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Christmas Isn’t Christmas Without the Movies

by Adrienne Amos

Being a sentimental romantic all year long means Christmas brings it all to one glorious head, and I love it! From the Grinches and Scrooges to the festive music playing everywhere you go, it’s all part of tradition I really can’t do without. When evening comes and it’s time to wind down, Christmas movies are just what the doctor ordered. From touchingly funny to tearjerkers, they all have a special place in my heart and holiday routine.

We can relate to the antics of Chevy Chase and his holiday lights fiasco (National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation) or Arnie trying desperately to get that special toy (Jingle All the Way). It wouldn’t be Christmas without some telling of the classic A Christmas Carol, though some versions are more fun than others. A few years back Sam Elliot played a single father trying to cope with economic difficulties while raising a daughter devoted to Christmas (Prancer)–that took a whole box of Kleenex to watch. Short cartoon classics permeate the small screen from Thanksgiving onward, and for some it just isn’t Christmas without Rudolph and the Peanuts gang. This year Shrek joined in the holiday cartoon marathon. It was a delightful film that reminded us the best-laid plans are always what the season is all about. Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas with a miracle or two, so Miracle on 34^th Street is a must.

Miracle on 34^th Street via S. Herman. Some rights reserved.

For sheer family joy there are the three Santa Clause movies with Tim Allen. “Hot chocolate and marshmallows coming right up!” is truly The Polar Express, heartwarming and worth watching season after season. Angela Lansbury did a musical Mrs. Santa Claus for Hallmark Entertainment a few years ago, which showed us how important she is to Santa and Christmas. Speaking of Hallmark, they even have commercials like mini Christmas stories that can make me cry and go “awwwwwwww”!

Come Christmas Eve there’s a movie originally done for television with Loretta Young (I know most of you are too young to remember her!) that will have you reaching for tissues often as well. Its premise of a charitable wealthy woman who’s estranged from her grandchildren because of her son touches the heartstrings of anyone who has been far from family at this time of year.

Okay, by now you’ve figure out that I’m addicted to Christmas and Christmas movies! Each serves a purpose and evokes a multitude of emotions. Yet I still haven’t told you which film is my all-time favorite, so bear with me…

Before I reveal my true favorite I must tell you about one more movie. For sheer fun rent Holiday Inn. It’s old and in black and white, but it debuts the Christmas song that later became the title for my favorite Christmas movie, which is White Christmas. Yes, I know it’s ancient and schmaltzy, but then so am I!

Why is it my favorite? The story is pretty simple and basic for this time of year. You know the one—boy meets girl, they fall in love, they separate, and they reunite. But it’s also a story about caring and sharing, and that is the basis for the season.

White Christmas is funny, with this wonderful cast of crazy characters that are like so many people we have known or know. Much of the script has become tag lines for my son and me over the years, so watching it brings him home, if only in my heart. It focuses on mostly ordinary people (even if they all seem to be in better financial shape than many of us). It’s not preachy, nor is anyone trying to convince us they are perfect. Every one of the principle characters makes mistakes along the way. Their concerns are real—a place to live, making a living, and finding their own happiness.

The title song alone can make me cry because of its simplistic beauty, so when it is part of a movie that features other great music I must watch! “Count Your Blessings” is also a wonderful song from this movie. It’s a quiet reminder that we should all be thankful for what we have and not stress over what we don’t.

The dancing isn’t quite the dancing of today, but Vera Ellen as the younger sister is fantastic to watch. Even on my best days when I was in great shape I couldn’t do in flats what she does in high heels. For the older generation there are the legends: Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney (George’s aunt, for you youngsters), and the remarkable Danny Kaye. For the young folk who are unaware, in his heyday Danny was one of the most all-around talented guys in the business. He sang, he danced, he did comedy, and he acted. After the holidays, those of you with children should rent Hans Christian Andersen, which truly showcased his talents.

The show’s finale would make the perfect Christmas card. Doors open behind one of the most exquisitely-decorated Christmas trees ever to reveal it all: the snow is falling, a sleigh comes into view, and the four stars get everyone to join in song. Of course, the guys are dressed as Santa (Bing always looked goofy in a hat), and the leading ladies are in beautiful fur-trimmed red dresses. I think those dresses are breathtaking, especially Vera Ellen’s. Since the first time I saw White Christmas one of my dreams has been to someday have a dress like that to wear–and a place to wear it, if only for one night.

It’s memories of Christmases past and the promise of even better ones to come, all rolled into 120 minutes. I think Christmas traditions are to be treasured and preserved, and to remind us us that some things are best left unchanged. Watching White Christmas on Christmas Day is the perfect reminder for me. It’s A Wonderful Life with bells signaling angels getting their wings as presents are opened, while our bellies are bulging from good food and we’re relaxing with a hot cup of coffee or cocoa. In my house that includes watching White Christmas with those I hold dearest. And that is A Christmas Story.

