Movies

20 Movies to Spark Your Christmas Spirit

/ Fiddle Dee Dee / Leave a comment

Most of us find our televisions bursting with holiday cheer inspired by various television sources who like to get started throughout November and December. To be honest, with all the repeating themes and storylines it’s easy to burn out on Hallmark and Lifetime Christmas movies, or the same thing repeating over and over on Freeform. Along with repeating themes and movies we are bombarded with annoying and excessive commercials. I for one will be so thankful when Medicare enrollment is over, and Martha quits yelling at me.

Thankfully we have access to streaming services, a fabulous DVD collection, and premium movie channels to set our own viewing schedule up and avoid commercials. Keeping that in mind I’ve put together a list of 20 (mostly) family friendly greats from way back to recently released that’ll spark your Christmas Spirit while changing up your viewing.

1. Take it way back with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye and kick off the season with 1954’s White Christmas. Between the gorgeous costuming and fabulous music this one is always a cozy favorite. Right now, it’s streaming on Netflix, but if you check TCM’s movie schedule I guarantee you’ll find it!

2. 1946’s It’s a Wonderful Life is my favorite Jimmy Stewart movie of all time and is on Prime right now. And remember, “every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings.”

3. Netflix’s The Christmas Chronicles (2018) was such a pleasant surprise and feel-good movie. I just adore Kurt Russell’s portrayal of St. Nick. Skip the sequel as all the magic was used up in the first one.

4. Is it really Christmas without watching and quoting 2003’s Elf? This one will inspire you to sing your way through the holidays with a smile on your face, perhaps annoying that one “Central Park Ranger’ of a family member in the process!

5. While quoting Elf is a lot of fun, 1989’s National Lampoons Christmas Vacation is a classic we can actually watch on repeat all season long! Afterall, “we’re gonna have the hap-hap-happiest Christmas!”

6. The Disney Channel’s movie quality has declined over the last several years (let’s face it, the original High School Musical was the last great movie), but Disney+ has made up for it. Several classic Christmas movies are streaming right now and 1994’s The Santa Claus tops the list! Both sequels are available to stream as well if you want to binge the entire series, but the original is the best by far!

7. While there have been plenty of remakes, 1947’s Miracle of 34th Street with Natalie Wood is the most charming of all!

8. Put on your pj’s and whip up some hot chocolate, then settle in with 2004’s Polar Express. You’ll fall asleep dreaming of the North Pole while awakening out your childlike heart.

9. Your Grinchy heart will grow three sizes after an evening with Jim Carrey’s 2000 version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

10. “KEVIN?!?!” 1990’s Home Alone is a hilarious Christmas adventure the entire family can giggle over, while quoting and cheering for the mischievous kid (who really needs a wooden spoon to the bum) as he wreaks havoc while protecting his home. It can be found on Disney+ right now.

11. Disney+ is also showing 1999’s Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas which I watch solely for sentimental reasons; it was my Samantha’s favorite movie to watch when she was little as this particular one showcases the iconic Mickey and Friends.

12. Bill Murray will have you feeling crazy yet entertained while watching 1988’s Scrooged. A little crass for the kiddos this one is a silly and irreverent comedy that you can watch after tucking the little ones in bed.

13. Netflix has put out a few really good movies, and this year’s A Boy Called Christmas is a magical journey sharing another story of how Santa Claus came to be. Dame Maggie Smith narrates the tale which makes it even more enjoyable.

14. Christmas with the Kranks (2004) based off a John Grisham book sharing the humorous experience one couple has as they decide to “skip Christmas”. Let’s face it, we’ve ALL thought about it one time or another. It’s streaming on Prime right now.

15. Bloggers and influencers alike can relate to 1945’s Christmas in Connecticut with Barbra Stanwick as a magazine writer … one who embellishes her uninteresting life through her monthly articles. TCM loves to show this one during December.

16. TCM also airs 1956’s Bundle of Joy with Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher a couple of times in December. Eddie Fisher wasn’t the most talented actor, but his singing definitely made up for it. Reynolds and Fisher were married while filming this comedy and their chemistry is so sweet.

