IT IS CHRISTMAS_THEY ARE HERE AT LAST

She is usually blond,though occasionally brunette and more recently- in this new era of tolerance-of mixed race. She is attractive but not sexy, modest, intelligent,sensitive and overbrimingly kind.
She dresses well  but is not glaringly fashionable. Above all she has a beautiful smile and sparkling white teeth. Sometimes she is royal but usually she is an ordinary young woman in an ordinary occupation.
He, on the other hand, is usually royal, dashingly handsome,desired by all ambitious women, has great potential,but is usually modest in manner. He dresses in traditional clothes,looks wonderful in a tuxedo and even better in casual attire, especially when wearing blue jeans which emphasize his long limbs. He is ,of course, tall. His teeth are also perfect and white- A true prince in shiny armor.

The location is traditional-sometimes in a city-New York comes to mind-sometimes in a quaint village or rural countryside but always in America. The Royal prince or princess is always situated  in central Europe. The kingdom is small,quaint and has a name that is difficult to pronounce.
The general features to be expected are ; Santa Claus; sleigh rides with big horses; lots of snow, bells, pianos for Christmas caroling  and orphans to sing the carols. Christmas trees and Christmas carols are de rigor.  There is always a predictable romance- with invariably a brisk and flirty snow ball fight between the two protagonists.
What am I talking about?  The yearly Christmas stories of course! These are featured on T.V. at this time.  From mid November until Christmas Eve-those wonderful fantasies are churned out to get us into the Christmas spirit of giving and receiving.
 I could ,like most people,deny watching Christmas movies  but I confess I enjoy them. It is only mid December and already my  over indulgence in Christmas schmaltz can be seen. I have a perpetual smirky smile on my face and a blurry glaze to my eyes from drinking  in all this beautiful red and green sparkling bedazzlement.  My body and especially my lower back is stiff from sitting for long hours in the recliner while watching T.V. Christmas movies  and I have started to gain weight due to inactivity.  I have even missed most of my exercise classes.
Do I feel guilty? Not at all-not until I have reached a surfeit of  these  Christmas movies because I know that by December 24th it all abruptly stops and there won't be any more snow, bells, carols, princes and princesses and pretty young women,handsome men with white teeth or Christmas ornaments and sentiment and schmaltz again until November 2020.
Am I alone in this? I don't think so otherwise these movies would not be made. They are necessary  nostalgically to satisfy our need to return to our childhood-to return to the excitement of unrealistic expectations; the snow falling dreamily in the landscape; the  Christmas colours of red and green ;the the baked goods;  the sparkling decorations the carols -so politically incorrect at this time; the wrapped presents and of course the magic of romance, especially of princesses and princes, are  essential to us in our present time of rational practicality and sanity. All this is part of the package of Christmas -that wonderful holiday that brightens the darkest bleakest part of the year for us.
 So I indulge in this romantic insanity and revel in it.
Too soon Christmas will be over, we will again feel flat because none of our expectations for Christmas were really met and we get set to face the harsh life of reality in 2020.  There will be vast opportunity to think rationally after Christmas so take my advice, forget good taste,high quality intellectual stimulation,and correctness and get your required "fix" of Christmas B movies.
Have a  Happy Holiday.