Wonderful Christmas Memories
“Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” (Francis Pharcellus Church), triggers wonderful memories of Christmas. The things remembered most throughout the years about Christmas is vast. Do you remember “White Christmas”, a 1954 musical starring Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye and co-starring Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen? It begins on Christmas Eve, 1944, somewhere in Europe, but generally takes place in a very scenic setting in Vermont during the holidays. Discovering the Columbia Inn in Pine Tree, Vermont is run by their former commanding officer, and it’s about to go bankrupt because of the lack of snow and consequent lack of patrons, two former World War II U.S. Army buddies set out to help the General save his invested interests and pension. A show is produced in hopes of getting people to the Inn for the holidays. In the end, the music is great, the inn is saved, and boy gets girl, all the elements of a good movie, one I have watched over and over again.
“Home Alone” gets the award for being one of the funniest Christmas movies I have had the pleasure of watching. The film stars Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, an eight-year-old boy, who is mistakenly left behind when his family flies to Paris for their Christmas vacation. Kevin wakes up to find the house empty and is overjoyed that he is alone. He hilariously indulges himself in all the ways he feels are taken away from him as the baby of the family. However, he finds himself scared by the appearance of his next door neighbor, who was rumored to have murdered his family many years earlier, and the appearance of The Wet Bandits, who are breaking into other vacant houses on the block. On Christmas Eve, Kevin overhears plans for breaking into his house that night. Kevin heads home and sets up various booby traps inside the house. Watching the robbers squirm through trap after trap is totally funny. In the end boy wins, robbers lose and boy reunites with family who now respects him more.
I love “The Night Before Christmas” and “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” by Dr. Seuss. The Grinch, a bitter creature with a heart two sizes too small lives on a high mountain near Whoville, home of the merry and warm-hearted Whos. From his high perch the Grinch hears the festivities that take place in Whoville for Christmas and plans to steal the day away taking their happiness. But even after stealing their gifts, trees, food and even all the decorations, little Susie Who touches his heart and causes it to grow three sizes larger, resulting in him returning everything to the Whos.
And then, there is “Silent Night” a carol first performed in Austria, on December 24, 1818 but composed two years earlier, in 1816, and one of the most beautiful songs of the Christmas season. It truly reflects the sentiment of the holiday. “Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer” is awarded the most cheerful and fun song. The most popular version and my favorite was sung by Gene Autry, November 25th 1949, selling 25 million copies. Every child learned about the red nosed deer through this song.
Christmas would not be Christmas to me without these quotes… And the angel said unto them, “Fear not! For, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, Which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, Lying in a manger”. (St. Luke 10-12). And on a more comical, but equally profound note… “And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled ’till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more”? (Dr. Seuss).
Some things are instant triggers for floods of Christmas memories
