Reaching Towards December

It's almost time for Christmas movies! Because nothing says "Christmas" like parking it in front of the tv and losing yourself in the magic, the warm fuzzies, and a bowl of ice cream.

These are my absolute favorites - the only ones I insist on watching every year. Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments, especially if you have a recommendation.



1. It's a Wonderful Life

• Jimmy Stewart!
• black and white
• I always cry at the end when they're singing Auld Lang Syne

2. Scrooge

• There're a lot of movies about The Christmas Carol, but this one is my favorite!
• It's a musical! And there's dancing!
• Albert Finney is Scrooge - good at being repulsive and mean at the beginning

3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas

• hilarious retelling of the classic Dr. Seuss story
• I love Whoville!
• Jim Carrey has some great lines - perfect for quoting year-round I think!

4. The Homecoming

• Ever seen the old tv show The Waltons? This is the Christmas movie.
• Love how old-fashioned it is. My dad likes it because it reminds him of growing up on a farm.
• Sweet story of a loving family

5. White Christmas

• Bing Crosby singing! Danny Kay dancing and being lovable!
• Another musical!
• Plus - romance...

6. The Santa Clause (and 2 and 3!)

• love Tim Allen's sarcastic humor
• The Santa Clause 2 and 3 are just as good, which is pretty rare!
• Great characters

November seems to be dragging its leaf-clumped feet, but December is so close I can almost taste it!

Grab a Tissue

I’ll admit it; I have a weakness for feel-good reality television. What, is your heart made of stone? How couldn’t you love those shows where everyone’s just so happy at the end?

Biggest Loser is right there at the top of my list. Lives are changed here, people! And I love that the contestants really care about each other and hate voting each other out. Because they’ve all come through this journey together and have overcome so much. They understand one another. And so many success stories! Even after contestants leave the show, they’re still working hard and, this season, “paying it forward.” Gaaaah! Goosebumps!

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition has always been about changing lives. I just watched the most recent one yesterday, where the crew built a new Oregon School for the Deaf (OSD.... :), complete with a haunted house that the school uses to raise money. Apart from all the scary stuff, which, if you know me, I am NOT a fan of, it was fantastic to see these kids’ lives changed. Some were able to hear for the first time after receiving new hearing aids!

A recent show that I’ve started watching is Undercover Boss. A CEO of a company goes undercover and works with people under him. The best part is the end, where the CEO reveals himself to each person he worked closely with and often gives gifts like promotions, vacations, and scholarships. I watched one where this kid was given a promotion and he was just so overcome by being recognized for his hard work that he was crying...and I was crying...

Even though I’ll probably never be so rich or famous that I could change people’s lives in such dramatic ways, I like to think I’m making a difference every day by helping people in small ways. People in these tv shows realize that it’s better to give than to receive. And you don’t need a lot of money to encourage the people around you.