Santa Palooza Day 4 – Miracle on 34th Street

1947, 95 minutes
This holiday classic came into my radar years ago simply because of its name. Everyone knows the story of the Macy’s Santa who really is Chris Kringle. I vaguely remember my mother talking about this movie as one she loves. Being a black and white, I assumed she liked it. After all, she’s the person who introduced me to “It’s a Wonderful Life” which we’ll watch later this month. Then when I lived in New York I came to love the movie even more. Especially when I went to see the large balloons on Thanksgiving and walked the route the annual parade takes. I felt even more connected to the single mother in the movie who wants her child to grow up without the heartache she lived through.

But the magic of this movie is that Santa works through all our heartbreak. (Okay, before that is the brilliance that is Edmund Gwenn. His delivery of the script is spot on. His Santa isn’t cartoonish or overly jolly. He’s relatable and loveable and so smart. He should have a Santa advice book.) Santa is there to hug you and comfort you and keep the magic of the season alive. Of course it sounds crazy, especially in a world where people can forget magic so easily. Santa has a hard job and we don’t make it any easier.

I think that’s why I did Christmas so full out this year. I want to believe. I DO believe in the magic of Christmas. I believe this is the time of year people can change and grow and learn. I believe in the power of family and love and friendship. I believe in the excitement of opening presents and of giving the perfect gift. I believe in the commercializing and the over buying and the simplifying. This movie helps with all of that.

Because who doesn’t want a Santa Claus in their life that looks to the good of the people, not just the good of himself.

Enjoy and happy holidays!

Santa-Pallooza Day 1- ELF

Santa-Pallooza 2010 Begins!!

Christmas time makes me an even more avid movie watcher. I watch probably 5 movies a week during a normal week in my life. Some in the theaters. Some on my portable DVD. Some through the brilliance of Netflix Instant Watch. I love the world movies create. December brings a new love of movies to my life. I love holiday movies and every year there are more and more to add to the list. It is hard to keep it at only 25!

I watch a holiday movie daily to get me in the holiday spirit and wrap my head around the craziness that is December. I started this tradition a few years ago and I LOVE IT! This year I decided to add in my facebook friends and my blog to make it a little more interactive and get everyone involved who wants to be. I’ll post them five at a time so you have time to get them from Netflix or the movie rental place. (See- THIS is why Blockbuster can’t go out of business!) Each day I will write about what the movie means to me and why I chose it. I’ll post things to look out for and how long the movie is, as well as what age group it’s appropriate for. Kind of like a Christmas movie guide….filled with my opinions.

I hope you enjoy it. Here are the first five movies:

- Elf (12/1)

- The Holiday (12/2)

- Love Actually (12/3)

- Miracle on 34^th Street (12/4)

- How the Grinch Stole Christmas (200 and/or 1966) (12/5)

So join me if you can. Truthfully, I hope I am able to keep up with it. I know I can, so here is the test. And it’s good practice because my goal for 2011 is to take on a big project and make it happen. More on that later.

Elf- Wednesday December 1 Santa-Pallooza Movie #1

(95 minutes, rated PG) No bad words, no sex, no scary, no villans, no violence. The PG is for the adult humor.

Tonight I am cleaning my house and getting it ready for my Christmas tree, which I’ll get on Sunday. I have to move boxes and make a space for it. In fact, I might just put the tree ON boxes since it will only be about three feet high. But I have some amazing ornaments that I want to get some tree time this year. So a tree it is. Plus I want the smell of a fresh tree. And the glow of the tree lights as I fall asleep every night. I am embracing Christmas this year, and a tree is the best way to do it. Having “Elf” on in the background as I do it is going to be the icing on the gingerbread.

I saw Elf for the first time when I was working on Main Street in Disneyland in 2004. It had come out the previous year so John brought in the DVD backstage for us to watch during our breaks. It was perfect! We sang in octets on Main Street so the green room was filled with carolers laughing at the craziness of Buddy the Elf. Soon, since we watched it every day for weeks, we were able to quote him and no place was safe from Elf nonsense. Since then the movie is a Christmas staple in my life. John (my tenor for over three years with the same sense of humor as me) and I would pull random quotes out of the air during the season and we wouldn’t even have to look at each other to know where the conversation was going. It is a uniting movie, and even the most skeptics of movie watchers eventually succumb to the brilliance of Buddy’s humor. “Ooh what’s a skeptic? I want one!” I’m sure having the TV run it every day has played a big part in wearing down people’s resistance.

Enjoy and Happy Holidays!! See you tomorrow!