Ok, re Christmas movies versus movies with Christmas as a backdrop: what are your thoughts on It’s a Wonderful Life? I maintain that this is NOT a Christmas movie, because most of it DOESN’T EVEN TAKE PLACE AT CHRISTMAS. My family, however, vehemently disagree with me.

phoenixwrites:

saxgoddess25:

phoenixwrites:

This is an excellently controversial question, I love it.

Unfortunately…I’m so sorry…I must disagree with you.  “It’s A Wonderful Life” is definitely a Christmas movie. Because the climax of the film MUST take place on Christmas.

It’s for sure a weird Christmas film (it wasn’t even marketed as a Christmas film in the beginning) because, as you said, most of it doesn’t even take place on Christmas.

To counter that point though, most of “The Santa Clause” also doesn’t take place on Christmas, and yet, that is most definitely a Christmas film.

But the climax of the film, where George Bailey wishes he’d never been born, absatively-posalutely must take place on Christmas–the Christmas after World War 2 had ended, when his brother is returning home. The climax cannot take place at any other time of year because Christmas is a time for magic and miracles. “It’s A Wonderful Life” mirrors “A Christmas Carol”, whence the magic must take place the night before Christmas in order to teach our heroes an important lesson.

George Bailey must learn what a difference he has made to Bedford Falls, Scrooge must learn what a difference he CAN make to those in his life, and the holiday of Christmas–historically magical, sacred, holiday about the magic of belief and faith–is the only way the magic can work on them.

George Bailey couldn’t learn this on his birthday. Or Easter. Or on the 4th of July. It has to be Christmas and it has to come from a Christmas angel. It has to be Christmas when all hope seems lost for him and he nearly jumps from a snowy bridge. It has to be Christmas when he runs through through the town and realizes what a blessing it is to be ALIVE, yelling “MERRY CHRISTMAS!” to everyone he loves.

It must be Christmas. The whole story hinges on this event.

These discussions are interesting. I, myself, don’t really care what gets classified as a Christmas movie. Instead, the thing that always perturbs me is that apparently “My favourite things” from the sound of music is played as Christmas song. Talk about something that has nothing to do with Christmas. Just because it mentions winter and snowflakes and that they like receiving presents) does not a Christmas song make.

Christmas is my FAVORITE HOLIDAY so I have STRONG OPINIONS ABOUT IT.

Don’t even get me started on “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and how it’s commonplace for them to fucking sing “hang a shining star upon the highest bough” instead of “until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow” I WILL GET ANGRY, DON’T GET ME STARTED–

Ahem. Have to agree.  “My Favorite Things” is definitely not a Christmas song and if you’re including it on your Christmas album, you are wrong.

I would argue that the entirety of the film (It’s a Wonderful Life) does take place on Christmas Eve, because everything we’re seeing (George’s childhood, his courtship and marriage to Mary, his arguments with Potter, his family growing, etc.) is being shown to us through Clarence’s eyes.

The movie begins where George’s friends and family are all praying for him *on* Christmas Eve. The angels hear the prayer and summon Clarence to go down to earth to stop him from committing suicide. But before he’s sent, they inform him about “who is George Bailey”–it’s all flashbacks through the years, but ALL of those flashbacks are being told *on* Christmas Eve.

Clarence then goes down to earth to stop George from killing himself, and we know that this is in fact Christmas Eve, and this is when George makes his ill-fated wish that he’d never been born. And then yes, the climax of the movie, that entire last 20 minutes or so, is all focused and centered on around the holiday of Christmas.

So I am of the camp that yes, it’s a Christmas movie, and it all takes place *at* Christmas, even if we’re seeing scenes from George’s life that don’t take place at Christmas.

liberalsarecool:

Leviticus 19:33-34

“When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.“

ALSO…

Matthew 2:13-15

“When the magi had departed, an angel from the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up. Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod will soon search for the child in order to kill him.’ Joseph got up and, during the night, took the child and his mother to Egypt. He stayed there until Herod died. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: I have called my son out of Egypt.”

No, Amazon Cannot Replace Libraries

nypl:

Public libraries are not going anywhere.

Let me tell you something about public libraries and how *vital* they are to a community…

First off, public libraries offer a safe space for children after school, or on school holidays or in the summer when parents work all day and can’t afford full-time caregivers.

Libraries offer community education programs, from learning a second language, to discussions on local history, to cooking and gardening demonstrations, etc, a majority of which are FREE of charge! There’s also on-site tutoring for children and adults in a variety of fields.

Libraries are also a great place to receive important information in regards to income taxes and voter registration. Many libraries have copies of the basic tax forms you need, as well as “How-To” booklets you can take with you. Libraries can provide you information about new state and local government laws and with bi-partisan information on how they will effect the community.

Libraries offer basic forms of technology that many people may not have at home. Need to fax some information before a job interview? How many places still have fax machines–OH! Libraries, that’s who! Same goes for scanning documents. Sometimes this is free, and if not, it’s dimes and quarters. What if your printer breaks, or your computer has a virus and you can’t use it to check email or print something that you need for a job or school? LIBRARIES TO THE RESCUE!

Have an older adult who needs some basic “how-to” knowledge when it comes to tech? Libraries offer classes from keyboarding to how-to-use-a-smartphone.

And speaking of older adults, it’s not just children that libraries help. Seniors need social activities every bit as kids, and libraries provide that, from community arts and craft classes, to the ever popular book club.

And if you’re still not convinced, let me tell you one last story…

A few summers ago we had a power outage, one that affected our street for an entire week! And it was extremely hot in the middle of July. We were miserable and weren’t sure what to do during the day.

But we found solace at our public library. We brought our phone chargers and were able to keep our phones juiced up so we could continue talking with the power company. We also found peace from the heat inside the air-conditioned walls of the library, and were able to keep in touch with our various work places through the computer lab.

When a disaster strikes an area, be it a power outage or something far worse, public libraries are a safe haven where people can gather. Time and again, this has been proven. Public libraries are VITAL! But Republicans want to shut them down, using the age-old “they eat up the community through taxes, get rid of all tax-run institutions!” blah, blah, blah.

Amazon and other companies would love to take the place of library, charging you every time you enter it’s doorway, and charging you every time you need to use anything they offer, from a book to a piece of tech, etc.

Don’t be fooled, they want libraries to suffer, because the worst thing in the world is an informed citizen who can call bullshit on a capitalist thug. SUPPORT PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND BOYCOTT THOSE WHO STAND AGAINST THEM!

No, Amazon Cannot Replace Libraries

Dear YA authors

STOP trying to make stalking “sexy”

STOP making your female protagonist feel “guilty” or “uncertain of herself” when her gut is telling her to avoid this creep

STOP writing teen girls with uncontrollable hormones that make them want to “bang this douche” when they repeatedly state that he makes them feel uncomfortable

STOP writing friends, family members, and teachers who IGNORE said female protagonist when she goes to them and tells them how uncomfortable this jerk wad makes her feel, but they either ignore her or encourage to KEEP SEEING HIM because somehow that will ”help” her??? (or his needs are more important than her comfort)

Just…please…STOP making money off of something that continues to perpetuate rape culture and tells teenage girls (and women of all ages in general) that “you’re a freak if you aren’t falling head of over heels for the ‘bad stalker boy’ and you should thank your lucky stars that he’s into you at all, and you BETTER give in to his every whim and desire and let him use you until he’s done and when he does drop you after abusing you, don’t blame him because it’s somehow YOUR fault!”

And readers? STOP giving these assholes your time and money–demand change from the writers, the publishers, the industry; this is not healthy, this is not NORMAL, and we need to STOP allowing them to “normalize” it