Media wouldn’t be the same without the classic tropes, and here at GGA, we often wonder about their origins. That’s where this column, The Origin of Tropes, comes in. This time, we’ll look at some of the best tropes ever — those found in holiday movies!
Holiday Movie Tropes
Yes, most “holiday” movies are Christmas movies, but a few New Year’s Eve and Hanukkah movies out there follow the same pattern and contain many of the same tropes. Hence, “holiday movies.”
(Just some) holiday movie tropes:
- Santa is real!
- Big city workaholic goes home for the holidays
- Christmas pageant/big holiday event/competition
- Failing family business to save
- Original song
- Fake relationships
- Discovering the true meaning of the holiday
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The First Christmas Movie
In 2019, Deadline reported on “Santa Claus,” what they call the first Christmas movie ever. It’s from 1898, and you can watch it on YouTube. The short film has little plot besides Santa delivering a tree and presents to some little kids.
Not only did the film incorporate some still-pervasive Santa traits, but it also introduced the idea of “parallel action” to cinema. Pretty impressive for something that came out 125 years ago. For all “Santa Claus” has going for it, it doesn’t fall into the classic tropes we associate with holiday movies.
The First “Holiday” Movie
There’s 1912’s “A Christmas Accident,” which you can also watch online, that features a scrooge of a man learning to “love thy neighbor.” A wealthy man lives next door to a family with lots of kids, and he does not like that, no siree. He even accuses them of poisoning his dog.
But then, on Christmas, one of the kids gives the wealthy older man her own Christmas gift, and his heart melts or grows three sizes or something. “A Christmas Accident” hits the “true meaning of the holiday” trope.
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The 1942 film Holiday Inn is chock full of original songs, the most famous being “White Christmas” (for which it won an Oscar).
Some other standouts as trope originators are The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945; rivalry/keep the school open) and Miracle on 34th Street (1947; Santa is real).
The First Hallmark Holiday Romance
Interestingly, “Hallmark Holiday Romance” no longer refers only to films airing on the Hallmark channel. These films can air on Netflix, Lifetime, Hulu, etc. But since Hallmark made them famous…
Every year since 2009, the Hallmark Channel has featured an “event” called Countdown to Christmas. That said, the first Hallmark original Christmas movie is 2006’s The Christmas Card. It featured Ed Asner.
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The premise is simple: A soldier visits a small town from whose church he received a Christmas card. It’s a very white, straight and Christian film. Hallmark has since added more diversity, peppering in people of color, queer people and a Hanukkah film or two each Countdown to Christmas.
What’s Next?
Honestly, it’s not likely the holiday movie genre will change much beyond becoming a bit less white, cishet and Christian. The classic tropes sell and make people happy, so where’s the motivation?
Do you enjoy any of these tropes? Are there any you’d like to see get a lump of coal? Sound off in the comments!
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