Sunday, December 31, 2017

Frosty the Snowman (1969)


Frosty the Snowman (1969)

On the day right before Christmas, the children build a snowman named Frosty. They find a magical hat and put it on his head and he comes alive. But when he starts to melt, the children realize that they need to get Frosty to the North Pole where it’s always snowy and cold. All along, the magician who lost the hat is trying to get it back when he realizes that it really is magical. Such a fun Christmas romp!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDNcJL90Y9A

Sunday, December 24, 2017

Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien


He wrote our most enduring fantasy world, Middle Earth, but that is not all the master wrote. While his children were growing up, Tolkien also wrote a collection of letters, one a year, from Father Christmas. These letters acknowledged the letters that the children wrote, but also told stories about what was going on at the North Pole accompanied by illustrations. The letters are fun and whimsical and a must for Christmas and Tolkien fans alike.

Sunday, December 17, 2017

Signed, Sealed, Delivered for Christmas (2014)*


Part of the Signed, Sealed, Delivered Franchise. The stories follow the workers in a Dead Letter Office who try to unite letters that end up there with their missing recipients. This story has the detectives trying to help a little girl who has written a letter to God asking him to heal her mother. These mortals are not capable of miracles, but they help make the Christmas a memorable one all the same. The magic comes in the form of a Christmas angel who appears to help them on their quest. (Although only Oliver discovers the truth about him and only at the very end). This, I feel, is the only magical story in the series, but all of them are fun feel-good mystery shows.  

Sunday, December 10, 2017

The Christmas Curse by Barbara Metzger


Found in the collection Regency Christmas Spirits, “The Christmas Curse” by Barbara Metzger is one of my favorite Christmas stories. It tells the story of two generations of the same family, Sir Olnic and Lady Edryth and their descendent Nick. Centuries ago, Olnic lost Edryth’s wedding ring in a duel with his neighbor. This cursed them both to remain as ghosts in the family manor until the ring appeared on the finger of another family bride. When the female descendent of the man Olnic dueled with, the ghostly knight and his lady are unsure if they want this girl to break the curse or not.

Sunday, December 3, 2017

Smoky Mountain Christmas (1986)


Smoky Mountain Christmas is one of my all time favorite Christmas movies. It tells the story of Lorna Davis (played by Dolly Parton) a country music star sick and tired of the “fame scene”. So for the holidays she runs away to the Smoky Mountains of her childhood. On reaching her destination (the cabin belonging to her childhood friend Mary Lou) she finds that the cabin is already occupied by seven orphans that have run away from the local children’s home. There’s an evil witch, intent on killing Lorna because she has caught the eye of the local sheriff and a hero in Mountain Dan who keeps watch over everyone. There’s also the crazy tabloid reporter that is trying to get the scoop on the disappearance of Lorna Davis. This movie also has some of the best original Christmas music I have ever heard. Ms. Parton, I would pay good money for a CD with some of this music on it! It sometimes shows up on the Country Music Channel this time of year, so keep your eyes peeled!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-kOjlIFJK4&list=PLZeM6nlJE1qWX7kADSkXLaax7pJP7U8n6&index=1