Tonight is Saturday evening and we got together with some friends to spend quality time. So, we watched Elf and A Charlie Brown Christmas to brush up on our English analysis over pizza (and to be awesome like a nerdfighter). We noted as we watched that anti-Christmas-commercialism is a common theme in both films.
Okay here are some examples: in Elf, Santa's sleigh runs on Christmas cheer and the single carolling voice of Walter Hobbs, Buddy's naughty list father, made the difference between whether the sleigh would rise above Manhattan or be attacked by the Central Park rangers. Also, Buddy was so innocent and uncorrupted by the evils of the unchecked, commercialistic society (cough, cough-- Puritanism), that he was naïve to the uncaring ways of the world outside of his sheltered, Utopian-style North Pole. The North Pole was not commercialistic. They made toys because they wanted people to be happy, whereas, the "North Pole" in Gimbels was just about "getting through the holidays" and was solely named so as a marketing technique. In the end of the movie, one can hear the virtual audience cheering as Walter Hobbs chooses to find Buddy, and therefore the Christmas spirit inside of himself, even if it resulted in the loss of his job, instead of staying at work on Christmas Eve (and ignoring what was important to his son).
Now, there are parallels to Charlie Brown. Charlie doesn't understand what he's missing when it comes to Christmas-- why isn't he happy? In the end he realizes that he was the one who understood the meaning of Christmas all along, while everyone else experienced Christmas only on the commercial level, which left Charlie Brown feeling empty. In the end of Charlie Brown, he feels true happiness when he sees that his tree is decorated by friends feeling true Christmas spirit.
We could keep talking, but then what would be left for you all to ponder and comment on? GOODBYE!
~Kelsey and Olivia
P.S. Merchants of Cool ties in as well-- in what ways do you all see connections?
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