When I think of Christmas traditions, usually my mind drifts to things like gathering at Granny’s house with extended family to open gifts, watching a favorite holiday film for the hundredth time or being allowed to open a single gift on Christmas Eve, which was almost always socks.

The thing about traditions is that they sometimes change, fade away or get replaced by something totally new.

In recent years, one of my favorite holiday traditions actually involves The Hallmark Channel. There, I admitted it. I’m a sucker for warm, gushy, uncomplicated holiday films.

To be clear, I don’t usually watch more than one a year, even though they seem to be aired 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout December.

This whole thing started several years back when I noticed that my mom seemed to watch a heck of a lot of those Hallmark holiday movies with the word “Christmas” in the title.

Looking up a list of upcoming films, there’s everything from “Christmas List” and “A Christmas Detour” to “Crown for Christmas,” “Christmas Magic,” “I’m Not Ready for Christmas,” “A Christmas Ornament” and “A Carol Christmas.” The only thing missing is a movie called “A Christmas Christmas Christmas.”

I’m sure we’re all familiar with these films at this point. They almost always involve a woman who “doesn’t have time to date” because she’s “focusing on her career right now.” She then gets caught up in some dilemma such as a beloved ski lodge being bought and modernized by some greasy executives. Or maybe she’s on the way to meet her lame fiancé and the taxi gets caught in a snowstorm. Or perhaps a mom and pop store she used to visit as a girl is going out of business.

Either way, she almost always meets a handsome guy with the ability to melt her heart and encounters picture-perfect secondary characters who teach her about the joys of the holiday season.

I used to tease my mom about those cookie-cutter films, and then I sat down with her one year and watched one of them.

The next Christmas season, I sat down and watched one with her again.

The same thing happened last year and I’m hoping it happens again this year.

I consider this a new holiday tradition; my mom and I settling down to watch a movie full of crackling fires, twinkling Christmas lights, crunching snow and always (always) a happy ending. There’s barely anything resembling an “antagonist” and no major conflict or complications that can’t be overcome with teamwork or creative thinking.

These movies are super idyllic and predictable, sure, but they’re also a nice way to completely forget about your worries for an hour and a half, plus commercials.

So I suppose this has turned into yet another confession, hot on the heels of my questionable eating decisions made during Thanksgiving.

So Mom, if you’re reading this, make sure you go through your DVR and pick us a good movie this year. I’m looking forward to keeping our new Christmas tradition going.