Yards & Cards
Post reviews of the following in this forum: Movies with an overall Christmas theme / Movies with a Christmas scene / Movies with Christmas in the background of a scene / Christmas TV specials / TV shows with a Christmas segment / Books about Christmas / Christmas records.

Comments should be no longer than 300 words—anything beyond that will be cut off at that point. Visitors can contribute to Take Action and Yards and Cards by submitting entries to me at the following email address. As moderator I reserve the right to delete messages and images that are inappropiate.

"This Christmas" is a new movie. It's about a black family who is getting together at Christmas time in the home where the children grew up ( now on their own except for the youngest son, in his teens, who is nick named "Baby"). The mother lives there with a second partner and latina housekeeper and they enjoy an upper middle class life.. There's no snow but plenty of musical and visual references to Christmas. The story shows the character and relationships of the various family members: there is rivalry and a fight between two sisters, another sister decides to divorce her unfaithful husband, the youngest wants to be a professional singer but Mom is against this because her first husband, a musician, was irresponsible and left the family. It has some soap opera qualities and tends toward the sentimental. It ends with a scene at the church where the mother hears her youngest sing for the first time, a gospel style song, and everyone gets inspired. There is no mention of Kawanza. This is one of two movies released in time for Christmas this season about blacks celebrating it, the second one is "The Perfect Holiday".

Entered: Sunday 31st of December 2006 02:35:30 PM
The Nativity Story is beautifully photographed and tells the story from the Bible, with fascinating attention paid to details like textures of fabric, implements of the time, and scenery. It's well acted by people with faces that are interesting to see on the screen. It starts around the time the husband of Mary's cousin, Elizabeth, receives a heavenly mesage that his wife , in older age, will give birth to John. Mary's vision of the angel is downplayed as are all the angels in the film with few if any special effects, in fact it's all the same man with no wings, just standing on the rocks. It portrays the holy couple as ordinary and believable, ostracized by the townsfolk, trying to come to grips with what it all means. The various fascets come together clearly and the story unfolds nicely. The view of Bethlehem and the climax cenetered around the cave stable is awe inspiring, like the paintings of the great masters. It has the shepherds coming first, followed with no delay by the three kings with their three gifts. Scholars tell us that the kings really came a year or more after the shepherds, so this is sort of a Christmas card version of the story. It ends with the wise men deciding on their own that they will not return to Herod, with Joseph's dream telling him they must flee and the start of their journey away from the stable. A few fragments of carols can be heard woven into the score, which is not especially imaginative, but what people expect in movies today (one of them "Carol of the Bells" seems an odd selection because it's more recent and less known). As a big part of the enjoyment of Christmas for me is hearing the carols, I would have enjoyed more of the familiar carols in the movie, but can understand how the makers imagined that could interfere with the narrative, or perhaps they just wanted to be original.

Entered: Saturday 25th of November 2006 01:37:08 PM
Today I saw an ad for the new movie "The Nativity Story". The slogan read "Experience the True Meaning of Christmas". I read that conservative Christians are getting into the movie making bussiness. I thought about seeing this one when it occured to me that it must be one of theirs. The problem I have is the slogan. It's like this site says, some of these Christians are trying to divide Christmas up, just like the Holidayizers are. By calling the nativity "true" they imply that other aspects of the holiday are false, like Santa and Christmas trees, which are the secular Christmas symbols. This only reinforces or opens the door for the language steering we're seeing, like "Holiday tree" and "Holiday stocking". If Santa and decorated trees are false or not Christmas, then what's wrong with calling them "Holiday Santa" or "Holiday trees"? That's not really what they want, is it? I'm sure they want it all to remain "Christmas". So why couldn't the slogan read "Discover the deeper meaning" or "the other meaning" or even "the religious meaning of Christmas" or better yet leave it up to movie goers what they want the meaning of Christmas to be. This business of "Keep Christ in Christmas" is nothing new. For now let's concentrate on keeping it all "Christmas", not divided up and not called "Holiday". Thanks for this forum.

