With the holidays comes family, food, cheer, and the typical almost cliché Scrooge allegory repeated in Christmas movies again and again and again and again and again.
The story of Scrooge is about a grumpy old man with a heart full of greed and cynicism. He’s visited by a friend of a dead colleague warning him about his wicked and capitalist ways. Later that night, three ghosts visit him showing him his past, present, and future. They paint a pretty grim picture of a pretty grim man that’s overcompensating with his frugality, and greed to cover a heart full of sadness, loneliness and cynicism. Scrooge learns the error of his way and has a change of heart because if he lets joy and love in, then he can feel love and joy.
Essentially the message is summed up by a cliché. Money can’t buy happiness.
It’s produced a lot of clichés of its own including “don’t be such a Scrooge” and of course the catchphrase “Bah Humbug”. Think of some of the most common Christmas films; A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965), One Magic Christmas (1985), Scrooged (1988), Home Alone (1990), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), The Polar Express (2004), Krampus (2015), How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000; 2018). All of them follow the same Christmas theme, even Die Hard (1988)!!
That’s why I wanted to give Christmas a bit of a different style. Christmas seems to have become a cliché in and of itself so let’s find the most bizarre and anti-cliche Christmas carols we can find.
“Christmas Songs” by Bongo Cat
“N.O.E.L.” by Psychostick (System of a Down B.Y.O.B. Christmas Parody )
“Freak on a Leash” by Melodicka Bros (Way Too Christmas Cover)
“Progressive Christmas Carols” by Paint
“Christmas Metalcore Interruptions” by Jake Holland
Have a non-cliche Christmas! Bah Humbug!!
The night before
The shop around the corner
the nightmare before christmas
The holiday
Krampus
Love actually
Edward Scissorhands
Arthur christmas
Bad Santa
Rudolph the rednose reigndeer
Some may argue that it’snot about financial gain but Rudolph wasn’tgreat at his job of being a reighndeer and learned that his self worth and the worth of others insn’t tied into their use as a worker. Thus,capitalism.
The Santa Clause
Scrooged
It’s in the title, enough said.
A miracle on 34th street
A christmas story
Black Christmas
Frosty the Snowman
A charlie brownchristmas
Obviously there are more christmas movies that follow that allegory that weren’t mentioned but some honourable mentions include
Each of these movies share the same message in a different way.
There are other Christmas films that broke the mold though. Right?
There are Christmas films that aren’t about being a cynical grumpy asshole that has an epiphany and learns the value of a hug.
Home Alone isn’t quite about that right?
Batman returns
Bah Humbug!!
