imagesI don’t usually watch a lot of TV, I’m not particularly romantic or sentimental, and yet, every December I find myself inexplicably drawn to Christmas movies. Maybe it’s because as a kid, my mom and I would always watch White Christmas. I can even remember dreaming of getting married in the red cape and dress that Vera Ellen and Rosemary Clooney wore in the final number. Later on, in high school, my friend Patti and I would sing the song “Sisters“—almost certainly out of tune, but happily nonetheless.

11173371_oriYears later, my husband, Mike, always a trooper, started watching White Christmas with me every year (although he insists on fast forwarding through the “Choreography” scene). The trade-off was that I shared in the Sheluk  family tradition: watching It’s a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol (the original 1951 version with Alastair Sim).

Since then, we’ve added Home Alone (1 and 2), to our Christmas catalog. Mike’s also added Die Hard to his list, though I’m not convinced it’s a Christmas movie! Then again, Mike doesn’t like my all-time favorite Christmas movie, Love Actually. That doesn’t stop me from watching it at least once (and sometimes twice) in the season.

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But my Christmas movie viewing isn’t limited to these holiday “Classics.” Whether it’s a more recent theatrical release—The Holiday with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet, or Four Christmases with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon, come to mind—or a made-for-tv movie with a paper-thin plot (Boy Meets Girl,They Don’t Like Each Other, They Fall in Love, Happy Ending), I find myself donning my polar fleece pajama pants (the blue ones with the black snowflakes, or the white ones with the red reindeers), making a cup of hot cocoa (okay—sometimes a glass of white wine), and settling in for two-plus hours of mindless entertainment. It’s all part of my holiday tradition, right along with drinking my annual glass of rum-laden, nutmeg-sprinkled eggnog and eating too many shortbread cookies. After all, January—and reality—will be here soon enough.

Do you have a favorite Christmas movie? Post a comment and let me know!

510x765-HangedMan-275x413It’s not a Christmas movie, but it would make a great stocking stuffer! 

The Hanged Man’s Noose is now available at all the usual suspects, or contact me for a signed and personalized  copy.

If you’re feeling lucky, enter my Goodreads giveaway, on until Dec. 17th (US & Canada only).

 

 

 

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