There has long been a rather fanciful notion that Boxing Day dates from the middle Ages with the noble lords and ladies of England presenting Christmas gifts in boxes to their servants on December 26th there is no evidence to support this, but it is a nice idea though unlikely.
Ashley Matthews (Kari Hawker-Diaz) has been on her own all her life, but she feels even more alone when it gets close to Christmas as she searches fruitlessly for a job and the endless Christmas cheer around her only rubs salt in the wounds as she scrimps and scrapes by to support herself and her dog, Dash.
However,
help is at hand from her neighbour, Nick Anderson (Bruce Davison), who knows
exactly what to do to help and he offers her a job.
He
asks her to be his assistant in what turns out to be a philanthropic endeavour,
however there’s one catch’ she can't tell anyone that her new boss is a kind of
Secret Santa, and she must help people anonymously.
Through
her new job, Ashley meets Will (K.C. Clyde), a writer for a business magazine
who uncovers what Ashley is doing, and more importantly, Nick's involvement in
the acts of kindness.
As
Ashley and Nick help people in need, she tries to protect Nick's secret, and
her own heart, while Will must weigh the consequences of what might happen if
he exposes them.
Sadly, my parents have gone now my Dad when I was only twenty-one and my Mum 15 years later but they live on in my memories especially at Christmas.
I
know that for many Christmas is a nightmare time of year but for me I only have
the very best memories of it and many of them.
My
dad always said after he’d finished decorating the living room, the odour of
emulsion still noticeable “there will be no drawing pins in this ceiling come
Christmas”. Of course, come December the ceiling was covered with garlands,
bells, stars, foil drops with baubles at the end, balloons, snow men, angels
and Santa’s.
Picture
were removed and replaced with something more festive, like huge stars or fresh
holly and Strings were strung along the walls for the cards to hang on them.
In
one corner on a table stood Santa Claus with his cotton wool beard and red
crepe paper suit all the more exciting as we children knew he was stuffed full of
sweets.
In
another corner stood the tree, a tree of epic proportions so tall that the top
14 inches has to cut off in order to get the fairy on. Every branch was full to
breaking point with countless baubles, parcels, bells, crackers and tinsels of
every colour and beneath it the ever-growing pile of presents.
With
the decorations being my Dad’s field of expertise it was left to my mum to come
into her own with everything else.
She
would remove the curtains and nets and either replace them with clean or wash
and return the originals.
Everything
would get the spring clean treatment the sideboard would be adorned with the
best linen runner and all the tables would have their own festive doily.
The
fruit bowl was filled to overflowing with bananas, Satsuma’s or tangerines and
another one of Brazil nuts, almonds, hazel nuts and walnuts.
There
was even a Chamber pot decorated with sprigs of holly on the sideboard full of
Christmas fare. Smaller bowls would appear over the Christmas period containing
peanuts or dates or sugared almonds or chocolate raisins.
Come
the day itself presents were placed by the chair that the recipients were
sitting in, when we were younger obviously our presents mysteriously arrived at
the foot of the bed in a pillowcase left for the purpose but as we got older,
we joined the adults for present opening.
Mums’
gifts were always piled so high she always had to sit on the sofa in order to
fit all her presents on the seat next to her.
She
always still had half of them left to open long after the rest of us had
finished.
This
was the time for us younger family members to examine our gifts more closely
while my dad would sit smiling sagely in his chair puffing on his pipe.
The measure of age used to be
When
Policemen looked younger
Now
I know I’m getting old
When
Santa starts looking younger
The Legend of the Christmas Rose links this winter blooming flower with the birth of the Christ Child.
The
legend says that the three wise men accompanied by the shepherds were traveling
to the east when they met with a shepherdess named Madelon who was tending to
her sheep.
She
began to weep when she saw the gifts for the Christ child because she had had
nothing to give.
An
angel saw her crying and brushed the snow away where her tears had fallen and
revealed a beautiful white flower tipped with pink, the Christmas Rose.
Despite the general awfulness of the Christmas song there are however always exceptions to the rule, and I have a short list of personal favorites.
Without
exception all my choices not only include the song but the best performer of
that song and so in no particular order here is my fortieth selection.
“Jingle
Bells”
Written by James Pierpont
Performed
by Rosemary Clooney
Dashing
through the snow
Over the fields we go
Laughing all the way
Bells on bobtail ring'
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to laugh and sing
A sleighing song tonight!
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way.
Oh! what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way;
Oh! what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.
A day or two ago
I thought I'd take a ride
And soon, Miss Fanny Bright
Was seated by my side,
The horse was lean and lank
Misfortune seemed his lot
He got into a drifted bank
And then we got upsot.
A day or two ago,
The story I must tell
I went out on the snow,
And on my back I fell;
A gent was riding by
In a one-horse open sleigh,
He laughed as there I sprawling lie,
But quickly drove away.
Now the ground is white
Go it while you're young,
Take the girls tonight
and sing this sleighing song;
Just get a bobtailed bay
Two forty as his speed
Hitch him to an open sleigh
And crack! You'll take the lead.
10-year-old, Jackson Mayhew (Rory Culkin) moves in with his Aunt (Sherilyn Fenn) after the death of his parents.
Aunt Patty works the bar at the Coconut Grotto
hotel in Florida and it’s at the Hotel where Jackson befriends an elderly man Sam Clausner (Hume Cronyn) and he
begins to suspect that the old man is actually Santa Claus,
The
wonderful Hume Cronyn's is brilliant and plays his role with panache and it
will be remembered as a holiday classic.
His
flawless performance was given despite the fact he was almost 90 years old.
