Movies related to Christmas help to create a fun atmosphere and can also teach moral lessons related to Christmas. While everyone will have different Christmas movies they find most enjoyable, there are some that remain favorites.
“A Christmas Story” is told from the point of view of a little boy in the days before Christmas and on Christmas Day. It shows him doing routine things each day but against the backdrop of the Christmas season with the decorated store windows, Santa Claus, the snow, and, of course, his wish for a Christmas toy; but his parents disapprove of the toy that he desires. The movie shows the innocence of the Christmas season.
“A Christmas Carol,” written by noted author Charles Dickens, tells the story of old Scrooge whose only purpose in life is to make money. Scrooge puts making money above his family, friends, and everyone who cares about him. His response to Christmas is a grumpy, “Bah Humbug.” He gets a different experience, however, when ghosts appear to him and try to point out the error of his ways. The movie's lesson is about the importance of appreciating people in your life.
“It's a Wonderful Life” is a story about hope and the worthiness of everyone. It tells the story of a man experiencing despair and self-destruction because he thinks he is of no worth to those around him, and that they would be better off if he didn't exist. An angel grants him his desire. He gets to see what he contributes and what life would be like without him.
Every Christmas, “A Miracle on 34th Street” can be seen on television. It asks and answers the question: “Is there really a Santa Claus?” The movie is about a man who claims to be Kris Kringle, or Santa Claus, but is not believed, and so he has to prove his identity claim.
“National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation” is about the Griswold family with Mr. Griswold, played by Chevy Chase, who gets into silly accidents that provide a lot of humor. The movie shows the lives of the family as they celebrate Christmas and the difficulties that arise when their entire family comes to visit for Christmas.
“Home Alone” is about a large and chaotic family with lots of kids who are going on a Christmas vacation. Amid the chaos of leaving on the morning of the trip, one child is left behind and must stay and fend for himself in a very large house during the Christmas season. At first he was happy to be alone, but then two thieves break in and he has to fight them off. The movie shows the importance of family and loved ones. A sequel, “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York” tells of the boy who was left alone going to an aunt and uncle's home, and again encountering the two thieves who are seeking revenge.
“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” was first made as an animation for television but other versions have since been done as motion pictures. The Grinch is a grouchy, green man who lives in the mountains above the small town of Whoville where residents, called the Whos, celebrate Christmas enthusiastically every year. The Grinch, who doesn't like Christmas, wants to spoil it for Whoville, so he tries to steal all the toys, food, and gifts that the Whos have accumulated for Christmas. The movie provides a lesson in the true meaning of Christmas.
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” is an animated television movie about the popular Peanuts comic strip. The movie is about the comic strip's main character, Charlie Brown, and tells of the experience with his friends for Christmas. It also has Biblical references that relate to the true meaning of Christmas.
“Frosty the Snowman” is an animated story about a snowman named Frosty, who comes to life. He must avoid a greedy musician who is trying to get the magic that brought Frosty to life. The movie is very funny and has lots of wonderful songs.
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” is also an animated movie. It tells about the reindeer with a shiny nose who kisses a pretty girl and also helps out his friends.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Christmas Festivities
Christmas is described as a festive season, therefore, we should all engage in activities during the season that provide entertainment and merriment, and those that give pleasure. Because Christmas is about celebration, many types of festivities can be found to suit all preferences for making the season a joyful one.
A readily available option is watching Christmas movies. This can be done from the comfort of home or by spending a few hours out at the theater. A wonderful option now available for movies is renting them via the Internet. It allows you to get any movie you want to see - whether traditional, popular, or a remake of an original title. There is fairly easy access to obscure movie titles, as well as movies with holiday or Christmas themes.
Although Christmas movies embody the spirit of the season, you can also take time out during Christmas to enjoy new releases that may, or may not, have a holiday theme. Christmas is a good time to catch notable new releases because they are timed to be shown in theaters before the end of the year to be considered for Oscar nominations.
Performances of Christmas plays that depict the Nativity scene are another popular entertainment during Christmas. Although these performances are done year after year, they never grow old because of creative differences in interpreting the story and in how each role is performed by different actors every year.
The dramatization of the Nativity demonstrates the meaning of Christmas and can also simplify the meaning of Christmas for children. Participation in the Nativity is also an important activity for children in drama groups at schools and churches.
Along with depicting the meaning of Christmas, the Nativity play also portrays moral lessons that can serve as an inspiration for becoming a more spiritual person and living a better life. Watching or taking part in the Nativity play at Christmas can affect your attitude and your outlook on life.
