I Got Tagged . . .

. . . by Leslie's meme. The challenge is to name five movies I love that say "Christmas" to me.

1. My fav version of A Christmas Carol is the one from 1938 starring Reginald Owen. This one has the scariest Marley and . . . if I remember right, the two most gruesome children representing Ignorance and Poverty. It also has great flashback scenes dramatizing why Scrooge is such a bastard. The setting and tone of this Depression-era version particularly appeal to me. (Props to this site for helping me figure out which version was the one I've always loved.)

2. What ogre can hate the 1964 version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? A few years ago I wandered into a gift shop in Charlottesville that was going out of business right before Christmas. They had the original mom, dad, and Rudolph deer for sale at a dollar each in the window. I could tell they were originals because the skin of the deer was felt, their bones were made of wire and they looked old. Nothing else in the store was that old. It was like some kind of Twilight Zone episode, except the deer don't get up and walk around at night or spawn tiny aliens . . . that I know of. Every year the deer family just stands still, looking retro and pretty, under my Christmas tree waiting for Santa.

3. Scrooged - Bill Murry's 1988 film. I love Bill Murray and this still a very funny movie.

4. 1946's It's a Wonderful Life. One of my relatives does a spot-on, hysterical, impression of Jimmy Stewart in this role. Pep and I also like to quote, "Out you two pixies go - through the door, or out the window!"

But my very favorite part is Christmas in Pottersville. They have naughty dancing girls in Pottersville and pool tables and street fighting hussies. But worse than all of this . . . you're not going to like it George! . . . is being a . . . Librarian! To be a Librarian at Christmas in Pottersville is the very deepest self-abasement of all!

5. And - what would this list be without something offensive? I'm partial to the year 2000's, Christmas in South Park. In a world where Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Muslims, Muslims, Jews, Muslims, Muslims and Muslims can't get along, there is always Mr. Hankey we can turn to for harmony and agreement. We can even sing along.

Merry Christmas everybody!