Christmas movies on!
Oh God, here we go again. But when exactly? When "Last Christmas" plays for the first time on the car radio? When the first Spekulatius in supermarkets test the taste limits of traditionalists? Author Karina Lübke on the very normal Christmas madness that hits us every year, especially when it comes to Christmas movies. Why do we wait 11 months a year to watch the same films over and over again during the holidays? Here is her very personal investigation from her new book "please be festive."
By Karina Lübke
Many of the most beautiful memories don't even have to be made by yourself for Christmas happiness. More precisely, you don't have to do anything except cuddle up at home on the sofa or armchair and watch movies. And every year, always and again the same ones, and only during the Advent and Christmas season, so that their magic doesn't wear off. Video didn't just kill the radio star, but also the TV star: before the invention of videocassettes, DVDs, and streaming services, people used to buy a TV guide specifically for December and mark when "Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella" would be shown on which channel. At those times, you were definitely not to be disturbed and enjoyed the film much more intensely, knowing you would have to wait a year if you missed this so-called "broadcast."
I conducted a survey among girlfriends, friends, and family members about which are THE Christmas films for them, without which Christmas simply isn't Christmas. Some are old enough to have secretly watched the annual "Christmas miniseries" on ZDF through the half-open living room door as children, which were produced between 1964 and 1983: Patrick Pacard, Treasure Island, The Leatherstocking Tales, The Sea Wolf, Two Years' Vacation, Call of Gold, The Adventures of David Balfour ...
But now to the films! In first place came The Little Lord with the wonderful Alec Guinness as the socially aloof, ultra-British Earl of Dorincourt, whose hard heart is softened by his sweet but democratically Americanized grandson and heir Cedric ... oh, I think I don't need to say anything more, because if you bought this book, you will probably be able to recite the film's lines by heart. And shed tears of emotion multiple times: I personally start no later than when the redeemed grandfather conjures the charming, brave, morally impeccable, but until then still despised by him as a commoner mother of the little boy out from behind the gigantic Christmas tree of the castle. When she stretches out her arms to her son with tears in her eyes ... See, it's starting again! From there I cry my way through to the last credit line and afterwards feel emotionally so warmly cleansed.
In second place is the Czech fairy tale film Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella from 1973, which I and all my girlfriends loved as children and have long watched together with our equally enchanted children: Cinderella as a nature child capable of anything! Her white horse Nikolaus! Her mysterious owl Rosalie! And of course the final scene, where she, as a radiant princess with cheeks red from cold and happiness, in the beautiful wedding dress with a flowing cape, gallops on her white horse next to her prince on his horse through an endless white snowy landscape under an endless blue sky towards their happiness: A transgenerational dream! Plus this music by Karel Svoboda: Lalalalaaaalalalalaaaa ... And so on and so forth ... yes, alright. I have to say, I once even got married because the man back then looked so much like the film prince. There are worse reasons.
In third place comes Love Actually. The heartwarming film by Richard Curtis was released in 2003 and has been indispensable ever since: Ten different stories about love come together on December 24th for a blissful grand finale. Just the video of the Christmas song "Christmas is All Around" with the wonderful Bill Nighy as a washed-up ex-rockstar gets me in the mood. And I can only endure the Mariah Carey song "All I Want for Christmas Is You" in the film version here. Along with eternal favorite actresses and actors like Keira Knightley, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant – and one of my heroes, whose far too early death I will never forgive heaven for: Alan Rickman. He, by the way, comforting to know, appears in surprisingly many Christmas films – for example in Harry Potter (ah, the festively decorated Great Hall with the magical snowfall!) or as the German terrorist Hans Gruber in the first Die Hard from 1988. Yes, not only in my circle of acquaintances was there a big discussion about whether the action blockbuster with brother Willis is a Christmas film because the story takes place at Christmas and it is always shown at Christmas – or definitely not, because the story is not really peaceful. But for most, the internet meme applies: "It's not really Christmas until I see Hans Gruber fall from the roof of Nakatomi Plaza." And at least the film has a happy ending. Every year you watch all these films with a different focus and identify with different characters depending on your own age and stage of life. When I first saw Die Hard, I thought Bruce Willis was a fit older man.
The last time I saw it, I was completely amazed at how insanely young Bruce Willis once was – and how unbelievably much hair did he have back then? I quickly swallow the second thought, that I must have aged with him, with some mulled wine.
In fourth place comes the black-and-white US classic "It's a Wonderful Life" by Frank Capra from 1946. The film is always shown late on Christmas Eve, and there's nothing better than an emotional chill-out zone after the big gift-giving chaos: Being there with a full belly and a full heart as an angel gets his wings because he saved the existentially anxious and life-weary James Stewart on Christmas Eve and enlightened the man about how wonderful life really is, as long as you have family and friends. The Christmas message is clear: All you need is love! By the way, the film was a commercial flop when it was released.
So that this list doesn't turn into an extra book, I will simply list the other mentioned Christmas movies without ranking and without any claim to completeness. Some friends named outsiders like Dance of the Vampires as their "favorite" family Christmas movie because of "all the beautiful snow"! However, the majority favored ...
- watch all three parts of Sissi with icon Romy Schneider spread over the holidays
- all Kevin movies – especially Home Alone 2 in New York with the World Trade Center, Tim Curry as concierge, and a brief appearance by, waaah, the one you really never wanted to see again, Donald Trump
- The Holiday – super sweet with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet
- Christmas in Bullerbü. Overall: B U L L E R B Ü 4ever! IN THE SNOW!
Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol – also in the Muppet version with Tiny Tim or with Bill Murray in
- Scrooged Three Men in the Snow Buddy the Elf The Luck Knights
- The Snowman – beautiful animated film Family Stone – The Family Stone with Diane Keaton and SJP
- We're No Angels with Humphrey Bogart and Peter Ustinov
- All Michel films
- National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase
- Single Bells with Martina Gedeck
- The first Bridget Jones with Colin Firth in the embarrassingly cute ugly Christmas sweater
- Miracle on 34th Street
- Mary Poppins with Julie Andrews
- Harry & Sally, because the Christmas tree is so awkwardly dragged home and there is a happy ending on New Year's Eve, and of course the oversized L O R I O T! Without Christmas at the Hoppenstedts, it's not Christmas.
No, life is not a wish list! But this book contains everything you need to know about Advent and Christmas to not (only) hate the festival of love(s). "bitte recht festlich" by Karina Lübke was published by Carlsen Verlag, has 128 pages, and costs 8.99 euros. Available here or in all bookstores. Enjoy reading!
Karina first studied design, earned a diploma in fashion, and then attended the Hamburg School of Journalism with Wolf Schneider. She subsequently became an editor and columnist at TEMPO and then wrote freelance for several magazines. Her monthly column "Bitte recht feindlich" in the magazine BARBARA has a large fan base and will be published as a book early this year, as will her next novel. In between, she got married and raised a daughter and a son. You can learn more here.