Christmas by medium
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It also includes animation, comics, and children's books, including A Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, and Frosty the Snowman.
Films
Many Christmas stories have been
A few films based on fictionalized versions of true stories have become Christmas specials themselves. The story behind the Christmas carol "
Sometimes, family films and classics boasting special effects and/or uplifting messages, but having no real relation to Christmas, are telecast during the season as part of the holiday programming.
In the
In North America, the holiday movie season often includes release of studios' most prestigious pictures, in an effort both to capture holiday crowds and to position themselves for Oscar consideration. Next to summer, this is the second-most lucrative season for the industry. In fact, a few films each year open on the actual Christmas Day holiday. Christmas movies generally open no later than Thanksgiving, as their themes are not so popular once the season is over. Likewise, the home video release of these films is typically delayed until the beginning of the next year's Christmas season.
American Christmas-themed films are also broadcast on the
The settings are usually in the northern United States, or in a mountain area (such as Colorado), where snow (and the ensuing "White Christmas") are used as a backdrop for the film (though the films themselves are often filmed in British Columbia due to favorable film tax benefits).
As of 2020 The Grinch is the highest grossing Christmas film of all time. Green Book was the last movie with a Christmas setting to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Television specials and episodes
Before 1962, when
This all changed once variety shows began dying out in the late 1980s and Rankin-Bass began producing more and more Christmas specials.
One notable television special usually seen at Christmas was
United Kingdom
TV programmes which have had special Christmas episodes in the United Kingdom include Top of the Pops (from 1960s-2006), Morecambe and Wise (1970s), The Two Ronnies (1980s), Stars in Their Eyes, Only Fools and Horses (both 1990s), and more recently, Doctor Who, Top Gear (both 2000s), Downton Abbey (2010s) and The Repair Shop (2020s).
The 1982 animated tale The Snowman has been screened for many years during the Christmas period (usually Christmas Eve or Christmas Day), and the 1991 short animated film, Father Christmas, by the same artist and company, is usually broadcast around the same time.[citation needed]
Adaptations of novels from
Christmas Day begins at 12 at night with the showing of
Most Christmas specials in the UK are specially commissioned separately to a
While the season receives almost universal acknowledgement on British TV, some channels and programmes have tried "alternative" or "anti-Christmas" ideas. One example is
United States
In the United States, many television series (particularly those of a family-oriented nature) produce a Christmas episode, although seldom outside of a season's production block. Stand-alone Christmas specials are also popular, from newly created animated shorts and movies to repeats of those that were popular in previous years, such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and A Charlie Brown Christmas. Some local affiliates provide the Yule Log, a block of time either on Christmas morning or both during the evening hours of Christmas Eve and Christmas morning showing footage of a fireplace, coupled with popular Christmas music. Some local affiliates that provide the Yule Log simulcast Christmas music from a radio station playing it.
Every
Christmas specials based on
Radio
Many radio stations begin to add
The UK music industry features the battle of the bands and artists to make it to the Christmas No. 1 spot, recognised on the first Sunday before, or on, Christmas Day. Many of these songs are festive, while others are novelty songs that remain but briefly at the top of the chart. Gospel singer
As with television, British radio programmes also schedule Christmas specials. These mainly include comedy shows such as I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue and The Now Show.
The Music Choice channels have over the past few years have begun playing Christmas music as early as the beginning of November, instead of waiting till after Thanksgiving.
Literature
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References
- ^ "The Legend of Silent Night". 25 December 1968 – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ "Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus". 6 December 1974 – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ "The Movie - The Legend - OzWiki". Thewizardofoz.info. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
- ^ "The 30 Best Christmas Movies Ever". Empireonline.com. Archived from the original on 2012-01-20. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
- ^ Frymorgen, Tomasz (28 November 2017). "People are claiming Die Hard is a Christmas film and it's tearing the internet apart". BBC Three. Archived from the original on 2017-12-24. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- Independent.co.uk. 5 December 2017. Archivedfrom the original on 2017-12-24. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- ^ "Does DIE HARD Really Qualify as a Christmas Movie? - Nerdist". 12 December 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-12-23. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- ^ "Why Die Hard is the ultimate Christmas movie — despite naysayers". Archived from the original on 2017-12-26. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- ^ "Why Die Hard Is the Best Christmas Movie of All Time". 24 December 2012. Archived from the original on 2017-12-17. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
- ^ Plunkett, John (15 October 2009). "Sky Movies lines up Christmas Channel". The Guardian. UK. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
- ^ a b Eisenberg, Jeff (December 24, 2009). "Christmas Tradition". The Riverside (Ca.) Press-Enterprise. p. B1.
- ^ a b Schuhmann, John (December 17, 2009). "Knicks, Kobe and more part of Christmas Day lore". NBA.com. Archived from the original on December 2, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
- ^ Garcia, Art (December 21, 2009). "Christmas Day clashes bring back fond memories". NBA.com. Retrieved December 27, 2010.