Musical entertainment at Christmas can come from pausing during shopping to listen to a choral group at the mall or downtown. It can also be entertaining to simply hum along to a Christmas carol or a song being played on the radio. Carols, as a tradition at Christmas, are said to originate in England and France in the Middle Ages. At the time, carols were dances accompanied by singing. The tradition that Anglo-Saxons preferred was to have small choirs gather on the village green and sing carols and Christmas songs to passersby. Over time, the meaning of the word changed to refer to only certain types of songs.
The tradition of carols is also believed to have evolved from the angels, shepherds, and Wise Men who bowed down to sing praises and to worship Baby Jesus. For those who are really lovers of the arts, professional groups like orchestras, symphonies, conservatories, and choirs offer splendid concerts during Christmas. They will also sing Christmas carols and songs; but the harmony of their voices, accompanied by a full complement of instruments, provides a richer and more melodious rendition of the carols that is unlikely to be heard anywhere else.
Probably the most popular festivities at Christmas are parties, which seem to happen everywhere, and at all times, during the Christmas season. There are parties at work, home, with friends, and class parties at school. Even social hubs, such as bars, may have special nights with different foods and lower-priced drinks during Christmas.
It seems there is no end to the festivities during Christmas. It's important to have a good time but also to remember the unfortunate and to reach out to them, and to have fun but in a responsible manner.
A readily available option is watching Christmas movies. This can be done from the comfort of home or by spending a few hours out at the theater. A wonderful option now available for movies is renting them via the Internet. It allows you to get any movie you want to see - whether traditional, popular, or a remake of an original title. There is fairly easy access to obscure movie titles, as well as movies with holiday or Christmas themes.
Although Christmas movies embody the spirit of the season, you can also take time out during Christmas to enjoy new releases that may, or may not, have a holiday theme. Christmas is a good time to catch notable new releases because they are timed to be shown in theaters before the end of the year to be considered for Oscar nominations.
Performances of Christmas plays that depict the Nativity scene are another popular entertainment during Christmas. Although these performances are done year after year, they never grow old because of creative differences in interpreting the story and in how each role is performed by different actors every year.
The dramatization of the Nativity demonstrates the meaning of Christmas and can also simplify the meaning of Christmas for children. Participation in the Nativity is also an important activity for children in drama groups at schools and churches.
Along with depicting the meaning of Christmas, the Nativity play also portrays moral lessons that can serve as an inspiration for becoming a more spiritual person and living a better life. Watching or taking part in the Nativity play at Christmas can affect your attitude and your outlook on life.
Musical entertainment at Christmas can come from pausing during shopping to listen to a choral group at the mall or downtown. It can also be entertaining to simply hum along to a Christmas carol or a song being played on the radio. Carols, as a tradition at Christmas, are said to originate in England and France in the Middle Ages. At the time, carols were dances accompanied by singing. The tradition that Anglo-Saxons preferred was to have small choirs gather on the village green and sing carols and Christmas songs to passersby. Over time, the meaning of the word changed to refer to only certain types of songs.
The tradition of carols is also believed to have evolved from the angels, shepherds, and Wise Men who bowed down to sing praises and to worship Baby Jesus. For those who are really lovers of the arts, professional groups like orchestras, symphonies, conservatories, and choirs offer splendid concerts during Christmas. They will also sing Christmas carols and songs; but the harmony of their voices, accompanied by a full complement of instruments, provides a richer and more melodious rendition of the carols that is unlikely to be heard anywhere else.
Probably the most popular festivities at Christmas are parties, which seem to happen everywhere, and at all times, during the Christmas season. There are parties at work, home, with friends, and class parties at school. Even social hubs, such as bars, may have special nights with different foods and lower-priced drinks during Christmas.
It seems there is no end to the festivities during Christmas. It's important to have a good time but also to remember the unfortunate and to reach out to them, and to have fun but in a responsible manner.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Making Gift Selections at Christmas
Many people adore Santa Claus because he brings them the perfect gift that often produces squeals of joy. Individuals, especially children, are often thrilled to get what they want and need from Santa. To bring joy to others, you need to not only give a Christmas gift but to also try to get an item that will be a good match for the individual by selecting a gift that suits the person.
It is possible to find the right Christmas gift without having to fall for the easy way out by giving something such as a sweater. Finding the right Christmas gift for anyone means a gift has to capture one or both of the following qualities: Something that you know the person will like or desire; or something with useful purpose that will captivate the person. A Christmas gift that captivates the receiver will produce a “Wow” reaction, or comments of “That's cool” from others, who will be wishing silently that they had gotten such a gift.
