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Watching holiday movie on laptop
Watching holiday movie on laptop
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Culture > Entertainment

Dash & Lily: Why Christmas TV Shows are a Genius Idea

Mya Bezaire
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UWindsor chapter.

After months of assignments and tests, the end of the semester is coming closer, and the Christmas Holidays are finally upon us. This time of year normally means we are baking cookies, wrapping gifts, and watching some classic Holiday films. Christmas films are always a good way to get people in the holiday spirit, and networks such as Hallmark and the Women’s Network make loads of Christmas movies this time of year. Just by browsing my Netflix account, I can see that Netflix has over 50 original and classic Christmas films for audiences to watch, but this year, Netflix decided to tap into a new media category to showcase Christmas content: TV series. That’s right, this year, Netflix decided to give Holiday TV series a try with their newest series Dash & Lily, and honestly, it was a GENIUS idea. Feeling unsure? Let me break it down for you!

Starting with the content of this show. Dash & Lily is a TV show adaptation of the novel Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares written by bestselling authors Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. The show tells the story of a boy named Dash (a non-Christmas fan) who finds a red notebook in his local bookstore, which was left by a girl named Lily (a Christmas obsessor), who is looking to find love during the Christmas Holidays. Throughout the series, the two write back and forth to each other in the journal leaving dares for each other to complete and write about before leaving the notebook behind in a special spot somewhere in New York for the other to find. The show is 8 episodes long, and each episode is 30 minutes in length, so it’ll give you about 4 hours of bingeable, lovey-dovey Christmas content.

Initially seeing the trailer for this show, I thought it was another general Hallmark-like Christmas film, but once I learned it was a TV series, I was very intrigued. Aside from Christmas baking shows that premiere during the Holidays, as well as the classic Holiday TV specials, this is the first time that I have seen a full length limited TV series dedicated to Christmas. Last year, Netflix did come out with a TV series titled Home For Christmas which was curated to their Spanish audience (and a season 2 is releasing this year which means it streamed well), but this is the first time Netflix has done Christmas TV for a North American audience. After finishing the show, I can say that creating a Christmas TV series on Netflix’s part was an absolutely amazing idea based on the following reasons: First, when it comes to the film format, most people tend to have to sit through a holiday film for about an hour and a half to 2 hours, while with Dash & Lily is only 4 hours of content, which means that this show would work for the TV streamers who like to watch their content in parts, so you can watch 30 minutes here, 30 minutes there, and so on leading up to New Year’s Eve since they cover both holiday’s in this show!  Or you can be the hardcore binge watcher and watch the entire series in a single 4 hour session. As well, while having its classic Christmas film tropes, it’s something that you can watch over and over again each year! (I have personally watched it twice upon writing this article, and I am now reading the book!). Thirdly, this show also has the opportunity to have multiple seasons because Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares is a trilogy of novels, so they can make  up to three seasons, creating hours upon hours of Christmas content!

Depending on who’s reading this, you obviously have your preferred sub-genres of Christmas movies, for example, some enjoy Christmas comedies such as Elf or Home Alone, or you may enjoy Christmas romances such as The Holiday or Love Actually. You may even enjoy a mixture of both like me! Even if you may not be the craziest Christmas fan, there is something for everyone in this film. There is even something for people who enjoy Netflix’s The Politician and people who are fans of the Jonas Brothers  (if you’re confused, once again watch the show!). So, when I say there is something for everyone, I mean everyone, and it’s also a way to get you in the holiday spirit. With exams finishing up right before Christmas, we are all going to be drained and need a break, and this series is the perfect way to just relax and get in all the Christmas feels. 

So, now that you have all of the info on Dash & Lily, the first fictional, American, Holiday TV series to exist according to my research, I will now conclude by saying, watch this show! It will definitely become a Christmas classic, or at least something you’ll want to watch when you want to get into the Holiday spirit every year!

 

Happy Holidays, and happy bingeing!

 

Mya Bezaire is the Co-Campus Correspondent at the Her Campus UWindsor Chapter. She is responsible for overseeing all administrative aspects of the chapter, from member onboarding to article scheduling. Prior to this, Mya was the social media director (2021-2022), and she currently still helps with posting on social media. She also is a writer who’s content typically focuses around career development, entertainment, and self-care. Beyond Her Campus, Mya is a freelance digital marketer for her own business titled Market with Mya. As a freelancer Mya has worked with small-to-medium business clients based in Canada & the US to help elevate their digital presence through content creation, social media management, and design. Currently, Mya is a Senior at the University of Windsor in Communication, Media, and Film, with a minor in Information Technology. Mya is also the president of the Communication Student Association, where she oversees all marketing & events efforts to create a vibrant space for Communication Students on campus. In her free time, Mya loves immersing herself in TV and Film. She’s a reality TV junkie but also loves a good romcom or thriller-drama. She also loves prioritizing her wellness, and you can often find her journalling, listening to her fave podcasts & YouTubers, or going on a hot girl walk.