CHRISTMAS SCENES IN NON-CHRISTMAS MOVIES

I thought I'd kick off the season by taking a look at some of my favorite Christmas scenes from non-Christmas movies.  While there are a preponderance of Christmas films, there are also a lot of non-holiday movies that nevertheless feature Christmas in some way.  Oftentimes it’s just a short scene; in films a Christmas scene or a glimpse of Christmas in a montage is a tried and true method to indicate the passage of time (like its movie device cousins, “Pages Flying Off A Calendar” and “The Spinning Newspaper”). 

Without further ado, here we go!

Mean Girls

Mean Girls is one of those (deservedly!) cult movies where nearly every scene and line of dialogue is remembered and repeated.  However I think it’s fair to say that the “Jingle Bell Rock” scene is especially memorable.  It’s funny, it’s sexy and it contains some important plot developments (ie the start of Gretchen’s fall from grace).  We also get at least one other Christmas scene, in which candy canes are delivered by Damian dressed as Santa, and the epic “You go Glenn Coco!” line is uttered.  Nick LOVES this line and can be found exclaiming it randomly year-round.

Yours, Mine and Ours (1968)

Let me begin with a warning: make sure to only ever watch the original movie, starring Lucille Ball, and not the shitty 2005 remake (which I’ve never seen, but is shitty by default exactly because it does not star Lucille Ball and is an unnecessary remake).  I love this movie in its entirety, and the Christmas scene, which comes towards the end, is amazing.  I’ve always been fascinated by the late 60s toys and decorations galore that appear in this sequence (that may become its own post in the near future) as well as the gingerbread cookies on the tree that one of the daughters devours.

Edward Scissorhands

Some may argue that this actually is a Christmas movie—but they’re wrong.  It has a lot of fairy tale elements and that wistful Tim Burton quality, but only the film’s finale takes place during the holidays.  Like the rest of the movie, the Christmas scenes are haunting, beautiful and melancholy.  The instrumental music in the “Ice Dance” scene has become a permanent part of my Christmas music playlist.

Martha, Inc.
You can't have a made-for-TV bio pic of Martha Stewart and not have at least one Christmas scene.  If you haven't seen this camp classic, starring Cybill Shepherd as the divine domestic diva, you're missing out (It's based on an even better book that's also worth your time).  Anyhoo, the Christmas scenes in this movie involve "Martha" berating her husband during a Christmas dinner video shoot, and then coming home to the beautifully decorated yet dark and empty Turkey Hill farmhouse, having been abandoned by her husband and daughter just in time for the holidays.  It may sound grim but it makes for some addictively good TV viewing!

The Trouble With Angels

I love, love, love this movie!  I grew up watching it so there’s a nostalgia factor at work here, but it’s truly a great movie on its own merits, and the couple of Christmas scenes are among the film’s best.  First we’re treated to the girls, all students at a Catholic boarding school, making Christmas art projects, which all have a delightfully funky 60s look to them.  In that same scene we’re also treated to a scrumptious-looking tray of holiday eclairs.  Then it’s off to the old folks’ home for a heartbreaking scene in which an elderly lady abandoned by her family on Christmas is comforted by Mother Superior.  YOU WILL CRY.  Finally it’s all wrapped up with another moving scene showing the sisters at a Christmas mass, with some beautiful caroling done by the nuns.  It doesn’t get more Christmasy than this!

This is just a sample of some of the many Christmas scenes to be found in non-Christmas movies.  This holiday season haul out your DVDs and skip ahead to some of the seasonal scenes just waiting to be watched!