Entered: Sunday 25th of December 2005 01:10:37 PM
THE DAVID ICKE NEWSLETTER GOES OUT ON SATURDAY

This Christmas edition looks at the true origins of Christmas and how Christianity simply tagged on to a pagan mid-winter festival going back thousands of years before 'Christ'.




'After Nimrod's untimely death, Queen Semiramis established a Messiah doctrine which was adopted subsequently by many Pagan religions. She claimed that a full-grown evergreen tree sprang overnight from a dead tree stump, which symbolised the springing forth unto new life of the dead Nimrod. On each anniversary of his birth, she claimed, Nimrod would visit the evergreen tree and leave gifts upon it. December 25th was the birthday of Nimrod.'

David also challenges the efforts of the Politically Correct mafia to dictate how Christmas should be celebrated or otherwise ...



'I have no problem when Muslims or Jews or Hindus have their festivals, good luck to them. And the authorities would not dare to give the PC treatment to those because ‘we must protect the rights of minorities’. No, you dumbos, we must protect the rights of EVERYONE to celebrate their beliefs or otherwise. They say it must not be called Christmas anymore, but a ‘holiday’. Okay, so let’s ban the Feast of Passover then and insist it is the Feast of Holiday. Can you imagine the outcry? ‘It’s Anti-Semitic’. No, it’s ‘Anti-Hypocritic’.

Christmas is an ancient Pagan/Babylonian mid-winter festival, which the Christian religion tagged onto. The beliefs surrounding this period may be bollocks, but in a free society we must have the freedom to follow and celebrate bollocks or we cannot claim to be free, except to agree, and that’s no freedom at all.'

Entered: Sunday 25th of December 2005 02:04:44 AM
Anyone living in the South Bay Area should visit San Jose's (CA.) incredible "Christmas in the Park", especially if they have children. It's worth it to take a train ride from further away to experience this extraveganza. It's walking distance (though not a short walk) from the train station to downtown, for people who prefer a car-free excursion. There's also a bus from the station that will pass nearby the park. Several acres of animated, musical, Christmas displays and countless trees decorated by local groups and clubs attract the widest range of viewers imaginable. Santa is available for visits and photos with children, there's a stage for entertainment, amusement park rides nearby, a real slice of Americana. I especially enjoy weekend afternoons when it may be best for people watching. At night it's also beautiful. All races and ethnicities flock here. Anyone who thinks Christmas isn't multi-cultural, hasn't been to Christmas in the Park. Ray Lopez.

Entered: Saturday 24th of December 2005 10:25:20 AM
Folks in Berkeley and on the Oakland/ Berkeley border (Golden Gate neighborhood) should check out the short decorated block of King Street, between Ashby and Russell, which is traditionally lit up every Christmastime. There's also a single house on 66th Street at Helen Court with a front yard with an eclectic collection of Christmas decorations. San Pablo would be the main Street in this district. James Collins, Berkeley.

Entered: Saturday 24th of December 2005 02:26:28 AM
The Smuin Ballet's"The Christmas Ballet"is in two parts. The first has serious music (traditional and classical) and is classical stlye ballet dance. The second half features a large variety of popular music, and features a variety of popular and traditional dance forms like tap, swing, hula, irish step, with an emphasis on fun and funny novelty numbers. My friend remarked of the first half that, since he'd grown up learning and reciting the sacred texts in church, many in latin, that were used for some of the dances, such as Magnificat , by J. S. Bach, and Domine and Gloria, from Mass in C minor by Mozart, he found it difficult to accept the incongruity of the ballet dancers in their form fitting attire moving to the music in abstract ways that had nothing to do with the words. He liked the second half better for this reason. I tended to enjoy the first part more just because it seems more soulful. I liked the colorful costumes, mostly reds, in the second half. So there really is something for everyone. It's a fast paced variety or review style show without scenery.

Entered: Thursday 22nd of December 2005 07:10:22 PM
Thank you for the two excellent Nutcracker
reviews. I'm not ready for a Las Vegas style
ballroom, so I think I will try the San Francisco
Nutcracker instead. The Oakland Ballet's version
couldn't have been better and I'm glad they
are back on their feet doing so well.

