The Wind in the Willows

The Wind in the Willows was written in 1908 by Kenneth Grahame. It tells the stories of a group of animal characters including Mole, Rat, and the impulsive Mr. Toad. While Rat and Mole are more down to earth living and visiting each other in their modest homes on the River. Toad lives in the beautiful Toad Hall up the road. Toad always wants the newest and greatest thing. When he comes across a lovely motorcar, he wants it for himself and proceeds to steal it because he wants it that badly. He is sent to prison, but manages to escape and make his way back to Toad Hall where he realizes what a horrible person he has been and how wonderful his friends truly are.

The Disney short that came out in 1949 and Basil Rathbone narrates the story of Mr. Toad. In this version, they do manage to get back Toad Hall, but Toad hasn’t really changed. He finds a new passion at the end of the story. One thing that was different was the emphasis on the story of Toad and the fact that Toad honestly thinks he bought the car he “stole.” It is still a fun romp. Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride in Disneyland is based on this story.  

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) *

Winnie the Pooh was first created  by A.A. Milne off of stories that he told his son Christopher Robin about his toys and stuffed animals. In 1977 Disney took up the challenge of bringing this classic and its many enjoyable characters to the big screen. Since then many adaptations of Pooh has shown up in the Disney canon ranging from a cartoon series called the New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh to countless made for TV movies. Still my favorite is the original 1977 production. Although I do enjoy The Search For Christopher Robin as his childhood toys seek to save him from Skull (aka school. They can’t read very well J).

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

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.

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.  

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.

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