How a Skeptical Critic Came to Love Bad Christmas Movies

Summary

Summary of "How a Skeptical Critic Came to Love Hallmark Christmas Movies" Episode of The Daily

Published on December 24, 2024,

Introduction

In this heartwarming episode of The Daily, hosted by Michael Barbaro, Amanda Hess—a well-known culture critic for The New York Times—shares her unexpected journey from being a staunch critic to becoming an avid fan of Hallmark Christmas movies. The conversation delves into her initial disdain for the genre, the circumstances that led to her change of heart, and the broader implications of these films on audiences and culture.

---

Amanda Hess's Initial Skepticism

Amanda Hess begins by expressing her early skepticism towards Hallmark Christmas movies. She describes them as "very stupid" and "anti-feminist," criticizing their overly sentimental narratives and formulaic plots. Hess felt that these movies reduced women to mere characters whose sole purpose was to find love, often abandoning their careers and ambitions at the touch of Christmas magic.

Notable Quote (05:04)
Amanda Hess: "The women always seemed to exist only to fall in love. Like they would throw away their entire lives as soon as they were touched by the magic of Christmas."

---

The Turning Point

Hess's perspective began to shift under unexpected personal circumstances. When a close friend, an actor in a Hallmark movie, prompted her curiosity, she decided to watch a few of these films during a tumultuous period in her life marked by a loved one's health scare. Feeling "frozen" and seeking comfort, Hess turned to the predictable and uncomplicated narratives of Hallmark movies as a source of solace.

Notable Quote (05:14)
Amanda Hess: "There was like a week where I was waiting for test results to come back, and the worst week ever. I really needed to find something to watch that was really uncomplicated and easy."

---

The Comfort of Predictability

Hess discusses how the rigid formula of Hallmark Christmas movies became a source of comfort during her vulnerable moment. The predictable plotlines allowed her to engage without the stress of unexpected twists, providing a reliable escape from her personal anxieties.

Notable Quote (12:27)
Amanda Hess: "I started to get really invested in, like, predicting when the next predictable plot point was gonna happen. And I think, like, at this point, if I watched a Hallmark Christmas movie and they went back to the man's house and it was not decorated for Christmas, I would be pissed."

---

Understanding the Hallmark Formula

The discussion delves into the typical structure of Hallmark Christmas movies, highlighting common elements such as:

• Protagonist: Usually a big-city professional woman in her 30s facing a crossroads between career and personal life.
• Setting: A quaint small town with festive decorations.
• Love Interest: Often a handsome, down-to-earth man who contrasts with the protagonist's urban lifestyle.
• Conflict: The protagonist must choose between returning to her high-powered job or embracing a simpler life with the love interest.
• Resolution: A heartfelt reconciliation that usually results in love prevailing without significant life sacrifices.

Notable Quote (12:14)
Amy Hess: "There's something really satisfying about them hitting every single one of the beats every single time over and over again for hundreds and hundreds of movies. Like, there's very little variation, and it's kind of like completing a paint by numbers craft."

---

Evolution of the Genre: Netflix vs. Hallmark

Hess contrasts Hallmark's traditional formula with Netflix's more recent foray into Christmas movies. Netflix introduces twists such as increased emphasis on comedy, more risque elements, and familiar sitcom actors to cater to a younger, millennial audience. These adaptations reflect an attempt to modernize the genre while retaining its core appeal.

Notable Quote (19:12)
Amanda Hess: "Netflix's Christmas offerings are meeting its audience where they're at a little bit more. So there are more, like, sexual situations, even if there's not, like, a sex scene. There are more jokes."

---

Audience Reception and Personal Reflection

Amanda Hess shares the overwhelming positive response to her essay, "How I Aged into the Bad Christmas Movie," revealing that many readers resonated with her experience. Email testimonials highlight how these movies have become a new form of tradition and comfort for individuals navigating personal challenges.

Notable Quote (23:33)
Amanda Hess: "Boy, was it bad. I loved it and watched another right after it and cried. Thank you for the article. Spot on for me."