I am passing your website info to my list of
friends with e-mail.

Entered: Thursday 22nd of December 2005 06:03:53 PM
Oakland Ballet's Nutcracker is a joy to behold. Anyone living in the San Francisco Bay Area who can possibly come to the historic, art deco, Paramount Theater in downtown Oakland to see it, should. This version has choreography by the company's founder, Ron Guidi. This year the music is recorded, The elaborate sets reflect Victorian and Russian Christmas cards and the backdrops seems to be constantly changing, painted in rich, subtle color harmonies dominated by sepia and mauve. The exterior scene has a scrim with snow falling on it, and through it we see the toymaker finishng the construction of the nutcracker. In a sleigh, the apprentice pushes the uncle and presents through the snow to the party. In the first act the children typically get into mischief. Lots goes on at the party with a dancing bear, cat and dog as well as the mechanical doll that hops and jerks around.The Christmas tree is stunning as it grows to monumental proportions with the multi-colored lights growing in intensity. Actually it's not that the tree is growing, it's that everything else is shrinking. The army is made up of pink girl mice in tutus with parasols to jab ineffectually at the nutcracker and toy soldiers. It's odd seeing the girly mice upstage the dancers we're supposed to be watching in front, by helping with the set change as they seem to steal all the gifts from under the tree. The Snow Prince and Princess, a beautifully matched black couple, are exquisite in shades of blue, as well as the dancing snowflakes, also in icey blue, against a backdrop that resembles silver thread brocade.The Arabian couple dance in front of a peacock feather backdrop, wrapping and unwrapping themselves up in silk.There are some comic touches as a rococo dandy is narcissistic with his mirror while two Little Bo Peep girls look on unnoticed, but are finally spirited away by a Russian dancer. The Chinese girls are chased by amorous Russians.The story ends as we see Marie asleep with her nutcracker back home. As though still clinging to a vestige of her dream, all the characters from her journey gather in a tabeau beneath the tree behind her for a magnificent ending. The attractive dancers seemed to perform effortlessly and perfectly. It's a wonderful experience celebrating the joy of the Christmas Season with the Oakland Nutcracker. Anyone who says Christmas isn't multi-cultural hasn't been to Oakland's Paramount Theater to see Nutcracker.

Entered: Thursday 22nd of December 2005 02:56:14 AM
The San Jose ( California) Ballet has a generous four page story of the ballet in the program with thumbnail photos from various productions with the Dennis Nahat's choreography. This version's story is more complicated, with some changes. There's no lack of Christmas references, unlike the S.F Ballet's program, I appreciated this. It made interesting reading . I skimmed over it before the ballet and reread it thoroughly after. It was nice to have live music even though it seemed occasionally sluggish.The snowy, Viennese exterior was effective in the opening scene. The interior, however didn't seem to make sense architectually. The dancing dolls in the party scene and some of the music was missing from this version.The Christmas tree doesn't really grow to giant proportions but is shown to have grown when an arch is removed. The nutcracker is actually a Russian noble imprisioned in the wooden doll that Marie frees when she slays the evil mouse king. The mice start out as hand puppets, then the mice army is lots of children, but they're not wearing mouse heads. They look like children, and I always look forward to the outrageous, fully believeable dancing mice. An inventive and colorful performance, occasionally the set designs or costumes seemed to distract from the dancers, like Marie's bright pink dress or the final scene's pretty but almost Las Vegas style ballroom. When Marie is transported in her dream to the land of sweets, it isn't the land of sweets, but she gets there by riding a "snowbird" looking something like Big Bird that had an unfortunate encounter with an electric fan with feathers going every which way and a funny antena coming out the top of the head.The fog in the following snow scene was fabulous. Rather than the dancers visiting Marie, she travels to different lands to see the dancers on her way with the prince to his homeland where he is reunited with his royal family.There was some music in this Nutcracker not from the Nutcracker but other scores of the composer, and other parts of the ballet music were put in different order. There's a much longer Spanish sequence with other music, and an extended Chinese number with incredible Chinese ribbon dancers via "Chinese Performing Artists of America". I didn't mind the "Dance of the Flutes" being used here to extend the Chinese dance- how do flutes fit into the land of sweets anyway? There was no Mother Ginger. The Arabian dancers did some hip movements I've never seen ballet dancers do (it's always interesing to see if ballet dancers can do this number convincingly, and they did). There was no "Dance of Flowers". Instead, Marie goes to a fancy dress ball where very Llandro-looking dancers do some ballroom style dancing to music not from the Nutcracker.The dancers were all excellent.

