Christmas Movie Season

I was very fortunate to be raised in a movie loving family. My dad blessed us with his overspending in the video store while we were growing up. It made us very popular amongst our friends and extended family.

My family is also very big on Christmas. The decorations, the carols, the gifts, the food  - we love all of it. And of course  we also love the movies!

Just as the star or angel completes the tree, Christmas movies complete any Christmassy event or activity. Put up the tree, make some popcorn and then watch a movie! Wrap some gifts while watching a movie. Do your Christmas shopping then relax with a glass of wine and a movie.

There is no better movie season than Christmas. Not because the movies are better than others, but the purpose of a Christmas movie is to help you get into the Christmas spirit – joy, generosity, goodwill towards others, appreciation for family – this is what you want to experience during the Christmas season, and this is what the best Christmas movies deliver. 

Another important part of Christmas is nostalgia. When I watch a Christmas movie I like to think about what was happening in my life when I first watched it and when I last watched it.

Now I have the added joy of watching my kids experience them for the first time.  I love seeing Kevin McCallister make them laugh and Ebenezer Scrooge make them cry. As I watch my kids watch these movies I see them inheriting a love for them and all things Christmas, just as I did. Christmas movies are becoming part of my young family’s tradition. They are helping to create some great memories, just as they did for me and my siblings. It would not be Christmas without them.

So since we are heading into the season of giving, I am kicking things off by sharing some of the movies that I will be looking forward to watching this festive season…

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Why do I love this movie? Next to the Nativity story, A Christmas Carol embodies the message of Christmas more than any other and it continues to be relatable 170 years later.  This movie, starring Jim Carrey in many of the lead roles, is a must-see because it is an excellent adaptation of this poignant and beautiful story.

My favourite scene…Ebenezer Scrooge walks in trepidation into his nephew’s home after resolving to change his ways and is embraced by one and all.

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE
Why do I love this movie? Okay, I know this is such a classic that it is probably a cliché, but I finally watched it last year for the first time and it lived up to all the hype. It epitomised the warmth and loveliness you desire from a Christmas movie.

My favourite scene is… I haven’t decided which is my favourite scene yet, but the most memorable scene involves James Stewart, Donna Reed and a telephone. I was not prepared for the amazing chemistry between the movie’s iconic leads.

SCROOGED
Why do I love this movie? There are so many movies that are a spin on the traditional Charles Dickens story that it has become a movie genre within a genre, but this is definitely my favourite. Filmed and set in the 80s, it stars one of my favourites, Bill Murray. I don’t know if there is anyone better at balancing humour and heart in their performances like Bill Murray can, and he does this so well as Frank Cross – this movie’s Ebenezer.

My favourite scene is…During the visit from the sadistic Ghost of Christmas Present, Frank Cross gets a toaster slammed in his face. There is nothing funnier than that when you’re 10.

THE SANTA CLAUSE TRILOGY
Why do I love this movie? Every year I have to watch at least one of these Tim Allen movies. It creates its own take on the mythology around Santa so well. The first movie is the best and is becoming a classic. It is starting to feature on many ‘best Christmas movie’ lists. And sure, the last one isn’t great but it still has some great moments.

My favourite scene is… In the second movie, Scott ‘Santa’ Calvin, attends a sad Christmas party for teachers and decides to liven up the evening by handing out the toys that everyone loved when they were kids. Even though there is magic to this moment, I think that the reaction of all the adults is pretty accurate and very sweet.

NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION
Why do I love this movie? You have to watch at least one movie showing a family doing their best to have the perfect, traditional, family Christmas and failing badly. The Griswolds go from anticipation to disappointment to disaster to hope to joy better than any other movie-family and they do this for us again at Christmas.

My favourite scene is…It is a tie between the scene where the wife gets the Christmas lights to work and lets her hubby think that it was him (we’ve all been there – right girls?), and the Christmas Eve dinner scene. The turkey looks perfect but as soon as they cut into it, it pops open as it is completely dried out.  What started off looking like the perfect Christmas diner quickly deteriorates to tears, awkwardness and nausea. (We’ve all been there – right girls?)

MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (The remake not the original)
Why do I love this movie? Dylan McDermott. (Gorgeous) Elizabeth Perkins. (Beautiful) Richard Attenborough.(He really is Santa!) Everyone in this movie looks so perfect, it’s like a live-action Christmas card.