---

Cultural Implications and Personal Growth

The episode explores what Hess's transformation reveals about broader societal needs for predictability and comfort in media. Hess acknowledges that her shift towards appreciating these films signifies a personal openness to sentimental narratives, contrasting with her earlier view of prioritizing career over personal fulfillment.

Notable Quote (15:59)
Amanda Hess: "I definitely know now more than I did before that like work is not going to love you back."

---

Conclusion: Embracing the Unexpected

Amanda Hess concludes by embracing her newfound appreciation for Hallmark Christmas movies, recognizing them as a consistent source of comfort and joy. While she may not regard them as classics, Hess commits to watching these films annually, acknowledging their role in providing solace and a sense of community among viewers.

Notable Quote (26:58)
Amanda Hess: "I think it is. I sound so depressed when I say that. I mean, I think, you know, it's like none of these movies will become my classic Christmas movie that I watch every year, but I will watch a movie that is nearly identical when it comes out next year. I'll watch 12 of them."

---

Final Thoughts

This episode of The Daily offers a nuanced exploration of how even the most seemingly unappealing media can find meaningful resonance in an individual's life. Through Amanda Hess's candid reflections, listeners gain insight into the transformative power of storytelling and the universal quest for comfort and predictability during the holiday season.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Amanda Hess (05:04): "The women always seemed to exist only to fall in love. Like they would throw away their entire lives as soon as they were touched by the magic of Christmas."
• Amanda Hess (05:14): "There was like a week where I was waiting for test results to come back, and the worst week ever. I really needed to find something to watch that was really uncomplicated and easy."
• Amanda Hess (12:14): "There's something really satisfying about them hitting every single one of the beats every single time over and over again for hundreds and hundreds of movies."
• Amanda Hess (19:12): "Netflix's Christmas offerings are meeting its audience where they're at a little bit more. So there are more, like, sexual situations, even if there's not, like, a sex scene. There are more jokes."
• Amanda Hess (23:33): "Boy, was it bad. I loved it and watched another right after it and cried. Thank you for the article. Spot on for me."
• Amanda Hess (15:59): "I definitely know now more than I did before that like work is not going to love you back."
• Amanda Hess (26:58): "I think it is. I sound so depressed when I say that. I mean, I think, you know, it's like none of these movies will become my classic Christmas movie that I watch every year, but I will watch a movie that is nearly identical when it comes out next year. I'll watch 12 of them."

---

This comprehensive summary captures the essence of Amanda Hess's reflections on her evolving relationship with Hallmark Christmas movies, providing listeners with an in-depth understanding of the episode's key discussions and insights.

Transcript

[T. Rowe Price Narrator]

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[Michael Balbaro]

From the new York Times, I'm Michael Balbaro. This is the Daily today, the story of how a big city culture critic Amanda Hess found love where she least expected it, in the monotony of Hallmark's Christmas movies. It's Tuesday, December 24th. Amanda, thank you for coming into the studio.

[Amanda Hess]

Thank you so much for having me.

[Michael Balbaro]

This is your first time on the show. This is the thing we get to do at the end of the year. We get to bring on everybody who's never been on the show but who we secretly have wanted to be on the show.

[Amanda Hess]

This is my Christmas wish come true.

[Michael Balbaro]

You write about culture for the Times. You're a critic, and you're here today to talk about a subject that, I'll be honest, I don't think I, or many of us on the show ever imagined might be an episode of the Daily. You are going to be providing an exploration, a meditation, whatever you want to call it, a kind of study of the made for TV Christmas movie, which you contend has not quite gotten the critical attention that it deserves. And specifically, you're going to be talking to us here about that most familiar brand of made for TV Christmas movie, the Hallmark Channel Christmas movie. That is our subject today.

[Amanda Hess]

Yes.

[Michael Balbaro]

How do you justify that?

[Amanda Hess]

I wasn't always this way. I think I was always, I was always interested in Hallmark Christmas movies on a meta level, but I was not interested in sitting down and watching them for an hour and a half or.

