The Advent Calendar of Great Holiday Movies: Day 1 "A Christmas Story"

The pre-Christmas Day season of Advent is upon us. Here at SeedSing we love the chocolaty goodness of getting a piece of candy once a day until we get to open our presents. As our gift to you we will present a great movie associated with the holiday season. Many will be awesome, some will be extra awesome. Enjoy.

Day 1: “A Christmas Story”

Today is the first day of Advent, and for many of us it is the official start of the Christmas/Holiday season. December 1st is the day when all the houses that will be decorated are decked out. The trees have been cut down, assembled, and dressed. The stores are crowded because the shopping is now in full gear. December 1st is the first day where the holidays hit you square in the face with everything they got.

“A Christmas Story” premiered right before Thanksgiving in 1983. It was a very modest success at the box office. The critics of the time did not care that much for the movie. It quietly left the theaters in early 1984, and everyone assumed it would be forgotten.

It was not forgotten. “A Christmas Story” is regarded by many as the greatest holiday film of all time. The reason the movie has lasted is because it tells an over the top, yet a relatable story of what goes on leading up to Christmas Day. The crazy father, the put upon mother, the goofy little brother, the insane bully, the disconnected Santa, the neighbors dogs, we can all find something in our past from “A Christmas Story”. That is why the movie is a staple of holiday watching on any day of December.

The most important part of the holidays is highlighted in “A Christmas Story”. The central plot revolves on a must have gift, that is what the holidays are truly about. “A Christmas Story” does not treat the commercialism as a negative part of the holidays, the movie embraces the magic of the one perfect gift. Our hero Ralphie lives the holiday season with joy and triumph. He curses like a man, he beats down the bully, but most importantly he never loses focus of the meaning of the season for him, the Red Rider BB Gun. “A Christmas Story” takes the looming specter of holiday commercialism, and it makes it fun and enduring. That is why we keep watching “A Christmas Story” every year since 1983.

Today we get ready to welcome the holiday season. It is going to come at us hard. It is going to be fast and fierce. Take a note from Ralphie this season and never lose site of why we all love Christmastime. The antics of family and others make the season memorable, but that perfect gift will make this Christmastime legendary.

RD

RD is the Head Editor for SeedSing. Nothing gets RD more ready for the holiday season than a good seasonal tune, and nothing is better than “Linus and Lucy”.

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