This film is about two strangers Elise (Jaime King) and Nick (Luke Macfarlane) who meet at the food court and discover that they share a disdain for Christmas.
After their second
meeting its obvious to them both that neither of them enjoys Christmas, they
make a pact, to avoid being lonely during the holidays and to navigate their
way through their Christmas calendars together, and the pact results in “The
Mistletoe Promise”
Kwanzaa is a non-religious festival African festival beginning on December 26th and ending on January 1st the central practice is the lighting of the seven candles or mishumaa of Kwanzaa which signifies each of the Seven Principles or Nguzo Saba.
Saturnalia
was a period of the year that was one of great festivity for the pagan Romans.
The four day celebration of Saturnalia began on December 17th with the feast of
the god Saturn, the Roman deity of seed and sowing.
“The Roman Saturnalia was characterized by processions, singing, lighting
candles, adorning houses with laurels and green trees, giving presents.”
Many of these have passed into modern day Christmas celebrations.
A major part of the pagan Saturnalia festival was ritual turning everything
upside-down which abolished for a short while the distinction of ranks, a
reversal of all order and dignities where slaves were served by masters,
soldiers served by their officers, a tradition which is still carried out today
in the British armed forces.
A tenth reindeer flew in Santa’s team
One unknown pulling Santa’s sleigh
We know the names of nine of them
Including Rudolf leading the way
So, who was the mystery number ten?
Twas Rudolf the brown-nosed reindeer
Flew behind his red nosed brother
But he couldn’t stop as quick I fear
This movie is not
just another adaptation of Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol”, this one offers
us a refreshing twist.
It’s touching,
funny, and sentimental without being syrupy, it offers the viewer a message of
the importance of family without the usual boring message that normally
accompanies it.
The film is set in
a world where Christmas is run by the efficient Bureau of Yuletide Affairs, and
they supply the “Ghosts”.
The target is an
embittered miser Jack Cameron (Tom Arnold) and a bitter and burned-out Ghost of
Christmas Past (Leslie Jordan) is given the case but he decides to go AWOL
while on the “mission” and leave his target Jack and the Ghost of Christmas
Present (Andrea Roth) stranded in 1965 with hilarious results.
Tom Arnold delivers
a believable performance, but Leslie Jordan is outstanding and steals the show
even though Andrea Roth is adorable and holds the whole thing together.
If you want a
Christmas movie to be different and unexpected, then this is the one for you.
If
on Christmas Day
Snow
fall is seen
Then
come Easter
Everywhere
be green
Candlemas
was originally a Pagan festival to celebrate purification but now it is part of
the Christian calendar.
The feast of the presentation is celebrated on February 2nd the 40th day after
Christmas and it is a day honoring Christ and Mary's purification in the
temple.