[Michael Balbaro]

Talking about them on the Daily.

[Amanda Hess]

Yeah, right. But that changed this year, and now I still think they're bad, but I really like watching them.

[Michael Balbaro]

Well, before we get to how you became this person who watches these movies, I want you to describe, especially for the unacquainted, this entire universe of made for TV movies. Just give us a little bit of background about it.

[Amanda Hess]

Well, like you said, we're really talking about a category that was pioneered by the Hallmark Channel and is still dominated by that channel. Hallmark produces dozens of these made for TV Christmas movies every year in 2024, they released 32 of them. And one can imagine that they're not putting a huge amount of production into these movies. They kind of seem like they each have the budget for like one Snow Flurry. A movie.

[Michael Balbaro]

One Fake snowstorm. Exactly. What are the names of some of these movies? Just so we know what we're talking.

[Amanda Hess]

About here, let me pull up a list of them. Lucky Christmas, the Case for Christmas, A Christmas Wedding Tale. That one's about dogs. A Christmas Wish, Holiday Engagement, the Christmas Pageant, Christmas Magic, Christmas Sun Matchmaker Santa. It's Christmas Carol.

[Michael Balbaro]

It's Christmas comma Carol.

[Amanda Hess]

Yes.

[Michael Balbaro]

There's not a lot of variation in this titling.

[Amanda Hess]

No. These movies are very similar to each other.

[Michael Balbaro]

So I want to now dive into this journey that you have been on with these movies. What had been your relationship to them up until quite recently?

[Amanda Hess]

When I first became aware of them, I thought they were very stupid. They seemed anti feminist to me and really, really sentimental. Have you watched a lot of them? I had seen maybe a combined five minutes of these movies, but it was enough to understand what was happening. And the women always seemed to exist only to fall in love. Like they would throw away their entire lives as soon as they were touched by the magic of Christmas.

[Michael Balbaro]

But then, as the narrator of a movie might say, one fateful day, things change for you. So tell us that story.

[Amanda Hess]

So a couple of months ago, I learned that someone I know who's an actor in New York appeared in a Hallmark Christmas movie. And the next time I saw him, I was like interrogating him about it. I was like, did you wear a scarf? Did you wear a flannel shirt? Like, how many costume changes did you have? What colors were you wearing? Did they use the same set for every Christmas movie and just like, turn it over? And as I was asking him this, he said, do you like Hallmark Christmas movies? And I said no, even though clearly I was very interested in them. And so I decided that this year maybe I would actually watch a few of them. And it turned out that by the time I sat down to do that, I was in this place in November where someone very close to me had a health scare and they ended up being completely fine. But there was like a week where I was waiting for test results to come back, and the worst week ever. Yeah, I was so frozen as a person, and I really needed to find something to watch that was really uncomplicated and easy. And I found that there was nothing easier than watching these Christmas movies. And. And I came out of the experience. Really starting to like them.

[Michael Balbaro]

Hmm. Well, just explain that. I mean, unpack for us why these movies were such a balm for you in this vulnerable moment.

[Amanda Hess]

Well, so they do have this very recognizable formula, and there are some variations, but in the classic one, there's a big city woman who's in her 30s, which in these movies is, like, she's getting a little long in the tooth. Like, you know, she needs to find love fast, but she has her career that she loves.

[Michael Balbaro]

Marianne, why do you think it is.

[Amanda Hess]

You and I are the top female lawyers in the city? Because we never give up. I thought you were gonna say because we're very powerful, independent women who don't rely on anyone to do our dirty work. Even though she's a little miserable in it, Deep down, we're looking for unique.

[Michael Balbaro]

Individuals whose lifestyles are flexible and can keep up with the demand.

[Amanda Hess]

That sounds like me in every way.

[Michael Balbaro]

Great. So what I really need to know is, how available are you?

[Amanda Hess]

I'm very, very available.

[Michael Balbaro]

Even during the holidays?

[Amanda Hess]

Yeah.

