From a Washington Post guest column by Cassie Belek, a Chicago talent booker and comedian.

As divisive as 2017 has been, my female friends and family of all races and political beliefs have been talking about and watching Hallmark Christmas movies more than ever. There is a relief in sharing entertainment about women made for women without fear of judgment or shame. And as different as I may be from my married cousin with children who voted differently than me, we can at least enjoy some pinot grigio over the holidays and talk about how “A Bramble House Christmas” was better than it needed to be.

So yes, I tuned into the beginning of the Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas when it was still October. And so did my mother and my aunts and my cousins and my friends. Because women need a little Christmas in 2017. We need 90 minutes to sit down with the people we care about and watch characters love, cry, learn, forgive and get into snowball fights while living in beautiful homes they can’t afford and building elaborate gingerbread houses in impossible amounts of time.

Maybe that’s the true meaning of Christmas. I always thought it was Jesus, but it could also be Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments. Whatever it is, I’m going to discover the true meaning of Christmas with Candace, Lacey, Danica and all the women I love. Because this year, women don’t just need a little Christmas. We deserve it.