Holiday cheer in black and white
The old standard movies are the best for Christmas
By Mary Fischer
CNN Headline News
(CNN) -- 'Tis the season for holiday movies. While many people consider the sentimental programming that appears on American televisions after Thanksgiving to be one of the worst manifestations of holiday cheer -- I welcome it.
I love the holidays. I like the flashing lights, the ribbons and bows, and the abundance of baked goods. And I like syrupy programming to go along with my sugary confections. Maybe it's a sickness, but I don't care.
I like to get the holiday spirit from the movies on TV. I know you can buy most of the classics on DVD and watch them whenever you want, but that's just not the same.
You shouldn't have to decide to watch a holiday movie. They should just be playing all the time so that when the holidays have got you down, you just turn on the TV and there they are.
Although there are many fine modern festive films, I'm more partial to the ones from the 1940's. There's just something about Christmas in black and white. For some reason the lack of color makes it all seem more plausible.
We'll go to court and use children's letters to prove there's a Santa Claus? Sure. The true "Miracle on 34th Street" seems to be a legal maneuver and I'm all for it. There's a club that stays open by putting on holiday shows all year 'round? Whatever, just as long as Bing Crosby sings "White Christmas" at the "Holiday Inn." Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings. Sounds great.
Of course that's the granddaddy of all the black-and-white Christmas classics, "It's a Wonderful Life." A few years ago NBC bought the rights to be the only one to air the Frank Capra classic.
"It's a Wonderful Life" doesn't do too well in the ratings. I think part of the problem is that nobody took NBC seriously when it said it was the only channel that was going to show it. There was a time when George Bailey and Clarence were on a constant loop across the country from the time the Thanksgiving turkey was served until all the tinsel was off the tree. "It's a Wonderful Life" should just be there, like that carton of eggnog in the refrigerator that nobody remembers buying. It's not Christmas without it.
There's another advantage to watching older movies around the holidays -- there's no danger of hearing "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" in the background.
In addition to buying presents and sending out cards, I devote my holiday season to avoiding that song. I'll walk out of stores playing it, cut ties to relatives heard humming it and I've almost got into car accidents in my haste to change the radio when it's on.
But whenever that "Elmo & Patsy" 1984 hit has got me down, I can head on over to Bedford Falls and remind myself that every life has meaning, even if it includes novelty songs.
