Christmas Doesn't Need Saving

I've noticed that my favorite Christmas stories and films have one thing in common. In them, no one "saves" Christmas. You see all these stories about how Santa Claus is somehow threatened and Christmas won't come unless someone saves it. If the toys aren't delivered, the Christmas doesn't come. Fortunately, not all Christmas stories expend their energy explaining to us how if we don't get our presents, Christmas won't happen.

My favorite kinds of Christmas stories are the ones where the theme is more like "Christmas saves us." So here in no particular order are my favorite films from the Christmas doesn't need saving genre:

1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas - This is sort of the antithesis of the "saving Christmas" movie. In it, the brilliant Dr. Seuss lays out in riveting iambic pentameter the story of a creature who is the embodiment of Christmas humbuggery. The Grinch despises Christmas. The good doctor never tells us why. He just confronts us with the fact of a grinchy old crank who sort of an alpine Prostetnik Vogon Gelz*. If he's not having fun, nobody gets to have fun. Ah, but despite his best efforts to steal everything the Who's have used to celebrate the season, he finds that Christmas comes anyway. For as the Who's, coming out to find their town robbed of every Christmas thing they owned, memorably sing it, "Christmas day will come to pass, as long as we have hands to clasp." As it turns out, the old Grinch is changed by Christmas, not the other way round. When he sleighs back into Whoville and returns their stuff, it doesn't save Christmas. Instead the Grinch simply affirms to himself and all the Whos that Christmas doesn't need saving. Christmas saves us in a way.
   
   
2. It's a Wonderful Life - We all know this one. George Bailey, a man who however reluctantly has developed an over-developed sense of responsibility. Clarence the Christmas angel saves George by basically telling him, "Good work, George," and showing him he doesn't have to do it all alone. Thus George is saved and Christmas goes on to be what it always was, a time to share peace on Earth and goodwill toward our fellow man.
   
   
3. Scrooge (the 1970 Albert Finney musical) - Again a deeply unhappy man revisits Christmases past present and future and discovers that he's made himself miserable all these years. His visits with the 3 ghosts helps him forgive himself, freeing him to atone for his past sins and rejoin the better parts of the human race.
   
   
4. The Christmas Lodge - One of those Thomas Kincaid set pieces that's just plain sweet and very respectful of faith and family.The girl and her family help restore a lodge that played a big part in the family's history and she finds love after a major heartbreak. The ending where Michael Shenks goes down on one knee on Christmas eve is a very satisfying ending.
   
   
5. The Christmas Card - Every bit as good as #4, the story follows a war-weary soldier back to the woman who sent him a Christmas Card when he was in Iraq. He finds peace, love and a family; all the things to save you at Christmas.
   
   
6. Silent Night - Based on a true story. Stars Linda Hamilton as a German mom in WWII who entertains soldiers from both sides at Christmas and single-handedly enforces a Christmas truce in the middle of war.
   
   
7. Fallen Angel - A high pressure lawyer returns home to settle his father's affairs and finds himself in a mystery from his youth. A girl he knew back then believes she's lost her father, but it turns out she finds much more than old memories. Gary Senise turns in an understated, but poignant performance.
   
   
8. The Holiday - (Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law and Jack Black) A recent favorite, it's a trading places plot where two unhappy jilted women swap homes at Christmas and find love halfway around the world. Sweet story. Christmas saves at least 5 people in this one.
   
   
9. Christmas in the Smokies - A saving the farm story where people who should be in love are brought together by a rekindled old flame and an evil developer. Again, Christmas does the saving.
   
   
10. Mrs. Miracle & Call Me Mrs. Miracle - There are two of these with Doris Roberts and I recommend both. Two of my favorite schmaltzy Hallmark actresses, Erin Karpluk (from The Christmas Lodge) and Jewel Staite (Firefly's Kailey) in the second one. Again, an angel solves the problems of widows and a widower, helps them find nice guys and helps out some boys at the same time. Lots of bang for the buck with Mrs Miracle.
    
    Bring a hanky,
    
    * Chronically grouchy alien from "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."
    
    © 2024 by Tom King
    

* See Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy".

Truth, Lie and the Observant Farmer

I saw a meme the other day that told the old story of the time Lie dressed itself up as Truth. Of course, it had been transmogrified into a parable about how wicked Donald Trump is by someone I've seen post the most outrageous balderdash to defend his progressive vision of the future.

In the version I heard many moons ago, the story went something like this.
Lie Steals Truth's Clothes:

One hot summer day, Truth was walking in the woods and came upon a pond. Truth being overly warm, decided she'd take a little swim. She hung her clothes on a nearby bush and plunged into the water. Meanwhile, not far away Lie was lurking as he always does, looking for a way to deceive. He heard Truth splashing around in the pond and went to check it out. When he saw Truth's clothes hanging on the bush, a wicked, naughty, evil plan just popped into his nasty little mind.

He would steal Truth's clothes! Then he could tell all the lies he wanted, but because he would be dressed up as Truth, people would believe him. Quick as a flash he grabbed Truth's clothes, slipped them on over his own and ran for it. Truth saw him just then and despite her lack of clothing, she set off in hot pursuit, for Truth knew what sort of trouble Lie could cause running around dressed as herself.

Lie Tells Some Whoppers:

As Lie quickly put some distance between himself and his angry, wet, naked pursuer, he met a man coming down the road. "I might as well try out Truth's clothes and see how they work," he decided.

Lie went up to the stranger and told the man a pretty good lie. The stranger said, "You know that must be the truth because he is wearing Truth's clothes."

Smirking at his own cleverness, Lie went further down the road, where he soon met a second man. "Hello, sir," said Lie and proceeded to tell a big fat lie this time. 

The second man scratched his chin and said, "You know that sounds like a lie to me, but he's wearing Truth's clothes so it must be the truth."

Lie Employs Statistics:

By this time Truth was gaining on Lie and was just minutes behind. Lie, unaware of this, spots a third man, an old farmer, approaching. "This time I'll try a real doozy," he thought and proceeded to tell a lie so incredible that he might not have got away with it at first, but he used a lot of phony statistics and fake stories to make the lie sound even better and the farmer looked for a moment as though he'd bought Lie's story.

"You know," said the third man. scratching his head. "That story you just told there Sonny, sounds like a great big whopper of a lie." Then he looks off down the road and turns back to Lie. "But just because it sounds like Truth, don't make it Truth. You may look like Truth, fella. You may sound like Truth. You may even wear Truth's clothes, but mister, you ain't Truth." He points back along the way that Lie had come.

"You certainly ain't Truth, mister Lie," the farmer shook his head, "No sir, because yonder comes the nekkid Truth!"

At least that's the way I heard it.

© 2019 by Tom King