’s what I found on their website for a description “Acorn TV streams world-class mysteries, dramas, and comedies from Britain and beyond.” And it’s only $5.99 a month, with seven days free trial for new subscribers. :-) I have yet to sign up for it because we do have cable for now and I can borrow many of the DVD’s from my library. But someday I probably will.
Denise Hunter is one author I could binge read! I don’t read too many contemporary fiction books (I’m more of a historical kind of gal), BUT, I have recently discovered Becky Wade (Bradford Sisters series), Bethany Turner, and Liz Johnson latest series (Sparkle of Silver, Glitter of Gold). In the past, I have read many of Karen Kingsbury too. I think for me, I really enjoy wit & humor in books and I haven’t found a lot of authors who can pull that off well. Guess I need to expand my reading a bit, eh? I’d probably find many more :-)
Thanks for the Acorn info, Trixi. Try Melissa Tagg too. I have all of her books, all of Denise’s and all of Becky’s. I haven’t tried Bethany Turner or Liz Johnson. I’ll have to add them to my list. I need to expand my reading too, but I only get to read between deadlines. Sigh.
I don’t get the Hallmark Channel. I’ll watch Christmas movies on ION, and they’re very close to Hallmark movies. My favorites probably won’t be on at all, again, this year. I love White Christmas, Holiday Inn, and the original Miracle on 34th Street. I don’t like movies from books, except Dances With Wolves, because it was exactly as the book was written. There was a Christian movie I watched a few years at Christmas on the local Christian channel, but the book was written AFTER the movie, so that doesn’t count. I loved War Room in the theater, but I think the book was done after the movie there, too. If I see the movie, I don’t usually read the book, and vice versa. The exception was Dances with Wolves, and then it was because my friend and I saw the movie twice (didn’t care about Kevin Costner, could have done without the nudity and language) we missed parts trying to read the subtitles so had to see it to see what we missed the first time. Then, she bought the book, and I had to read it to tell her what I thought.
I’m not familiar with ION, Trudy. So many Christmas movies, so little time. I couldn’t sit through Dances with Wolves. I don’t like when animals get killed, even though I know it’s not real. When they killed his wolf and his horse, I was done. I guess that’s another reason I like Hallmark movies. No pets die :)
I can deal with it knowing it goes with the story, but if it was just animal cruelty, no. I didn’t like those parts, either. I haven’t watched in on TV reruns, either. ION shows reruns of Law and Order, Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds. They have about 4 movies that have Golden Retrievers as very much a big part of the cast, as they help some of the humans get together.
I enjoyed Christmas movies. My favorite movie is The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.
I’ll have to see if I can find it.
I like that one too, Sonnetta. I loved seeing the Fonz in it.
I love all the Hallmark Christmas movies. I also watch the ones on UP and some on Lifetime. Christmas movies all the way.
Hey Lucy. We don’t get UP with the service we have. But we do get Lifetime. I’ve never had it before this year, so I didn’t realize they had Christmas movies until recently.
I get Robin’s newsletter and when the first one was being made there was a lot of info about it and then the next one. The main character from When Calls The Heart is the main character in this movie also. They run fairly similar to the actual book. I love Christmas books and these were great.
I would love to see some of Melody Carlson’s Christmas novella’s made into a book also.
I saw Bushfire Moon at the movies when it first came out. It is a historical with and wealthy family trying to burn a yule log in our summer and back then there was so much bush you can guess what happens.
We use to go on holidays the day after Christmas and we came home to pine needles everywhere. Dad bought an artificial tree so it was easy to take down when we got back. I have a tree but with my two monsters I mean cats not sure how it will go. I did buy a lot of stuff of a Buy swap and sell site (I only wanted one thing but she was moving and I took the box for $20 with her knowing I would be selling it) It has a musical tree that would sit nicely one a table or maybe the mantle away from the cats so I am keeping that for me.
I’m so excited for Picture a Perfect Christmas, and Christmas on My Mind! Love, Alaska is on my DVR and I am really looking forward to watching it! Christmas in Connecticut, and White Christmas are tied for my favorite Christmas movie, no matter how many times I watch them I never get tired of them! 😍
Newsletter readers are always in the know :)
I have one mostly indoor cat but he never has bothered the trees. Or the toilet paper. I’ve always said he’s not your typical cat. He comes when I call him. Most of the time anyway.
You’re a classics kind of girl, Caitlyn. I love old movies. But the guys in my house don’t, so those are something else I watch only when I have time.
I absolutely love Christmas movies and I also love to watch hallmark movies too.
Yes, Danie. I watch hallmark movies year round.