Bronx Babe

Every child of either the male or female lead sounds like that Geico commercial Pinocchio person.

Just finished Crossing Delancey on TCM. This is my idea of a charming romantic comedy. But then, I'm a born and bred New Yorker, raised in da Bronx. I don't fantasize about living in a small town. I'm nostalgic about my old borough neighborhood. I can't identify with the Hallmark "formula". So bland and insipid. Give me a bit of grit and the city!

OMG -- a Mexican restaurant! and "Taco Tuesdays"!! As usual I can't remember the title, but, is this a first? Hallmark acknowledging other ethnicities, lol?

Love At First Glance The ubiquitous Italian restaurant Chicken risotto is served in five minutes Red-checked table cloth

Amazing Winter Romance -- is Hallmark insulting to big cities or what? They practically demonize them, although try to have it both ways ; i.e., "I live in Chicago. It's different, but in a good way" Yeah, right. The male Canadian lead forgot that his character was supposed to be from the American Midwest and an "Eh?" slipped through. The hot chocolate, as usual, was flowing. And they couldn't get away from the hot chocolate. Did a drive-by a few days ago and unfortunately landed on one of their scintillating monarch-meets-commoner stories. Don't ask what the title was as they all sound alike to me and I'm betting to most of you guys as well. Heroine plants a demure peck on Mr. Royal Guy: "I've never kissed a prince before!" Prince: "And how was it?" Heroine: "Awesome!" (CLICK)

Yep. Although Uncle Grady's strudel didn't win first prize! Hallmark went rogue!

I apologize to everyone who liked Winter in Vail. But I was laughing my head off. Chabert needs to stock up on provisions for the Vail chalet that her deceased Uncle Grady (he of strudel fame; it was the best in town) has left her so she heads for a small grocery store and is instantly baffled by the appearance of a German food section. It takes a friendly waitress dressed in a dirndl to tell Lacey where the American goods are located. Tyler Hynes comes by at 6 a.m. to start on repairs at the chalet. You'd think at that hour he'd be given a cup of coffee but this is Hallmark. Chabert offers him hot chocolate. And then there's Strudelfest!! During commercials, to keep my sanity and brain afloat, I switched over to Investigation Discovery and the Jodi Arias trial.

What I meant was, it was THAT bad. Big City Person to the citizens of Evergreen: "You mean you're not faking all this love for Christmas?" Winter in Vail or It Came From Outer Space on Svengoolie? It's probably the same movie. Strudelfest! (shudder!)

lol, but---wait! Don't they do that for every holiday? And now that I think about it, maybe hot chocolate is still on the menu. Valentine's Day = chocolate February = still time for a major (fake) snowstorm.

When do they stop drinking hot chocolate? The first day of Spring?

How bad is Christmas in Evergreen: Tidings of Joy? I just switched over to today's news on cable.

I just love the philosophical gobbledegook in Romance at Reindeer Lodge. "You know, life is a lot like Christmas. We've got all this family tradition but then new ones come along" "Home isn't a place. It's where the heart is" Just make it STOP

Female lead sits in the ubiquitous Main Street café with her niece and nephew. They order three milkshakes but never drink; their lips do not even touch the straws.

My warmest wishes to everyone on this board -- Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and blessings for a healthy, peaceful New Year. I'm waiting for Santa Claus to make Colin Firth bump into me at my local supermarket. He'll no doubt be shopping for eggplant and will need some help.

Christmas On My Mind Heroine has "retrograde amnesia" Finds out she lives in a gorgeous house with a bedroom closet of Kardashian proportions. Has a devoted female assistant who never seems to leave her side. Assistant: "I know all about you. You love hot chocolate" Stay away from this one. Trust me.

I guess Hallmark is so besotted/emboldened by their ridiculous holiday decor tropes that they choose to ignore the realities you talk about, and figure the audience doesn't even care. Just ply them with more and more STUFF. Thai food in a Hallmark movie? Wow! (one of my favorite cuisines, btw) I'll have to check out the Good Witch movies. I wonder what they order, lol. Maybe the Tom Ka Gai soup, followed by Panang curry. (now I'm getting hungry) Yes, I want to see that Chinese restaurant scenario! I'd plotz with joy!

I will give Hallmark Italian restaurant alerts. I know what you mean, @IWantCandy71. You have to wonder why so many kids scream at the sight of him. (and remember Santa from A Christmas Story? Pushed poor Ralphie down the chute, although he did admonish him not to wish for the Red Ryder BB gun. I liked the disgruntled elves: "Come on, hurry up!" lol)

Just to lighten things up a bit, I just saw Christmas in Montana. Old guy greets Kellie Martin and daughter: "What you two need is some hot cocoa!" Five seconds later he comes out of the kitchen with two cups of the stuff. Of course it's got mounds of whipped cream on top. I'm thinking Samantha Stevens must have popped in to give him one of her special "speeded up" spells. Kellie visits the family barn, where it's just as vomitously decorated as their ranch house. (every stall has 10,000 lights) There's an explanation: "The horses love Christmas! They pretend that they're reindeer!" Hot cider and eggnog also make an appearance, completing the Hallmark holiday beverage trifecta. Question: Why do all the so-called real Santas in Hallmark movies look so creepy? I swear I've seen every one (sans the red suit) interviewed as suspects on the Investigative Discovery channel.

No pelting from me. Compared to most of them I think Ashley is a decent actress -- it's her perplexing and perpetual smile that overshadows everything else.

Wasn't it?? Glad I'm not the only one who had such a visceral reaction! That sister who wound up doing the royal decorating -- I don't know the actress' name -- was a nightmare of perkiness. I can imagine her and the creepily grinning Ashley Williams starring in an episode of Tales From The Darkside.

@msani19, lol, yes.

A Cheerful Christmas, oh...my...God. Normally I lap up anything cringeworthy, lol, but even for me this was just too, too awful. After twenty minutes I was yelling at the t.v. screen "Please make it STOP!!" So I turned it off. I was that embarrassed!

Thank you, @Direwolf, that's the one. That smile is frightening, reminds me of the title character in the horror movie Mr. Sardonicus! Thanks, @Happywatcher -- nothing makes much sense in these movies, lol. I'm telling you, that smile scares the hell out of me.

Those three are my "favorites" (by default) The one I truly cannot stand is the actress WHO NEVER STOPS SMILING. Did a Hallmark drive-by and there she was again -- flying a plane ("being in the air makes me feel alive!"). I cannot watch anything this grinning annoyance is in, even for snark value.

lol, those are my "favorites" (by default) The one I cannot stand is that actress who NEVER stops smiling -- what is her name? (then again, I think I'd rather forget.....) Did a Hallmark drive-by and there she was -- the title is something with "Northern" in it -- "Northern Lights of Christmas" perhaps?...her character was flying a plane and said "I come alive in the air!" I will not watching anything this person is in, even for snark value!