Monday, November 16, 2009

Holiday Media

With the holidays approaching, i'd like you to share with the group any media related traditions you have. Does your family all get together to watch something on TV. Is there any particular show you love to watch every Christmas/Thanksgiving? Why is that show/s so important to you. I know i have some favorites dating back to when i was a kid but i wonder if there are any new shows that have come on recently that will one day be a favorite for my children?

19 comments:

Crystal said...

Funny you should ask! My family always gets together to watch 'A Christmas Story'. Our favorite is when TBS plays nothing but that movie for 24 hours on Thanksgiving-so in between football games we get to catch glimpses of our favorite parts. I'm pretty sure we all have it memorized by now-every line.

Another big family hit is 'A Garfield Christmas'. We watched it all together one year accidentally and laughed and laughed. It's funny how you can get so tired and worn out from all the 'doing' during the holidays that anything you view suddenly becomes hilarious. Now, we try to catch both movies at least one time during the holiday season-whether we are all together or apart.
--Crystal Sloan

Travis_Page said...

The holiday season is always a pretty busy season around my house. One set of grandparents lives in Philadelphia, and the other lives in Pensacola, FL. So we usually alternate every year on where we spend Christmas. However, we have the same tradition at each grandparents' house. We always get together at least once during the visit and watch 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas'...and it usually gets watched more than once becuase it is on tv so much during December.

In recent years, we have started watching Jim Carey's version of the Grinch. It is a nice change from the animated version, but we still keep to our tradition and watch the original version. I feel like the origianl version of the Grinch will always be a holiday tradition in my house.

Unknown said...

The only show that really pops into my head is the Thanksgiving Day parade. I love to get up and watch that on the morning of Thanksgiving. It's never really been a tradition in my family; it's just something that I like to watch personally and have for years. Here in recent years, we've even left it on and continued to watch through the national dog show, too. I've always loved singing and dancing, and that's the majority of the parade aside from the floats, of course!

I usually don't get to watch the whole thing though, since I'm older. Now I have to help cook!

~Victoria L. Carr

Glenda said...

For Thanksgiving, my mother and her (3) sisters and their families gather at one of the homes for a traditional holiday dinner. Each family brings enough food to cover their own family. There is always a HUGE volume and variety to choose from. This year we will be traveling to my first cousin's home. Every year while the women work to bring the food all together, the in-law men are in the den remembering past times that were significant to them. It is also the only time during the year we are all in the same house and we use it to catch up on everyone's lives. It is always a fun and playful atmosphere.
This year will be the first without my uncle Frank who died earlier this year. He was the leader of the pack and insisted that everyone sit and enjoy the holiday foot ball games while he commentated from the recliner at spit his tobacco juice into a plastic cup. He was a very loud and jolly fellow who cared for and loved us all. He will be missed and I hope that the family tradition will continue on and on.

a said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
a said...

Like many, I tend to always watch "A Christmas Story" because it constantly runs on TBS. It is a classic, so it always makes one feel good and more eager for the holidays. I also love watching the football game on Thanksgiving. My family generally watches the midnight mass service that is held on Christmas eve. Besides these programs, I generally don't deal too much with television and media during the holidays. I try to focus more on the family.

We don't really have any specific traditions like sitting as a family watching these programs. However, it is always fun to catch the Grinch on TBS and cook some cookies. Just talking about it has me ready for the break.

Michael Jared Koon

Wesley said...

My family enjoys the Macy day parade. This was a tradition from my grandfather who loved to see the floats. This extends to my aunts and uncles also not just my immediate family. They all try and watch the parade because of my grandfather enjoying it so much. My immediate family always tries to watch a White Christmas with Bing Crosby. This was the first Christmas show my parents watched together after thy were married so its very special to my immediate family.
As soon as the holiday times start the family networks have days of special Christmas shows. Pick one and we sit down together and watch it. Many are love stories some are comedies. Either way my family enjoys spending this time together watching them.

Unknown said...

I like the movies more so than the shows. Miracle on 34th Street (the B & W version), It's a Wonderful Life (my favorite), and others like this. One new movie that USA has put out is the 12 Days of Christmas Eve, I have also found enjoyable. As far as shows growing up it was A Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, A Disney Christmas Carol, The Flintstones Christmas Carol, and other classics like these. I still enjoy watching these shows now. As far as getting my kids to watch them no such luck.

Sherry Osborn said...

Crystal...I will have to watch 'A Garfield Christmas.' I haven't seen that one, but I like Garfield so I'm sure that I will like it.

I kind of started a tradition myself. Every year around Christmas time I always rent National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and me and my family watch it. It is so funny! If ya' haven't seen it, you need to watch it. It has Chevy Chase in it.

Also every year we always to go to the movies to see the newest Christmas movie out. We're going this week to see 'A Christmas Carol.' Of course this is a different version.

It seems to get a little harder each year for everyone to get together because of relatives being split in so many different places.

I absolutely love Thanksgiving...'coz of the food of course! I love Christmas also, but I think that a lot of people have forgotten what it's really all about....Jesus Christ. We all have so much to be thankful for!

Sherry Osborn

Dianna and Joe Davis said...

