True confession: I’ve been watching sappy Christmas romance movies on TV this summer.

Always the same formula: Man and woman meet, fall in love, save the town’s lodge or some other beloved local institution from closure, and live happily ever after in the loving small town setting — “where everybody knows your name.” All with a dose of Christmas cheer in the background.

Credit the programmers at the two TV stations showing them here. They’re filling a need in these days of masks and social distancing.

I watch sappy Christmas romance movies during the Christmas holidays, too. Yes, I like Christmas sappiness, OK? It’s not all about Scrooge and the Grinch and James Stewart being saved by Clarence (I loved Clarence, didn’t you?).

But this is the first summer I’ve watched them. I probably would have laughed at the idea last summer. Watch sappy Christmas movies in the summer? Ha!

I would have laughed at the idea of watching a live NHL Hockey game on Aug. 1, too — not to mention one involving the Canadiens.

I thought NHL Playoffs in August was a dumb idea when it was first trotted out. Who is going to watch hockey on hot summer evenings?

And then there I was, watching the third period last night, and the OT win by the Habs over the Pens.

Yes, if you play it, we will watch. I’m hooked. So is much of Quebec. We need something real to cheer about. Go, Habs, Go!

Credit to the National Hockey League, and Gary Bettman for his perseverance in making it happen.

There has been one other unusual pastime for me this summer: Occasionally, I close my eyes and wish I would wake up in my room as a 16-year-old again …

So, how about you? Have you been doing anything unusual this summer?

— Jillian