Christmas Con brings together holiday movie lovers and actors in the spirit of the season

We all need a little Christmas.

And a little Christmas movie.

Christmas Con 2021, held earlier this month at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison, celebrated cable movies which have become one of America's newest holiday season traditions.

Shown on Hallmark, GAC Family, Lifetime and other channels, the Christmas movies start airing in October and run through the holidays with repeats throughout the year. While some more dramatic than others, all are heartfelt, sentimental and fall into a "happy ending" formula.

"Deck the Hallmark" podcaster Daniel Thompson likens the movies to comfort food.

"Everybody loves a good cheeseburger or plate of pasta, and Hallmark or Lifetime movies are some people's plate of pasta," Thompson said. "Christmas movies allows the opportunity to remember, to forget, or to dream. Those are the three things – you either remember the good times, you want to forget what happened during the day or you want to dream about a world where you get together with your family and get to do the same thing.

“It gives us that hope that at the end of a long day when times are really tough that we need. And regardless of how cheesy they are, you can turn them on in the background and you feel as though some of your hope has been restored."

Thirty-one actors joined 12,000 attendees at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison for Christmas Con 2021, a three-day event celebrating Christmas movies and the holiday season.
Thirty-one actors joined 12,000 attendees at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison for Christmas Con 2021, a three-day event celebrating Christmas movies and the holiday season.

Erin Cahill, who starred in and produced "Every Time a Bell Rings" this season, enjoys "everything" about the Christmas movies.

"I love telling stories that are centered around love and joy and community and connection, that's what the holidays are all about, so I love doing movies that reflect that," Cahill said. "And what I have heard what people get out of these movies is just that – they get hope and they get joy and possibility and they are getting out what I think we all hope to put in personally which is the spirit of the holidays, the most magical time of the year. I think it all boils down to love and connection."

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Nikki DeLoach, who has starred in 11 Hallmark movies and was one of the performers at Christmas Con, said the recurring theme of the movies is "hope."

"Hallmark always said they are the network of love and, yes, there is a lot of love. But they are really the network of hope,” DeLoach said. "That at the end of the day, everything is going to be OK. They are going to get a happy ending. I think that's what the movies offer people and that's why the people keep coming back. With everything that's going on, we have never needed hope more than we need now."

Thirty-one actors, including Nikki DeLoach, and 12,000 attendees came to the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison for Christmas Con 2021, a three-day event celebrating Christmas movies and the holiday season.
Thirty-one actors, including Nikki DeLoach, and 12,000 attendees came to the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison for Christmas Con 2021, a three-day event celebrating Christmas movies and the holiday season.

Christmas Con keeps that hope alive.

"I think this is something that we all needed," said DeLoach, who lost her father to Pick's disease in July. "The last two years have been really hard, as everybody knows. And there has been so much loss, even if you have not lost a beloved, just not being able to be in community with people the way that we were accustomed to, that has been hard for everyone."

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Christmas Con 2021, which filled the Expo Center, offered meet-and-greets, selfie stations, professional photo opportunities, autographs aplenty and festive competitions – an Ugly Sweater Showdown, Game Night and Gingerbread Wars. There were Q&A panel sessions with celebrities, themed contests and eight sold-out wreath-making classes.

"I love it," said Drew Seeley, who has starred in four Christmas movies on both Hallmark and Lifetime, including this year's "Christmas Movie Magic.” "Everybody is so festive and it's really getting me in the holiday spirit."

"It's just so much fun to be here," said Jonathan Bennett, who has performed in a half-dozen holiday movies. "Christmas Con is where everyone can hug and share the Christmas joy with each other. It means so much for us to see all the people that we make these movies for. And we get to hear their stories of why they love the movies so much."

Jonathan Bennett and Danica McKellar were two of the actors who joined 12,000 attendees at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison for Christmas Con 2021, a three-day event celebrating Christmas movies and the holiday season.
Jonathan Bennett and Danica McKellar were two of the actors who joined 12,000 attendees at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison for Christmas Con 2021, a three-day event celebrating Christmas movies and the holiday season.

While the movies follow the same formula, the storylines have become more inclusive with respect to romantic partners and holiday celebrations. Some have a Hanukkah theme, and more have LGBTQ+ storylines. Characters are also more diverse with Latino and Hispanic, African American and Asian actors in starring roles.

"Why I love the movies that I make with the LGBTQ+ storylines is that the people that are watching them feel seen," Bennett said. "For younger versions of myself to see what love looks like during the holidays."

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Christmas Con was created by That's4Entertainment – Liliana Kligman, Trinh Ho, Christina Figliolia and Alexandra Isaza – best friends since 2007. The quartet would gather at Figliolia's Central Jersey home and binge-watch Hallmark Channel Christmas movies, when not trimming the tree and "eating way too much food."

In 2018, Kligman, a big fan of entertainment conventions, realized fans of holiday movies had nowhere to celebrate their fandom together.

By the following Thanksgiving, Christmas Con 2019 was a reality. And it's gotten bigger and more extravagant ever since, with more than 12,000 attendees this year.

Tamera Mowry-Housley, seen in "The Santa Stakeout" this year, said that one of the best things about Christmas Con was hearing people sharing their personal stories, how the movies got them through difficult times.

"You hear stories from people about how their father passed away last year and we used to watch the movies – people are sharing how the holiday movies really touched them and helped them through difficult times," said Danica McKellar, "The Wonder Years" star who has appeared in several of the movies.

"It reminds me why we do this,” McKellar added, “to lift people's spirits. And I do watch my friends' movies. I am usually busy this time of year, but I DVR them and as I wrap Christmas presents, I put them on and watch."

Thirty-one actors and 12,000 attendees, including the Fasano Girls from Rhode Island and Connecticut, came to the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison for Christmas Con 2021, a three-day event celebrating Christmas movies and the holiday season.
Thirty-one actors and 12,000 attendees, including the Fasano Girls from Rhode Island and Connecticut, came to the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison for Christmas Con 2021, a three-day event celebrating Christmas movies and the holiday season.

Maria Deneault was one of 11 family members — The Fasano Girls — who came from Rhode Island and Connecticut to spend the weekend at Christmas Con.

"We all love Christmas and love being together," Deneault said. "We had the best time, We continued the fun at our hotel with personalized stockings that we filled with gifts with each other, making gingerbread houses, a hot cocoa bar, our own tree ceremony, decorations, lights and making ornaments to commemorate our special family weekend at Christmas Con. And of course, we watched more Christmas movies."

Christmas Con 2022 is already scheduled for Dec. 9-11 next year at the Expo Center. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Jan. 8.

Email: cmakin@gannettnj.com

Cheryl Makin is an award-winning features and education reporter for MyCentralJersey.com, part of the USA Today Network. Contact: Cmakin@gannettnj.com or @CherylMakin.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Hallmark Christmas Con brings together movie lovers, actors