Christmas movies 'remind people of the goodness in themselves'
Halloween has, well, "Halloween." Groundhog Dog even has a movie named for it. Christmas, of course, has its own mainstays - the films that synonymous with the holiday spirit, such as "It's a Wonderful Life," or the toy that will shoot your eye out as promised in "A Christmas Story."
"Christmas movies are naturals," said Tom Proietti, a professor of communication at Monroe Community College and St. John Fisher College. "They have become part of the tradition of our American Christmas."
Since the early 1940s, Hollywood has churned out plenty of holiday classics to grace television screens. Whether it's yelling out "Merry Christmas, Bedford Falls!" getting a tongue stuck to an iced-over pole, or finding the real Santa Claus, these movies hold a special place in hearts for many come Christmas time.
Michael Ofsowitz, a professor of psychology at MCC, said a strong attachment to holiday movies has to do with maintaining a person's social and moral identities in addition fulfilling a longing for nostalgia. But he said it's not just that.
"These movies remind some people of the goodness in themselves," he said. "Christmas movies often have moral stories, and some people might be attracted to them for the purpose of reaffirming the connection between their own sense of morality and Christianity."
Bruce Austin, chair of the communications department at Rochester Institute of Technology, agreed, noting that Christmas movies have a special appeal because they have the ability to take viewers back in time.
For Rochesterian Stacy Johnson, popping in Jim Henson's "Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas" has become an annual ritual because it reminds her of her childhood. "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" is one of her favorites.
"The way it makes me feel ... the nostalgia of it ... it makes you feel good," she said. "I know there's a lot of feel good movies out there, but (Christmas movies) pump it up a little bit."
Austin said playing off of Christmas themes like joy and friendship are an important part of holiday movies because they dovetail with a season that's built on the same values. It's a sort of double whammy.
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For decades, 1960s television specials like "Frosty the Snowman" and "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" have been doing just that. Farmington resident Fred Armstrong, president of Rochester's Animatus animation studio, said the timelessness of many holiday movies can be tied into the fact that they share such strong emotional connections to what many people feel the holiday is about. Mix that up with the fantasy worlds of the North Pole and famed characters like flying reindeer and you've got a holiday classic that can live forever and appeal to plenty of audiences, he said.
When it comes to movies celebrating caring, giving, love and joy, Proietti said it's hard to pass up films that play on the virtues of Christmas. After all, families have to do something while enjoying their roasted chestnuts and egg nog.
"Because Christmas has become so much more than a religious celebration, films that are set in or play upon the Christmas season are simply tapping into a rich vein of American culture," Proietti said. "As much as dragging a pine tree into a home for decoration, we now have come to expect certain movies to play on TV or to play them ourselves."
Bryan Roth can be reached at (585) 394-0770, Ext. 270, or at broth@mpnewspapers.com.