White Christmas, the 1954 film about two former soldier who turn song and dance men and who help their former commander as he attempts to run a floundering ski resort, has special meaning to me. It stars Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and Rosemary Clooney and was directed by Michael Curtiz. It features the songs of Irving Berlin. As a major piece of American film history, that would be enough to be of interest to me, but it has a much more profound connection.
My parents were both of “the greatest generation,” which is a description with which I agree. They were born and raised during the depression and were part of the multitudes of America who fought and supported World War II. My father was a Marine, and my mother worked in the Signal Corps. This group of Americans had a toughness that was forged in the fire of great tumult, both national and international.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_Corps_%28United_States_Army%29)
My mother loved this movie, and it was a tradition in our family to watch it when it aired on television, which was, if I remember correctly, every Christmas Eve. If not that night, then it was always on a nearby night. Of course, as a child who was born a while after World War II, it was all ancient history to me then, but for my mother and father, it spoke directly to their lives and to their hopes and dreams.
Both of my parents have been gone for quite a while now, over 20 years–they were married for 48 years and died within 2 years of each other. As I have become older, I have learned to appreciate what my parents did for us, which, I have to admit, when I was young and stupid, I did not. To paraphrase Mark Twain, –it is amazing how smart my parents got as I got older. And I appreciate and try to continue some of the family traditions, including watching White Christmas, but now with my beloved wife. I still feel the connection to my Mom and Pop when I watch this movie. This movie speaks to the connection of people, of hope, of joy, of happiness, and of the power of music.
And I wish we would have a white Christmas, but I think it will not happen this year.
Perhaps next year.
It’s a good one, but I have to say I prefer the original Holiday Inn.
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For me, the family memories imbue it with joy.
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I didn’t discover this movie until later in my life. Yet it has become a stalwart favorite. I love this movie, and my passion for it has passed on to my sons. We always see one showing of it together during Christmastime.
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That is wonderful!
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Yes, Christmas is full of bittersweet memories. Traditions will do that. My parents, too, got smarter as I got older.
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Yes, it is an amazing process–about parents getting smarter as we get older.
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Great things always become greater when they’re attached to good memories.
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Yes, that is an excellent point!
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This is such a great post, and brings back so many good memories for me. I am 77, and my significant other, Richard is some years younger, but in mind and spirit, we are the same, so age really doesn’t matter. I remember that Margaret Mead was married to a man who was at least 50 years her junior. Richard isn’t that much younger, but enough. Somehow age seems meaningless. It is how we feel about life in general and our ability to deal with it.
Yes, we looked forward to potential snow. We lived in El Paso, TX then and my dad was in the Army there in Ft. Bliss. All my relatives as far back as I know were in one branch or the other of the military. I too wanted to be in the military as a nurse. But in those days, women did not do those things, and my mom said no, that I should find a good man and get married.
And so after all these years, I found my good man, and he has been in the military too. He and I remember so many of those old Christmas movies and the old films. I liked them because people did not need to swear every other word, and they did not tend to show people who cheated on each other or other horrible things like really violent murders.
Movies then were feel-good movies. You might get scared, or you might even feel horrified at some monster movie, but people overall felt good in some strange and small ways. That was when movies meant entertainment.
Thank you very kindly. Another great post!
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You are very welcome, and thank you for your heartfelt comments!
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The “We’ll Follow The Old Man” number toward the end often makes me tear up. It’s effective when they do it in the beginning too, but what we’ve experienced in the moments in between make the final performance better.
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Yes! I agree completely!
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I am going to look for that one. I have definitely not seen that.
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I love this film.
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A beautiful post of your family memories, Charles. I love this movie!
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Thank you, Jennie!
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