In Luxembourg: Why do Christmas TV movies do so much good?
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In LuxembourgWhy do Christmas TV movies do so much good?
LUXEMBOURG – These winter TV movies, silly for some, rigorous for others, have been changing TV programs and streaming platforms for weeks. Success deciphered with a psychologist from the Grand Duchy.
In these cold and rainy weather, nothing beats a good hot chocolate, a movie and a blanket. Christmas time obliges, many turn – in an assumed way or not – towards Christmas TV movies, rose water fictions and wintry clichés galore. The typical scenario: Kate, Kelsey or Emma is a young active woman in a big city in the United States, when she has to go to a small country village in which she will find the magic of Christmas… Not to mention the snow, the Christmas trees, music and a happy ending. Kitsch at will, but guaranteed success.
Mostly produced in the United States, these fictions are more than appreciated, given their almost dominant programming on channels and streaming platforms as the holidays approach. “It’s hard to escape it,” admits Elodie Morin, a clinical psychologist in Luxembourg. “It is feel good movies, films that do good like cartoons for children”, explains the psychologist. The reason for the success? “There are no bad surprises at the end.”
“Not realistic”
Indeed, in most of these films, the – happy – ending is guessed from the first minutes of the comedy. And it works ! “These fictions are “cuddly” elements, we know that they are not realistic, we are not fooled, assures Elodie Morin. But it is a sort of enchanted parenthesis”. “It’s also an opportunity to spend time with family,” says Gian Maria Tore, professor of media science at the Uni. All the relatives are there, it’s cold outside, so why not watch a movie.
Fiction as such, winter or not, is good for morale. Immersing yourself in a film allows us to “escape everyday reality a little and try to forget ourselves”. Fictions are essential for our life and our imagination”, specifies the professor of the Uni. “And the magic offered by Christmas movies can give some people a little hope,” revealed Elodie Morin.