Each
year, the signs of Christmas slowly reveal
themselves. There are, for instance, the retail
stores who merchandise their Halloween candy and
costume stock at the same time they are filling
their aisles with the latest toys and
decorations for the upcoming Xmas season. Or the
first Christmas tree strapped to the roof a
passing car that reminds us we have to get a
tree in a couple of weeks; and finally, the
industrious neighbors down the block who just
can't wait to put up their Christmas lights [and
don't take them down until March].
Yes, all these signs call for the anticipation
and comfort that is Christmas. But, for me,
Christmas isn't Christmas without the special
stories that emanate from the TV screen from
late November through December 25th. From the
umpteenth broadcast of It's a Charlie Brown'
Christmas and It's a Wonderful Life,
viewers can once again celebrate the magic of
the season as the TV tube's flickering lights
remind us of another time when we were children,
when the world seemed a much simpler place and
there was never a doubt that we were loved and
that Santa was on his way.
To prepare for this Christmas season, let's take
a glimpse at some classic seasonal specials that
will soon visit our living rooms this Yuletide.
A Charlie Browns'
Christmas (1965)
This delightful holiday highlights Charlie
Brown's disgust with all the commercialism
during the Christmas season. To get his mind off
his woes, Charlie's friend Lucy suggests that he
become director of the school Christmas pageant
but the endeavor proves to be frustrating.
Meanwhile, Charlie adopts a pathetic little
fir Christmas tree ["It just needs a little
love,'] and his pal, Linus helps everybody learn
about the real meaning of Christmas.
[Sally's
letter to Santa]
"Dear Santa
Claus, How have you been? Did you have a
nice summer? How is your wife? I have
been extra good this year, so I have a
long list of presents that I want.
Please note the size and color of each
item, and send as many as possible. If
it seems too complicated, make it easy
on yourself: just send money. How about
tens and twenties?"
Rudolph the Red-nosed
Reindeer (1964)
Burl Ives lends his voice and countenance to Sam
the snowman who tells us the story of a young
red-nosed reindeer who gets kicked out of all the
reindeer games for being different. Even Santa
Claus shows his prejudice and shuns Rudolph.
Saddened by his exclusion from the group,
Rudolph and another alleged misfit, Hermey the
elf, an aspiring dentist, leave the North Pole
in search of a new life. Along the way, they
meet a boisterous prospector named Yukon
Cornelius, they encounter the Abominable Snowman
and an island filled with misfit toys. But, in
the end, Rudolph grows up, Santa asks Rudolph
and his red nose to act as a beacon to get
through the storm of the century, Hermey becomes
a dentist and Santa finds home for all the
misfit toys. I love happy endings.
Head Elf:
Why weren't
you at elf practice?
Hermey:
Just fixing
these dolls' teeth.
Head Elf:
Just
fixing...? Now listen, we have dolls
that cry, talk, walk, blink and run a
temperature. We don't need any chewing
dolls.
Hermey:
I just
thought I'd find a way to fit in.
Head Elf:
You'll never
fit in! Now you come to elf practice,
learn how to wiggle your ears and
chuckle warmly and go hee-hee and ho-ho
and important stuff like that. A
dentist. Good grief!
How the Grinch Stole
Christmas (1966)
Boris Karloff narrates the timeless tale of a
bitter
Grinch who tries to destroy Christmas.
Dressing as Santa Claus, the Grinch steals all
the toys, food and decorations in Whoville in
hopes of ending Christmas for good. Instead, he
discovers that Christmas is more that just toys.
It is a celebration of love.
"All the
Whos down in Whoville liked Christmas a
lot, but the Grinch, who lived just
north of Whoville, did not. The Grinch
HATED Christmas -- the whole Christmas
season. Oh, please don't ask why, no one
quite knows the reason. It could be,
perhaps, that his shoes were too tight.
Or maybe his head wasn't screwed on just
right. But I think that the best reason
of all may have been that his heart was
two sizes too small."
Christmas Story
(1983)
This slice of life Yule time movie follows the
attempts of a youngster named Ralphie who dreams
of the ultimate present -- Red Ryder Carbine
Action, 200 Shot, Range Model Air Rifle. Problem
is, all the adults in his life are telling him
that air rifles are dangerous and he will "shoot
his eye out." Will he get his rifle? Let's hope
so.
Ralphie:
Oooh fuuudge!
Ralphie as
Adult:
Only I
didn't say "Fudge." I said THE word, the
big one, the queen-mother of dirty
words, the "F-dash-dash-dash" word!
The Old
Man:
What did you
say?
Ralphie:
Uh, um...
