Here we are again. The most wonderful time of the year…usually.
This year we seem to be lacking the usual joy and happiness that Christmas inevitably spreads. Even though I only have social media to rely on, I can feel the sadness seeping through the screen and I can feel it at home too. But I don’t want to talk about the negative things we’re dealing with today. Sometimes I need to write about ways of forgetting the stress and locating a smile again, and although Christmas brings many frustrations, it also brings opportunities.
Christmas stinks!
But not for the reasons everyone is talking about.
Here at home November marks the start of the season because our movie subscription service releases their annual cheese-fest…Christmas movie time is here!
Now, I can list many, MANY movies that we adore as a couple and as a family this time of year. The Santa Clause, Scrooged, Die Hard (yes, it is a Christmas Movie), Home Alone and Love Actually are all essential viewing. Miracle on 34th Street, The Holiday, Home Alone 2 (the better movie IMO) and Four Christmasses are close behind them. Then there’s the less popular favourites we tend not to talk about – Christmas with the Kranks, Deck the Halls, Jingle all the way, Santa Clause 2 and of course, Santa Clause 3 – the trilogy no one wanted.
By December 1st we’ve done all of them, and find ourselves settling for the dregs hidden in the Netflix directory. Yes, that’s right, every year we spend December devouring movies made of the stinkiest cheese possible because we’ve already gorged on the quality stuff too early. But what is it that makes them cheesy? Does it matter if they are cheesy? If you call a movie ‘cheesy’ does that have to have a negative meaning? What is it about a cheesy movie that keeps us coming back?
The Cheese Board
From the stinkiest to the mildest, the level of cheese a movie contains tends to be related to how romantic a man believes it is, so I approached my partner about the subject. He agrees, even using a formula for the shit movies I watch, saying they are always…
“A girl from the big city who breaks up with her fiance and moves back to her childhood home. She bumps into her childhood sweetheart and falls in love with him. He owns/runs the local hotel/farm/bookshop.”
I hate to admit it, but he’s usually right.
This year I’ve had Christmas movies on in the background every time I write, including right now. ‘I Believe in Santa’ is the latest Netflix offering for 2022 and follows a couple falling in love but the woman is thrown into confusion when her partner declares that he still believes in Father Christmas. I’d guess he’s supposed to be in his late 30’s.
What a load of shite.
What does it have that I enjoy? Mainly a distraction from the outside world, but it’s also brimming with terrible jokes, unrealistic ideas and improbable outcomes. My partner calls it cheesy, I call it a fairytale.
In the interest of research I’ve had a quick look at my viewing history. It’s now December 11th and I’ve ploughed through 11 Christmas movies. Eleven! Thats outside of the ‘proper’ christmas movies we’ll watch together. The Princess Switch Trilogy and A Christmas Prince Trilogy already accounts for 6 bloody films, and I watched those last year too! What is essentially the same story told with different people and in different places, all with the same outcome – love. Even Die Hard partly fits this formula. So what do I get from these unrealistic tales?
Going back to the start of this post, we are living through one of the most stressful, pained, cold and financially troubling Christmasses I’ve ever experienced. In fact, there’s so much to worry about that mental illness diagnosis are on the rise and the NHS is the busiest it’s ever been. If, like us, you have financial and health concerns right now, then you’ll understand what this stress can do to you. Constant headaches, loss of appetite, increased pain, lost sleep, arguments – it hardly feels like ‘the most wonderful time of the year’.
Cheesy movies are an escape. They provide an imaginary tale where David usually slays Goliath, or manages to fall in love with him. For approximately 90 minutes I forget that I can’t afford the heating and wallow in the romance or action from an imaginary life on-screen, and it makes me smile.
Recommendations
So, if you’re looking for some Christmas movies to try, here are some that I’ve tried, and some that are on my list. All are supposed to be lighthearted comedies.
Your Christmas or Mine?
The Holiday Calendar
Spirited (highly recommended)
Nativity! (plus the other two in the trilogy, I guess)
Bad Santa
Office Christmas Party
Last Christmas
I Believe in Santa
The Christmas Wedding Planner
A Christmas Prince Trilogy
The Princess Switch Trilogy
I hope you find an escape you enjoy. And if not, there’s always Die Hard 2.
Thanks for reading 🎄🎄💜
Creative Steph 