SHEILA’S
NEVER MISS ‘EM HOLIDAY MOVIES
By Sheila Roberts
I love the holidays – the festivities, the
decorations, the food (heaven help me!), and the inspiring deeper meaning
behind them. And I love a good holiday movie. I bet you do, too. We all have
our favorites, of course. As a writer, there are some that really do it for me.
Here are my never to be missed movies that I watch every year, no matter what.
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE
Indeed, it is. And this is a wonderful,
classic. I was shocked when one of my friends told me her daughter has never
seen the movie. Seriously? How could you not sit your offspring down to watch a
movie with one of the best and most beloved actors of all time, Jimmy Stewart?
Of course, there’s more to the movie than simply a great cast of actors. The
plot of this story seems simple: a good man finds himself in trouble through no
fault of his own. But the story goes well beyond that. We see the evolution of
one life play out before our lives. One man makes noble choices that bind him
to his small town even though he wants nothing better than to get out there and
see the world and do great things. And, of course, the irony is, that he does
great things right there in his own corner of the world. When we first meet
George Bailey, our hero, he’s talking about wanting to build things. He never
realizes that he’s building something more important than things. He’s building
lives, helping people make their own small dreams of a home of their own come
true. But he doesn’t see that and in his moment of crisis he sees himself as a
failure and figures his best option is to end his life. The idea of showing
this man how valuable that life is and what other people’s lives would have
been like without him is simply brilliant. And in the end, George realizes that
“No man is a failure who has friends.” This story never fails to inspire me and
make me cry, and always leaves me asking the question, “What am I building with
my one small life?”
PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES
I must kick off Thanksgiving watching this
movie. I simply must. I love Steve Martin and John Candy and I still laugh at
all the silly cinematic moments, especially the scene where these two wind up
going the wrong way on the freeway. Anyone who’s ever started the wrong way
down a one-way street can identify with that feeling of Aaaack. We have
a version where the language is sanitized – I had no idea how many naughty
words our hero could say when he was mad until I saw the original version – but
language issues aside, this is a great story. We see two men trying to find
their way home – one to a literal home, one to life that can replace what he’s
lost. And I love that our man who thought he had it so together, eventually
realizes that he has much to learn about what makes people valuable. (I still
wouldn’t want to travel with that crazy curtain ring salesman though!)
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
The 1984 version with George C. Scott. Oh,
yes. In my opinion, Charles Dickens wrote the best Christmas fiction ever. How
brilliant! Let’s visit a skeptical, stingy man with three ghosts representing
his past, present and future and open his eyes to what he should be doing for
Christmas. At the end, of course, our hero learns the importance of caring for
his fellow man and becomes a man who learns to keep Christmas and keep it well.
George C. Scott is amazing in this and so are the ghosts. A great family movie
with a message well worth discussing after the ending credits have rolled and
the popcorn has been gobbled.
A CHRISTMAS STORY
This story doesn’t have the huge character
arc the other three movies do, but it doesn’t need to. It’s a memoir, one man’s
reminiscences of his childhood. And what fun reminiscences they are! I love the
famous leg lamp scene, especially, with Richie touching the leg and his mother
hastily removing his hand from temptation. Ah, how clever old Mom was in
getting rid of the monstrosity she didn’t want in her house. A nostalgic
glimpse of a simpler time.
NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION
We saw this movie on TV one year and got
addicted. What can I say? I’m a sick puppy. I love the scene where the squirrel
jumps out of the tree. This over-the-top holiday flick is silly from beginning
to end and I love the way the silliness continues to escalate. While it does
try to sneak in a moral – mean bosses should always give their employees
Christmas bonuses – and not just Jelly of the Month Club membership (I always
felt the real moral should have been, don’t spend money you don’t have. But
that’s just me), the real reason to watch the Griswolds in action is simply to
laugh and have fun.
THE POLAR EXPRESS
Beautiful, charming, well done. What else
can I say, other than watch it with your kids. It’s simply elegant.
Of course, this is just the tip of the
holiday iceberg, and if there’s time I’ll get to movies like THE HOLIDAY or
WHITE CHRISTMAS. But, a girl only has so much time. These are my favs. If you
haven’t watched them all, maybe I can convince you to do so this season. Have a
chick flick movie night and watch a couple with your girlfriends. Remember, “No
man is a failure who has friends.”
About the Author
USA Today best-selling author Sheila Roberts has seen her books published in
multiple languages and made into movies. She lives in the Pacific
Northwest, dividing her time between a waterfront condo and a
beach home. When she’s not on the tennis courts or partying with friends she
can be found writing about those things dear to women’s hearts: family,
friends, and chocolate.
Her latest women’s fiction is Christmas in Icicle Falls.
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK
About the Book:
Title:
CHRISTMAS IN ICICLE FALLS
Author: Sheila Roberts
Publisher: Harlequin Mira
Pages: 368
Genre: Women’s Fiction
BOOK
BLURB:
Meanwhile, Muriel's ugly-tree project has also inspired her friends. Sienna Moreno is trying to bring out the best in the grouchy man next door, who hates noise, hates kids and hates his new neighbors. And while Olivia Claussen would love to send her obnoxious new daughter-in-law packing, she's adjusting her attitude and trying to discover what her son sees in the girl. If these women can learn to see the beauty in the "ugly trees" in their lives, perhaps this might turn out to be the happiest holiday yet.
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