The Old Man:
That's...
what I thought you said. Get in the car.
Go on!
Ralphie:
It was all
over -- I was dead. What would it be?
The guillotine? Hanging? The chair? The
rack? The Chinese water torture? Hmmph.
Mere child's play compared to what
surely awaited me.
It's a Wonderful Life
(1946)
George Bailey has a wonderful life. He married
to a great wife, had three beautiful kids and a town
filled with people who loved him. But now George
is facing financial bankruptcy and turns to a
scheme of killing himself and using the
insurance money to solve his families problems.
Luckily, in steps a guardian angel named
Clarence who hears George's wish of "I wish I
was never born" and fulfills it. Now stuck in a
dark reality of "Potterville", Clarence shows
George what his town of Bedford Falls would have
looked like if it hadn't been for all his good
deeds over the years. Will Clarence be able to
convince George to return to his family and
forget about suicide ?
Clarence:
Your
brother, Harry Bailey, broke through the
ice and died at the age of nine.
George:
That's a
lie! Harry Bailey went to war! He got
the Congressional medal of honor, he
saved the lives of every man on that
transport!
Clarence:
Every man on
that transport died! Harry wasn't there
to save them because you weren't there
to save Harry!
Miracle on 34th Street
(1947)
Doris Walker is a Macy's executive responsible
for coordinating the Macy's Thanksgiving Day
Parade. When the man hired to play Santa on the
parade's float is found intoxicated, in walks a
geriatric patient from a near by retirement home
named Kris Kringle. Desperate for a sober Santa,
Doris hires the charming bearded little man for
the parade and them hires him as the Macy's
store Santa Claus. When Kris's identity as the
real Santa Claus is challenged, he goes to court
to exonerate himself. Will the court rule in his
favor and will the skeptical Doris and her
little daughter start believing in the magic of
Christmas?
Charles
Halloran advising the judge:
"All right,
you go back and tell them that the New
York State Supreme Court rules there's
no Santa Claus. It's all over the
papers. The kids read it and they don't
hang up their stockings. Now what
happens to all the toys that are
supposed to be in those stockings?
Nobody buys them. The toy manufacturers
are going to like that; so they have to
lay off a lot of their employees, union
employees. Now you got the CIO and the
AF of L against you and they're going to
adore you for it and they're going to
say it with votes. Oh, and the
department stores are going to love you
too and the Christmas card makers and
the candy companies. Ho ho! Henry,
you're going to be an awful popular
fella. And what about the Salvation
Army? Why, they got a Santa Claus on
every corner, and they're taking a
fortune. But you go ahead Henry, you do
it your way. You go on back in there and
tell them that you rule there is no
Santy Claus. Go on! But if you do,
remember this: you can count on getting
just two votes, your own and that
district attorney's out there."
Christmas Vacation
(1989)
It's Christmas time and the Griswold's are
preparing for a family seasonal celebration. But
suddenly Clark discovers he's not getting his
much hoped for Christmas bonus and on top of
that, he is inundated by a bunch of obnoxious
relatives who dropped in for the holidays. Will
the Griswold's survive the season?
Chevy Chase
as the irritated Clark W. Griswold
" Where do
you think you're going? Nobody's
leaving. Nobody's walking out on this
fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No,
no! We're all in this together. This is
a full-blown, four-alarm holiday
emergency here! We're gonna press on,
and we're gonna have the hap, hap,
happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby
tap-danced with Danny fucking Kaye! And
when Santa squeezes his fat white ass
down that chimney tonight, he's gonna
find the jolliest bunch of assholes this
side of the nuthouse!"
Scrooge (a.k.a. Christmas Carol)
(1951)
Based on Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol,"
this perennial favorite tells the tale of a
miserably, miserly old businessman named Scrooge
who gets visited by the the ghost of his former
partner, Marley who arranges three more ghostly
visits from The Ghosts of Christmas, Past, Past
and Future. Will Scrooge change his ways and
find redemption?
Alastair Sim
as Ebenezer Scrooge
"Every idiot
who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on
his lips, should be boiled with his own
pudding, and buried with a stake of
holly through his heart."
Look for these equally entertaining specials on
TV this season:
Each
year, the signs of Christmas slowly reveal
themselves. There are, for instance, the retail
stores who merchandise their Halloween candy and
costume stock at the same time they are filling
their aisles with the latest toys and
decorations for the upcoming Xmas season. Or the
first Christmas tree strapped to the roof a
passing car that reminds us we have to get a
tree in a couple of weeks; and finally, the
industrious neighbors down the block who just
can't wait to put up their Christmas lights [and
don't take them down until March]. 