[Michael Balbaro]

What about family, partner, household pets? Are they okay with this?

[T. Rowe Price Narrator]

I'm kind of a one woman band.

[Michael Balbaro]

Perfect, then I have a flight for you.

[Amanda Hess]

For some bizarre reason, she needs to go back to her hometown.

[Michael Balbaro]

I don't think anybody's gonna be getting through this until it dissipates. I suggest you find a place to land before you're out over the ocean.

[Amanda Hess]

Like, she's a pilot. And she's forced to do an emergency landing on Christmas Island.

[Michael Balbaro]

Attention, this is your captain, Kate Gabriel.

[T. Rowe Price Narrator]

Due to severe weather conditions over the.

[Amanda Hess]

Atlantic, we are making a temporary stop in Nova Scotia, Canada.

[Michael Balbaro]

So much for our easy flight to Europe.

[Amanda Hess]

Or she is forced to go to Scotland for Christmas because her mother has unexpectedly inherited a castle there. 30,000. This place is 30,000 acres. Did you know your family has 30 bathrooms? Why does anyone need 30 bathrooms? Oh, you know, whatever it is. Hey, it's me. So, believe it or not, I am driving down Main Street. Yep, I'm home. Listen, we have so much to catch up on. She goes to this small town, and they all look eerily similar. There's this quaint town square.

[Michael Balbaro]

Yeah, you know, most people come here.

[Amanda Hess]

For the lighthouse, but I think this street is pretty special. That's always very festively decorated for Christmas.

[Michael Balbaro]

And that is how grand and falls got her nickname, Christmas Towel.

[Amanda Hess]

And there's just, like, a random, like, really hot guy who she runs into, like, often, quite literally. They bump into each other.

[Michael Balbaro]

Oops. Just watch her step there. Thank you.

[Amanda Hess]

He might Be a handsome woodworker. It's not very far. I'm just gonna walk. Then let me walk with you.

[Michael Balbaro]

I just have to put some tools.

[Amanda Hess]

Away and lock up. Or an unassuming groundskeeper who leads a ladder just standing around.

[Michael Balbaro]

I do.

[Amanda Hess]

Oh, and once they go in his house, even though he's like a 36 to 42 year old single man, it's always aggressively decorated for Christmas.

[Michael Balbaro]

Here we are.

[Amanda Hess]

Wow, Nick, this is beautiful. This must have taken you days. And as they embark on some kind of Christmas task together, whether it's solving the mystery of a missing ornament that will unlock a genealogical mystery for this woman's family. This is grandma's tradition.

[Michael Balbaro]

It's an incredible gift she's given me.

[Amanda Hess]

Or they need to turn around a struggling music venue so that her parents can save it.

[T. Rowe Price Narrator]

Okay, I need you to declare one.

[Amanda Hess]

Of these holiday IPAs as perfect. Otherwise it might just be game over for Mobile Joe's.

[Michael Balbaro]

Not bad, huh?

[Amanda Hess]

Well, now that I know the stakes, let's do this. They fall in love, but there's some impediment to their love. Usually it has something to do with the woman having to go back to the big city.

[T. Rowe Price Narrator]

Andy, I'm leaving for Seattle in the morning. I called your mom and I'm staying with her tonight. I think it's for the best.

[Amanda Hess]

She has to make a big decision as to whether she's going to return to her old life in her career, or she's going to start her new life, which is based in this new relationship. She goes to the airport, she gets in the car, and then. Graham, turn the car around. You know, she asks the driver to turn the car around. I can figure out how to run my own practice. I can figure out how to make this work. And often the small town man presents her with a seasonally appropriate necklace. Traditionally, you're not supposed to open Christmas presents until midnight then.

[Michael Balbaro]

I've never been much for tradition.

[Amanda Hess]

Oh, Charles.

[Michael Balbaro]

May I?

[Amanda Hess]

And there's usually a scene where he puts the necklace on and maybe he'll adjust it on her collarbone or something. And then they fall in love.

[Michael Balbaro]

This, of course, is a moment of physicality and a blossoming love.

