Christmas Isn't Christmas Without... A Holiday Movie Classic

This is another thing that would be difficult to explain to a visitor from another galaxy. "Yes, Mr. Spock. We do watch the same movie once every 365 days, give or take. The celebration would feel incomplete without this ritual."
Each household has its own go to. For years the Grabowska favorite was The Muppet's Christmas Carol. 
 


Michael Caine's amazing performance as Ebeneezer Scrooge was quoted often pre and post-Christmas.

In 7th grade English class we were assigned the book to read. This made me realize just how much I enjoy the movie. Dickens was certainly able to weave a compelling story, no dispute there. But you have to dig under several layers of unnecessary verbiage to get there.
For many years I identified and sympathized with Scrooge. Christmas is a difficult time. There's ample opportunity to disappoint the people you love with lackluster gifts and be disappointed in turn with their offerings, and then feel bad about that because you should be grateful you're getting anything at all, right? Then there's the fact that everyone seems to come down with a feverish impulse to spend money they don't have, so their kids have something to unwrap at Christmas. From that angle, Scrooge is well within reason to be completely fed up with it all.
But, as I'm learning this year,  and as Scrooge learned, it is possible to enjoy the season by insulating yourself from the anxiety of shopping, weight gain, and going round 2 on that political argument started by your uncle at Thanksgiving (why is it always the uncle, by the way?).

I no longer have the VHS tape of A Muppet Christmas Carol, but I'll definitely look up some clips on youtube.
My husband's preferred holiday classic movie is the He-Man and She-Ra Christmas Special. I'm not joking.



So, there's a little something for everyone, I guess.