17. I saw 1983’s A Christmas Story in the theater on a cold Sunday night with a group of friends after evening services when I was eleven. I loved it then and I love it now. It’s the movie that never grows old … kind of like me.

18. A Charlie Brown Christmas from 1965 is not really a movie, but is it Christmas if you don’t watch it at least once? It’s a good one for remembering the modern reason for the season.

19. Another not-really-a-Christmas-movie, but one you must see is 1964’s Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Some cartoons you really never outgrow.

20. Finally, I have to add 1944’s Meet Me in St. Louis. While technically it’s not a Christmas movie (only 25 minutes of the movie is dedicated to the holiday), but who doesn’t love Judy Garland’s gorgeous mix of tenderness and heavy-hearted version of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas?

What Christmas movies should I add to this list? I would love to know some of your must-see Christmas movies!

31 Days of Movies for October

/ Fiddle Dee Dee / Leave a comment

Hello October!

Are you as excited for this new month as I am?

There is something special about the “Ber” months, especially October, November and December. It’s almost magical. My vibe, mood and attitude all improve which prompts me into celebrating all the little things this season has to offer …. even with an empty nest!

This attitude goes back a long way; 48 years to be exact.

When your Momma is a Halloween baby magical fun is always around the corner.

One of my favorite October traditions is 31 days of movies that are perfect for keeping your spirits up and setting the mood throughout the month. This isn’t Freeform’s let’s show the same movies over and over list, this is a movie a day that you can enjoy with your love, kids, neighbor’s kids, or while enjoying “me time” wrapped up in a patchwork quilt with a gourmet coffee you whipped up.

From traditional classics to a few shivers here and there, this 31 days of spirited thrills will have you excited for Halloween Night!

1. It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown

2. Hocus Pocus

3. The Goonies

4. The Haunted Mansion

5. Private Eyes (a classic with Don Knotts!)

6. Edward Sissorhands

7. Beetlejuice

8. The original Ghostbusters

9. Practical Magic

10. Sleepy Hollow

11. Disney’s Halloweentown

12. Casper

13. Nightmare Before Christmas

14. Disney’s Ichabod Crane & Mr. Toad

15. ET

16. Addam’s Family

17. Hotel Transylvania

18. The Ghost & Mr Chicken (another classic)

19. Bewitched (with Nicole Kidman … cheesy but cute!)

20. Mr. Mom (1983 … just go with it)

21. Harry Potter (marathoning is highly recommended)

22. Monster House

23. The Original Friday the 13th

24. Wizard of Oz

25. Pirates of the Caribbean (believe me, it fits)

26. Twilight (Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob?)

27. Sweeney Todd

28. The Corpse Bride

29. Scooby Doo (the movie)

30. The Mummy

31. Interview with a Vampire

I could go on, but if these don’t add magic and a little shiver to your October, it’s probably not your season! Obviously not all of these movies claim Halloween. The idea is to set a mood and this list will do the trick!

Many of the listed movies have sequels, so marathoning on the weekend is perfectly acceptable!

What’s your favorite October movie? I would love to hear from you!



Honor Memorial Day

/ Fiddle Dee Dee / Leave a comment

I don’t get all political or step up on a soapbox hardly, if ever, but briefly bear with me just a few minutes today.

As I scrolled through Facebook all weekend I found so many posts filled with party plans, celebrations for summer and the like for this weekend, but realized that it seems so many of our country have forgotten the solemn holiday that Memorial Day really is, and should truly be.

“True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.”
~Arthur Ashe

Memorial Day is a “holiday” that has been set aside to honor the men and women who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty while serving and protecting our country.  It was first recognized as Memorial Day as women from southern states began decorating graves of the dead while mourning and recognizing the sacrifices they made for their cause beginning in about 1865.  It wasn’t too much later that women in the northern states began a similar practice in the form of a Decoration Day.

Confederate dead

Thomas D. Watkins…. My ancestor killed in Chattanooga during the Civil War and buried in the Confederate Cemetery there.  I imagine many years after the war he was remembered along with the others in this cemetery in a Memorial Day ceremony honoring the Confederate dead.

