Dear Universe,

I have a confession.  Don’t judge me.  (Well, I know you won’t.)

These past several days I have been sucked into a Hallmark Holiday Movie Marathon.

Yes, I said several days.  And yes, I asked you not to judge!

How did this happen, you ask?

Well, it was the perfect storm of ingredients.

This past weekend, I was on a self-imposed grading lockdown.  I was determined to get as much work done as possible before my family comes to town for Thanksgiving.  I didn’t go out.  I didn’t take calls.

But I did go to the gym.

And as I did my cardio work out, there, on the television right in front of me (not my choice!), was the Hallmark Channel (“The Heart of Wonderful”) playing their very own, original Christmas movies—already.

I was sucked in!  #HallmarkMovieVortex! (I didn’t really tweet that.  When you are in a vortex, there is no time.)

Who cares if the plots are unbelievable?  A last minute Christmas Day Wedding, complete with apologetic, surprise groom, who just happened to adopt the dog you love to carry the rings in? (Yes, this happened!)  Why not?  Cue in sappy music, mushy kisses, tears of joy and a closing freeze-frame on the happily ever after.

Before I could even process, another movie began!

My cardio eventually ended, but the movie marathon did not.

I came home and put the television on low in the background… I ended up back on the Hallmark Channel—hey, I had to see the end of the second movie that had started!

As the hours passed of my grading and planning, I saw more imaginative movie miracles.  A grown woman who still believes in Santa Claus with “all her heart?”  Check!  So what if it turns out she’s an elf that Skypes with Santa?  Wait!  What?!  (Yes, this happened!)

Despite the layers upon layers of sugar-cookie-sweet-sappiness, there was something touching about these movies.

It was the hope.  The hope that there can be happy endings every single time, the hope that love is all around.  Yay!

It was the magic.  The magic that there can be snow on Christmas Day—every Christmas—and the magic that Santa can make even the unlikeliest of wishes come true.  Whoo hoo!

It was the miracles.  The miracles that soul mates can find their way to each other just in the nick of time (aka before the credits come rolling in).  Awww!

Oh and also!  Children make ornaments, string popcorn, are well-behaved and believe in the holiday spirit.  Yeah, that too!

What a world!

But still, I found myself enjoying the sappiness, reveling in the cheesiness.  Because sometimes in a world full of chaos, busyness and rushing, a little hope, magic and miracles are just what we need.

Thanks for those perfect storm of ingredients.

With Gratitude,

A