play
Snoop Dogg Launches His Lovechild Jewelry Line
Chatting with the iconic rapper at event showcasing his new line of jewelry.
Israeli-Palestinian Boy Band as1one On Bringing People Together Through Music
Nadav, Aseel, Ohad, Sadik, and Neta visit the YH Studio and discuss their new single "Stranger".
Martin Short, Cher, Tim Allen, & More Attend Cirque du Soleil KOOZA's Santa Monica Premiere
Chatting with stars on the red carpet for the opening of Cirque du Soleil show's new location.
+the scene
How 2 Movies Not About Christmas Became 2 of the Greatest Christmas Movies Ever!
Written by Greg McIver. Published: December 25 2014
Now that the Holiday Season
has come barreling at us faster than a sled pulled by 8 tiny
reindeer, many of us find ourselves taking part in the rituals and
traditions that define this time of year. Decorating trees,
concocting various amounts of baked goods, and wrapping boxes in
shiny paper are all beautiful and wonderful in their own way, but
Yours Truly doesn’t really know how to write about any of that, so
instead, we’ll just focus on the tradition of watching Christmas
movies.
All throughout December, one
only has to turn on the television and switch to the Hallmark
Channel or TBS in order to find a veritable cornucopia of films
filled with many of the traditions and imagery that I just touched
upon. And why not? I mean, how else are you supposed to make a
decent Christmas flick without loading it with snow, stockings,
Santa Claus, Christmas Lights, garland, and a thousand other things
that are supposed to inspire peace on earth and goodwill towards
men? Well, funnily enough, two of the greatest Christmas movies
ever made, It’s A Wonderful Life and White
Christmas, really don’t have that much to do with Christmas at
all, or more specifically, the rituals that surround Christmas,
when you actually sit down and watch them. Now, how is that
possible when those two films are included in practically every
Holiday movie lineup in existence? Well, for those of you who are
unfamiliar with these excellent films, peep the trailers below and
then I’ll do some old-fashioned explaining.
If you were paying attention,
you’ll notice that neither one of those trailers was very
Christmas-y. Oh sure, they both ended with some traditional
imagery, but the stories themselves weren’t exactly bogged down
with eggnog and tinsel. So, how can they be counted as Christmas
movies? Well, let's start with It’s a Wonderful
Life...
This is a film that is merely
bookended by the Holidays but not beholden to them in any way. The
movie tells the story of a man, George Bailey (played by James Stewart), who wants nothing more than to
escape the monotony of his small-town life. He wants to travel the
world and do great things, but his duty to his family and the town
of Bedford Falls keep holding him back. You see, George Bailey is a
good and kind man who always puts the needs of others before his
own desires. Such kindness and goodwill helps the town and many of
the folks within it to flourish, and yet poor George is unable to
realize that for himself through the dust and debris of his own
broken dreams. Even when he finds true love in his future wife Mary
(played by Donna Reed), George is angry and
frustrated because his own emotions are seemingly betraying him and
keeping him from venturing out into the world.
I’m sure most of you know by
now how the rest of the story goes, so I’ll sum it up quickly.
Tragedy strikes George’s business and threatens to ruin him. At the
end of his rope, he nearly attempts suicide but is saved at the
last minute by his guardian angel, Clarence. George declares in
front of Clarence that the world would be better off if he (George)
had never been born. Clarence grants him that wish, and George is
allowed to see a dark and twisted version of the world he once
knew. He realizes that his existence has had a positive impact on
hundreds of people throughout the town of Bedford Falls. At the
end, he is given his life back and the town rallies behind him to
help rescue him from financial ruin.
You may or may not have
noticed, but I didn’t have to use the word "Christmas" once in
order to fully convey the plot. Now watch me do the same do the
same with White Christmas, a movie that tells the story of
two entertainers (Bing Crosby and Danny
Kaye) who decide to put on a show at the Inn of their
former army commander in order to help him save his failing
business. The film is filled with an excellent repertoire of songs
by the great Irving Berlin and features the
wonderful singing talents of Rosemary Clooney (George’s aunt) and the fantastic dancing talents
of Vera-Ellen.
Like Its a Wonderful
Life, this movie begins with Christmas and ends with
Christmas. The entire middle part, though, with the exception of
that song about snow, has absolutely nothing to do with the holiday
whatsoever. So, how is it that these movies are considered by many
to be the greatest Christmas movies of all time?
The answer is because the
stories themselves embody the deeper meanings of the Holiday
season. They’re both wonderful tales about human beings helping
others that are in need and taking the time to truly appreciate the
important things in life, not just on one day of the year, but on
all of them. There is an underlying spirit to each of these films
that is more powerful than any of the famous Christmas iconography
out there. In short, these films take the "true" meanings of
Christmas and gift them to us without wrapping them up in the
traditional packaging. And so, to all of you out there, including
the self-assured humbugs who can’t talk about Christmas without
bringing up things like corporate greed and other such things, I
wish you all the Happiest of Holidays. Now go forth and enjoy some
Christmas flicks!
(Screenshot via YouTube)
- Greg McIver, YH
Staff