Cue the snowflakes for the happy ending

By: 
Miriam Nelson
News Editor

There’s something about the Hallmark Christmas movies that tugs at the heart strings. The format is always the same where some pour soul is searching for meaning in his or her life. All roads seem to lead to Small Town USA, which holds all the answers to finding romance and living the good life.

You can always tell when the movie is officially over — there’s the look, the kiss and then the snow falls softly as the movie credits roll.

Honestly, I think I’ve seen snowfalls even when the story line takes place among the palm trees in Los Angeles or by the cactus plants in Arizona. As long as it’s Christmas, there seems to be the need for snowfall.

Although I’m a firm believer in happy endings, I find that reality colors my opinion while watching these celluloid tales of true love and happiness. The women prance around snow-covered streets in ridiculously high-heeled boots, and all I can think about is the time I tried to kick an ice chunk out of my way … only to find it had frozen to the sidewalk. My desire to clear the path for my fellow residents saw me flying out of control as the letters in my hand scattered with the wind. Not exactly the grace and ease portrayed in a movie.

True love seems to be elusive for me as well. Officially, I moved home to spend time with my parents in their remaining years. My rose-colored glasses and penchant for happy endings kept the illusion – dare I say delusion? – in my head that romance would find its way to me here in my own Hallmark version of small-town living.

It happens all the time in the movies. It happened with Mom and Dad, who just by chance ended up in the same small town, working in the same place and finding each other. I guess that’s a lot to live up to, so it’s probably best to ground myself back into reality.

I do know that all reports indicate we are in for a long, snowy winter. I’m sure the reality of dealing with that will take up considerable space in my brain, but there will always be a little part that will still believe in happy endings each time the snow starts to fall.