[Amanda Hess]

Yeah, it's like the closest.

[Michael Balbaro]

It's a release.

[Amanda Hess]

It's the closest that they're gonna come to, like, having sex in this movie. And she stays in Hallmark land forever. Presumably. They kiss and then the movie's over. So we don't really know what happens after that. Merry Christmas, Annie. Merry Christmas.

[Michael Balbaro]

I mean, these are pretty Cliched plot lines. So what was it about this formula that you just described that serves you so well? Back in November, when you start watching.

[Amanda Hess]

These, there's something really satisfying about them hitting every single one of the beats every single time over and over again for hundreds and hundreds of movies. Like, there's very little variation, and it's kind of like completing a paint by numbers craft. I started to get really invested in, like, predicting when the next predictable plot point was gonna happen. And I think, like, at this point, if I watched a Hallmark Christmas movie and they went back to the man's house and it was not decorated for Christmas, I would be pissed. And I would be like, this woman needs to get out of there because he's a psycho. Like, she needs to leave right now. And so I think I just became so versed in the cliches of the world that I began to find them comforting. I didn't want anything dramatic to happen. I didn't want anything surprising to happen or stressful. I was already feeling enough of that.

[Michael Balbaro]

And so you didn't want much to be demanded of you?

[Amanda Hess]

Yeah, I wanted everything to be firmly predictable. And it was.

[Michael Balbaro]

I'm thinking back to what you said at the beginning of his conversation, which is that when you were not as familiar with these films and when you were not in an acute phase of being very open to them because of this medical situation happening around you, you found them to be anti feminist. And if I'm reading the room correctly, you thought you were a little bit better than these movies. And yet you go through this phase where you're very open to them. They are this solution to something, and you've warmed them a lot. So what does that tell us? Not just about these movies and their formula, but about you. What did you learn about yourself?

[Amanda Hess]

I think I've been beaten down enough by life at this point to be more open to sentimental things. I think when I first learned about these movies maybe 15 years ago, my career was my identity. I was not unlike one of these Hallmark heroines. And so.

[Michael Balbaro]

Big city. Big city girl.

[Amanda Hess]

Yeah, exactly. Now, like, I can see the appeal of, you know, moving to Christmas Town, usa and giving it all up. But also I realized once I actually watched the movies that typically it's not that the woman just quits her job in order to do nothing and to be barefoot and pregnant with her new woodworking husband's baby. She is quitting her big city job for this idealized form of work that's inherently creative and meaningful. You know, she's running a candy cane shop or she's taking over a small town diner. And so she's still working, but she has a job that you know is.

[Michael Balbaro]

More connected to a place, a kind.

[Amanda Hess]

Of job that maybe is less and less likely to exist.

[Michael Balbaro]

Right. And she's finding a different kind of fulfillment than the big city media kind of world.

[Amanda Hess]

Right.

[Michael Balbaro]

Just to name an example. So I guess in your affection for these movies you learn that you have changed and in the ways that you have changed, you identify more with these larger questions and perhaps even critiques of modern ambition and quote unquote success.

[Amanda Hess]

Yeah, I mean, I definitely know now more than I did before that like work is not going to love you back. I don't think that means that necessarily a small town air traffic controller is going to love you back or a small town groundskeeper is going to love you back. But I'm more open to watching a movie where that is the case. I mean, it's also true that like when I first became aware of these movies, the actors seemed really old, but now I am old and so they're usually a little bit younger than me now. And so I've definitely just aged into the category.

[T. Rowe Price Narrator]

Foreign.

[Michael Balbaro]

We'Ll be right back. This podcast is supported by Google Gemini.

