More Christmas Food for Thought
Television
By Kristin Battestella
There haven’t been that many Christmas
shows and religious documentaries on television in recent years, but here are a
few fictional delights and debatable documentaries to help young and old work
on the mistletoe mind and spiritual soul this holiday season.
A Charlie Brown Christmas – I’m not a serious Peanuts
or Charlie Brown fan but fortunately, you don’t have to be to appreciate
this quick, award winning 1965 cartoon classic. Now airing annually on ABC each
December and available on video with features and treats, youth, young at
heart, and families of any and all beliefs will delight in the pouty Charlie
Brown, snotty Lucy, wise Linus, and of course, who doesn’t love Snoopy? The animation
still looks great; it’s quirky, retro, and full of memories compared to the so
often in your face, instant, and forgettable modern designs. The simplicity of
a nickel for advice and adorning a broken little tree with love helps put the
spirit of Christmas in perspective, “Deck them Halls and all that stuff.” Unhappiness, commercialism, misunderstanding
during the holidays- if Charlie Brown was so displeased then, imagine what he would think of our Christmas Creep and
outrageous politically correct season now?
Have we changed so much or so little in the last fifty years? This innocent
look at Christmas and the birth of Christ is neither offensive nor preachy, and
the dialogue affectionately lampoons some of the crazy aspects of the holiday
season, such as obsessing over Christmas cards, seasonal plays, light displays,
and letters to Santa. Capped off with famous carols, iconic Peanuts tunes, and that special Charles
Shultz flavor, the surprisingly deep spiritual symbolism and childlike
perspective can bring a tear to your eye year after year.
A Christmas Carol – No, I never
get tired of divulging in this perennial Dickens classic, and the 1951 Alastair
Sim as Scrooge adaptation is perhaps the most faithful in atmosphere,
structure, and melancholy compared to other happy, colorful, condensed
editions. Of course, there are still a
few tweaks and character changes in Scrooge’s past and an iffy colorization, but
all that’s forgivable thanks to the chilly Victorian frost, morbid silver
screen flavor, and fun smoke and mirrors ghost effects. The wailing and frightening music is mixed
with perfectly period carols in this swift 90 minutes, but remember, there are
some dang fine scares here that might be too much for super young kids. Sim –
who also took part in the 1971 animated edition, which might better serve those
young family audiences – is perfectly ugly and unlikeable to begin as Scrooge
and yet the Christian undercurrent from Dickens comes across thanks to the
mostly intact famed dialogue and near complete ghostly visits. Some of the cast
may seem like uber Brit caricatures today because we are so familiar with the
tale-and my goodness that Cockney, ear damaging “‘Pen my bunle ‘ext, Joe!
Calico!” However, this version helped create the pattern we expect most A Christmas Carol adaptations to follow.
It still tugs at our heartstrings- not because of the charming story, but
because we’ve been the miser who will “weigh everything by gain” and sacrifice
those around us in pursuit of the “golden idol.” In many ways, the economics
haven’t change one bit, and this encapsulation reminds us that redemption is indeed
possible at Christmas or year round.
In
Search of Christmas – This 2001
History Channel documentary takes its full 90 minute time to explore the entire
scope of Jesus’ birth. From Mary’s virgin status, the tax collection and
location of the nativity, the Star of Bethlehem, the Magi and astronomical
clues to Biblical versus historical accounts, calendar significance, Joseph’s
role, and more; scholars, clergy, theologians, and skeptics from a variety of
religious schools, universities, and backgrounds provide point and
counterpoint. The presentation is intelligent, with insightful depths that
respect faith and the miraculous aspects of Christmas- unlike purely scientific
programs that seem to mock or scoff at believing the sight unseen. The focus
stays on the spiritual exploration and historical importance of Christ’s birth here
- unlike other quickie History Channel shows such as Christmas Unwrapped. Those hours about Santa or secular holiday
traditions are fine for their purpose, but such documentaries further push
Christmas as synonymous with toys, reindeer, fruitcake, and all that is
nonreligious. Fortunately available on DVD for a Sunday school discussion or
reverent showing, I wish there were more programs like In Search of Christmas on television- and there is no reason why History should stop
showing this and other religious centric Ancient
Mysteries and Mysteries of the Bible
programming. There are decades worth of
these traditional documentaries- so why are we stuck with more and more reality
crap on their networks?
What
Would Jesus Buy? – This 2007
docufilm about the increasing commerciality of the Christmas season is very
weirdly filmed, with askew angles, jerky zooms, and fast-paced images. The Zany host Reverend Billy does not help,
either. He and his choir singing the anti-shopping theme is just a bit unappealing, padding what could have
been an objective and intelligent look at how we pointlessly commercialize
Christmas. Even the most interested viewer hesitates to support the cause here
because of this juvenile presentation. Why almost parody the very religious
atmosphere you are trying to turn folks back to? Obviously, this is not the right
approach, but I am glad a full hour and a half was taken. Though I would have
much preferred realistic, straight film making and the news and numbers are slightly
dated; the statistics of people in debt and shopping excessiveness are still very
telling. One little old grandma says, “Why do the CEOs earn 500% more than the
one at the bottom?” (hey, Occupy people, what kept you?) The essential message
here almost gets lost because of the dumb theme, but the examination of how the
price tag became more important than the thought or the why is a critical
one. How did we come to have our entire
economy depend on Christmas shopping? When did the financial black become more
important than the light and love at earth’s darkest hour? Ironically, what
sells this documentary most is that the commerciality and financial situations
have gotten worse since its 2005
filming. How can we as intelligent folks trade our beliefs for this Buying =
Love concept? How effed up are we? What Would Jesus Buy? does its best when
it puts the bologna away and shows people crying over the precious simplicity
of a homespun lifestyle and how Christmas used to be.
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