“What shall we hang, the holly or each other”…words from THE LION IN WINTER, the most important piece of work in my career….now considered one of the classics ….! The movie is one of the finest Christmas films ever, with wonderful dialogue from James Goldman, excellent performances from the entire cast and …first film for Anthony Hopkins and Timothy Dalton! What a great experience….the story of a dysfunctional family – the Plantagenets in this case – coming together for Christmas, with all the grievances, hurt feelings, slights and pain being aired liberally.
Watching Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn, tearing themselves apart at what is supposed to be a joyful celebration, is a sight to behold. I had a pretty good part too!
Eleanor and Alais
We make such an effort to celebrate one of the most important Christian holidays in the calendar, with the presents, the food, the expressions of good-will and often it all turns to disappointment.
Maybe we put too much pressure on ourselves and loved ones, that everything needs to be perfect. It doesn’t …we are simply celebrating a special Occasion…the birth of the most loving Man ever born and rightly so.
However many of the excesses arrived with Queen Victoria’s husband Prince Albert. He is attributed with:
Bringing Christmas Trees indoors
Decorating Christmas Trees. …
Turkey or Festive Bird for Dinner. …
Giving Gifts. …
A Pudding with a Twist. …
Gifts of Gratitude.
Then the commercial world caught on and the market economics really took off, with the pressure to outdo ourselves with the presents, the show and the food. Some of the light displays are ridiculous….I have see one house this year with enough lights to illuminate an entire town.
I don’t want to sound like a grumpy old Scrooge, but I think we could tone it down a bit, just keep it simple and demonstrate the important meaning with shows of love, kindness and generosity of the human spirit….surely those are the true gifts of Christmas.
Love, peace and good wishes to you all.
Christmas 2021 photo by Charles Hoover
Merry Christmas to you, Jane. I agree that toning things down a notch or three would probably be a good plan…we shall see what the New Year 2022 brings us.
May your Solstice be merry and bright, and the coming days longer in both LIGHT and JOY in your world.
Best of Blessings to you,
Melissa C Williams
And you too have a happy Christmas Jane! And thank you for the history lesson on Prince Albert.
I did not know any of those things (although I must confess that I have only good memories of
those things). Take care.
Happy Holidays to you Jane. You were wonderful in this film – it still remains one of my all time favorite holiday movie. I met Peter O’Toole when I first moved to NYC in 1992 at a book signing at Barnes & Noble. He was charming & I was very excited to meet my favorite actor!
Love,
Gina
Peter was a great and generous actor, I feel very lucky that I worked with him. Happy New Year! Love…Jane