December 21, 2011

This morning, as my alarm rang and I bemoaned the start of another day in the pitch black, I informed the man (in a monotonous tone) that today is the shortest day of the year.  In considering this, one can only look to the positive that slowly but surely, the sun will remain in the sky a little bit more each day until June 21st, when the cycle will begin it’s decline again to December.  Ah, the cycle of life.
December 23, 2011

As I hot-footed it around Center City earlier this morning on a mission to put together my boss’s Christmas (and Hanukkah) presents, I was a little depressed at the fact that I had to take my coat off because I was too hot.

In December.

Two days before Christmas.

Seriously, not to be crude, but WTF?

I struggled at Thanksgiving when the weather was spring-like; sunny, balmy breezes, chirping birds (well, that might be a small exaggeration).  But to have Christmas during a 60 degree warm stretch? Ugh.  If it were intentional, it would be different ~ say, Australia and Christmas on the beach.  But I live in Philadelphia, for pity’s sake.  It’s just wrong.

I really need some snow.  And it was looking so promising when we got a mini-blizzard at the end of October.  Now? Not so much.

So, to get in the holiday spirit, my top favorite holiday films.

Honorable Mentions:

Most Nostalgic Memories ~ Emmet Otter’s Jug Band Christmas (but I haven’t seen it in years) and Mickey’s Christmas Carol (the first video I remember my dad playing in our new VCR when I was about 5).

Best Christmas Chick Flick ~ While You Were Sleeping (I could watch this on repeat … I deeply love Sandra Bullock) and also worth mentioning: Four Christmases, The Family Stone and The Holiday

It wouldn’t be Christmas without watching ~ The Santa Claus, The Christmas Story

The Top Ten

1o. Fred Claus (Vince Vaughn makes this movie great, but the whole cast is pretty rockstar … Paul Giamatti, Rachel Weisz, Kathy Bates, Kevin Spacey … the list goes on, it’s crazy!)

9. Scrooged (It’s just so bad, it’s good!)

8. Home Alone (The original is still, in my opinion, the best).

7. Christmas in Connecticut: 1945 ~ (I am a sucker for old black & white Christmas movies, and this one is a doozy.  I wish I had it on DVD, but I try to find it on TV every year).

6. Love, Actually (So heartwarming, and so British … love it).

5. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (If you don’t love this movie, something is wrong. Seriously.)

4. George C. Scott’s “A Christmas Carol.”  (It’s hands down my favorite version, and I only watch it on Christmas Eve … everything else is fair game for watching ad nauseum, but there’s something special about curling up on Christmas Eve and settling in to watch Charles Dickens’ masterpiece).

3. Holiday Inn ~ (Bing Crosby is Christmas incarnate to me.  I love this whole, sweet story of a little country Inn and a couple performers falling in and out of love …. it’s also the origin of Irving Berlin’s  Christmas standard, “White Christmas”).

2. It’s a Wonderful Life ~ (Truth be told, it’s a toss up for spots #1 and #2 … this movie makes me cry every time, but I also love Clarence’s message … “No Man is a Failure Who has Friends.”  This isn’t just a great Christmas movie, it’s an all-out great film).

1. White Christmas (I love pretty much everything about this movie … Bing Crosby singing, Vera Ellen dancing, Rosemary Clooney sulking and Danny Kaye clowning … I love the songs and the dance numbers, and the Christmas-y spirit of everything.  But mostly I love that I remember first watching this movie with Jennie J … and every year, when I watch it, she’s with me, and I’m little again, in my pajamas and snuggled up next to her listening to Bing and Rosemary sing their worries away).