Entered: Tuesday 20th of December 2005 08:01:18 PM
Here's a piece by Miss Manners (12-19-2005) Dear Miss Mannners, The tradition of Christmas cards is slipping away. We have no time to write them. It costs too much and they're thrown ultimately into landfill. Someboby has suggested a phone call to everyone on the Christmas card list, observing that "people will enjoy it more" and that the money would be put to better use elsewhere. All true, but a couple points are in favor of an old fashioned pretty card. One of the joys my brothers and I share when we visit our parents during Christmas is a leisurely browse through the Christmas cards they recieve. A phone call would be nice, but the card touches more than the person who answers the phone. Many old family friends and even relatives don't stay in regular touch with the extended family, but Mom and Dad will get cards from out-of-town great aunts, etc., whom we rarely hear from except at Christmastime. Even the much-derided "mass letter" is a treat. On the other hand, folks who only send to people who send them cards should probably stop sending any cards at all. If holidays greetings are meted out as a rewards for good behavior, they're a little insincere, aren't they, or am I just lost in Irving Berlin land?. Miss Manners answers: Gentle Reader, The custom of taking time at the end of the year to keep in touch with those whom one does not ordinarily see or write to is a charming one. However, signing one's name to printed, or mass-producing a composition about one's petty triumps over the year, is not keeping in touch. Keeping in touch means writing one's sentiments with one's very own hand. This may be a full letter or just the words "Merry Christmas" added to a picture card , but one must write it out oneself. Miss Manners, who is ordinarily strict about the colors of paper and inks, gets giddy enough at Christmas to enjoy the use of red and green, in inks, borders of cards and linings of envelopes. She would even allow pictures in good taste, which may sometimes include those of one's own family. To those who feel that a greeting card company has perfectly captured their feelings in one of their limericks, Miss Manners will only add the requirement that they nevertheless write out a message, however brief, before the signaure. It is superfluous to mail Christmas wishes to those whom one offers such wishes face to face, although certainly one may. At the end, she suggests crossing off people whom one would no longer recognize if they fell over one on the street. This leaves the people one actually knows and likes but cannot see or write to often during the year because of problems of time or distance. It might help to consider the extent of such people's interest. In some cases, they might find it sufficiently pleasant just to know that they are remembered. In others, there may be an eager audience for family news. It is unlikely. however, that anyone's interests extend to electronic diaries and photographs albums. The final word Miss Manners offers on the subject of dignity in Christmas cards is the plea that they be properly addressed and properly signed. This rules out the use of such catchalls as "and family"; if yon't address people by their proper names, then you address the card to those whose names you know, asking to be remembered also to "the children" or "your father". When signing a card please err on the side of more information rather than less. This means including your surname to nearly everyone but close blood relatives, and even making it clear which names belong to the parents and which to the children . You'd be surprised how how many people stare at such signatures as "Lisa, Adam, Kimberly and john" without knowing which of these peoplke, if any, is a dear pal. There should also be a return address so you don't force your friends to play guessing games. Sent by Judy Pastor. St. Louis

Entered: Saturday 17th of December 2005 10:13:53 AM
Dear Larry,

This is a WONDERFUL SITE! I especially love
the name "Christmasrapping"! Did you think of
that?

