I love Christmas. I do. I love the music and the ornaments and the gifts and the festive foods and the cheesy movies and the awesome shopping deals that start on Boxing Day. All the same, the relentless cheeriness can get to even me, Empress of all that is Sparkly and Hopeful. Once in a very blue moon, the sheer perkiness of it all gets to me and I want to shout Bah Humbug! from the highest rooftop…until I remember that my vertigo would make Jimmy Stewart look like the most fearless stunt man of all time.But then I remember that what I lack in physical daring (and ability not to feel like I’m already plummeting from the skies while standing on a second floor balcony) I more than make up with a perverse and dark sense of humor.
In fact, for many years it was my habit to watch one of my favorite holiday-themed movies on Christmas Eve. What movie was that? Why, The Lion in Winter, of course.
Eagle-eyed readers will already have identified the title of this essay from that film…and they’ll know just what I left out, too. The rest of you can go watch the movie now and come back when you get the joke. Don’t worry. We’ll wait for you.
Get it?
Yeah, that’s a good one.
Anyway.
A good dose of twelfth century family squabbling definitely chases the perk overload away and makes me feel better. If I need stronger stuff, then I turn to Monty Python’s Life of Brian. After that, I can face another chorus of Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer without the need to cause mayhem.
When all the perkiness gets to you and you think you’ll throttle the next elf you see on principle, what do you do to regain your sense of balance? Oh, and what’s your favorite holiday movie that isn’t all mistletoe and Jimmy Stewart single-handedly saving his hometown from greed and corruption?
“Die Hard”—definitely my all-time favorite non-fluffy Christmas movie. But I watch it year-round.
Comment by Emily — December 20, 2008 @ 10:43 am
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, hands down. “Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Merry Christmas. Kiss my ass. Kiss his ass. Kiss your ass. Happy Hanukkah.” Heh.
Comment by Elowyn — December 20, 2008 @ 1:07 pm
The Holiday with Kate Winslet and Jack Black has become a favorite. Also The Family Stone. My very absolute favorite of all time, though, is Meet Me in St. Louis.
Comment by Sarah Fowler — December 20, 2008 @ 3:44 pm
O’Toole and Hepburn, what a combo!
Comment by Lilly Munster — December 20, 2008 @ 9:24 pm
I LOVE The Lion in Winter. So many wonderful lines. One of my favorites: “I’d hang you from the nipples, but you’d shock the children.” (speaking to her jewelry)
Comment by fatgirlonadate — December 20, 2008 @ 11:51 pm
Squint, lest my beauty blind you.
I have a ridiculous love for Holiday Inn. Even the horrible black face routine fails to ruin the movie for me.
And how can you not love the movie that introduced us to “White Christmas”?
Comment by Katie — December 21, 2008 @ 1:45 am
My favorite classic Christmas movie is 1947’s “The Bishop’s Wife” with David Niven as the bishop, Loretta Young as the titular wife and Cary Grant as Dudley the angel. It’s sweet, a bit melancholy and incredibly funny.
For contemporary Christmas flicks it is hands-down “Millions” directed by Danny Boyle –yes, Trainspotting Danny Boyle– it’s the story of a very young boy in the North of England whose mother died and who has developed a taste for hagiography (the study of saints) when he find a bag of money by the train tracks, he thinks it’s from God and sets about trying to do good with it. Of course it’s wickedly funny and more than a little dark, but it’s visually gorgeous and quirky and has a surprise surreal twist that I worship and adore.
Comment by Plumcake — December 21, 2008 @ 6:01 pm
My favorite Holiday movie of all time has to be Scrooged. I love the tale of 80’s corporate greed, and Carol Caine is one of my favorite Caroles of all time.
Comment by Katherine — January 5, 2009 @ 10:40 am
“Manolo for the Big Girl!, Just subscribed to your feed. This is a post to check and return to, bookmarked.
Comment by Ho Trains — February 6, 2009 @ 7:46 pm