"Where are you Christmas?" Thoughts on the U.S. Christmas Movie Climate

Our Years Without a Santa Claus: Thoughts on the U.S. Christmas Movie Climate

The 1990's into the early 2000's seemed to be the
prime of the Christmas movie's popularity.

           Twas about a week before Christmas and next to my shining tree, there I was watching Christmas films full of much wonder and glee. The Muppet Christmas Carol came up from the basement with care, in the hopes it would soon enter my still functioning VHS player. After three hours of viewing movies rather than sleeping instead, visions of Kevin McCallister began dancing in my head. As I sat there starting to nod off I said to myself, "Perhaps next I shall watch that Elf on the DVD shelf."

           When suddenly I shot up tripping on my blanket and making a clatter. I looked at my Christmas collection and thought "Something is a matter." Away to my phone I rushed with great speedia. Quickly I searched Bing and opened up Wikipedia. When what to my wandering mind did I fear, that American movies entered a dry spell without much Christmas cheer. After Home Alone, The Polar Express and Matthew Broderick decked the halls, we had entered nearly a decade without any Hollywood Christmas films at all. Upon making this discovery in dread I fell on my knee, because the last new American Christmas movie I saw was Iron Man 3.

           Where are you Christmas films from not long ago, back when they would star a celebrity from a famous movie or show? Back when Arnold Schwarzenegger desperately searched for aTurbo Man to give to his son, and nearly everyone knew Jean Shepherd wanted a Red Ryder carbine action BB gun. Back when Richard Attenborough was in a Miracle on 34th Street that did not spare no expense, and kids would watch Michael Keaton turn into a snowman even though it made absolutely no sense. Back when movies were looslely based off the title of any Christmas song, and Tim Allen three times took Santa to infinity and beyond. I can also recall a time as I'm sure some can you, when Jim Carrey was not regarded for being in one Christmas classic but two. And though Vince Vaughn was in a movie where he was a Claus named Fred, at least this and other mediocre movies proved Christmas was not dead.

Jim Carey as Ebeneezer Scrooge carries Tiny Tim
in Robert Zemeckis' A Christmas Carol (2009).

           Who knew that after Zemeckis' 3D nightmare scared the Dickens out of us, that the festive family film genre would be thrown under the Hollywood bus? No longer would Chrildren come to the movie theatre ready to hear, jolly Saint Nicholas in a sleigh led by CGI reindeer. No longer would American icons don a beard and a red coat, each one offering their new take on the classic "Ho ho ho." No longer would Christmas each year be shown with terrible fright, the kind that keeps children up on Christmas night. No longer would everything on December 24th go haywire, making the need for peace on Earth seem greater and dire. No longer would Christmas be saved each and every year, when one little someone would start singing loud for all to hear. No longer would the spirit of Christmas walk tall on the sidewalk curb, as it marched into the middle class American suburb. No longer would dinners filled with family and friends, breakout into arguments followed by them all making amends. No longer would absent minded fathers have their heart's all algow, when they stood in the street having an epihphany as it started to snow. While to some these old Christmas cracker tropes sound foolish right from the start, there is no denying the truth when they show that the spirit of Christmas can lie in your heart.

           Nowadays in December the movie line up does not feature Saint Nick. It's full of reboots or Star Wars or another super-hero flick. Although America still makes Holliday movies one thought that I'm sure most have thunk, is that these recent releases are vulgar, crass and deemed better watched when drunk. And so I pondered to myself how much American Christmas could be in great peril, if this would be the first decade since 1930 where we would not produce A Christmas Carol.

Benedict Cumberbatch plays the Grinch
in Illumination pictures latest movie.

           Of course some say, "Benedict Cumberbatch as The Grinch is in theatres, so my ranting must stop," but I've heard people who saw that picture say it relegates Christmas to a simple backdrop. It downplays the Grinch's transformation where he lets love run wild and loose. Some say this movie is so unremarkable it's a disgrace to the good Doctor Seuss. This movie is just meme material that's the reason why it was green lit. I doubt I'll watch it this year, and besides have you even seen it?

           Though the seasons greetings of yesteryears have drifted off of the silver screen, there are still a few TV specials and Netflix movies that are trying to make quite the scene. Life Size 2 was on the Christmas countdown of ABC Family, sorry, I mean Freeform my dear, and Nickelodeon released a new kids star studded Tiny Christmas last year. Unfortunately there wasn't much Christmas spirit in that TV sequel which to the original pailed, and on Nickelodeon the lessons of Christmas like the kids in the movie were greatly down scaled. Some say, "Christmas is alive and well on Netflix," but I just can't help and chuckle. I wonder "How can they display Santa's joy with discount Jeff Bridges?" also known as Kurt Russell. Even though I want to see this festive movie with reveiws barely above rotten, other than Canada's The Man Who Invented Christmas, not much new Christmas joy have I gotten.

Linus recites Luke 2:8-14 in
A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965).

           I don't know what happened to those Christmas movies that made audience's hearts go ablaze, but I am sure one cause of their slow removal was America's persitence on saying "Happy Holidays." At some point or another the majority of us just seemed to stopped caring. Let's not be surprised when we find that very little Christmas joy is our media sharing. If people keep downplaying Christmas then soon it will vanish from our whole nation. "But what then, if it is die it should do it and decrease the holiday surplus population."

           Despite this I along with others will claim, "This will not be Christmas' end," because Christmas like us this year can be made anew and even born again. For those yearning for the true meaning of Christmas can jump back to 1965, when a young boy with a blue blanket quietly made the words of Angels come alive. It is a shame how many have laughed off his words as some kind of annual joke. They refuse to dream of true joy, love and peace since now they say they are woke. Nevertheless each year on ABC's stage Linus continues to tell, the good news of Christmas still ringing true, God with us, Emmanuel. So on and on Linus recites, and next year I'm sure he'll repeat it. I imagine he'll keep on speaking this truth until everybody believes it. "That's what Christmas is all about," he says to our United States. If we heed his words then we can save Christmas, for that it's never too late.

           What if next year for something new we all went and looked to the past, because the closer we get to Christmas the more it is within our grasp. And even if this holiday causes some to think Santa is living, then let these children learn to love and cherish the spirit of giving. Maybe next year at around this time I won't have to sit back and pause, because we will be free from a world without a Santa Claus. Perhaps next year the North Pole's conductor will say our lesson is learned, and Tiny Tim's "God bless us, everyone" will be given thought it has not been earned.

And so again I will exclaim with my heart all full of light, 

"Merry Christmas to all, and may we all do and live right!"

Mary and Jospeh head towards Bethlehem in The Nativity Story (2006).