Yes, It’s Still Technically Summer
Over here at Bundle HQ, it has felt like the Christmas season ever since we starting working on our Bundle: Hallmark Channel Countdown to Christmas Edition. We realize that most people are not quite in the holiday spirit yet, but when Cassie and I discovered that it was almost 100 days until Christmas, we knew we wanted to organize a little party to celebrate. We invited some women who we knew would be game (pun intended) for a very early Christmas celebration. We promised the partygoers Hallmark Channel Christmas movies, hot chocolate, and Countdown to Christmas game playing. Although our guests drank more rosé than hot chocolate, I think it’s safe to say that we all got in the holiday spirit.
Hallmark Channel Memories
We decided that the movie of choice for the evening would be the 2011 classic The Case for Christmas. Most of us had already seen it, but when Santa Claus is getting sued, it’s always worth another viewing. If you feel compelled to see this movie now, you can subscribe to Hallmark’s streaming service, Hallmark Movies Now. Yes, Hallmark has a streaming service and yes, it’s awesome.
While we watched the movie, we started talking about all of our favorite Hallmark Channel Christmas movies. It was so much fun to chat about our shared favorites, talk about the best couple pairings, and debate on which Hallmark Channel leading lady reminds us the most of ourselves. If someone couldn’t remember the title of a Hallmark Channel movie that they loved, she would recount the plot while others would guess the leading actors until we would eventually get the title. No googling allowed! (I highly recommend this, it was a lot of fun!)
Sisters for the Win
We had so much fun playing Bundle: Hallmark Channel Countdown to Christmas with this group of women. We only have one prototype while we wait for our orders to arrive, so it was really important that no one spilled hot chocolate or red wine on the game. (And when I say no one, I mean me. Cassie knows I have a penchant for destroying things with liquids so she was relieved when my only mishap was getting some of my seltzer water on the Bundle bag.) From sharing favorite Christmas traditions to acting out "Jingle Around the Clock” to being challenged to come up with our ultimate cast for a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie, each card was a new adventure. There was so much laughter and silliness, but the women also felt comfortable opening up about their holiday traditions and sharing stories about their favorite childhood Christmas memories. That’s one of the things I love most about Bundle - it incites conversation and sharing among the players. It’s not just about winning the game—which is what I say when I don’t win the game. Which is what happened at the party.
I thought for sure I had a distinct advantage for winning. First off, the party was held at my apartment so I was working with a home team advantage. Second, I am an extremely passionate and well-informed Hallmark Channel fan. Third, and possibly the most compelling reason for me to win - Cassie and I created the game. We played in teams of two and what I didn’t account for was that twin sisters, former womb mates, came to PLAY. Never underestimate the power of a twin connection.
There will be plenty more game nights when Hallmark Channel Countdown to Christmas kicks off on October 25th. By then, I’ll be watching all of my Hallmark Channel Countdown to Christmas movies, drinking copious amounts of hot chocolate, and fully prepared to complete with a twin psychic connection. (Okay, only two of those things are true.)