Movies are big at our house. Christmas is big at our house. Christmas movies - huge! We rarely look for anything new, we are not very adventurous in our Christmas viewing . . . preparing the movie list, what order and when we watch all our favorites, is a ritual. Which ones did we not get to last year, when is everyone going to be home, which are we most looking forward to this year, etc?
Some films that have Christmas as a backdrop or a minor theme we might not get to every year - Die Hard, A Tale Of Two Cities, even Trading Places are on the list, but from year to year might not make it to viewing (though, any opportunity to watch A Tale Of Two Cities, the greatest movie ever made, ought not to be missed), but some are required and never missed. A Christmas Carol is saved for Christmas Eve, and is only ever the 1951 Alastair Sim version - and just so happens to have the scariest movie ghost ever in Jacob Marley. It's A Wonderful Life, Miracle On 34th Street, and A Christmas Story are must-see Christmas viewing and always looked forward to. Trapped In Paradise and Elf are relatively new additions and big favorites.
And there are several television specials on our yearly list. We watch for the broadcast of Charlie Brown, the Grinch, and Rudolf, but we own Pee Wee's, Mr Bean's, and The Simpson's Christmas specials, and we all hold The Honeymooner's Christmas episode to be very special. And one of the most eagerly awaited Christmas celebrations at our house is David Letterman's Christmas show . . . Jay Thomas' yearly Lone Ranger tale is fun, the traditional knocking the meatball off the top of the tree is fine, but Darlen Love's annual rendition of "Christmas (baby Please Come Home)" is a phenomenon and should not be missed by anyone.
And last but far from least; I think our family's real favorite, the one most anticipated and enjoyed year after year, is Holiday Inn. If anyone wonders why White Christmas isn't on our list, that's ok, and some of it is real good, but Holiday Inn is by far the superior film - and, interestingly enough, the first film to feature the song "White Christmas". Like It's A Wonderful Lifeand Sim's A Christmas Carol, Holiday Inn is simply a great movie, Christmas or no. The story is great, the music is great, the comedy is great, etc, etc, it's just a really good movie that happens to have Christmas as a prominent storyline feature.
Make our list your own, and you will have a very . . .
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
