Love Actually is a White Christmas

So last night in order to start ramping up our Christmas spirit, the wife and I sat down to watch some Christmas movies (which we will probably do every night this week). As she scrolled through Netflix looking for something, because we were both too lazy to get up and put a DVD in, she asked what Christmas movie I wanted to watch. I immediately said Die Hard just to annoy her a little. The ongoing debate of whether Die Hard is a Christmas movie has been raging more during this holiday season for us. I knew full well she wouldn’t want to watch Die Hard, not to mention the fact that it isn’t on Netflix nor do we have it on DVD. But I digress…she was leaning toward Love Actually and I agreed not remember just how emotionally vulnerable that movie makes me.

Yes, I can admit that Love Actually gets me every time. I get choked up, I get teary eyed, it is just a good movie. For the guys out there reading this wondering if they need to check my “man card”, you are fooling yourself if you can’t find something to enjoy about that movie. It has comedy, it has a solid plot, it has a stellar cast (including the guy who plays Rick from The Walking Dead), and there’s a little bit of topless-ness thrown in for good measure. What more do you need? I like all the story lines and how they mesh without being forced. I like how it shows the different aspects of love in everyday situations. It doesn’t deliberately paint a rosy picture of love, it tells it like it is and yet love comes out looking pretty damn good. I’ve liked that movie ever since it came out. My closest friend and I went to see it twice in the theater that year and watched it several times again and again once we got it on DVD. It makes me want to surprise my wife with a hidden band (a scene from the movie). It makes me want to get caught in a passionate kiss with her during my niece and nephew’s Christmas pageant (also a scene in the movie). It makes me want to blow off a wild, fun night to meet my best friend for drinks (yes, also in the movie). It just makes you want to embrace love and the people you love. The perfect primer for the holidays where you are potentially surrounded by the people most important to you.

When that was over my wife slyly put on what is probably one of my favorite Christmas movies that I don’t give enough love to…WhiteChristmas. Some of you have probably never seen it, it came out before all of my potential audience was born and probably before some of your parents were born too. It is just a feel good, fun movie that showcases what talent was before the segregation of stars into the realms of movies, music, and television. These people had it all, in spades. I challenge you not to be impressed with the smooth, almost effortless singing of Bing Crosby. He looks almost half asleep as it croons and you have to wonder where the naturally talented singers are these days as everyone auto-tunes themselves into robotic-ness. Opposite the sweetly melodic Rosemary Clooney (the aunt of George Clooney), they make counting your blessings before bed seem like the most sensible thing in the world. Throw in the comedic timing of Danny Kaye and the superb dancing of Vera Ellen and you have an ensemble that matches the power of Love Actually 50 years earlier. White Christmas has all the heart, laughs, and love that you could want in a Christmas classic. Don’t forget the spectacle of elaborate dance numbers or of Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye with feather fans and butterflies in their hair. I highly recommend it if you’ve never watched before.

We still have so many Christmas movies to get through before the big day. Rudolph, Frosty, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, A Miser Brother’s Christmas, Frosty Returns (meh, not great), A Charlie Brown Christmas…we’ve got a lot to cover. We traditionally spread them out a bit more through the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it seems the time has gotten away from us (and we’re watching the whole series of Big Bang Theory right now). But there is one special one that I’m looking forward to. A tradition my wife and I have had throughout our relationship is to watch one special movie on Christmas Eve. I won’t tell everyone what it is, but it is on my top five list of Christmas movies and it’s pretty obscure. You’ll never guess. Maybe I’ll talk about it in my next post. Until then, Merry Christmas everybody!