Same Santa, different cookies

The big night of Halloween has come to an end and already the day after showed a big change of what is to come as far as the winter season. With chilling rains, fall is definitely upon us and with that comes the holiday season. The day before Halloween, I walked into a store to pick up a few items and already the employees were lining up mini artificial trees decorated with lights for Christmas.

If the retail decorations and stocks would not give it away, just settling down in front of the television would provide you with more than enough evidence that the holiday season is in full force. The other day, I even saw a commercial for Glade candles that offered scents in a holiday collection including two new ones in pine and pomegranate!

And then there are the movie previews. The movie business takes advantage of the holiday season every year, and every year it feels like at least three movies come out involving the holidays.

Over the past few years, several newspapers and movie review sites like Bullz-eye.com release what they call the worst Christmas movies ever and update the list annually. While looking over the list with a friend, she made a comment about the purpose of making movies year after year trying to spread the holiday cheer with virtually the same concept.

While it all seems redundant, many classics have also arisen from this holiday genre of movies like "Miracle on 24th Street" and "A Christmas Story." And then there is of course the classic that has become one of America's favorite stories, holiday season or no, for over a half of a century: "It's a Wonderful Life." So what is the point of all these Christmas movies that have added to the collection if there are already these so-called classics?

I would have to argue that all things are somewhat redundant in a way. There are only so many ways to tell a story and just as many say that Mark Twain wrote the only original story and every other story is a variation of this, movies of certain genres contain similar elements. There are the horror films that have the villain, the hero, gruesome elements and often a twist of the plot. There are inspirational movies that are often based on historical or current figures with that tearjerker moment that teaches us all a life lesson. Romantic comedies are perfect examples of regeneration for which the public seems to have an unceasing desire.

The point of Christmas movies is to put holiday cheer in the air and they are updated and modernized every year just like any other movie. The North Pole in any Christmas movie in the '50s or '60s was not like the North Pole in the "Santa Clause" fully equipped with several levels, a traveling train and hot chocolate machines. Personally, I have to say that I am completely glad that Will Ferrell came out with his own rendition of a Christmas movie with the very hilarious "Elf." The newest remake of "A Christmas Carol" will be coming out starring Jim Carrey but with a twist. Instead of actors or just a plain animation, this remake shows the classic story in a technology rich digital style.

The New York Times writer Dave Kehr says that it is a "fully realized 3-D environment, built from the ground up in the digital dimension" and goes on to call it stunning.

This is just proof of what technology and modern creativity can add to a story that has been told over and over again in several remakes of the Dickens tale.

I think everyone, even those who loathe the ever recurring holiday movies, could pick at least one that they find funny, touching or simply entertaining. The Scrooges of the holiday season will just have to give up because the retail and media world is already fully obsessed with spreading holiday cheer, so they might as well try to enjoy it!

This writer can be contacted at opinion@theeastcarolinian.com.