Ah, Christmas! The time of the year that you love, or hate, or love to hate, or hate to love. A time of spending, giving, over eating and emotional stress – and that's in the good years. What about those years when the whole season goes off the rails and nothing goes right? I have a theory why many people enter the holiday season with hope and excitement and come out the other end feeling like they have been placed in the spin cycle of the washing machine and left in a damp smelly heap on the laundry room floor. I place the blame for the raised expectations and dashed hopes of the holidays squarely on three movies. Yep, it's not really our fault at all. It's the fault, once again, of Hollywood.
These three movies are White Christmas (1954), Holiday Inn (1942), and Christmas in Connecticut (1945). These movies all have the same elements: Beautiful people, great clothing, perfectly coiffed snow banks, holiday decoration perfection and idealized happy Christmas endings. These are the reasons why people feel that something is missing. Don't get me wrong, I love these movies (even though 2 of them are musicals). I watch them every year – How can you resist Rosemary Clooney? I mean come on! But these are not the reality of Christmas as most people know it. These three movies, whether you have seen them or not, have dictated Christmas and what we expect from it for fifty years. Compared to the Christmases portrayed in these movies, none of us have a hope for the season.
For the more realistic view of Christmas I prefer the insanity of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989). Who can resist the chaos of 'an old fashioned family Christmas'. Basically everything that can go wrong does go wrong for the Griswold's and the hilarity that ensues makes most of our own Christmas misadventures look like a walk in the park. So in the hopes of giving you a guide to holiday viewing I have compiled a list (three actually) along with either a quote from the movie or a comment from me. One for 'feel good' ideal holidays. One for 'reality'. And one that will make even the worst holiday season look like paradise. Merry Christmas everyone!
The Ideal Christmas Viewing Guide
White Christmas (1954) – Rosemary Clooney, (and Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye too) 'nuff said!
Holiday Inn (1942) – Laughs brought to you by Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire
Christmas in Connecticut (1945) – "Nobody needs a mink coat but the mink."
Muppet's Christmas Carol (1992) – Come on. Who can resist the Muppets?
The Reality of Christmas Viewing Guide
Christmas Vacation (1989) – "I don't know what to say, except it's Christmas and we're all in misery."
A Christmas Story (1983) – Doesn't everyone want a shapely leg lamp and a pellet gun?
Home Alone (1990) – "I'm gonna give you to the count of 10, to get your lying, yellow, no-good keister off my property, before I pump your guts full of lead!"
The Christmas Chaos Viewing Guide
Scrooged (1988) – "You've got a program featuring America's favourite old fart. Reading a book in front of a fireplace. Now, I have to kill all of you."
Die Hard (1988) – "This is agent Johnson. No, the other one."
Gremlins (1984) – When you want the perfect Christmas gift. Oh, ah… just don't get them wet!
1 comment:
I think you hit the elf on the head with this one. I'd add It's A Wonderful Life to the list, although it's rather depressing in places, and is a tragedy for the most part (hey, that's more realistic of how Christmas is, now that I think about it!).
My favourite Christmas movies (or ones set at Christmas time) would be Planes, Trains, & Automobiles (set around the US Thanksgiving, but close enough), Love, Actually, Miracle On 34th Street, Christmas Carol (Sims version) and Ernest Saves Christmas. ;-D
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