Yesterday, December 19th, marked the anniversary of the publication of Charles Dickens' book, "A Christmas Carol." The story has been shared and retold multiple times. When I was younger, I remember watching the Mr. Magoo animated version every year at Christmastime. It seems funny to me now to see the images in color...we had a black and white TV!
The Ghost of Christmas Past
I confess to being influenced by pop-culture. Now when I hear "A Christmas Carol," the lines that pop into my head are not from the Dickens classic, but rather from the Muppet version. "Light the lamp, not the rat!" is a close second to "We're Marley and Marley....woooooo!" I realize these lines do not reflect the message of Dickens' Christmas classic, but they are funny.
Marley and Marley from Muppet Christmas Carol
Several of my favorite scenes come from movies that are not necessarily "Christmas" movies. In "While You Were Sleeping," Sandra Bullock is hauling a Christmas tree up to her apartment with a rope through the window. The rope slips, and you hear the crash of breaking glass from a neighbor's apartment window. In "When Harry Met Sally," one scene features Harry and Sally getting a tree at a tree lot, but the scene I remember most is Meg Ryan (Sally) struggling to pull her Christmas tree down a sidewalk by herself.
Scene from "When Harry Met Sally"
Of course, the cartoon classics "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "Charlie Brown Christmas" also have great Christmas tree scenes.
How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Charlie Brown's Christmas tree
I confess to feeling sorry for rejected tree-lot trees. On the other hand, I admit I have also rejected plenty of trees myself by calling them a Charlie Brown Christmas tree!
Another movie staple is the ugly Christmas sweater. Kim Darby models an appropriately atrocious sweater in "Better Off Dead." More recently, Colin Firth wore a reindeer "jumper" in "Bridget Jones' Diary."
Colin Firth's lovely reindeer sweater
Ever struggle with your Christmas light display? Then you might relate to Chevy Chase's character in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation." Clark Griswold works tirelessly to make the most spectacular lighting display in the neighborhood, but when he gathers the whole family to show them his accomplishment, the lights fail to come on.
I found a website that actually details the interior decor of the Griswold house. These images were on that website. To see it for yourself, click here.
One of my all time favorite Christmas movies has to be "Miracle on 34th Street." (Not the remake, but the original black and white version with a very young Natalie Wood.) This movie features the best Santa!
Santa in Miracle on 34th Street
This is the perfect time of year to curl up with a blanket, hot chocolate, and a good movie. What are your Christmas favorites? Happy viewing!
My all time favorite is It's a Wonderful Life. It doesn't matter that I have seen it umpteen times, I still love it. When all George Bailey's friends and family flock to his rescue at the end and you see how much he means to them, it never fails get me weepy. See, there I go getting teary just thinking about it. Atta boy Clarence!
ReplyDelete