What Should You Be Looking For In Christmas Television?

It really is the season now isn’t it OliverRawlings readers? You really can’t escape Christmas now. The decorations are going up all around you. The lights are beginning to blind you. You’re putting up your tree and making it look lovely. You’re really getting in the mood and preparing for the big day. When the big day rolls around you want to make sure that you really enjoy yourself. You want to make sure that all the presents are just what everybody will want. That the food is ready and waiting and will be delicious. You also want to make sure that you get the best in Christmas TV possible.

Christmas TV really does have a polarising reputation doesn’t it? On the one hand there are things that we love. There are programmes that have amazing Christmas specials. These are the ones we spend all year looking forward to.  The ones that prove iconic. Then there are the Christmas movies they play every year. The documentaries which rehash the same subject over again. The types of TV that puts you to sleep and makes you wish that the day would just end already. So how do we discern one from the other. How do we define the characteristics of good Christmas telly? Well there are a few things it has to have.

Drama: It has to hold you on the edge of your seat. It has to make your mouth dry and you heart start racing. It has to be exciting and daring and make you feel for the characters on the screen. It’s a special occasion; it makes sense then that you want to watch a story that’ll have you biting your nails and wanting more.

Comedy: Christmas has always traditionally been a time for merriment. People want to feel good about themselves. They want to enjoy the holiday and have a bit of a laugh every now and again. You need to watch something that’ll have you in stitches.  Something that really is laugh out loud funny.  It needs to have the ability to make you feel good and leave you with a warm feeling.

Balance: You need something with both drama and comedy to really make a good Christmas special. This is the telly that people are waiting for throughout the year. They don’t just want one thing. They want something that is going to tick all the boxes. This is the thing that separates the good Christmas telly from the great Christmas telly. It’s the hardest bit to get right.

Heartwarming: At the end of the day, it needs to make people feel good. It has to have them believing once again in the innate goodness of humanity. That’s what the holiday season is all about after all.