8 Things Hallmark Movies Have Taught Me About Life

the stars of caribbean summer
(Image credit: Hallmark)

In this very modern and connected age, there are several places where one can turn, should one need life advice. Well, you really don't have to do too much searching for some wonderful tips on living your best life, because there are plenty of lessons which you may not have even thought to look for in everyone's favorite Hallmark movies streaming! Films like Caribbean Summer, A Very Merry Bridesmaid, and the One Winter Weekend series are no strangers to slyly imparting life lessons that viewers can carry through every season of the year, and I'm totally here for absorbing them in all of the upcoming Hallmark movies.

Now, I haven't, by any means, watched nearly all of the Hallmark stars in these original movies. Even so, in just a few years of catching many of their Christmas and other seasonally themed films on a regular basis, I've noticed that some themes keep popping up, which serve as pretty good tutorials on love, where to live to be happiest and many other topics. So, without further ado, here are six things that I've learned about life from Hallmark movies!

the stars of unleashing mr. darcy

(Image credit: Hallmark)

Animals Help People Fall In Love

I don't know if you realize this, dear reader, but a lot of people really like animals. Specifically, people tend to be quite fond of domesticated animals like dogs, cats and, maybe hamsters or something. If you're looking to find your one true love, Hallmark movies will tell you that that path is lined with puppies and/or cute kittens. Are you a commitment-phobic fire fighter who adopts a stray cat and needs help caring for it from a hot lady veterinarian? Y'all are falling in love. Need to co-foster a dog with another single parent because both of your kids want to adopt it? You'll be hot in the pants for each other at first sight, so just get married already!

katie mcgrath and sam heughan in a princess for christmas

(Image credit: Hallmark)

Proximity To Royalty Leads To Love

This one's big, you guys. It turns out that all you have to do, should you want to nab yourself a prince or princess and land yourself in a life of great social responsibility but also tremendous leisure, is to get thee to the side of said royal of choice (as long as they are unmarried, of course). Maybe this means you're working for them, so go ahead and sign up to find the prince a suitable bride as a matchmaker. Or, maybe the estranged royal relative of your niece and nephew has tracked them down and invited the kids (and you, as their legal guardian) to come for a visit. Do yourself a favor and go to there. Hallmark says you won't be disappointed.

the stars of christmas comes twice

(Image credit: Hallmark)

Small Towns Are Better Than Big Cities

I know what you're thinking. But, there are so many options for... everything, in big cities! Yeah, but aren't all those options trash anyway? Everything is so impersonal and there are so many decisions that need to be made every day that there's just no time to stop, remember what's important in life and connect with others who'll love your grandfather's peppermint candy recipe as much as you do. So, take that stressful big city job, the public transportation options and all those blind dates with weirdos and shove them. You'll do much better getting yourself a gig in a small town organizing the local Christmas festival / founder's day parade / high school reunion dance and walking everywhere with your childhood crush until you both realize that you've always belonged together.

rukiya bernard and taylor cole in one perfect wedding

(Image credit: Hallmark)

Your Boyfriend's Best Friend Is Destined To Fall In Love With Your Best Friend

Alright, stay with me here, because this one is kinda complicated, but also makes so much sense. So, let's say you decide to take a trip to a fancy ski resort to forget about your cheating ex, and take your bestie along for company. Obviously, you're going to be having a fantastic time, so when you meet a guy who's also hanging out with his best bud, all four of you are going to get on like gangbusters, right? As the four of you are vibing, skiing and drinking hot cocoa, it only makes sense that as you and the dude you're into are falling for each other, your best friends will (of course!) also fall in love. It will just take them way longer to admit it.

emily osment in a very merry bridesmaid

(Image credit: Hallmark)

Fake Christmas Trees Are For Fake Christmas Celebrations

OK, this is major and needs to be listened to, so perk up. I know that fake Christmas trees are really easy to deal with during the holidays when so much is already going on. You don't have to keep them watered so they don't spontaneously combust, for instance. But, Hallmark would advise against them, because so much positivity, fun, good lovin', and solid family time comes from heading into the woods to chop down a tree or going to a local tree lot. Honestly, people. How are you supposed to meet a sweet, young single mom who's dealing with grief unless you start working at a tiny tree lot when you get fired from your big time finance career? It. Won't. Happen. It just won't. Go ahead and plan that tree lot trip for this December, but make sure you plant a tree to replace the one you killed for your home!

the stars of a winter getaway

(Image credit: Hallmark)

You Will Fall In Love With Anyone You're Forced To Work With

This sounds a little broad, so let me actually narrow it down for you. No one is literally falling for anyone they're forced to work with, but we are all obviously falling in love with anyone we're forced to work with who either seems to have a totally different personality from us or who happens to be a total jerkface. Anybody you have to work with whom you actually like? No lovey dovey stuff there. But, if there's a douche paddling the biggest canoe around, that's the ticket to your happy ending! Sure, you're only signed up for this Navy SEAL boot camp to do research so that your newest novel won't fail. But, all that clashing with your hot taskmaster of an instructor is sure to lead to some other clashing that won't be appropriate for the Hallmark Channel, so everyone leaves a winner!

the stars of moriah's lighthouse

(Image credit: Hallmark)

If You Travel Outside Of The United States, You WILL Fall In Love

You see those two people in the photo above? Don’t they look thrilled to be alive? Well, guess what, not only are they falling in love, but you better believe those two crazy kids are not in the United States. Nope! He traveled to France and met her in a small seaside town, and that can only really mean one thing: L-O-V-E! Obviously, lots of Hallmark characters fall in love while staying in the USA, but whenever someone decides to take a chance and travel outside of our borders to other countries, whether it be for work or play, you know that a delightful romantic adventure will be on the menu. Get that passport ready!

the stars of tis the season to be merry

(Image credit: Hallmark)

If You Don’t Fall In Love During The Holidays You’re Not Even Trying

This just might be the ultimate lesson. According to what must now surely be hundreds of Countdown to Christmas and Miracles of Christmas holiday movies produced by Hallmark (with many of them being work a rewatch), one is most susceptible to giving and receiving warm heart feelings when one is deep in the holiday season. So, whether you’re heading back to your tiny hometown to help your family sell the most Christmas trees during the last season for their tree lot, pursuing leads on an ambitious story that will get you that hotly contested editor position at work, or get stranded at the airport and have to share the last rental car with a stranger to get home for Christmas, just know that you’re basically guaranteed to fall in love with the most attractive person you’ve ever met, and they are totally going to dig the heck outta you, too!

While these eight very important lessons about life may be the easiest to pick out of Hallmark's incredible breadth of films, that doesn't mean that there won’t be others. With the number of upcoming Hallmark movies growing all the time, we’ll certainly be able to add to this impressive list before long!

Adrienne Jones
Senior Content Creator

Covering The Witcher, Outlander, Virgin River, Sweet Magnolias and a slew of other streaming shows, Adrienne Jones is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend, and started in the fall of 2015. In addition to writing and editing stories on a variety of different topics, she also spends her work days trying to find new ways to write about the many romantic entanglements that fictional characters find themselves in on TV shows. She graduated from Mizzou with a degree in Photojournalism.