My favourite scene is…The midnight-mass wedding. They look like they are heading to work but it is still very romantic.



HOME ALONE
Why do I love this movie? Fun, family, violence…what’s not to love?

My favourite scene is…This one’s easy. It has to be the final scene where Macaulay Culkin’s character looks out the window to see his neighbour as he reunites with his son and embraces his granddaughter. Combined with the incredible John Williams score, this moment is so touching, I have to stop typing about it for fear my tears will destroy my keyboard.

P.S. This is also the movie I am watching while writing this. So thanks for the inspiration Kevin McCallister.

Merry Christmas-movie watching everyone!

The End of Politeness

I wish we lived in a society that valued politeness more. 

Alas, sometimes I feel like people are losing their sense of decency and lack the ability to show even the smallest consideration for others. Simply smiling at a counter - whether you are the customer or the shop assistant - can make both people's day a little easier.

But instead we do not even make eye contact, we do not hold the door open for others, we text during the movie. That last act is often mentioned as the worst of theatre-going faux pas. But today I have experienced the absolute worst and the ultimate in rudeness and disrespect for other people's enjoyment of movies. In fact, I would go so far to say that it is not just a faux pas, but a movie-going and perhaps even parenting sin (yes a sin I say!) which can be summed up in the following questions:

What kind of a moron takes a baby to Thor: The Dark World? How inconsiderate and stupid do you have to be to think that kind of behaviour is in any way acceptable?

I have done my time at the baby-on-board movie sessions. My husband and I used to go with the twins every Tuesday and we have very fond memories of those times. They are such a great idea because everyone is expecting the same experience. Every now and then babies will be crying, the older ones may run around a bit, the lights won't be completely dim and the sound won't be as loud - but everyone is there with those same expectations.

To some extent, I expect babies crying and kids running around during kids movies as well - because that is what they are. Movies for kids. If you get upset at kids during the latest Smurfs movie then you just should not pay to see any kids movies. (I do feel your pain if you get upset about having to see a Smurfs movie though. They suck.)

Cute on a baby blanket.
Hideous in a movie theatre.

Even though my kids-movie days are still with me, my baby-on-board movie-going days are long gone! So the above mentioned experience is not what I am expecting when I go to the movies any more. In fact, part of the fun of going to the movies is to escape from life, which includes my children. Otherwise I would just wait until my dad buys the movie on DVD so I can watch it at home in between telling my kids to go to bed. When I spend the money to go the theatre I want to be transported to another world. I want to forget about my life.

So when someone brings their crying baby along, they completely ruin that for me. I am awoken from my fantasy and reminded that I am not Lady Sif, kicking ass while secretly pining for Thor. I am actually a working mum who in a couple of hours has to go home to four older versions of that screaming baby!

Some may say that I am being unfair. What if those parents work during the times that the baby-on-board movie sessions are on? What if they can't get babysitters? What if they are tired parents needing to get out of the house and just thought they'd give it a go?

Well I am sorry but that is what I like to call 'doing your time'. All parents go through their children's childhood knowing that life as you knew it is over and the freedom you had will not come back for years.

I am doing hard time. I deserve to see Thor: The Dark World in a childless environment. Not just me, but every other parent in that theatre deserves it. What about those parents who are only going to baby-on-board movies and this is the one time they managed to get a babysitter so they thought they'd enjoy a movie at the normal volume, with the lights down, not having to worry that your now crawling baby will roll down the stairs. (Yes, one of the twins did do that once. I don't remember which. Probably the crazy one.)

This does not have to be like this though. Why do theatres even allow people with babies into movies? I believe that if a movie is not rated G, children under 4 should NOT be allowed into it. And if some sneaky parent happens to smuggle a baby in, as if they were a Samoan smuggling in a KFC bargain bucket, all the other theatre goers need to take action. Alert the staff! Spill their popcorn! Stand on the seats so they can't see! These people have brought an end to politeness so it is time for us to respond in kind!

This madness can and must end! The revolution begins now people!

You think Loki is crazy?
Just try sitting next to me with a baby when
the next Avengers movie comes out!

On a brighter note, after the baby stopped crying Thor: The Dark World was absolutely awesome. I highly recommend it.