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Arts & Entertainment

Your Essential Guide To Christmas Television Specials On Netflix Instant

By

Jen Carlson

Published Dec 18, 2012

Modified Dec 18, 2012

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Everyone has a go-to comfort thing, right? Maybe when you are stressed you go running, and that is great for you and a really healthy decision, but I watch those Lifetime/ABC Family/Hallmark movies, as well as their off-brand counterparts which may have never even aired on television. In order to make this feel like a more productive "pastime," I will now share with you my vast knowledge of these films and guide you towards the best ones so that you may join me in a yuletide shame spiral... for the best ones are the Christmas ones.The small screen holiday movie always, and without exception, includes the following characters: a young woman unlucky in love (if she is not a workaholic, she is a single mom and/or struggling with her career); a young man (literally any generically attractive one will do, sometimes they don't even get their own backstory); a best friend (usually it seems like the main character doesn't even like her); and a wise old man who will teach us all a lesson. The setting is either The Big City or Main Street, U.S.A. And even with this steadfast formula, they are somehow still all unique, like snowflakes.Click through for some of the best and worst of these cinematic stocking stuffers, which are all available on Netflix Instant. Honorable mentions go to Desperately Seeking Santa (which centers around a woman who seeks out a sexy Santa in order to save the mall she works for in Boston. I'd give it a solid B!); and Crazy For Christmas (which is really just kind of C-level heartwarming flick). There are, of course, also new ones I haven't even seen yet because I don't have television, but if you do, please let me know how this one starring Winnie Cooper from The Wonder Years is? It's called Love at the Christmas Table, and it looks like it has a lot of potential.

 

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By

Jen Carlson

Published Dec 18, 2012

Modified Dec 18, 2012

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Tagged

abc family

christmas

cry for help

hallmark

lifetime

netflix

television

television movies

original

Jen Carlson

Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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