Memorial Day became a common term used by everyone in the 1880s and after World War II the informal day became a national holiday where the service dead could all be honored and remembered. Now, 70 years later, instead of honoring the sacrifice of the men and women who have served and protected our nation, it has become a day of partying BBQ’s, days on the lake and generally the kick-off of summer break.

From a young age, Audley and I have always taught our children the meaning of this day, and we have never really celebrated it.  In fact, there have been many years we have put flags on graves of family members who lost their lives in wartime and that is our Memorial Day.

confederate cemetary

Placing a flag at the Confederate Cemetery in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 2010. The kids were so little here!

There is a day for celebrating our nation (July 4), and honestly,  today is not it.

Revolutionary War

Putting a flag out for my 5x’s great-grandfather (a Revolutionary War soldier); buried in Cowpens National Battlefield, South Carolina

In honor of Memorial Day, I have put together a list of movies (some fictional tales of actual events and some based on true stories) that are great reminders of why we should say, “Honor” Memorial Day instead of Happy Memorial Day.  Maybe you can watch a few with your family as a way to instill the true meaning of this most solemn day.

7 films for memorial day

1) The Patriot (2000).  Starring Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger; Set in the Revolutionary War and telling the story of the sacrifices men (and even women) made so that our country could even exist!

patriot11

2) Gettysburg (1993).  With Tom Berenger and Martin Sheen this movie depicts one of the biggest battles of the Civil War.  Coincidently, Gettysburg is where some of the original Memorial Day services took place after the war.

3) Sergeant York (1941).  This movie starring Gary Cooper tells the story of Alvin York, one of the most decorated soldiers of World War I.

77108-004-32F48629

4) Pearl Harbor (2001).  Starring Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett as fictional characters in the very real story of the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on December 7, 1941; Pearl Harbor is still fresh in many Americans minds.

Pearl Harbor Memorial

5) Saving Private Ryan (1998). With Tom Hanks and Matt Damon the story of the invasion on Normandy Beaches and war throughout France leaves no secrecy to the loss of life for our nation.

Saving-Private-Ryan (2)

6) We Were Soldiers (2002).  Based on the true story and book by Lt. General Harold G. Moore, this movies depicts the first battle of US Forces with the North Vietnamese in November 1965.  The movies stars Mel Gibson as Hal Moore along with Greg Kinner and Sam Elliott.

vietnam-memorial-wall

Reflection by Lee Teter

7) Lone Survivor (2013).  Starring Mark Wahlburg, Lone Survivor tells the true story of a group of Navy Seals deployed to take out a Taliban leader in 2007 and the one man who survived the mission.  It’s a vivid reminder that we are still fighting and men are still putting their lives on the line for us each and every day.

13260285_10153965964025865_7463412652137759463_n

http---signatures.mylivesignature.com-54492-83-9BC920CC6823471E78F010232F661C22

Snowpocalypse 2014

/ Fiddle Dee Dee / 3 Comments
We don’t see much snow at all in the south. And one thing I have learned in the two years we have lived in South Carolina, we don’t really get snow at all.
Until the last two weeks when our kids were out of school for two days for a dusting.
From 2 weeks ago.  Yes, that’s sled in our front yard…. a teenager can hope.

 

When I refer to a dusting, I really mean like the dust on a table, not a dusting Northerners refer to.

 

The lake across from our house
We just can’t handle snow.
We really can’t handle ice.
The two are combining this week & has us buckled down for a Snowpocalypse.
Go ahead and laugh.
I laugh too.
I also bought an extra tank of gas for our grill loaded up on extra firewood, bought extra lighters, stocked up on bottle water, soup ingredients, healthy snacks, hot chocolate, candles, blankets, nonperishable foods like peanut butter, popcorn, etc…. & , kitty litter & cat food for our four legged babies.
I’m not going to be caught in this mess unprepared!
I’ve also pulled out some of our favorite “snow day” movies to curl up and watch with the kiddos in front of a fire over the next several days.  With the winter Olympics going on as well right now, combining the two themes will make for some great entertainment!
Here are some of our favorites:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do have a favorite snow day/ Olympic flick?  How do you prepare for crazy winter weather where you are?
Here’s hoping that being prepared will chase just a bit of this winter weather away!
Have a great Monday!