[T. Rowe Price Narrator]

For anyone new to Gemini. It's an AI assistant you can have real conversations with. Whether you want to brainstorm something, prep for a presentation or interview, or just learn something new, Gemini can help you do it smarter and faster. And by the way, this script was actually read by Gemini. You can download the Gemini app for free on iOS or Android. Must be 18 + to use Gemini Live. How could market forces impact investment strategies? Tune into the Angle from T. Rowe Price for sharp insights on today's key trends from the blue economy and AI to the impacts of the US Election. This award winning podcast brings you an information edge with thought provoking questions to changing market themes and gives curious investors dynamic perspectives from their global investing team and special guests. Better questions, Better Insights Listen and subscribe to the Angle on Spotify or Apple podcasts and learn more at t Rowe Price.com TheAngle podcast I gave my brother.

[Michael Balbaro]

A New York Times subscription. We exchange articles and so having read the same article we can discuss it. She sent me a year long subscription so I have access to all the.

[Amanda Hess]

Games The New York Times contributes to our quality time together.

[Michael Balbaro]

It enriches our relationship.

[Amanda Hess]

It was such a a cool and thoughtful gift.

[Michael Balbaro]

We're reading the same stuff, we're making the same food, we're on the same page.

[T. Rowe Price Narrator]

Learn more about giving a New York Times subscription as a [e-mail] gift.

[Michael Balbaro]

What does the critic in you make of this journey that you have been on from skeptic and maybe even slightly disdainful skeptic to maybe not even all that grudging a fan?

[Amanda Hess]

Well, I think of my journey as somewhat of a romantic comedy plot where in a rom com, one party ups his game and one party lowers her defenses until they meet on level ground and they can have a relationship. And that's what's happened here.

[Michael Balbaro]

That's you and the Hallmark holiday movie.

[Amanda Hess]

I've definitely gotten softer as a person and more open to what they're selling, but they have also gotten a little bit more cynical and a little more arch, and they're selling themselves more aggressively to people like me.

[Michael Balbaro]

Just explain that. How have they gotten a little bit more arch? Because from everything you're saying, the formula is faithful and not arch.

[Amanda Hess]

Right. So the formula remains the same. But there are new entrants to the category that are putting little twists on it. The big one is Netflix. So Netflix is now a Christmas movie generator of its own. And it's movies tend to be marketed a little bit more as comedies. So there's still romances, but there's a little bit more of an emphasis on the comedy.

[Michael Balbaro]

Remember that muscular snowman from the Snow Sculpture Festival?

[Amanda Hess]

And so in Hot Frosty, for example.

[Michael Balbaro]

Which has been emblazoned across my Netflix homepage.

[Amanda Hess]

Yes. It's hard to avoid. So he says he doesn't remember anything before last night.

[Michael Balbaro]

That's not good.

[Amanda Hess]

I was a snowman.

[Michael Balbaro]

That's definitely not good.

[Amanda Hess]

It's a movie about a snowman who becomes a real person. How could you possibly trust me?

[Michael Balbaro]

Because you put the scarf on me.

[Amanda Hess]

And falls in love with Lucy Chabert. So there's the remote, the power on and off. There's a moment where Hot Frosty is learning everything about the human world by watching television. Please tell her to let me out of here.

[Michael Balbaro]

Well, miss, we'd love to be able to do that, but.

[Amanda Hess]

And one of the things he watches is a previous Netflix Christmas movie. And so there is some acknowledgment of the idea that this is a category that even if people love to watch these movies, they may still like to poke a little bit of fun at them.

[Michael Balbaro]

Right. It's winking in itself.

[Amanda Hess]

Yeah. Netflix has also made their Christmas movies a little bit more risque. I got you some clothes, but you're gonna have to try them on. Oh, no, not right now. Got it. So there's usually a shirtless man who's romping around the Christmas wonderland, and for some bizarre reason, it's gonna be a Christmas spectacular full of hot up and coming men. There's a movie called the Merry Gentleman, which is basically Magic Mike meets Christmas.

[Michael Balbaro]

There's just.

[Amanda Hess]

There's gotta be a way to get people excited about this place again.

[Michael Balbaro]

And you think male strippers are the answer?

[Amanda Hess]

A bunch of local men need to put on an erotic mail review in order to save a local bar that's fallen into debt.

[Michael Balbaro]

Of course they do. A little spice on the old Hallmark formula.

