It was bound to happen. When you spend July through December addicted to watching glimpses of Hallmark Christmas movies, in-between making & cleaning up dinner, it’s inevitable that life will imitate art. So here we are.
Now, to be fair, my life isn’t exactly like a Hallmark movie. My parents are (thankfully) both still alive. I’m not a widow. And I’m also not a hot-shot lawyer, heading back home to save my family’s farm, attend the big Christmas festival, or help plan the Christmas pageant.
That being said, I do own a boutique in my hometown. And yes, it is decorated like a Hallmark Christmas Movie. And yes, I do know pretty much everyone that walks in. And yah, truth be told, I do offer hot chocolate to pretty much everyone, because as we all know, it does indeed make everything better.
However, my boutique is in trouble. I may have to close. It’s a common story-line throughout the best of Hallmark movies, right? Camera close up on the store owner…sad piano music playing softly in the background, she’s looking around, remembering all the joy her little shop has brought to her, the community, and the town. A tear falls. We, as the viewing audience are fully invested! What is she going to do? Her business is in trouble. How is she going to make it? It’s Christmas! This is all too heartbreaking.
And cut to the commercial. We get up and walk away – grab our popcorn, and after a few minutes, we’re back…we’re all in. We just know it has to work out. We just know that something is going to happen to make it all okay. I mean, it’s Christmas!
The holiday stroll is coming up. Santa in the Square. Hot cocoa and candles for the tree lighting. It’s all about to happen in real life, in my hometown, on the same street as my boutique. I’ve got candy canes and coloring books for the kids. I’ve got the store in full holiday attire. My tree will be decorated with lights and red ribbons and bows. The store is lit up in glistening white lights, just like those hometown streets in those movies. It’s really quite pretty.
And yes, as I lock the doors and shut off the lights, I look around and all I can think about is how I need a Christmas Miracle.
A Hallmark Christmas Movie Christmas Miracle.
The kind of magic where it starts to snow just as the credits roll and everyone is celebrating. The background music grows louder and you find yourself wiping a tear away, despite the silly sentimentality of it all. She did it! Her little shop was saved. The townspeople are all hugging. There’s hot cocoa galore…and we all know they’re all gonna live happily ever after.
That kind of Christmas magic.
On Being Dolly 
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