burl

Entered: Saturday 17th of December 2005 02:44:55 AM
I went to The Christmas Revels tonight and came home thinking it's the closest thing Oakland has seen to it's famous Christmas Pageant for over twenty years. It takes an antique view of Christmas. Much research obviously goes into each year's version in order to come up with their almost seamless presentations that are structured mostly around choral and other music.There's no narrative, nor is it just a concert. It fuses solstice celebration with Christmas. If anyone is curious to see how these may have blended in the early days of Christmas, this might be a good place to start. Much of the material will not be familiar to folks who are expecting a real typically Christmasy show. It's a little more academic than most Christmas offerings. The costumes and lighting and music are all well done. Various languages, including Latin are sung. There's not much of the traditional fantasy elements or winter wonderland effects or churchlike devotional elements. The common thread that runs through each year's production is the region and period that's chosen. Some things get repeated as standards year after year however. These are the dragon slaying by Saint George, the death of St. George and the dragon, and the ressurection of both, the horn dance and morris dance, and appearance of Father Christmas.There is some sing along and dance along. There are light moments. and mysterious moments. It's very interesting and different.This year Christmas Revels goes back eight hundred and thirty five years ago to Derbyshire, England.

Entered: Thursday 15th of December 2005 01:46:31 PM
The Smuin Ballet's "Christmas Ballet" has nothing to do with "Nutcracker". Instead, the music of Louis Armstrong, Willie Nelson, Peggy Lee, Benny Goodmas, Duke Ellington, Eartha Kit, Elvis Presley, as well as Hadel, Mozart, Palestrina and J. S. Bach keep the dancers on their toes.This is a greatest- Christmas- hits approach to the Christmas theme with a little vaudevillian pizzazz thrown in(like New York's Radio City "Christmas spectacular"), but there's no built-in ice skating rink or live camels at the nativity. There's a hula and an Irish step dance as well. Lots of fun! Peggy Armstrong.

Entered: Thursday 15th of December 2005 01:04:01 AM
"Narnia" the movie (The Lion, the witch, and the wardrobe) has a nice Christmas reference.The children are told they have entered a land where, due to the reign of an icy witch, it's always winter but never Christmas. After they take on the challenge to overthrow the witch, a Father Christmas character comes upon them in the woods and gives them gifts out of his sleigh, among them a sword and a healing elixir that have magical powers.The Santa Claus figure is more earthy than our typical one with a rusty beige beard and dark maroon robe. Elaine Bowers

Entered: Thursday 15th of December 2005 12:50:09 AM
Marlena"s, 488 Hayes Street, at Octavia, in San Francisco, is a pub decorated to the gills for Christmas and playing Christmas music. The decorations are mostly hundreds of Santas that the owner has been collecting for the past seven years. He admits two thirds were gifts from customers. When Christmas is over everything comes down. He also decorates for Halloween and birthdays. Halloween is a smaller display. Newton Foster

Entered: Monday 12th of December 2005 10:47:19 PM
Today I saw a poster advertising a new musical,"The Meshuga Nutcracker, a new Hanukkah musical" by National Jewish Theater. It brought to mind the "Other December Holidays" page where there's a link to a web site where a teacher describes her adaptation of this Christmas ballet but with the students declaring they don't celebrate Christmas- it's instead turned into a Kwanzaa/ Hanukkah show.There have been many adaptations of this music to suit different purposes and settings over the years. The poster looked delightful and it's really a compliment paid to Christmas, and probably harmless. On the other hand, looking at the bigger picture, it's sad that Christmas lends it's beautiful music and images to other holidays, augmenting them, but in the end gets treated shabbily by being called "Holiday". With Jewish songwriters so prominent in American musical theater I wonder why some Jewish artists just don't colaborate and write a real Hanukkah musical with original music. But that wouldn't be a parody would it? Amy Brown S.F.

Entered: Saturday 10th of December 2005 07:43:29 PM
Elton ,John has a new Christmas release "Christmas Party". One of the songs is "Calling it Christmas" and is described in one review as "a worthy addition to the Christmas catalog."

