Snowflakes and reindeers, candles and lanterns, joy and hope in every corner, endless playlists consisting “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Mariah Carey… Isn’t Christmas just a blessing which fills your heart with happiness?
I guess you got the idea that this blog will be about Christmas. (:
Actually, it is about the typical and overly cliché Christmas movies. You will be reading about their formats, including characters, plot, important climaxes and theme.
1. Characters
· The Grinch (Protagonist)
This character is rather skeptical and refuses to believe in Christmas or Santa due to past trauma, such as losing a loved one during Christmas or becoming overwhelmed by work. The character is mostly an adult who is very rational towards life.
· The Happy-Go-Lucky
The character which is always joyful and enthusiastic who loves Christmas, and often tries to inspire the protagonist. It is mainly a child character (which is most probably the kid of the protagonist). However, somewhere around the movie they are let down by the protagonist…hmm…we’ll see.
· Santa Claus
The mystical figure of Christmas who guides the protagonist and gives them valuable life lessons. Santa is a very cheerful and energetic character, but also very resilient and sometimes rather serious.
· Sidekicks
Elves, animal companions, talking animal companions (A/N: creepy if you ask me), quirky townsfolks… You know… the sidekicks who travels along the journey with the protagonist, and relentlessly makes jokes that you never laugh.
· The Antagonist
This character may be a tricky one, because its sometimes internal (the protagonist’s doubts) or external, such as an arrogant person who tries to cancel Christmas, or a grumpy boss, etc.
2. Plot Structure
Ah, the plot… maybe the most predictable feature in typical Christmas movies. Now, let’s look into it.
· Introduction
The protagonist has a boring and exhausting life, they rarely have the time or the motivation to spend time with their family. Also, they have a strong resentment and disbelief towards Christmas.
· The Incident
Something forces the protagonist into a Christmas setting they’d rather avoid, which may be being stranded in a festival of a small town or having to attend a Christmas-themed family gathering.
· The Call of Adventure
A magical event occurs (Christmas miracle), such as meeting Santa, or finding a magical ornament which guides to protagonist to Santa, or discovering a magical portal which leads the characters to the house of Santa.
· The Refusal of the Call
The protagonist instantly denies the magical occasion and decides to be stubborn (A/N: We all know he’ll start believing at some point).
· The Journey Begins (after a long session of the protagonist being passive-aggressive)
All the characters find themselves in a Christmas adventure, where they often deliver presents, save Christmas, help someone in need, or all three at the same time.
3. Key Climax Points
· Witnessing a Miracle
Around the middle of the movie the protagonist witnesses a Christmas miracle. This particular miracle changes from movie to movie, but the general trend is to show the protagonist a younger and happier version of themselves, reuniting with lost loved ones, or a generous and selfless act.
· The Low Point
Despite all the progress and confidence the protagonist gains, they become haunted by their fears once more and their skepticism resurface, leading them to held back at critical moments. As I mentioned before, this sometimes causes the ”happy-go-lucky” for becoming disappointed of the protagonist.
· The Grand Gesture
They perform a selfless act or embrace the Christmas spirit in order to save the day, earning Santa’s approval or reviving a lost relationship.
4. The Theme
· Redemption and Forgiveness
The protagonist learns to forgive themselves or others for unpleasant memories, rekindling their belief in magic and joy.
· The Power of Belief
Believing in Christmas becomes a metaphor for having faith in life’s goodness and possibilities.
· Community and Generosity
This cliché story highlights the importance of sharing joy and being part of a supportive community.
As it can be seen, there are some obvious themes that can be infered from these movies.
5. Conclusion, at last…
· The protagonist embraces Christmas with newfound enthusiasm, their life transformed for the better. Relationships are healed, and their world is brighter, filled with snow, laughter, and the jingling of sleigh bells, blah blah blah.
And for the conclusion of this blog, I hope you enjoyed it and started to have opinions on the typical formats of typical Christmas movies. (:
Merry Christmas to you all!