But there were a few differences that I noticed right away.  I could cook when and what I wanted, or make nothing at all if I chose.  And the TV remote actually had an “off” button, which pleased me.  This was a new experience for me, since there were no such things as remotes when my husband and I began life together all those years ago.   And slowly I also began to discover that there were channels that offered other programing besides sports, western shoot-em-ups, murders, car chases, explosions, crime dramas, etc. 

At first I depended on the “quick list” that was programmed into the remote to tell me what was available, so I frequently just used the “off” button.  Then one day a few years ago I stumbled onto a beautiful romantic movie and was really taken by it.  So much so that I watched it whenever I happened to see that it was offered, and I began to watch for others in the same genre and found several that offered pleasant companionship and made me feel less alone. 

Whenever I couldn’t find anything else to fill dark and dreary winter evenings I would turn to the Golden Girls.  That family was so eclectic that I felt I fit right in.  But I have never been fond of sit-coms, so after a while I became bored with the sameness, and began to look for more.  By this time I had realized that I needed to make a “quick list” of my own,  that eliminated all the channels that mostly offered  sports or mayhem,  and concentrated on those that provided pleasant interludes mixed with good family values.  Soon the Hallmark channel got my attention by offering occasional full length movies in prime time that fit this criteria. Then they expanded their movie programming and even initiated a second channel, and the rest, as they say, is history.

They are now in their around the clock movies “Countdown to Christmas” season.  Recently I did a weekly diary for the Neilsen Ratings organization,   and when I looked at it I realized that they probably would not believe it.  For the entire week there were only a couple of programs that were not from the Hallmark channels!  It was during the early weeks of this year’s Countdown, so I had made sure to watch all my favorites from prior seasons, and any new movies as well.  I do not have a DVR so I had just checked the lineup for the day and arranged my other activities around them.  Then recently I heard that the Hallmark channel had shot up in popularity this year, and other channels have been left behind in their dust, so I guess I was not the only one to plan my day that way.

Yesterday  one of my computer ”guys” from India asked me what I had done with my day today,  so I explained that I always start out Sunday morning with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on BYUTV,  my version of “going to church”.  Then I spent 3 hours doing some hard labor stowing away a truckload of things I had brought home from my treefarm that I’ve just sold.  After that I needed to rest,  so I checked the Hallmark schedule,  and  outlined movies to watch for the rest of the day,  except for one time interval when I could check my email,  and call my “guys” to talk about my website.  As I answered his question by describing my day and the Hallmark channel, I began to think about just why my life has taken this direction.

As humans we all seek family connections, and the Hallmark actors and actresses have been in so many movies together now that they have become a family.  And we, the viewers, have now come to feel like members of that extended family as well.  Of course there is the expected “boy gets girl” scenario in most of them, which many people may consider boring or trite. I, on the other hand, find that each film has a feel-good property to it, leaving the viewer with a warm heart.  But even better still, they have something to offer to improve the lives and outlooks of everyone.   They show us family values involving many aspects of life, such as dealing with personal relationships and overcoming crisis situations.

Other viewers must feel the same way I do, because they are now launching a third TV channel and they even offer an internet subscription option for those who may not have access to American cable or satellite TV.  So rejoice, TV may finally be taking a turn for the better. Perhaps it will begin to depart from so many useless, boring offerings toward programming that is uplifting, and contains family values that we of the older generation used to get at the dinner table.  As a culture, we Americans really need such a wakeup call, now that families often don’t eat dinner together.  And many who do sit down together spend the whole time looking at their phones, and even texting each other!!!   Wake up and smell the roses people, you are missing out on a big part of life.