YOUR HAPPY HOLIDAY GUIDE
’TIS THE SEASON TO GET FESTIVE WITH YOUR FAVORITE MOVIES AND SOME REALLY CLEVER GIFTS.
Eggnog? Definitely. Caroling? Yes, please. But for a holiday tradition the whole family can truly enjoy, nothing can top watching a Christmas movie. “We love them because we see ourselves in them,” says Jeremy Arnold, a Turner Classic Movies
CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT (1945)
An unmarried food writer (Barbara Stanwyck) pretending to be a happy homemaker scrambles to keep up the deception when her publisher (Sydney Greenstreet) and a returning war hero (Dennis Morgan) invite themselves over for a traditional family Christmas.
Why We Love It “You can’t watch it without putting yourself into a purely cheerful mood,” Arnold says of the screwball comedy. And with that quintessential Connecticut farmhouse at its center, “the fantasy becomes very appealing.”
Fun Fact The farmhouse was also in 1938’s Bringing Up Baby.
Modern Take? A 1992 TV movie directed by Arnold Schwarzenegger starred Dyan Cannon and Kris Kristofferson.
Famous Quote “Where am I going to get a farm? I haven’t even got a window box!”
Barbara Stanwyck is no Martha Stewart in the kitchen, as you can see in this Christmas in Connecticut Pancake Wooden Ornament by Sweet and Lovely. $16, etsy.com host and author of the 2018 book Christmas in the Movies. “We see the spectrum of love and warmth and togetherness and humor and good cheer and even loneliness. They really have become the whole package.”
WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954)
In this musical, a group of post–World War II entertainers is determined to save a failing Vermont Inn. The cast includes Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye and Vera-Ellen—and, of course, features the timeless titular tune.
Why We Love It The nostalgia factor is `ifficult to resist. “It’s linke` to romanticism and love of the holiday,” Arnold says. And thanks to that Crosby-crooned holiday staple, “the movie will never go away.”
Fun Fact “White Christmas” composer Irving Berlin is the only Oscar presenter to ever open the envelope on the big night and read his own name. He joked, “I’m glad to present him the award. I’ve known him for a long time.”
Famous Quote “My dear partner, when what’s left of you gets around to what’s left to be gotten, what’s left to be gotten won’t be worth getting, whatever it is you’ve got left.”
Another favorite quote graces this “Mutual, I’m Sure” White Christmas Throw Pillow. $23, redbubble.com
Dance into mornings with the Reprise (Sisters) Mug celebrating Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye’s spirited rendition of the “Sisters” song. $15, teepublic.com