Experts explain appeal of holiday rom-coms
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – a season filled with sweet treats, glowing lights, and, for millions of eager viewers, formulaic romantic comedies.
Hallmark Channel, a leading force in the genre, produced 24 new films for its 2025 holiday lineup. Meanwhile, streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu launched similar titles.
Virginia Tech experts Sarah Ovink and Rose Wesche unpack the reasons audiences keep pressing play on these feel-good films.
The draw of predictability
Holiday romantic comedies appeal to people’s fantasies of “ideal relationships, an ideal world, and a happy holiday season,” said Wesche, an associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science.
Wesche pointed to a 2022 research paper published in "The Journal of Popular Television,” which examined why audiences love Hallmark Christmas movies.
“The answers fell into three themes: celebrating the season; escaping the troubles of the world and their busy lives; and enjoying a wholesome story with happy endings,” Wesche said. “In addition to these themes, the repetitive, predictable plots make them comforting to watch, warm and sweet like a cup of hot cocoa on a snowy night.”
Ovink, an associate professor in the Department of Sociology, said the norms and values of mainstream American culture are strongly oriented toward supporting marriage and family, and during the holidays, audiences may be in the mood for films that provide a “cozy, happily-ever-after fix.”
“Families gathering at the holidays may disagree on politics or pecan vs. pumpkin pie, but they can gather around the family TV to enjoy the lighthearted fun of a holiday-themed Hallmark movie,” Ovink said. “These movies present a snow-globe perfect world where we can vicariously enjoy all the holiday sparkle with none of the mess, and all problems are solved within a 90-minute run time.”
A cozy escape
Along with improving mood, Wesche said Hallmark-style movies may be “just the bit of positivity” individuals need to counteract stress or loneliness.
“In many cases, the plots are far from the average person’s experience, such as a high-powered author being trapped in a Scottish castle at Christmas or a snowman coming to life as a naïve, conventionally hot handyman," she said. “Escapism allows people to immerse themselves in an alternate reality, which provides temporary relief from holiday stressors.”
About Ovink
Sarah Ovink is an associate professor of sociology at Virginia Tech. Her research focuses primarily on inequalities in higher education pathways by race/ethnicity, gender, and income, using mixed methods of inquiry.
About Wesche
Rose Weche is an associate professor of human development and family science at Virginia Tech. Her research focuses on how diverse interpersonal relationships, including friendships, romantic relationships, and casual sexual relationships, are associated with adolescents’ and young adults’ well-being.
Interview
To schedule an interview, contact Jenny Boone at jennykb@vt.edu or 540-314-7207 or Margaret Ashburn at mkashburn@vt.edu or 540-529-0814.
