The forecast says we can expect about a foot of snow and blizzard conditions over the next twenty-four hours. Schools are closed and traffic is slow (at least anyone who cares for their life and their car is driving defensively)
It’s a perfect day for baking Christmas cookies, making old fashioned dough ornaments, or playing in the snow if you are brave and don’t mind a forty mile an hour wind.
Also a wonderful day for sitting by the fire (if you have a fireplace, I don’t)
Sipping hot chocolate and watching your favorite Christmas movies.
My favorites don’t seem to be the typical variety such as “It’s A Wonderful Life”, “Miracle on Thirty Fourth Street” “Christmas Story” or “Christmas in Connecticut”. Mine lean toward the more modern. My special favorites are “If You Believe” which stars Hayden Pantierre back when she was about ten, playing the physical creation of an adult workaholic’s inner child. Throughout the movie, the woman, played by Ally Walker from the old TV show Profiler, begins to defrost from her Scroogelike personna and enjoy the small delights in life again. She also falls in love. Perfect holiday schmaltz!
Other holiday favorites are Meg Ryan’s “Sleepless in Seattle”, “When Harry Met Sally” and even “You’ve Got Mail”. Sandra Bullock in “While You Were Sleeping ” is such a funny happy tale that my girls and I memorized movie lines from this and the previous mentioned flicks. Good memories!
I also like to dig out “The Family Man “ with Nicholas Cage, “Home Alone” or even “Die Hard’! Of course we always watch our animated favorites “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” and Charlie Brown!
One I don’t like is ‘The Family Stone” a recent Christmas film where an all star cast portrays a family that spends the holiday get together seeing which female family member can be the biggest bitch. REALLY! Diane Keaton, Rachel McAdams and Sarah Jessica Parker play the meanest rudest women I have ever seen in a supposed holiday film. When I sit down to get myself into the holiday spirit, I sure don’t need tension and bickering to get me there. I have enough of that in my own family of origin! GEESH! Did the producers actually think that was funny?
A recent movie I like, if you can stomach the totally unneeded sex scenes, is “Love Actually” It never fails to make me feel like “Love is All Around”.
I also ordered the old Walton’s Christmas movie “The Homecoming” starring Patricia Neal which I watched as a girl at home. They played it every Christmas morning back in the day. I found it on Amazon and it should be arriving in my mailbox any day.
So whatever movies trip your Christmas trigger, cuddle up with the kids or a pup (like me and my golden duo) pour a cup of cocoa and lighten your mood with some holiday cheer, regardless of your religious views.
As Andy Williams sings: It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
Thanks for the suggestions. I have not seen "If You Believe"; it sounds great! And The Waltons--oh, that would be wonderful to watch! I think I've seen "The Family Stone" and if it's the one I remember, I thought it was actually kind of touching. Dysfunction can be hard to watch, though. Last year, I bought "The House without a Christmas Tree" and watched it several times with my nine-year-old daughter, who actually really liked it (we haven't watched it yet this year). I loved those Gail Rock books as a kid and wish I could find "The Thanksgiving Treasure" on DVD. I think the reason they're no longer shown on networks is Jason Robards' (who is wonderful) smoking! Must admit it's weird to see someone smoking like that on TV. But it is a great film.
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