War on Christmas?
It's strange that anyone would care. In 2024, it is perfectly easy to celebrate Christmas without any reference to Christ or Christianity.
Charlie Brown's melancholy reminiscences about the season show that it is no modern invention that Christmas is “over.”
Most people are familiar with the commercialization of Christmas and the Coca-Cola Company's mass adoption of a secular version of St. Nicholas (Santa Claus) in its beverage sales. From the 1920s to the 1930s. But for decades afterward, pop culture depictions of the holiday still commonly included references to the Virgin Mary and Jesus.
Even secular movies like “It's a Wonderful Life'' are famous for emphasizing the themes of salvation and hope symbolized by Christmas.
Although recent films such as National Lampoon's Vacation (1989) and Home Alone (1990) have shown less respect for the season, they still use it to explore family reconciliation and difficult situations. It manages to present itself as an opportunity to find hope in these difficult times.
Going back to the past few decades. Holiday productions such as “The Grinch,'' “Elf,'' “Deck the Halls,'' “The Red One,'' and “The Christmas Chronicles'' are limited to a vaguely Christmas atmosphere and mood, and require deep exploration. There is no.
Many of these films are “family” films in that they avoid profanity and sex. But its emptiness and vulgar commercialism make it perhaps even more intolerable than vulgar pictures like “Bad Santa.” At least the latter is honest about its irony.
Of course, there are also more nutritious Christmas dishes. Below is a list of Christmas classics that we recommend. Some are less known than others, but all are worth a look.
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” (1965)
“A Charlie Brown Christmas,” the first of many television specials based on Charles Schulz's “Peanuts” cartoons, made two bold decisions for its time. That means cutting out the laugh track and hiring real kids to play the characters. The result was something quieter and more humble than the overstuffed entertainment we take for granted today.
That doesn't mean it's naive or naive. Charlie Brown's melancholy reminiscences about the season show that it is not a modern invention that Christmas is “over,” and Linus reminds us of the reason for this season (quoting the Bible on network television). ) is particularly powerful.
“The Three Godfathers” (1948)
This little-known collaboration between director John Ford and icon John Wayne also quotes the Bible's account of the dedication of Jesus in the temple in Luke 2:22: to send him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord. ”
Three bank robbers find a Bible while pulling strings in the desert. One of them reads this passage aloud. They also found a newborn baby. His dying mother ordered them to keep him safe. A thoughtful and entertaining retelling of the story of the three wise men.
“Joeux Noel” (2005)
The war we came to call World War I began in December 1914 when Pope Benedict created a Christmas holiday with the wish that “at least on the night when the angels sing, the gunshots will be silenced.” The situation had been escalating for months when a temporary truce was called. Those in charge rejected his pleas, but the fighting men had other plans. On Christmas Eve, British soldiers in the trenches on the Western Front heard the Germans singing “Silent Night.” I heard it.
British people also participated. Soon, an impromptu celebration was formed in which the adversaries gathered in no man's land to sing songs, exchange small gifts, and play soccer. 2005's “Joyeux Noel” (sometimes called “Merry Christmas” in the English version) convincingly depicts this event through the eyes of various French, Scottish, and German soldiers. Unflinching and unsentimental, it still manages to convey a sense of authentic Christian hope in the midst of hellish conflict.