[Amanda Hess]

Yes. Oh, my God, you're naked.

[Michael Balbaro]

Okay, first of all, my shirt was dry.

[Amanda Hess]

So you can imagine that the cable Hallmark Channel audience is probably a little different than the Netflix streaming audience. And it does seem like Netflix's Christmas offerings are meeting its audience where they're at a little bit more. So there are more, like, sexual situations, even if there's not, like, a sex scene. There are more jokes. There are more actors that you might recognize from sitcoms. So it really does seem like Netflix is specifically seeding its movies with millennial bait, especially because the actor who now is most associated with Netflix holiday movies is Lindsay Lohan.

[Michael Balbaro]

Mm.

[Amanda Hess]

And she, I think, more than anyone else, has been kind of the avatar of millennial girlhood, and then teenhood, and now middle age, unfortunately, is where we are at.

[Michael Balbaro]

So, Amanda, when you finished this exercise of immersing yourself in the world of these holiday movies this fall and now into this winter, you ended up writing about it in an essay that ran in the Times entitled How I Aged into the Bad Christmas Movie. What was the response to that essay?

[Amanda Hess]

I got a stronger response to that essay than any other piece I've ever written.

[Michael Balbaro]

Ever.

[Amanda Hess]

Yes. And when I wrote the story, because I am making a bit of fun at these movies, I was curious whether fans of them would be upset with me. And it turns out that a lot of people are watching these movies in the same mode that I'm watching them.

[Michael Balbaro]

Which is to say, as a formulaic escape, as a predictable way of navigating a challenging time.

[Amanda Hess]

Exactly.

[Michael Balbaro]

Is there one of these emails that stands out to you?

[Amanda Hess]

I'm gonna find it. Okay. Dear Amanda, I watched my first Hallmark bad Christmas movie that super cold Sunday the other week. While I meant to do some things around the house, as I was not venturing outside, I saw our fat kitty on the couch looking for a belly rub, sat down and turned on the television, randomly scrolling through the Channels. I came across the start of a Christmas movie on the Hallmark Channel. My mom was always a fan and watched them religiously. She passed last year at 90, and for whatever reason, I felt compelled to watch. Boy, was it bad. I loved it and watched another right after it and cried. Thank you for the article. Spot on for me. Best to you, Amanda. You rock, Judy.

[Michael Balbaro]

She's describing this as a kind of inheritance.

[Amanda Hess]

Yeah, it's a new kind of tradition.

[Michael Balbaro]

All right, I want another.

[Amanda Hess]

Okay, let's see. Here's another that I really liked. Hi, Amanda. I've never written to a journalist before.

[Michael Balbaro]

Here we go.

[Amanda Hess]

Or written in the comments section. But I was compelled to do so by your article. Boy, do I feel old this holiday season. Lol. I had the exact same reaction you did about a week ago. I'm currently undergoing IVF and had my embryo transfer Tuesday. And as part of my lay low routine, I watched every single good bad Christmas movie on Netflix by Hot Frosty. I was like, wow, what happened to me? When did I reach this low? How can they keep a straight face? Why can't I look away? I am their target demographic. Thanks. Xx. Alejandra.

[Michael Balbaro]

That is literally the mirror image of what happened to you.

[Amanda Hess]

Yeah. Whenever I write anything, I think I'm like, I'm so odd. No one could ever relate to me. There's something wrong with me. And, you know, I've out in this case that that's definitely not true.

[Michael Balbaro]

Yeah. You're more universal than you maybe give yourself credit for.

[Amanda Hess]

Maybe.

[Michael Balbaro]

So in listening to you read those emails and assuming that there's dozens more like them in your inbox, it occurs to me that the phenomenon you're experiencing here is not that complicated. Right. And maybe in the beginning you overcomplicated the whole thing with your view of these movies, and you should have never doubted their value. I mean, we do at the New York Times tend to fetishize complexity. Right, Right. In arts and in culture. But complex doesn't always make for a comforting ritual. Cause life is pretty complicated as it is, so maybe the movies don't have to be.

