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Wednesday, December 3, 2008
What’s your favorite Christmas movie?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It’s that time of year, when we cozy up near the fireplace to watch our favorite holiday movies. I’ve realized over the years, that my favorite Christmas movies are as about memories and traditions as about the movie themselves. So it’s no surprise then that my top five list has not changed much in the past 15 years except for one movie that came out in 2004.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas. This is a movie that I watch every year. In fact, for years, I didn’t get in the Christmas spirit until I’d seen that little doggie trying to pull that humongous sled of stolen toys up the mountain. But watching the Grinch’s heart grow three times bigger just before he returns the items to Whoville is what Christmas is all about.
The Year Without Santa Claus. “I’m Mr. Heat Miser, I’m Mr. Sun. I’m Mr. Green Christmas. I’m Mr. Heat Blister. I’m Mr. Hundred and One. They call me Heat Miser. Whatever I touch starts to melt in my clutch. I’m too much.” Okay, I watch just to hear the Snow Miser Heat Miser song….
It’s A Wonderful Life. This is a movie that’s on most people’s list, and how can it not be? An angel comes to earth to save a suicidal man on Christmas Eve. In the end, a husband and father who thought he’d be better off dead realizes just how important the small things he did during his life were to others.
The Polar Express. Several children board a magical steam locomotive for a trip to the North Pole on the night before Christmas. Along the way, they learn about friendship, trusting others and the true spirit of Christmas. My daughter was 6 years old when this movie was released in 2004. For years, the story of the bell helped me to explain why some kids believed in Santa, while others didn’t. “At one time, most of my friends could hear the bell,” says the lead character in the movie. “Though I’ve grown old, the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe.”
The Sound of Music. Okay, this 1965 movie musical about the Von Trapp family really has nothing to do with Christmas except that it seemed to come on television every year during the holidays. In my mind, it was always a Christmas movie for that reason and it’s now a movie that I watch with my family every Christmas. Its theme of love, family and helping others sounds Christmasy to me…
That’s my favorite list, what’s yours? Do you like the classics such as “Christmas Carol” and Miracle on 34th or prefer the comical ones such as “Bad Santa” and “Home Alone” or horror flicks like “Gremlins” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas?”
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Do you prefer paper or virtual Christmas cards?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Each Christmas I receive a lovely greeting and photos from Gwynne, one of my college buddies.
I love the cards because they include wonderful, year-end updates of what’s been going on with her family: husband, Mark, three children and - at last count - just as many dogs.
The more her household grows, the longer the updates become. I’m not sure I would like them as much if I had to read them on a computer screen.
I remember my grandmother taking all the Christmas and New Year’s cards and stringing them around the doorways at home. Cheap, but nice, decorating.
Today, the possibilities are endless. You can get environmentally-friendly cards, musical cards and talking ones. There are even recession-inspired cards, though I can’t imagine they would bring much cheer.
Do you like newsy cards? Do you send homemade, store bought or e-cards?
Does it matter which you receive?
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