Christmas is nearly here and with all of it’s activities, I
find it also a unique time to analyze the repeating, or perhaps recycling of
stories. Of course story ideas are
recycled all the time not just at Christmas, however as a lover or originality I
find myself more forgiving this time of year, and I must wonder why.
Simply take a look at TV programing schedules around the
holiday and you’ll see what I mean. Be it reshowing of holiday classics, like A Christmas Story (1983) being shown for 24 hours straight; remaking holiday
classics, like A Christmas Carol every few years; or recycling a narrow
field of storylines into new, slightly parodied, stories, like your standard
made-for-TV Hallmark holiday movie, everywhere you look you stand to see the
repletion of a story.
One could argue that most stories released, be they movie,
book, or other, are derivative of earlier stories in some way, but to me, at
Christmas time it is far more prevalent, and far more transparent than the rest
of the year.
Christmas is a time when those of us who observe the holiday
tend towards that which is familiar. We like to see the same plays, the same
ballet, and yes the same movies as we have for years, decades even. Perhaps it
is our desire to relive our childhood, to relive and recreate memorable moments
from our lives that makes us, or at least me, particularly receptive to the
rehashing of a familiar story.
It’s also a time when we’re short on time. After the
presents are opened and when we have an hour to kill before heading off to
Grandma’s, we flip on the TV, and there we find that oh-so-familiar story. Maybe
we missed the first half hour, and maybe we’ll have to leave before it’s over,
but that won’t matter. We know the story so well; we’ll enjoy it just the same.
While they’re arguably not high cinema, I must admit to
taking in a holiday-esque, overindulgent sized portion of them. They’re perfect
for throwing on while engaging in other Christmas perpetrations – baking
cookies, decorating the tree, wrapping presents, addressing holiday cards, or
if you’re like me and my family, assembling our Lego holiday village for prominent
display.
When it comes to story, they’re typically very simple.
That’s what makes them perfect for uniting with other activities. They set the
mood, but if you have to walk out of the room a dozen times, you still never
fall behind in the story. I personally praise originality to a fault, and
strive for originality in every nook of my own work but this observation comes
without an ounce of criticism, that is honestly and truly why I like them.
It may be true that the storylines lack on variety. In my
estimation, holiday films generally fall into about five basic storylines. With
the most popular being the main character has lost the Christmas spirit due to
prioritizing their high-power career, sales at a store, or simply making money,
over family, friends, and Christmas, (e.g. A Christmas Carol) only to have a
twist of fate, and often a new romance restore their priorities and their
Christmas spirit. Also popular is the main character’s loss of a loved one
having soured their Christmas spirit, but through a twist of fate and yes, a new
romance, their Christmas spirit is revived. (Note, I’ll admit that the more
basically you describe a story, naturally, the easier it is to group a wider
range of stories together.)
Our familiarity as viewers with the core storyline is in
fact what allows us to so easily digest the stories, even when only casually
paying attention, which I mentioned before is paramount to the enjoyment.
Is it fine cinema? No. But tree shaped sugar cookies aren’t
fine cuisine and I’m still going to eat a few dozen before the New Year. So to
shall I indulge in recycled Christmas tales, and worry about my
mental-waistline in January.
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