Christmasy
Greatest Christmas carol ever: O Come O Come Emmanuel.
Second greatest: Carol of the Bells. It’s too bad this song is irrevocably associated with Home Alone.
Greatest non-traditional Christmas song: It’s a toss up between Sister Winter and Did I make you cry on Christmas (Well, you deserved it!), both by Sufjan Stevens.
Greatest Christmas movie ever (and one of the greatest movies of all time): It’s a Wonderful Life.
Second greatest: Scrooge (or A Christmas Carol), starring Alistair Sims.
Worst popular movie: Miracle on 34th Street, any version.
Greatest Christmas novel: I have to go with A Christmas Carol, though that is doubtless partly due to the fact that I’ve never read many of the classic Christmas stories. Maybe I’ll get to The Gift of the Magi later this week.
Best present I received this year: Catholic Matters: Confusion, Controversy, and the Splendor of Truth, by Richard John Neuhaus, from my parents.
Something more people ought to know about Christmas: “Xmas” is not, as some people think, the de-’Christ’-ianized version of “Christmas”. It is in fact leftover from early Church tradition, and the Greek spelling of Christ, “Xristos” (textpattern doesn’t support the greek font, but you can find it elsewhere online).
And you?
Tristan said,
Dec 26, 07:16 #
Oh. Apparently I had read The Gift of the Magi before. Silly me.
The Burdman said,
Dec 26, 08:53 #
Greatest Christmas carol ever: Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Second greatest: I would say Carol of the Bells, but I’ve seen some really annoying comericals with that song recently. I hate it when they ruin songs like that. I’ll go with Angels we Have Heard on High.
Greatest non-traditional Christmas song: I haven’t been very well steeped in any kind of Christmas Music. But I do have some really good childhood memories of listening to “Come on Ring Those Bells” by Evie, while setting up the Christmas tree.
Greatest Christmas movie ever (and one of the greatest movies of all time): I’m going to go with Catch me if you can, becuase I watched that this Christmas.
Second greatest: I think I have to go with Fargo, because we watched that at my friends Christmas party once. She was kind of upset at first, but then my other friend was like “What, it’s Christmasy… it has snow.”
Worst popular movie: There are plenty Christmas Movies that don’t have very much artistic merit, like the Santa Clause, and it’s sequel.
Greatest Christmas novel: I haven’t read many Christmas novels… but when I was in grade 2 I read “The Best Christmas Pagent Ever.” That was a really good book, even though it is for kids.
Best present I received this year: I recieved a digital camera, with which I am quite pleased.
Something more people ought to know about Christmas: Well, this is just my opinion, but our association with snow and Christmas in our culture is quite silly. When there isn’t snow, we say “it doesn’t feel like Christmas, because there isn’t snow.” Our culture surrouding Christmas is quite ridiculous, but certainly fun.
njero said,
Dec 26, 15:50 #
Thank you Tristan, for revealing the true meaning of Xmas, and in the process making sure that no child will have to suffer a year without little gingerbread manger scenes hanging from their trees.
Ok, that was supposed to be a snappy little bit where I make fun of the typical “you saved Christmas” bit at the end of cheesy holiday movies, and then everyone else laughs at my impeccable wit. Just in case it failed as horribly as I think it did.
Keira said,
Dec 26, 19:28 #
I’m going to have to agree that O Come O Come Emmanuel is hands-down the best carol, especially in Latin, closely followed by the Coventry Carol.
Edward Scissorhands definitely ranks high among stellar Christmas movies. Flawed, but containing the hauntingly beautiful question: what if god died before finishing creating us? Granted, there are many flaws such as: where the hell does Edward get the huge blocks of ice? But it more than makes up for that with the best dinner scene, best use of a waterbed, and best neighborhood BBQ ever.
About 98% of Christmas movies should be obliterated from civilization.
I can’t think of any Christmas novels besides A Christmas Carol . . . that probably says something in itself.
Best present this year: a toss-up between Season One Doctor Who DVDs and a sweet hatchet with a knife, screwdriver, file, and other such accoutrements inside its handle.
Something More People Should Know About Christmas: That salespeople in the malls are actually human beings who are sick of dealing with annoying whining of customers who are buying meaningless presents for people they don’t even care about. Ooh. That sounded bitter.
Aaron said,
Dec 26, 20:39 #
Greatest Christmas carol ever: I agree entirely: O Come O Come Emmanuel.
Second greatest: “Do They Know It’s Christmas”, just because of how beautifully apathetic it is. Come on, “tonight thank God it’s them instead of you”?
Greatest non-traditional Christmas song: Baby It’s Cold Outside.
Greatest Christmas movie ever: Probably A Christmas Carol, but A Christmas Story is always a favourite.
Second greatest: Keira was right to point out Edward Scissorhands.
Worst popular movie: Any other Christmas movies. Wait, except A Muppet Christmas Carol rocked. Can I change my answer to Greatest movie?
Greatest Christmas novel: ... Luke? But seriously, I don’t think I’ve ever read a Christmas novel.
Best present I received this year: A keyboard, something I’ve wanted ever since our piano was brutally torn from our hands.
Something more people ought to know about Christmas: It occurs just seven days before my birthday. Huzzah.
Tristan said,
Dec 27, 04:43 #
I remember Evie. Haha. For some reason that makes me laugh.
The ‘xmas’ thing may be well known to more people that I suppose, but I remember hearing that it was bad for Christians to use it when I was growing up on the ground that it was secularized. I heard a lot of silly things growing up.
I love salespeople at Christmas. They usually look haggard and upset, but if you’re even the least bit friendly or even just accomodating, they perk right up. Some kind of crazy fleeting bond is formed.
steph said,
Dec 27, 16:30 #
Oh frenzied “salespeople.” i love them. i’ll have to tell you my story about a salesperson on boxing day and the great discount i received on a Burton snowboard bag ;)
Andrew: i completely know what Evie song you are writing about and have VERY fond Christmas memories as well. “Come on ring those bells, light the christmas tree…”
Hehe, also made me laugh…
Aaron said,
Dec 27, 20:30 #
Wait… Keria’s a Doctor Who fan?
Rock on. Wait, I mean fantastic.
Keira said,
Dec 30, 11:26 #
Well I wouldn’t say fan of Doctor Who so much as . . . obsessed! I only just discovered it it the past few months and I am thoroughly addicted. Seriously, it’s dangerously close to being real to me . . .
Also – I can’t believe I forgot about A Muppet Christmas Carol! I may have been hasty in my dismissal of Christmas movies . . . there are some delightful ones here and there. That one definitely warrants a mention.