Rejoice! To calm coronavirus panic, Hallmark will air a Christmas movie marathon

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas as brands and civilians continue searching for something — anything — to spark cheer during the coronavirus pandemic.

The holiday season is coming several months early to the Hallmark Channel, which has scheduled an impromptu Christmas movie marathon beginning Friday and ending Sunday.

Known and beloved for their cheesy and predictable plots, the feel-good films are meant to be a beacon of hope in these unsettling times.

“Guys ... hallmark just brought their Christmas movies back for this quarantine time,” one excited Twitter user wrote Thursday. “Everything’s gonna be OK.”

Friday at noon, Hallmark will kick things off with a Candace Cameron Bure classic, “A Christmas Detour.” In keeping with the quarantine theme, the rom-com sees the “Full House” alum and Hallmark movie maven’s character find love while cooped up with a fellow traveler in a snowstorm.

Other yuletide titles on the docket include “Mingle All the Way,” in which a romance unfolds between an app developer “and her unlikely match”; “A Royal Christmas,” which sees a young prince fall for “a humble seamstress from Philadelphia”; and “A Very Merry Mix-Up,” in which a young woman accidentally comes home to “the wrong family, and their eligible son” for the holidays.

Hallmark isn’t the only outlet bringing the Christmas spirit during this public health crisis. Several Americans have started to make use of their time in self-isolation by stringing up lights on their homes, inspired in part by a tweet from sports broadcaster Lane Grindle.

“What if we all put our Christmas lights back up?” Grindle wrote on Sunday. “Then we could get in the car and drive around and look at them. That seems like a fair social distancing activity.”

Soon, people across the country — from Rhode Island to Louisiana — joined in the holiday fun, sharing photos of their own makeshift decorations.

“My youngest son was bored today and said, ‘can we put Christmas lights on our tree outside to cheer us up?’” one Twitter user posted along with a photo of their bright, colorful Christmas display. “Great idea buddy. Lights are on tonight as a sign of hope and the sweet mind of my 10 year old.”

“Today a few of my neighbours decided we needed a bit more light in this dark time and decided to turn their Christmas lights back on,” wrote another. “I hope it brings a smile to you face like it did mine.”

Whether you’re hanging up twinkly decor or settling in for a comforting flick, merry Christmas to all and to all a good weekend.