Novels, Dragons, and Wardrobe Doors: Christmas Time is Here!

Thursday, December 22, 2016

Christmas Time is Here!

IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME

HOORAY

HAVE SOME CHRISTMAS TUNES

Yes, this post was supposed to be up like two weeks ago. But somehow this year's December has been even more busy and chaotic than most Decembers before.

So I thought I'd best pop in now that we're three days 'til Christmas (?!?!?!) and actually write a blog post. Yay.

Because I'm getting in the holiday spirit, I thought I would give you some things to watch that will bring you into it with me. That's right. I'm talking CHRISTMAS MOVIES. and CHRISTMAS EPISODES. and CHRISTMAS IN GENERAL YAYYY.

Let's begin with some Christmas Movies shall we?

1. White Christmas

Plot: Two famous radio actors and a pair of sisters go to Vermont for Christmas, only to find that the general they served under in WWII is down on his luck and needing a little Christmas cheer. Much hilarity, sweet romance, and fabulous dance numbers ensue.

2. The Nativity Story

Plot: (if you didn't know this already...) Mary, a young woman from a small town, is visited by an angel and told that she will give birth to the Messiah. Featuring Oscar Isaac as a much younger than was probably accurate Joseph but is still one of my favorite portrayals of him *cough* Also, the wise men are hilarious.

3. The Mistletoe Promise

(I couldn't find a gif *sadness*)
Plot: A divorced business owner teams up with a lawyer to convince everyone that they do, in fact, have someone to spend the holidays with, and end up, of course, falling in love with each other.
(random note: yes, this is a Hallmark movie. but my mom and sister and I have been watching so many Hallmark movies this season, and this has by far been my favorite)

4. It's a Wonderful Life

(can you have a list of favorite Christmas movies and this not be on it? I think not.)
Plot: A depressed man is guided by an angel to find out what would have happened if he had never been born. This leads him to the fact that despite all the hardships, he does, indeed, have a wonderful life.

5. Saint Nicholas

(couldn't find a gif for this one either *cries*)
Plot: When Junior has a bit of trouble giving away Christmas, Bob and Larry teach him about "Nick" and how he learned to give with a joyful heart.
(random note: I almost went with "The Toy That Saved Christmas" or "The Star of Christmas", as those are my childhood, but this one has so many puns I couldn't resist)

And now we move to what has become my personal favorite, Christmas-themed Episodes.

1. "The Ho, Ho, Ho Job" ~ Leverage (season 3)

(c'mon, you knew this was gonna be first)
Plot: While trying to take down a corrupt mall owner, the team goes undercover, making Parker a very happy elf and Eliot a very grumpy Santa. And also confirming the status of Sophie and Nate as the team parents.

2. "Gus' Dad May Have Killed an Old Guy" ~ Psych (season 2)

Plot: Shawn is invited to spend Christmas with the Guster family, but ends up having to solve the murder of their neighbor, who has been known to argue with Mr. Guster.

3. "Santa's Midnight Run" ~ The Librarians (season 1)

Plot: Santa seeks the help of the Librarians when he is stranded without his sleigh, and Ezekiel keeps his magic hat safe, which means he is filled with Christmas spirit, which is absolutely hilarious.

4. "Girl Meets Home For the Holidays" ~ Girl Meets World (season 1)

Plot: It's Christmas in the Matthews household, which brings many family and friends back together, while Riley tries to figure out why Cory's best friend Shawn doesn't seem to like her.

5. "A Christmas Secret" ~ Murder, She Wrote (season 9)

(couldn't find a gif for the actual episode, so you just get Jessica's sassy face)
Plot: When a young Cabot Cove resident's fiancée is found to be more than he originally said, it's up to Jess to find out what he's hiding. Also featuring Seth being a sarcastic grouch about Christmas.

That's all from me... no, wait, there's something else! I have to extend an invitation!

Every year (for 20 years now, whaaaat???), my church puts on a drive-through nativity. We all refer to it as "the drive-thru", but as many don't know what that even is, I shall endeavor to explain. Basically, all over the church grounds, we set up 10 scenes, vignettes, if you will, that tell part of the Christmas story. We furnish with costumed actors and live animals, set up a path of luminaries, and invite people from literally around the world to drive their cars through and see and hear the story unfold. It is literally so hard to explain, wow. I've been doing it all 18 years of my life, as my parents founded the ministry, so I like to call it my first lead role as a 3-month-old, playing baby Jesus.

So if you live or will be visiting the Orlando area this Christmas, I encourage you to stop by one of the three nights! And here's a link to the church's website if you need more information... plus teeny tiny pictures of what we do xD

And if you aren't going to be in the Orlando area, I have a favor to ask. Pray? Please? It takes a lot to put this thing on, and more than normal as we had to completely rebuild the Inn scene this year. God has blessed us in so many ways with this ministry, and we've seen so many people come to Jesus, and come to the church, because of it. Boy, do I have stories I could tell! But prayers are always appreciated, and then you can, in some small way, be part of what we do. And that's always fun.

And so, we enter/exit another Christmas season. I will leave you with a fantastic Christmas tune by the fantastic acapella group Pentatonix (if you haven't listened to their new Christmas album, I highly recommend it)