If you flip on your television during the holidays, whether it be traditional television or through a streaming service, you are likely being bombarded with recommendations for various holiday-themed movies.
It's gotten to the point where even QVC, the channel that sells cookware and slippers on flexible payments, has come out with a Christmas movie.
But what makes these movies so popular?
Segun Oduolowu, host of the "Boston Globe Today," says many of these movies are aspirational.
"It's romance and it's heartfelt," he said. "The locations are like small-town America, and you watch them hoping that your Christmas or your holiday season will be like that. The way everyone is dressed, the houses, the interiors, the throw cushions on the couch, and you want that for your house.
"And to be honest, holiday times can bring a lot of sadness if you're all by yourself, so if you're watching on television at home or in your small little confined apartment, depending on what city you live in, it's really nice to see people having a good time during the holiday season where everything works out."
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In 2023 alone, Entertainment Weekly found that 116 movies were released. The first holiday movies of the season were released on Oct. 14, with new movies coming out all the way to Dec. 24.
One reason there are so many holiday movies is that they are an easy way for networks and streaming services to make money, Oduolowu said.
"The streaming services are using these to not only sell products, not only sell themselves, but the content is just forever," he said. "Everyone from QVC and the Home Shopping Network is in on it. I mean, it doesn't say anything like selling then watching a Christmas movie or a holiday movie on QVC and HSN.
"But Netflix is in on it. Peacock is in on it. Hulu is in on it. Even Fox Nation and the Great American, like, even the conservatives have gotten in on it because, again, it's a money-making machine. They're cheap to produce, a couple million dollars over three weeks, and you can run them ad nauseam."
The genre of Christmas and holiday movies can be vast. For instance, would you consider "Die Hard" a Christmas movie?
"Yes, of course," Oduolowu said. "That is a Christmas movie. The gun taped to his back is done with wrapping paper. It is a Christmas movie. It is a fantastic Christmas movie, arguably the best because we debate it every year."
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