Christmas Music and Movies

I am a Christmas junkie. My family knows it but I have to keep it under control because I am truly married to a Scrooge. How this worked out I don't know. When I was little I would get Christmas albums out and listen to them any time of the year I felt I needed too. No one scolded me or questioned my sanity. After I got married I was actually scolded by Clyde when I pulled out a Christmas album in March and listened to it. So after that it had to be on the sly. This worked out fine until I had children that were old enough to tattle. Then I had to be really careful when I listened to the music or I once again I would be told that Christmas music was for December and December only. Thank heaven by this time we had given birth to Heidi, so at least the Christmas Season could start on her birthday December 1. Before that it had to wait for my Aunt Norma's birthday because the was family tradition as to when to put the tree up (so basically anytime after December 10 though that really wasn't Norma's birthday). My mother didn't even wait that long and it was her sister (at least once she had an artificial tree). I don't want to make Clyde sound like he is the meanest person it the world or really anti-Christmas, because he isn't. Part of it is his childhood and part of it is that he is so OCD that everything must be in its place and Christmas out of context just makes him nuts. But back to my story.

Then we got a VCR. I could not only listen to music whenever I wanted to I could watch movies whenever I wanted too. I must admit that when I was really down nothing makes me to this day feel better faster than a Christmas movie. I have several favorites and 1 is my all time favorite movie. My most favorite movie of all time is The Bishop's Wife with Cary Grant, Lorretta Young, and David Niven. I love that movie - every minute of it. They made a remake of it with The Preacher's Wife which just does not capture the beauty of the original movie. I like the Preacher's Wife but it will never rank as high as the Bishop's Wife does in my book. Funny thing - people that have told me about what a fabulous movie the Preacher's Wife is and then I give them The Bishop's Wife - are alway converted to the original.

My other favorite Christmas movie was one Debbie Cannon told me about 20 years ago from the Disney Channel. This was when everyone was enamored with Australia because of Crocodile Dundee and The Man From Snowy River. This movie is a made for TV movie called A Christmas Visitor where a little boy named Ned mistakes a vagabond for Father Christmas. It is a delightful movie. I would love to find that one on DVD because the video I taped off of TV 20 years ago is getting very worn out. I doubt I will ever find it though. It starred Dee Wallace Stone. I think that was one of her last movies she ever made. Holiday Inn with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire is another movie that I love but you can truly actually get away with that one year round. The first Christmas movie I remember ever seeing was White Christmas sent out on a re-release when I was 10 and so was it. I thought it was the most beautiful movie I had ever seen. Funny thing - I fell in love with Danny Kaye. I thought he looked the best of anyone in the picture. But then I had already fallen in love with him because of his music from Hans Christian Andersen.

I love the clay-mation TV specials and so the last couple of years I have started collecting those on DVD. Hopefully soon they will come out with my favorite, The Life and Times of Santa, written by Frank L. Baum of Wizard of Oz fame. It is an interesting version of the story of Santa Claus. I also would like to have the DVD version of Nestor the Long-eared donkey. About 6 years ago I saw a collection of the Charlie Brown specials for $10. I thought I would see it again on DVD but never have. Now they are $20 for one. Until they group them together for a good price I will just patiently watch them on tv or find them on the computer.

I am not sure what even triggered this blog. Music and movies are one my favortie aspects of Christmas. I guess it doesn't diminish the fact that they are special even if I watch or listen to them periodically during the year. Maybe it makes them more special because I know they are there to pick me up whenever I need them. How fun is that?