— Lakshmi Yazhini
“Christmas will always be as long as we stand heart to heart and hand in hand.” – Dr Seuss
What does Christmas mean to you? The one day you get to set up a beautiful tree in the middle of your house? That day your neighborhood is filled with trilling Christmas Carols? Or just one among the few guaranteed holidays after a grueling set of exams?
Conventional Christmas traditions aside, something we all look forward to in the holiday season is binge-watching shows and movies. As the calendar strikes December, TV channels, OTT platforms, YouTube, along with other streaming services- all push Christmas Hallmark-ish movies our way. The ones where initially cynical characters build gingerbread houses, attend dramatic parties, participate in ‘totally unexpected’ mistletoe romances, turn their lives around and discover the magical spirit of Christmas. They may be schmaltzy, but tis the season of schmaltz. So dear reader, for your kind perusing, I have compiled a list of Christmas-themed movies which might even turn Grinch into a gooey, sentimental mess.
- The Noel Diary, by Charles Shyer
The movie is an adaptation of the book “The Noel Diary” by Richard Evans. Largely autobiographical , the film explores the journey of Jake who returns to his abusive mother’s home after she dies. With unpleasant and painful memories weighing on his mind, he eventually finds himself helping out Rachel, a woman who claims that her mother, too, had lived in the same house. The pair later discover that Rachel’s mother had been Jake’s nanny, and that although they were from completely different backgrounds, they had several similarities which linked them both in the past and in the present.
Unlike many other Christmas movies that stress the importance of one’s immediate family, The Noel Diary reflects on the importance of the family we find- people we forge deep and meaningful bonds with despite not sharing a conventional ‘familial’ relationship. By showing its characters as flawed, struggling but growing individuals, Shyer demonstrates great capability for nuance. He brings out the bonds, broken or forged, between his characters in a way that transcends the shallow Hallmark style route that such plots often tend to take. If the directorial praise for the film is not convincing enough, one may watch the movie for Justin Hartley’s (of This is Us fame) excellent acting and Barrett Doss’s (Rachel) near-flawless comedic timing.
- Scrooge: A Christmas Carol, by Stephen Donelly
Several viewers might say that this adaptation of Dickens’ tale of Ebenezer Scrooge is more suitable for children. However, I believe that it is a watch for all ages just for how uniquely it is directed, and for the larger message that it carries across different cultures about the real spirit of Christmas: character.
Scrooge is a business minded, stingy and selfish person who was particular about repayments, but ended up under paying his workers. On Christmas Eve, his late business partner Jacob’s ghost visits him, lamenting on the punishments he had been given for being too selfish. Following this, three ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future visit Scrooge and show him how bleak the lives of others were, are and will be if he continues to remain how he is. This of course, has a huge impact on how Scrooge redeems himself as a person later on in the movie.
In the movie, Scrooge has been represented as a more sympathetic character than a mean one. With futuristic portrayals of time travel, intermittent musical numbers and vibrant visuals, this movie sure is a treat for sore eyes!
- The 12 Days of Christmas Eve, by Dustin Rikert
Although similar to Scrooge’s key message about the selfless spirit of Christmas, this movie approaches the same concept from a different angle.. While Scrooge gets the Past, Present and Future ghosts to show him just how doomed his ways could be, , The 12 Days of Christmas Eve makes its protagonist, Brian, relive those mistakes until he can get them right.
Brian, a wealthy businessman, is shown to be an absentee husband and a father. His workaholic nature is put to test as he encounters a car accident caused by Santa, who gives him 12 chances to relive Christmas Eve and make things right.
I would definitely recommend this movie, which despite its Hallmark brand, family-oriented theme managed to interest me with its refreshing plot dynamics.
- Falling for Christmas, by Janeen Damian
While the title seems to hint at a rom-com recycling the usual trope of ‘falling in love during the holiday season’, the film is drastically self aware and makes its lead, played by the legendary Lindsay Lohan, literally ‘fall’ in love.
The protagonist, Sierra, is a rich heiress who falls off a mountain during a vacation and is saved by Jake, the owner of a resort nearby who had a fall out with her father’s business sometime back. Sierra suffers from amnesia and stays with Jake and his daughter who help her recuperate. During her time with them, she rediscovers herself as an independent individual and resolves to carve out her own pathway, even if she does eventually remember her past life. When she is finally found by her father and taken back home, she is surprised to find herself liking her changed persona, despite having gotten back her memories. Among several forms of love that can be found during the holiday season, this movie stresses that self-love and improvement go a long way in finding oneself.
While a lot of us might not celebrate Christmas the traditional way with trees, stockings and midnight masses, the holiday gives us so many opportunities to reflect on our priorities, reconnect with friends and family, and renew the love in our lives. Ultimately, it boils down to one thing that Edna Ferber beautifully captured: “Christmas isn’t a season, it’s a feeling.”
Edited by Anoushka Agastya
Design by Aaromal S Kesav
Article 19 