I've asked writer and friend, Kiki Howell, to share with us what she likes to watch on TV at Christmas time. Kiki writes magical erotic romances with over a dozen published titles. She also writes the blog Authors By Authors for which I was interviewed this previous week:
Eric McCormack and Roma Downey in 1997's TV movie Borrowed HeartsAs a writer, I love the idea of Christmas in July as it is about this time, and earlier, that submissions for holiday stories start closing and I start writing one! Much to my families dismay, this can mean digging out my favorite Christmas movies.
One of my favorites has always been A Christmas Carol, but it has to be the version with George C Scott as Scrooge. Personally, I think he portrays my idea of Mr. Scrooge perfectly, all gruff which makes for a better redemption. This movie is dark when it needs to be. The sounds when the casket comes down the road and the ghost of Christmas past are perfect, as is the carolers in the streets and so much more. The scenery is amazingly done. I love that Victorian era at the end of Regency England.
An off topic Christmas fact from that time period: In 1843 the year Dicken’s wrote "A Christmas Carol," Henry Cole commissioned JC Horsley to design a card he could send out for Christmas. He had 1000 of them printed out to save himself the time of penning letters to family and friends at this time of year. It will come as no surprise then that this same man had introduced the penny post. By 1860, Christmas cards were in widespread use in England.
Beyond the paranormal though, I am a sucker for a good romance. A few of my favorite sappy-holiday movies are Borrowed Hearts and A Season For Miracles (Hallmark). When writing romance, coming up with new ways for two people to meet can be a challenge. In these two stories, the uniqueness of this aspect is wonderful, especially set during the holidays. Other than that, I can’t really tell you why I can watch these two movies over and over again, or why my heart soars, my eyes get misty or why they never cease to bring a smile to my face. The two hearts uniting, the Christmas scenery…all of it mess together to chick flick perfection for the season. Indescribable wonder of the season!
In past years I have added a few new must watch movies to my list thanks Hallmark and ABC Family. The Most Wonderful Time of the Year with Henry Winkler and A Boyfriend For Christmas are both at times funny and at times touching, but both romantic and highly seasonal.
And, as far as the classics go, while not very Christmasy at all, I have to watch White Christmas. I still sing the snow song, maybe because I love to watch everyone in the house cringe, every time it snows. And, I would just not enjoy the holidays without watching A Muppet Family Christmas. I mean you get to experience the holiday in Fraggle Rock, there is that cute rendition of "The Night Before Christmas" with Ernie once again humiliating Bert, Miss Piggy has never been more beautiful than when she is pulled through the blizzard on that sleigh, and I never fail to cry when Jim Henson appears in the kitchen to say he likes it when they have a good time. Ahhh…. To round off the list with children’s specials I have to add Twas The Night and The Grinch. I can hear my family sighing now, and it becomes louder as they grow up, as I stack up my favorites by the TV. LOL! My hope is that someday, when they are no longer teenagers, they will come to appreciate being forced to watch these shows with me. *giggles*
Kiki Howell ~where love is a mystical thing~
http://www.kikihowell.com
1999's A Season for Miracles starring Carla Guginol
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