Christmas in the Movies
I’ll admit it–though in my household we celebrate Christmas, I’m not a big fan of a traditional holiday. Two of my favorite Christmas movies are Lethal Weapon and Die Hard. Every year my daughter and I spar over the purchase of a Christmas tree. I don’t bake cookies unless I really get the urge, and I don’t send cards pretty much ever (though I do buy cards on sale after Christmas, for stashing for that day I may somehow decide to send cards again…?) And–well, we live in Southern Arizona. We don’t get snow on Christmas. We don’t get snow pretty much ever. (I’ve lived here 30~ years. We’ve had snow…twice? In January both times.) I’ve never seen Miracle on 34th Street, and I’m pretty blah on White Christmas. But I’ve seen Home Alone 2. And Ghostbusters, and Muppets Take Manhattan, and Godzilla (1998), and Newsies, Sleepless in Seattle, Die Hard 3: With a Vengeance, Rumble in the Bronx, Spiderman, Avengers, Ally McBeal, Night at the Museum–what do all of these have in common? They’re set in New York City. Guess where I get to go for Christmas this year? I am So. Excited. There’s the little kid in me, who remembers watching the Macy’s parade every year. Skaters at Rockefeller Plaza, and there’s an awesome bridge in Central Park I remember from some movie, I don’t even know. There’s the young(ish) lover of every monster movie ever. “Negative impact! That’s the goddamn Chrysler Building!” There’s the writer, just drooling…