Christmas in Film

I have a confession to make, a seasonal guilty pleasure . . . I love Christmas movies! Classics like “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Miracle on 34th Street.” And the not-so-classic made-for-TV cheeseball movies. I consume them like a chocoholic chowing down a bag of Dove bars!

Talking reindeer? Awesome! Sappy kissing under mistletoe? Love it! Glitter, glitz, lights, twinkling stars, snowy landscapes? The best!

So why the confession? Because Christmas movies capture for me an essential quality of the holiday season. The whimsy of a time when we take a pause to enjoy the magical, the memorable, the beautiful, the nostalgic, and the sacrificial.

For someone like me, Christmas is a 2-sided coin. There is the whimsical wonder of the more “commercial” or “traditional” side of the season. Then there is the reality of God the Son coming to earth as a frail human baby, beginning His journey to the cross and salvation for all mankind (noting that this didn’t actually take place in December). I can find in myself a balance of these two sides without diminishing the magic or the miracle.

So I sit down and watch dancing elves or shining stars, Christmas “Chinese turkey” or angels singing. Either way, my heart is glad!

"Christmas was on its way. Lovely, glorious, beautiful Christmas,

upon which the entire kid year revolved."

-Adult Ralphie as Narrator: "A Christmas Story" (1983)

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