As my grandson says “only two more sleeps until Christmas”. I have been indulging in watching all the sappy Christmas movies I can cram into a day. The baking is done, presents bought and wrapped and just waiting along with Zeke for the big day.
While Christmas movies are one of my favourites at this time of year, the balance of the year I love disaster movies. Neither of these film genre will ever be in contention for an Academy Award but they appeal to me.
I have watched Christmas Vacation until I can recite the lines of the characters. “Those little lights aren’t twinkling”. Elf, Santa Baby, Dear Secret Santa and the list goes on are recycled each year. The basic theme is happiness, family and love among mankind and all problems are resolved with a happy ending.
Well much to my surprise this year I have discovered “Disaster Christmas Movies”. You ask how can a kind, loving and happy season like Christmas lend itself to a disaster movie theme and who would write them? It is my belief it has to be someone with the same warped view of the world as me.
An antique snow-globe is the centre piece of a Christmas/Disaster movie where disaster strikes the planet just before Christmas. A young boy receives the globe as a gift from an unknown person but soon finds it is triggering death and destruction on earth. When buttons on the bottom of the globe are pushed disaster happens in the landscape of the globe and then it is re-created in the boys world. Like Christmas movies this one is resolved by heroic actions of the boy’s father and has a happy ending but not before several people are crushed, electrocuted and suffocated in a landslide. Ho, Ho, Ho.
The “Twelve Disasters of Christmas” features a ring passed on to a granddaughter who is deemed the “Chosen One”. It is up to the Chosen One to save the world as each disaster becomes more horrific and is leading up to the total destruction of the planet. However; Christmas must have a happy ending and the Chosen One triumphs over the evil demons and saves the planet.
Two more sleeps and I will no longer be interested in watching Christmas movies for another year but there will be disaster movies to indulge myself in. Here’s to volcanoes, earthquakes, twisters and meteors with hunky scientists and beautiful, feisty ex-wives or ex-girlfriends; just as cheesy as the Christmas movies but they are junk food for my mind.
Merry Christmas
Notes from Napanee 