Ahhh Christmas. I don't love you. For years due to working in retail and different familial configurations, I find the sentiment to be lost. Plus, I miss my beloved Jeannie's cookies. Different shapes and sprinkles. They were the best, made with love. So naturally, I gorged upon them.
I am far from a Scrooge or Grinch-like by any means. I am a notable gift giver, but I feel like I don't need a holiday to show you I am thinking of you. It just became this pressure cooker of falsehoods, and Christmas lost its magic as my family that made it special over the years passed on. I do imagine them like Statler and Waldorf of The Muppets fame balking from the ethereal peanut gallery. Who, speaking of Scrooge, played the titular roles of Jacob and Robert Marley in The Muppet Christmas Carol, the first film without creator Jim Henson. And my heart is two sizes too big, if anything, so The Grinch archetype does not fit. However, since 2003, I have found joy in a Christmas film again, and I have not ever limited its viewings to only December. Why wouldn't we treat every day like Christmas? The point is to give!
Thanks to Elf, I still feel a sense of magic every time I watch it. Though I think all films set in both New York and the North Pole are magical, even Taxi Driver, only Elf has James Caan and Mr. Narwhal. It reinforced my belief that the "best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear." I remember when I was in elementary school, we were singing the national anthem, and everyone was so quiet. I knew then and there my mission was to liven up the place. So I belted out every line. I received accolades through laughter, but I don't remember anyone joining me. I should have known then my distinction. I'm uplift others and loud about it. Funny how moving forward, I got crammed into the hidden depths of the choir.
Since I feel like Baby, It's Cold Outside feels like a touchy (for lack of a better term) I will reminisce about another song from the soundtrack. "Auld Lang Syne" roughly translates to 'for old times' sake' in Scotch Gaelic, and was written by Robert Burns in the 1780s. The reverence we may (or may not) hold for 2020 feels particularly fitting as this has been a year of mass global shifts and deep introspection. This past year's goal from my perspective was a change in focus to what is real, what requires change through compassion, and where love for every one of us resides. In hopes that 2021 takes cues and builds upon these beautiful strategies, perhaps the Age of Aquarius is more than conceptual.
Zooey Deschanel aka Jovie, begins to sing "Auld Lang Syne" to raise the Christmas cheer meter so that Santa can fly his sleigh again. As the momentum builds and others begin to chime in, James Caan aka Walter Hobbes, the Grinch/Scrooge archetype of the film starts belting out the tune and you're like "Oh hi Sonny!" *Bats eyelashes.* And I wish once more that his character's storyline in The Godfather turned out differently. But alas, the scene in particular and the comradery to support the greater good is a holiday cinematic example of what Christmas truly means and everyday for that matter. It's about coming together and supporting one another. With cookies and cocktails. Happy Holidays, whatever you do and/or don't celebrate, and Happy Festivus for the rest of us.
Spotify doesn't have this and I can't exactly rip the movie from online, so here's to watching Elf this weekend and at the very end, think of me when James Caan is playing the piano.