The Many Movie Faces of Santa

 

Merry Christmas! Yesterday, Frere Dean James told us about his Christmas movie tradition. Today, my friend and mystery lover Doris Ann Norris discusses St. Nick on the small and large screen. Enjoy!  -- Elaine Viets

By Doris Ann Norris

'Tis the season to watch Christmas movies, and mystery fan and movie goer Doris Ann has spent this holiday season watching and sometimes re-watching Christmas movies, mostly the Hallmark Channel, but other networks as well. Some are feature films, others were TV movies or went straight to DVD. Doris Ann, a retired librarian, has catalogued what she learned about Santa Claus from these Christmas movies.

He can be married. The best-looking Mr. and Mrs. Claus were Robert Wagner and Jill St. John in Northpole. He even looks good in a long white beard. They're at the top of this blog.

Or Santa may be a son who must take over the job and find a wife, like Arthur Christmas.

 

Or the daughter of a "sonless" Santa who is looking for a husband to drive the sleigh. (Jack Frost won't do....he's a cocky, arrogant, entitled snob.)

But Santa is really nice even if he is the 50th or 60th or whatever (I'm right-brained) he carries out an important mission for the world....especially its children. And if you are the right age and meet the bachelor Claus, you can become Mrs. Claus. Like any couple, they have their ups and downs, detailed in Finding Mrs. Claus.

You never know where you are going to meet the real Santa. He may be ringing a bell at a street corner, so watch out what you wish for. You may have a challenging, exciting job and heading to the top of your profession except a thought about what life would have been if you had married that high school or college sweetheart. Suddenly you wake up with a husband and kids and are supposed to be some kind of Martha Stewart and Betty Crocker combined. It helps that you are beautiful or "as cute as a button" and have plenty of "spunk." Lou Grant would go crazy with all this spunkiness.

Of course, it will all end up happily with you being married to that former beau and having "wonderful" children. After all, women don't need a career or a profession. And they don't have to be barefoot and pregnant since they do have nice clothes. And lots of aprons.

Santa may also be a marketing specialist, as in Deck the Halls.

Or he could vacation in the Caribbean, the French Riviera, even Florida in the Off Season.

Santa remembers the wish you made almost thirty years ago and will honor it when "it's time," as in A Boyfriend for Christmas.

Yes, those Christmas "want" lists last forever in the North Pole. (I think they had computers long before we ever did or all that paper up North is one explanation for Global Warming.
Oh, and while he is mostly Santa Claus, he is also St. Nicholas, Kris Kringle, Pere Noel, Father Christmas, etc. etc. His wife mostly calls him "Nick."
Christmas is the best time of the year because Santa comes. Though people keep singing things like "Noel", "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem," "Joy to the World," "Silent Night," we really don't talk about that, just sing about it. (Unless, of course, it's one of the religion affiliated networks where production values, writing and acting are not too important.)
The Encounter had Jesus behind the counter of diner trying to win the souls of the five people he brought there. All they had to do is believe. One grumpy business guy didn't and he went to damnation helped by the Devil who was disguised as a State Patrolman. There was a lot of preaching (and a lot of snickering – from me).

Not all movies have Santa. I never realized how many "royal families" existed in Europe. And they all have either an unmarried Prince or Princess and they and the whole household speak perfect English. And, at least the Duchesses or whatever the Princes are supposed to marry are nasty snobs and fear the American interloper (you know the spunky one). As Roger Moore said in A Princess for Christmas, "She was all fur coat and no knickers."

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Comments

[Art Taylor]

Such a fun post!

[makar sankranti images 2017]

really nice

[Elaine Viets]

Thanks, Art. You can see Doris Ann put in hours of couch surfing for this blog.

[Elaine Viets]

Thank you, Makar.

[Dean James]

Thanks, Doris Ann! Such a fun and entertaining post.

[Hank Phillippi Ryan]

You are endlessly wonderful! Thank you for this holiday post… What a treat to read!

[Sally Schmidt]

What a fun post. Thanks for a laugh first thing this morning before I tackle that never-ending to do list!I

Odd enough to see Roger Moore in A Princess for Christmas, but almost impossible to believe that hiding under all that princeliness is Jamie from Outlander. He still made me swoon eventually ;-).

[Elaine Viets]

OMG. Who knew, Sally. Thanks for pointing that out.

[Marcia Talley]

What a fun trip down memory lane!!! Thanks, Doris Ann.

[Doris Ann Norris, the 2000-year-old librarian]

The joys of Christmas. Angels (Cary Grant, Peter Falk, Doris Roberts, etc), Ghosts of all "ages" and idealized small town life. Not to mention the not so subtle message that the most successful women can only be fulfilled by a husband and children.
Thanks to all of you, especially Elaine. And Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

[Rebecca Roxburgh Butler]

Yes, fun, but...as someone still absorbing The Writer's Advantage Checklist (and juggling three or so quintessential texts), I am filing these excellent Traits of Santa in my Characters folder. And then there's "Bad Santa." Love it or leave it, just be able to defend it.

[Elaine Viets]

I kinda like "Bad Santa," Rebecca. No way to defend it. I just do.

[Coco Ihle]

Delightful post, Doris Ann! You and I have watched the same movies. I saw the same ones Dean did, too! Heck, I've watched them all! I LOVE Christmas movies!

[Elaine Viets]

'Tis the season, Coco. Indulge! Movies can be nourishing and have no calories.