Entered: Thursday 08th of December 2005 06:28:37 PM
This is great

Entered: Saturday 03rd of December 2005 02:04:06 AM
KOIT Radio, from Lisa. In the S.F. Bay Area KOIT (96.5 A m and 1260 A M) becomes the Christmas music station, for the third time. i was told it'll span from Nov.11 to Dec. 25 this year,but last year they left it on longer which was fine with me. Hearing these melodies playing, sometimes in unexpected places, always makes me happy. I love knowing others are listening and sharing the experience. This morning on the bus to work, I heard gene Autry singing "Rudolph" and a strange, faint voice singing along off key.It was the bus driver with his little radio, a big burly guy built like a tank. What a hoot!

Entered: Friday 02nd of December 2005 12:39:59 AM
Surving Christmas movie review. During the opening credits we see a Christmas cookie-baking granny start a suicide attempt with her head in the oven while Christmas pop tunes play. This gets us in the right mood. The story is about Drew, a lonely. bitter, spoiled, parentless millionaire. It's a version of the Scrooge story. His therapist advises him to visit some places that remind him of his childhood to get to the bottom of his unhappiness, but his family memories are unpleasant. He ends up hiring the family who has since purchased his childhood house, to fake having a quintessential, gleeful family Christmas there by actually pretending to be his relatives, for $250,000. It's weird. He's too eager, obnoxious and manic. He forces all the classic Christmas rituals on them which they tolerate because a contract requires it. It's a badly dyfunctional, surrogate family with the parents about to divorce. But gradually, as they're busy pretending,something unexpected happens, they start enjoying themselves and each other, as fake fun morphs into genuine delight. The husband and wife learn to rekindle their love. Drew has a catharsis about his childhood and wins the heart of the daughter.The first part of the story is a cynical, dark, twisted view of Christmas, frought with pressures, misery and empty rituals. The second part tries to pull off a typical Christmas miracle where characters rediscover their huminity and are reborn as better people. Drew is like Scrooge's twisted twin, instead of avoiding Christmas, he's demon-like in playing out Christmas fantasies at all cost, forcing it on others. It's interesting to see how many Christmas movies are based on the Scrooge model. This isn't well conceived or written.Don't bother.

Entered: Monday 28th of November 2005 05:02:22 PM
Christmas scenes from two 1998 films-review by Santa's helper. Susan Sarandon and Meryl Streep live in New England, have husbands that stray from the nest, experience family bonding at Christmas, and die of cancer, but in seperate movies. Meryl Streep is the consummate homemaker in the tear jerker "One True Thing". An important part of her life is her civic improvement club, made up of the town's prominent and creative women. The movie spans "the decorating season" from Halloween through New Years. They "go all out" trimming the trees in the town square. She loves her small town, saying "It hums through all seasons"(she "can feel it"). She loves Christmas, and it will be her last one.The mayor plays Santa in the town square celebration. Meryl wears her Christmas sweater. Everyone seems to know one another. After the mayor wishes everyone "Happy Holidays" everyone sings "Silent Night". There seems to be countless movies with Christmas in similar picturesque settings.There"s a solid nitch market for this. People believe in and want to see Christmas celebrated publicly as part of the best of what life in America is. It's proof people long to see Christmas unfettered by holidayization. Susan Sarandon finially forgives her ex-husband and allows his new lady friend to be part of her world and family when they open presents on Christmas morning in "Step Mom". She spends much of the movie trying different treatments, but by Christmas it's clear she won't be cured. Both movies are bittersweet, poignant, heartwarming and sentimental. I preferred "One True Thing". It was better written.The relationships were more complex.

Entered: Saturday 26th of November 2005 02:20:15 AM
"The Stepford Wives" Christmas scene review by Barbara Baldwin. This movie, a remake, has Nicole Kidman in the lead role and is a comedy. Like the people who celebrate Christmas in "Christmas with the Kranks", the womenfolk we see observing Christmas are inane conformists, only worse, they're robots, literally. The scene is a Christmas crafting demonstration led by one of the robot wives at one of their women's club meetings. Bette Midler lives in the neighborhood but is different from the others because she's not a robot yet . In true multicultural fashion she's also a reminder for us that not everyone celebrates Christmas because she's the only Jewish woman in town. Bette tries to tolerate the witless craft project demonstration but can't help make a grimace as she puts on one of the dumb reindeer antler hats. The movie got mediocre reviews but I liked the art direction and it had some funny moments. Anyone with a sense of humor can recognize that one of Christmas' foibles is it's sometimes silly craft pojects. It's a dubious portrait of Christmas but I didn't take it as a serious jab at Christmas. Yet the Bette Midler commentary can be seen as a typical multicultural provocation or ploy about Christmas being a problem because everyone doesn' t celebrate it. This part of it fits into the cynicism category along with Christmas with the Kranks.

