What makes a movie a Christmas movie?

 

 

As I sit here writing this, one of my favorite childhood Christmas movies is playing in the background. The Night They Saved Christmas is a made for TV movie from 1984. I’m old enough to remember the days when “home entertainment center” meant that your floor model console television included a stereo system. This was long before streaming services, before DVDs, VHS tapes, even before most people had cable television and the dozens, not hundreds, of channels that came with it. With most people having access to fewer than a dozen channels, made for TV movies and holiday specials were considered an EVENT.

 

It's a given that any movie that includes “Christmas” in the title would automatically be considered a Christmas movie. The same can be said for keywords like “Santa”, “elves”, “reindeer”, “sleigh”, or “North Pole”. For some people, any movie where that is set during the Christmas season is considered a Christmas movie.  That’s where the argument for movies like Gremlins, Die Hard, and Trading Places being considered Christmas movies comes from.

 

Every household has their “must see” list of Christmas movies. For our household, the top four “must see” movies are White Christmas, Trading Places, Die Hard, and A Christmas Story. Over the years, other movies have been added, like the Christmas Chronicles, some version of A Christmas Carol, and Emmett Otter’s Jug Band Christmas. That’s not to discount the Christmas Specials like all the Rankin and Bass Holiday Specials, Muppet Specials, and Peanuts specials.

 

Over the years, some movies cycle in as others cycle out of rotation. A Christmas Story will always play on loop on Christmas Day until we switch to the sequel.

 

This year we’ve already watched White Christmas, and Trading Places from our “must see” list. We added a couple of violent movies with Violent Night and Santa’s Slay.

It ultimately comes down to what sort of movies make it feel like Christmas for you. Are you a Hallmark movie lover? Do you prefer comedies like Elf or Home Alone? Do you go for classics, new movies, just movies from a certain point in your life? What’s your favorite Christmas movie?

Let's talk about books

 I have always loved reading. From the days as a young child when my father read to me and taught me to read, to the far too many days I was too ill to do more than lie in bed and read, the written word has been a safe place, and a book a welcome companion.*1 I have no idea what book I first read on my own, but the first book I memorized was 'In a People House' by Dr. Seuss. After my parents divorced, there wasn't anyone to read to me every night, and less money to spend on books. Thankfully, there was the Free Library of Philadelphia, where I found a seemingly endless array of books in which to lose myself.

My first, and most egregious, overdue book was 'Charlie Needs a New Cloak' by Tomie DePaola back when I was in 2nd grade. I believe this may have been the origin point for both my intense anxiety, as well as my absolute love of crafting. Forty years later, I'm still finding every opportunity possible to read and craft. *2

The most recent book I finished was 'Wrong Place Wrong Time' by Gillian McAllister. This book wasn't exactly my typical read. I had recently joined a crafting and book club on FB, and this was August's book, so I gave it a shot. I picked it up at the local library and finished it in under a week. Not to give anything away, but it was a little confusing at points, but everything made sense in the end. As a parent, I found the concept of the book very thought provoking. While I doubt I will read this title again, I would definitely read more of Gillian McAllister's work.

Currently, I am reading 'The Last Lie Told' by Debra Webb. This is the first book in the Finlay O'Sullivan series. While not one of my top genres, I think of books like this as time fillers. That's not to take anything away from the author's work, it just means that I use these books to fill time while waiting for appointments or before bed, but I don't get so sucked in to the story that I lose all track of time. Since this is the start of a series, I look forward to getting to know these characters for at least two more novels.

The next book on my "to be read" list is a COMPLETE departure, as I don't usually read romance novels. Well, I don't read romance unless it's funny, *3 supernatural, *4 or both. *5 I pre-ordered this book to support a friend. It doesn't only take a village to raise a child, it takes a village to support dreams, efforts, and small enterprise. I'll be sure to post a review after I've read it.

My favorite book is 'The Swordswoman' by Jessica Amanda Salmonson. I stumbled across this book over thirty years ago on the bargain book rack of my local grocery store. I discovered many great books on that rack over the few years the store kept it, including the Endworld series by David L. Robbins, but this book quickly became a favorite and still sits at the top of my list. Erin Wyler/Erin of Thar is such a relatable character in a wholly unrelatable situation. I read my original paperback copy so many times that the cover came off. Recently, I purchased a hardcover copy so that I can keep this book in my rotation for many years to come.

*1 May the ghost of Sister Carmella never ask me to diagram that sentence. 

*2 I did eventually pay my library fine.

*3 for example, anything by Janet Evanovich

*4 anything by Michele Bardsley

*5 like the Undead series by MaryJanice Davidson