[Amanda Hess]

Yeah, I mean, I think at the beginning I was thinking the existence of these movies fascinates me. But they're so bad and I would never watch them. And, you know, I should have just been more comfortable stopping at these movies fascinate me. You know, there were many years that I could have been enjoying these hundreds of movies that I chose not to.

[Michael Balbaro]

So what is the future here between you and this brand of movie? Is this like a forever thing.

[Amanda Hess]

I think it is. I sound so depressed when I say that. I mean, I think, you know, it's like none of these movies will become my classic Christmas movie that I watch every year, but I will watch a movie that is nearly identical when it comes out next year. I'll watch 12 of them.

[Michael Balbaro]

Yeah, I mean, to put this very simply, they've got you, they got me. You didn't want to be gotten, but.

[Amanda Hess]

You got no, they want me over and I'm in love.

[Michael Balbaro]

Well, Amanda, thank you very much for being here. As it happens, this is the last episode that we are going to be running of the Daily before Christmas Day. So Merry Christmas to you.

[Amanda Hess]

Merry Christmas to you and thank you for coming. Thank you so much for having me. Foreign.

[Michael Balbaro]

We'Ll be right back. This podcast is supported by Google Gemini.

[T. Rowe Price Narrator]

Using Gemini is as easy as having a conversation. You can interrupt it, add details, ask follow up questions, and Gemini will adapt to you in real time. But the best way to learn about Gemini is to try it. And by the way, this script was actually read by Gemini. Download the Gemini app for iOS and Android today. Must be 18 to use Gemini Live. Build the retirement you want with actionable insights from T. Rowe Price on the award winning Confident Conversations on Retirement podcast. T. Rowe Price uses the power of curiosity to explore topics like how the psychology of money influences financial behaviors, how to maximize savings through retirement, and the unretirement trend. Get insights to help confidently navigate your retirement planning journey. Better questions, better insights. Listen to confident conversations on retirement on your favorite podcast platform or visit t rowprice.com podcast this podcast is supported by USA for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. This winter, your gift to USA for UNHCR makes all the difference. As temperatures drop, your donation provides critical relief like food, blankets, shelter, fuel for heaters, and more. It's a race against time to help those in need. UNHCR uses every dollar wisely to turn your compassion into action this winter to help refugees and displaced families survive. All gifts are matched for a limited time. Give [e-mail] win.

[Michael Balbaro]

Here's what else you need to know today. On Monday, President Biden commuted the sentences of nearly all prisoners on federal death row, meaning that they will instead serve life sentences without parole. The decision prevents President Elect Trump from ordering the prisoners executions as he has promised to do. Biden campaigned on ending the federal death penalty and ordered that such executions be stopped during his presidency. Still, he did not commute the sentences of three notorious death row prisoners who were convicted of hate, motivated mass murder and terrorism, including the Boston Marathon bomber. And a highly anticipated report by the House Ethics Committee found that Matt Gaetz, the former Republican congressman from Florida, regularly paid for sex, had sexual relations with an underage girl and used illegal drugs. Gates, who resigned from Congress last month, was Trump's pick to run the Department of Justice before he withdrew over accusations that were largely confirmed by the House ethics report. Gates, for his part, denies any wrongdoing. Today's episode was produced by Rob Zipko, Alex Stern and Michael Simon Johnson. It was edited by Rachel Quester with help from Lexi Diao, contains original music by Elisheba Etoupe and Diane Waugh, and was engineered by Alyssa Moxley. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Lanz. Work of Wonderly that's it for the Daily I'm Michael Balboro. See you tomorrow. This podcast is supported by Google Gemini.

[T. Rowe Price Narrator]

For anyone new to Gemini. It's an AI assistant you can have real conversations with. Whether you want to brainstorm something, prep for a presentation or interview, or just learn something new, Gemini can help you do it smarter and faster. And by the way, this script was actually read by Gemini. You can download the Gemini app for free on iOS or Android. Must be 18 to use Gemini Live.