The Germans love to decorate their homes at
Christmas time and one of the favorite forms of German decoration is for the
window.
The decoration consists of small wooden frames holding a picture made from
colored glass or plastic with an electric candlelight behind it, these lights
look very beautiful when viewed from outside at night.
It was Pope Julius I, in 320 AD, who selected 25th December as the official date of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Technically “Snowmen” is not a Christmas Movie but that can be overlooked because it’s a great tale about three unlikely heroes, Billy Kirkfield (Bobby Coleman), Howard Garvey (Bobb'e J. Thompson) and Lucas Lamb (Christian Martyn), and the winter that changed their lives forever after a surprising discovery in the snow which catapults the three small-town boys into the spotlight.
Billy is a cancer survivor but is convinced
that he’s going to die despite the fact that the doctors and his parents have
told him otherwise, and before he dies, he wants to do something that will mean
he will be remembered forever.
So, the best friends hatch a plan to do
something that will get them into the Guinness World Records Book.
Along the way, the trio battles schoolyard
bullies, unites their community and discovers that, while fame may be fleeting,
true friendship lasts forever.
The film also featured Ray Liotta as Billy’s
father, Josh Flitter as their nemesis and Christopher Lloyd as the
philosophical cemetery caretaker.
A popular German Christmas decoration is an Adventskranz which consists of a wreath of evergreen leaves with four candles equally spaced.
Advent which means 'coming' is the 4-week period before Christmas and on each
Sunday of Advent, another candle is lit.
In Germany Der Weihnachtsmann or Father Christmas brings presents in the late afternoon of Christmas Eve so after people return home from church, they find the presents under the Christmas tree and one person in the family will ring a bell and call everyone to come to the room.
Telesphorus, the second Bishop of Rome from 125 to 136 AD, declared that public Church services should be held to celebrate "The Nativity of our Lord and Saviour."
As the big night approaches, it is discovered that one of Father Christmas's reindeer, Prancer, has a hairline fracture in one of his feet, and has to drop out of the sleigh team.
Santa's stockman, John (Gabriel
Hogan) is instructed by Santa (Derek McGrath) and Mrs Claus (Jayne Eastwood)
to find a replacement as soon as possible but has no idea how to go about it,
so he speaks to Randy the pilot (K. Trevor Wilson) who
directs him to the Miller Ranch in Buckley Falls Alaska where there is a
reindeer herd.
When he gets there, he finds that owner Annie
(Hilarie Burton) is both unsympathetic and unreceptive to his enquiries
due to severe money worries.
He does however make a better impression on her
adorable daughter Madison (Lola Flanery) who introduces him to the reindeer,
and in particular, Frankie.
Annie is under pressure to sell up to a local
wealthy landowner and businessman who wants to develop her land into a winter
sports resort, or have the bank foreclose, so her choices are stark, sell to
someone she despises or lose everything, however John has a third alternative.
A very enjoyable, easy watch of a movie, and
there’s never a dull moment, with reindeer, romance, humour, and a good cast to
boot, I particularly enjoyed Jayne Eastwood playing a very different kind of
Mrs Claus, so if you get the chance, give it a watch.