Entered: Wednesday 23rd of November 2005 11:26:55 PM
"Harry Potter"trivia and "Narnia" preview by Neil Reynolds. Several of the Harry Potter movies have refernces to Christmas.The most recent "...goblet of fire" has a ballroom scene with several gigantic snow covered evergreens all aglow with candles. Maggy Smith plays one of the head witches/magicians who announces that there will be a ball on "Christmas Eve".The first in what I believe will be a series of "Narnia" movies, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" has been advertised in the movie theater previews as coming "this Christmas" which actually means "coming in December",although billboards just say "in December".I can't support movies opening in theaters ON Christmas even though there is the Christmas reference in the ads. This obviously encourages movie goers to think of it as just a "bussiness-as-usual"day, not to mention the folks who have to work in theaters on Christmas. But good for "Narnia" for mentioning Christmas

Entered: Saturday 19th of November 2005 01:33:59 PM
"White Christmas"(the stage musical)review by Nancy Foley. A stage version of "White Christmas" has been touring the country for several years and is currently in San Francisco. It follows the same basic plot as the 1954 film with songs by Irving Berlin that stars Danny kaye, Vera Ellen,Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney. In the unlikely event someone hasn't seen the movie, it's not about Christmas from start to finish but has Christmas in it and turns very Christmasy at the end. This play has some additional Berlin songs added like "How Deep is the Ocean?" and "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm"(a song often included on Christmas records.In spite of the song from the movie "What can You do with a General?" being one of Berlin's less memorable,I enjoyed all the songs and dances.This production goes for the nostalgic feel you'd expect, and succeeds.It's probably better suited for adults because so much of the story centers around the relaytionships of the two couples. There are some new characters added, one, a little girl who lives at the inn who I found a little cloying but who my husband thought was very sweet.I anticipated the play building up to a big production number at the end for "White Christmas". The singing and dancing could have been extended and developed into something more opulent.It was certainly adequate. This is my only criticism and a minor one. It's really very good Christmas entertainment.

Entered: Friday 18th of November 2005 11:54:56 PM
Christmas with the Kranks(review by Diana Schubert).This movie doesn't pretend Christmas doesn't exist because it's all about Christmas. Instead it perpetuates the holidayization myth that Christmas is the oppressor.In the story the daughter surprises her parents with a call announcing she's going to Peru with the Peace Corps and won't be home for Christmas. The Kranks use the new as an excuse for a weird anti-Christmas rampage. With the $6,000 they usually spend on the "guilt-induced consumer frenzy" they can go on a Caribbean cruise. But first they must banish every trace of Christmas from their home. When neighbors (mindless suburban conformists) hear of the boycott, they demend the couple participate in the district's yard decorating tradition. Led by a Yuletide gestapo, there's an angry demonstration in front of the Krank's house. When obnoxious carolers come along, the terrified Kranks turn off the lights and hide. The daughter calls and says her Peru plans are off and she'll be coming home after all.The Kranks cancel the cruise and put everything back up for the pretense of having always wanted a regular family Christmas. Where are all these normal all-lit-up-for-Christmas neighborhoods? Around here you're lucky if you can find out where they are and can drive to see them. Movie critic Roger Ebert asked "Where are all the Jewish people in this neighborhood?" and expressed concern that Christmas was forced on them. Hearing this my question was: If this is a farce about Christmas, and a degrading one, is this really relevant? Rather than showing Christmas as a culturally binding celebration, it's cynically shown as tiresome, vacuous, and forced on innocent victims trying to flee it.It's not funny. It's dumb and offensive.