As I said before, for me, holidays are just
another excuse to watch and re-watch my favourite TV shows [shocker, I know…]
Most people watch movies around this time of the year. I don’t consider my
Christmas break complete without watching at least one Lord of the Rings movie [and Harry
Potter if I have the time]. Fantasy movies put me on the right state of
mind. But as any respectable TV fanatic, I also see Christmas as the perfect
opportunity to marathon several eps of one or two TV shows. Unlike Thanksgiving, I am not talking
about “Christmas episodes”, I am talking about TV shows that make me feel “Christmassy”
for different reasons [some of these reasons don’t make sense at all… just
thought I should warn you].
So here is my TOP 5 [not so logical] list of TV
shows I love to watch over the Christmas holidays:
5) DOWNTON ABBEY
If you live in the UK, watching the Downton Abbey Christmas special is a
MUST. However, if you are anywhere else in the world… Doesn’t it sound
wonderful to sit down with the family, drink a cup of tea and marathon the
first couple of seasons of this wonderfully posh show? You can keep the theme
by watching the Christmas specials or just watch any random episode; they all
have family members exchanging snappy remarks over lavish dinners after all… “What is a holi-day?”
Christmas Factor: Opulent dinners, fancy clothes,
snarky family members, people worrying too much about who is single and who is
not… It’s like Christmas all year round.
Watching Suggestion: Watch it with the entire family [dog
included] while drinking tea and eating scones.
4) EVERWOOD
I know this is not completely accurate; but, in
my mind, it was ALWAYS snowing in Everwood
and that feels mighty Christmassy to me. Plus Everwood is just the type of family-feel-good-show I love to watch
when I am looking to feel all warm and fuzzy. It’s wholesome entertainment for
the entire family and you will feel like hugging your parents/children after
watching a few eps.
Christmas Factor: Lots of snow, quaint characters in a
Norman Rockwell backdrop, classical music and families facing adversity
together. It’s almost a mash-up of all Christmas movies themes ever…
Watching Suggestion: Crawl under a blanket, grab a cup of
eggnog/hot chocolate and watch it with your entire family.
3) GAME OF THRONES
Remember when I said not everything on this
list makes sense? Well… I guess this is where you ask “What the hell is
Yule-like about Game of Thrones”? Probably
nothing… they don’t even have Christmas in Westeros… As far as I know neither
the Old Gods, the Seven or the Lord of Light have any links to Jesus. However, as I said before, I associate
Christmas with “magic” and “fantasy” and another word comes to mind: Epic
[which is why I like watching Lord of the
Rings during this time of the year]. So
in this sense … Magic CHECK, fantasy CHECK epicness CHECK. See? There is some
logic to this… plus I would take any opportunity to marathon a season of Game of Thrones.
Christmas factor: It’s epic and fantastic. There is a
lot of snow, which is even the name of a character [Jon Snow] and you know… “Winter
is coming”. There are also lots of “dysfunctional family reunions” and dragons
are “Christmassy” aren’t they? OK… maybe not…
Watching suggestion: If you are single and/or don’t have
kids, watch it anytime! If you do have kids you probably want to wait until you
are sleeping. Just grab a glass of wine, some lemon pies and preferably stay
away from the milk of the poppy.
2) FRINGE
After picking the first 3 shows for this list it
was pretty clear that I was looking for: 1) Fantasy/ Magic/extraordinary events 2) Snow and 3) Family. I tried to think of a show that had all three elements
and Fringe was the first to come to
mind. It has just the right amount of fantasy, it sure snows a LOT in Boston
and the father/son relationship will make you cry every time. Who wouldn’t want
to spend Christmas watching windows to other universes, zeppelins and kids
falling on ice and being rescued by strange men in black hats? That is just
like Miracle on 34th street… isn’t it?
Christmas Factor: Cold weather, the prodigal son
returning home, mysterious visitors from other worlds, lots of heart-warming
moments
Watching Suggestion: Pick up a strawberry milkshake and
all the junk food you can find and enjoy the crazy ride.
And my
NUMBER ONE show to watch over Christmas is…
1) PUSHING DAISIES
Without a doubt this show is my favorite
Christmas show. I know it technically has NOTHING to do with Christmas, but
watching the superb two seasons of Pushing
Daisies has become a Christmas tradition for me. I can’t think of s
sweeter, more up-lifting, visually stunning show that can be enjoyed with the
entire family and instantly put you in a festive mood. If you have never seen
this show, go buy a DVD now! [perfect gift BTW] and have the joy of experiencing
it for the first time. If you are already familiar with the brilliance of Pushing Daisies, it is the perfect time to revisit it.
Christmas Factor: Fairy tale look, sound and feel, an
ominous narrator, people coming back to life.
Watching Suggestion: Must be watched while eating pie.
And that is it! Hope you all have a great
TV-licious Christmas!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
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