1 comment December 21st, 2007

Kids & Kids-at-Heart Still Blaze “The Oregon Trail”

I’m unashamed to admit The Oregon Trail is one of my all-time favorite video games, and I doubt that any game will ever top the excitement it gave me as a child. So imagine my delight when I discovered the series is (technically) still being produced! Bigger, better, fancier with every edition—in my day it was an Apple IIc simpleton, just a smidge above the world’s most basic ASCII art (no color, like the early version most recall). Now it has…imagine this…actual graphics, proper animation, and sound effects that don’t consist entirely of strings of beeps!

To be fair, I did know about the advances in the game back when the 4^th edition was released. I bought a copy and enjoyed it until an OS upgrade (XP) meant I could no longer use it (compatibility mode, no dice). It was simple point-and-click stuff, but much prettier than its predecessors. Every incarnation seems to be improving.

I’d have purchased the latest version when I saw it in a shop, but Vista (my latest OS…I’m also unashamed to admit it’s my favorite Windows OS thus far) wasn’t listed as a supported OS—probably because this edition was actually produced in 2000, when Vista wasn’t even on the horizon. I didn’t want to waste the whole $10 it’d set me back to get my hot hands on it, so I gave it a pass. It was in fact bundled with the latest version of Where in World is Carmen Sandiego?, so you know it was a big sacrifice.

If you’ve been living under a rock for the past 20 years and haven’t experienced the game yourself, let me give you the low-down. For educational purposes it simply can’t be beat. It’s a wonderful introduction to the history of the untamed American west, and it’s a great glimpse into life before all the comforts we know today. Everything from foraging and hunting to self-administered prairie medicine is covered. It may seem like stuff modern kids don’t need to know, but trust me. They’ll love knowing it.

Photo by Glenn Scofield Williams. Some rights reserved.

Playing it as an adult was fantastic for nostalgia factor, but also taught me new lessons. It’s a library of knowledge that my ancestors possessed, as my paternal family went west in a covered wagon and carved a home on the sometimes unforgiving prairie. I miss it now that advances in Windows technology have rendered me incapable of reliving the joy of The Oregon Trail.

However, all is not lost. For those who can’t play it and either want to introduce a new generation to the fun or recapture fond memories, there are options available for online play!

• The Virtual Apple website (requires Windows and MSIE or Firefox browser) has The Oregon Trailhttp://www.virtualapple.org/oregontraildisk.html online. (I have never been able to make this work, but if you can, have fun—and tell me how!)
• The Global Game Network presents a poor man’s version, Westward Trail. Same concept, it’s merely dodging copyright issues.
• The Oregon Trail Online recreates just the hunting aspect of the game with snazzy visuals.

Happy trails!

1 comment December 21st, 2007

Turning the Holidays Upside Down

Photograph by Mary Howell, winner of our Best Christmas Tree contest.

This unusual upside-down tree is unusual, but historically accurate! Before we adopted the tradition of decorating upright trees, upside-down trees hung from ceilings were the standard Christmas tree style. You can learn more about it at this piece on Step in the Ring.

From all of us at Top Blog Content & the Yovia network: we wish you & yours happy and healthy holidays!

Add comment December 17th, 2007

GOP fight night

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Back to the future

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Add comment November 27th, 2007

Huckabee catches Romney

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2008PresidentialPoll

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NEWS FEATURE: Clinton, Obama duel before revved-up crowd

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Debate on Cheney impeachment averted

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Black Friday

1 comment November 14th, 2007

Mochila found by the the Springwise Spotters

A few weeks ago, Mochila (the sponsor of this blog) was spotted by a Springwise SpringSpotter, which positioned Mochila as a leader in rights management and digital content syndication. At the time, I wasn’t really sure how this worked or who was behind the site – but it’s actually really cool. These spotters are a network of 8,000 global business and marketing-savvy people in over 70 countries.

They’re scanning the globe for the most promising business ventures, ideas and concepts. Springwise, based in Amsterdam, gives spotters not only a forum to write about their observations, but makes them an essential part of the conversation.

In this post about Mochila, “Online Media Marketplace for Content,” SpringSpotter Susanna Haynie discusses how Mochila makes life easier for content publishers by giving them more options for high-quality content.

According to the Springwise post, “World media spent just under USD 2 billion on syndicated news content last year, and that figure is expected to grow to USD 3 billion by 2008, Mochila says. The time is ripe for a new content model, and it looks like this one is taking hold.”

This is something new for long-tail (and even magic-middle) publishers that didn’t even have the option to use licensed syndicated content before. In the past, access to this kind of content usually required expensive subscriptions or syndication deals. Mochila changes this by taking a glass half-full approach: they let content creators distribute articles, photos, audio, and videos a la carte or through their many other options.

A big win for Springwise readers is the fact that Mochila does away with subscription fees, but still maintains the integrity of ownership of the original author’s work.

There’s no doubt: we live in an era of user-generated content, and there’s a high demand for syndicated news at an affordable price. Mochila’s new content model levels the playing field for publishers of all sizes – long-tail blogs and large media companies.

Written by Adam Metz

Add comment November 8th, 2007