The key to selecting a wonderful Christmas gift that will produce a “Wow” reaction is to make sure the item is one that will appear interesting to others. The gift itself may have limits to its use. That means it may not be something that will be used frequently, such as a sweater or other clothing. The “Wow” factor, or coolness of the gift, must overshadow its possibly limited usefulness.
Selecting a Christmas gift that is desired can prove to be difficult if you think you don't know what the person wants or needs; but when we think that we don't really know what someone wants for a Christmas gift, our real thought is that we haven't really heard the person specifically say they desire a particular item. That, however, is not an obstacle to truly knowing what someone may desire for a Christmas gift.
To help identify an item that will make a perfect Christmas gift, you need to focus on what you know about the person - various qualities, what leisure activity the person likes, what type of books, art, and music they like. To focus on what you know about the person, think about conversations you have had with the person. Conversations can often give splendid ideas of good gifts to give for Christmas because people will often say, “I wish for…” when talking with someone else. The character of the person is also a good indicator of items that will make wonderful Christmas gifts.
Remember, a gift for Christmas is a token to show love, fondness, or appreciation, or some combination of those qualities. An item that captures a quality of the person is, therefore, likely to be much appreciated. So, for example, books make good gifts for someone who likes to read; but if the person also has a humorous personality, a book on jokes would be a desirable Christmas gift.
For someone who likes to drive, a travel book on scenic routes is likely to create a large amount of interest. A Christmas gift such as that could also stir some “Wow” remarks and could easily be engrossing for others who want to browse through it. A Christmas gift like that is also an example of something that is very useful, but which may not get a lot of frequent use.
Another strategy for selecting a perfect Christmas gift is to think of how something will fit into someone's lifestyle. A friend once recalled a wish for a PlayStation that another friend often expressed in conversation; but, knowing that the friend also didn't have much leisure time to actually sit and use a PlayStation, a hand-held game gadget was given instead. It could be used during commute on public transportation, or during short amounts of downtime.
Selecting Christmas gifts for friends, acquaintances, and loved ones that will be remembered and treasured is not too difficult if the strategies previously mentioned are kept in mind.
It is possible to find the right Christmas gift without having to fall for the easy way out by giving something such as a sweater. Finding the right Christmas gift for anyone means a gift has to capture one or both of the following qualities: Something that you know the person will like or desire; or something with useful purpose that will captivate the person. A Christmas gift that captivates the receiver will produce a “Wow” reaction, or comments of “That's cool” from others, who will be wishing silently that they had gotten such a gift.
The key to selecting a wonderful Christmas gift that will produce a “Wow” reaction is to make sure the item is one that will appear interesting to others. The gift itself may have limits to its use. That means it may not be something that will be used frequently, such as a sweater or other clothing. The “Wow” factor, or coolness of the gift, must overshadow its possibly limited usefulness.
Selecting a Christmas gift that is desired can prove to be difficult if you think you don't know what the person wants or needs; but when we think that we don't really know what someone wants for a Christmas gift, our real thought is that we haven't really heard the person specifically say they desire a particular item. That, however, is not an obstacle to truly knowing what someone may desire for a Christmas gift.
To help identify an item that will make a perfect Christmas gift, you need to focus on what you know about the person - various qualities, what leisure activity the person likes, what type of books, art, and music they like. To focus on what you know about the person, think about conversations you have had with the person. Conversations can often give splendid ideas of good gifts to give for Christmas because people will often say, “I wish for…” when talking with someone else. The character of the person is also a good indicator of items that will make wonderful Christmas gifts.
Remember, a gift for Christmas is a token to show love, fondness, or appreciation, or some combination of those qualities. An item that captures a quality of the person is, therefore, likely to be much appreciated. So, for example, books make good gifts for someone who likes to read; but if the person also has a humorous personality, a book on jokes would be a desirable Christmas gift.
For someone who likes to drive, a travel book on scenic routes is likely to create a large amount of interest. A Christmas gift such as that could also stir some “Wow” remarks and could easily be engrossing for others who want to browse through it. A Christmas gift like that is also an example of something that is very useful, but which may not get a lot of frequent use.
Another strategy for selecting a perfect Christmas gift is to think of how something will fit into someone's lifestyle. A friend once recalled a wish for a PlayStation that another friend often expressed in conversation; but, knowing that the friend also didn't have much leisure time to actually sit and use a PlayStation, a hand-held game gadget was given instead. It could be used during commute on public transportation, or during short amounts of downtime.
Selecting Christmas gifts for friends, acquaintances, and loved ones that will be remembered and treasured is not too difficult if the strategies previously mentioned are kept in mind.
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