Some Thoughts on WCTH's 2020 Christmas Special

    In the words of Elizabeth Thornton (Or Thatcher at the time) "This is really happening!" Yes! WCTH Season 8 has begun filming!!! Eeeeekk!!! Oh, I can't wait to find out what's next for our favorite Hope Valley characters! But most importantly....I want answers to this infernal love triangle!!!

    We've already gotten a little bit of BTS pics and a video of Erin on the saloon balcony. (I could totally point out the significance in that, but I shall restrain myself. Lol!)

    Now of course the first thing we'll get to watch (Besides more BTS videos I would imagine) is the highly anticipated Christmas Special! Now a date has yet to be revealed for it, but I'm VERY curious what might happen this year! This movie has SO much more riding on it than usual, as it will reveal to us whether or not the love triangle has actually been resolved or not. Shoof! No pressure there!

    So today I thought I'd list some things I can see happening in this new Christmas Special and how things might play out. And as this being the last week for Christmas in July it's a good time to do it and get a little more Christmas in before its gone!

About That Triangle...

Image Credit: Erin Krakow

    Now we all know by now that the Christmas Specials are usually sort of set apart in a way from the rest of the season. They are also very bright, happy, and cheerful, and don't really carry into the actual start of a season. Some things have happened which have set up a plot line for later such as Elizabeth giving birth to Little Jack, or Jesse showing up in the New Year's Special, but other than that they are just as described. A WCTH Christmas "Movie."

    However this next Christmas Special cannot, I repeat, CANNOT ignore Season 7's finale. Everyone saw that hug, Nathan was the recipient of it for goodness sake, and poor Lucas got his little heart crushed. (Sniff...) All three members of this triangle are going to be dealing with the fallout from last season and it cannot be overlooked.

    I can see things going two different ways.

    1. Things start up like in the New Year Special at the start of Season 3. This was after we'd gotten that crazy cliffhanger from Season 2 and Elizabeth discovers that Jack saw Charles propose to her. It happens the moment the Special starts with nothing leading up to it. Just straight to the point.

    If this was the case we wouldn't start with a journal entry and we'd get right to the drama. It would begin with Elizabeth talking to Nathan or Lucas about what happened, or maybe to Rosemary detailing her crazy emotions at the time. Or if Elizabeth really did make a choice it would start up right away showing us that. Now she may not run up and kiss whichever guy, but maybe she'd finally let one guy know that they are just friends. She'd also have to explain the hug to both guys.

    Or 2. Things start up like normal with Elizabeth writing in her journal about how much she loves Christmas and what it means to her. She'd then maybe throw in something about the hug and how things were effected by it, and we'd dive into the movie. Things would probably be super awkward between her, Lucas, and Nathan with both guys possibly pushing her away. Lucas out of hurt, and Nathan out of fear or guilt over what happened with that Mountie and E hugging him.

    Now I definitely see #2 happening more than the first, but #1 is still an option. But as I said before the Christmas Specials are always very happy and cheerful, so I don't know how much drama they'll want to start with.

    Now comes the big whopper of a question. Will this Christmas Special reveal who Elizabeth picked? Ooo boy... Now of course I have no idea, but I do have some thoughts on the subject.

    First off, if Season 7's finale truly did resolve the triangle, then we very well could find that out this holiday season. The thought kind of makes me excited and yell "Yikes!" all at the same time. Which this brings me to my second point.

    I really don't know if it's in the writer's best interest to end the triangle in the Christmas Special. I mean I know everyone is dying to know who Elizabeth picks, and just want her to finally be in a relationship again but think about it. No matter what, one team is going to be disappointed....on Christmas. I mean naturally each side feels pretty good about their guy having a chance, me included. But one side is going to be crushed when this triangle is finally ended, and then only have around two months to get over the loss. WCTH might lose a bunch of viewers, and people wouldn't feel as invested in this new season.

    Now of course I'm not saying that the triangle will or won't be resolved in this Christmas Special. I'm just thinking about it more from a writer's perspective and I just don't know if that would be the best idea. After all, even though I want Lucas to win, I can just imagine how sad and awful it would be for the other team to find out Nathan lost ON Christmas. And it would be the same for me if I found out that Lucas lost. Again I'm not saying they won't or can't end the triangle, I'm just making the point it would be really sad for a lot of people. At Christmas.

    As for whether or not I WANT to see things resolved in the Christmas Special. (Oh, boy why am I going to tell everyone this....) Okay, it's not that the triangle itself can't be resolved. That can happen, and would actually work really well, as it would give the rejected guy until the season started in 2021 to get over it, and then we could watch him move on. I just....maybe don't want....the kiss to happen in the special. Okay it's out! I said it! Now before you all think I'm a crazy nut job, and don't have a romantic bone in my body, please hear me out.

    I've just been waiting SO long for this moment, and I want a really climactic build up to it. I mean, it doesn't have to happen in Season 8's finale. The middle of the season would work! And the more I think about it, the kiss could happen in the Christmas Special, I'm just not sure if it would feel as dramatic as I wanted it to. I just know how things usually go in Hallmark movies and even this series and we usually have to wait until the finale for the kiss. So I guess my point is I want that moment to totally be built up to, dramatic, and romantic, and I'm just not sure if I want it to happen in the Christmas Special. Okay, I've made my point. (Braces for on-slot of tomatoes and coffee cups.)

Idea Bucket

    Now what might the Special be about? Well, as you may know by now there are certain rules and precautions being taken due to COVID-19 and so that could limit what they are capable of doing. They may want to avoid doing something like a Christmas festival but you never know. I don't want to put words in the crew's mouths so we'll just have to wait and see what they give us. However, should things be a bit smaller and more of just a Hope Valley Christmas, I have an idea for that!

    Hope Valley would find itself in the coldest winter they've had in years. A blizzard out side of their little town has prohibited Lucas from holding the Christmas festival again (Which he wasn't really feeling up to this year anyway...) and nobody can get the presents they ordered. And so the town comes together and does its first Secret Santa event! Everyone draws another person's name and works to get them the perfect present.

    I've loved the idea of Hope Valley doing a Secret Santa event for awhile. I think it would be so fun, humorous, and really embody the spirit of Christmas and what Hope Valley is all about.

    I also think that Faith might come back, as her name was listed for the Special on Hallmark Channel. Martin Cummins was also listed and so it looks like Henry might also be there which I'm very happy about! But this is just me speculating. I'd also like to point out that Chris McNally's name comes before Kevin McGarry's! (Sorry, that's the Team Lucas coming out in me. Lol! ;)

    I'm so curious of how things will start after that whole situation with the oil company. Maybe Lucas and Henry will band together in the spirit of Christmas and try and save the company so the men can keep their jobs.

    Jesse and Clara will be celebrating their first Christmas as a married couple. Maybe they'll be trying super hard to get each other the perfect gift. I'm not sure if Clara would find out she's pregnant just yet. Maybe that's something for the season finale. I however do know what the perfect gift for her would be! (Come on and build her that house, Jesse! Please?)

    Bill will be his usual Bill self and maybe have the usual mixture of cooking and law enforcing going on. Maybe he could even have some dramatic Christmastime court trial to deal with.

    Fiona might be trying out different jobs or just have a temporary one until she figures out what she wants to do. Meanwhile she'd of course be pitching in with whatever she can help with.

    As for Rosemary and Lee....yep. You guessed it. Finding out that Rosemary is pregnant would make for such an amazing ending to the special! Oh, my goodness the emotions and tears there would be! (From the characters and the Hearties!) It would be so wonderful!

    I'm also curious if anyone like Lillian or Grace will make a special appearance. (Maybe for a certain couple to adopt a child? Wink, wink...)

    Well, there you have it! I know there is so little info right now on all things Season 8, but yet there is so much to speculate and wonder about! Where's Christmastime when you need it, huh? Lol!

    Thank you all so much for reading! Feel free to tell me your thoughts in the comments below or on my Twitter page! God Bless!