My family has several media-related Holiday traditions.
Every Thanksgiving we go to my aunt and uncle's house in Tuscaloosa to be with my dad;s side of the family. We always stay the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, so on Thursday morning we all get up and watch the Macy's Day Parade. There are 10 children my age and younger between the three families so after Thanksgiving Dinner is over, the kids always go to the theatre and watch whatever Christmas related film is out. We started this tradition when all the adults would want to watch the Egg Bowl and we were too young to care about football, but now, since the game isn't on Thanksgiving anymore, we still head to the theatre for some holiday entertainment.
Also, every Christmas there are two movies my immediate family must watch. Usually the day when school got out for Christmas or the day after my parents and us four kids would make Christmas cookies and watch "A Christmas Story." Then, on Christmas Eve night we eat a big Christmas Eve dinner followed by the watching of "IT's A Wonderful Life" and the opening of a single present.

When I think of Christmas time these are always the movies and expereinces that immediately come to mind.
-Dianna Majors

gina said...

Like Crystal, Michael, and many others, my family and I always watch 'A Christmas Story' at least once during the holidays. Since it is on for 24 hours on TBS we usually watch it more than once. It was my dad's favorite Christmas movie, so he got us hooked on it. We also watch 'How the Grinch Stole Christmas' when it comes on tv too.

And of course..football is always on during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Im not complaining because I too like to watch football, but we really dont have a choice when dad takes control of the tv.

Unknown said...

My mother and I always go to Jamaica to see the family over Thanksgiving break and then we travel on Christmas. So as weird as it sounds our tradition is a vacation. We always switch it up every year. For exanmple, last year we went somewhere cold so this year we will go somewhere tropical. It's just me and her bc all of our other family is back in Jamaica so it's more fun for us to travel than do the traditional Christmas.

sterry said...

The holiday season is a fun time of the year for my family and I. During the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, everything seems to follow the same pattern each year. When we first get together its always a happy occasion so it only gets better from there when its time to EAT! But during dinner the men usually go back and forth between the dinner table and the television checking the football scores. Then we will all settle down and play a game together which usually ends in somebody being a sore loser but all in good fun.

Now when it comes time to watch our favorite shows, my sister and I like to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving parade. But I would say the show that my family likes to watch every year is "A Christmas Story". It runs on TBS all day when it gets close to Christmas and I always like to flip between that and all the other Christmas movie specials running on television. All in all the holidays can change but the traditions never really do!

David Camp said...

My family doesn’t really have any traditions on watching TV. We usually get together and just eat all day and play games. We use to watch the egg bowl but since that doesn’t happen on Thanksgiving Day any more we just watch whatever football game is on. It is hard to have traditions on the actual holidays because my sisters and mom are nurses so they may have to work.

In years past we have probably seen all the holiday movies, but have never made a tradition out of watching any of them. Some of my favorites are “It’s a Wonderful Life”,“Miracle on 34th Street” and both of the Santa Clause movies with Tim Allen.

David Camp

KamrynsMom said...

I would say that I would have to agree with Crystal; while my family does not have much time for everyone to all sit down at one time and everyone watch a movie around this time of the year; I do too like the movie A Christmas Story. While I do love the original, I kinda do wish they would make an updated version, but sometimes when you bother a classic it messes up the movie all together; basically I love to watch this movie around this time of the year. I guess I love to watch this movie because it has been a favorite of mine for a long time; since I was a kid; I guess tradition for me could be a fair answer.

A tv station that I love to watch during the holidays is the abc channel; there is always many different great movies coming on this station. They play movies down till the 25th day (Christmas). They are movies that express the true meanings of Christmas; while also having the ability to keep the viewers glued to their seats watching, and basically tuning in to watch every movie scheduled to come on the station. Its just something about ABC; lol.

Nateisha Marchbanks

Mark said...

I don't have any traditions. My son is 2 1/2 so I hope that we can share some of the classics with him. Rudolph, Frosty, the grinch etc. I also love A Christmas Story and am sure that I will watch that at some point this season.
My wife loves Christmas music so I am sure we will as always listen to days on end of Christmas music on the radio.
Honestly though as far as new shows go I have not seen one that compares to the classics.
Mark Stephenson

Anonymous said...

I can remember watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade as a child. I loved the bands. My mom and dad were both in marching band in high school, however my small school did not have a band. I would watch and marvel at getting to learn a musical instrument at school. They were so lucky! Also, the balloons and dancers kept me glued to the tv. I think my favorite Christmas shows had to be Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
Once I was grown, I loved watching A Christmas Story. Even today, I can't pass up an opportunity to say, "You'll shoot your eye out, kid!"or "Fra-gee-lay! Must be Italian!" It's just a funny movie that makes you want to sit by a fire and drink hot cocoa.
--Alana Bowman

Mary said...

When I was a kid we always watch the Christmas shows. The shows were Rudolph the red-nose reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and Santa Claus is coming to town. I have a son now and we watch those same movies every year. When they come on TV we watch them. We watch them even when not on TV because have the DVD’s of them.
Mary Thomas

jdg158 said...

For Thanksgiving each year my family celebrates at my house. We usually wake up in the morning and watch Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and then enjoy the traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner. Also one of the family traditions for the men in the family is to go hunting together every Thanksgiving morning and then go back to the house for a large lunch and watch football in the afternoon.
For Christmas my family goes to my grandmothers house in Louisiana. My family is pretty large so at any given time there is usually 20 to 25 people in and out of my grandmothers house. We share food and drinks and tell stories of past Christmas's. I really enjoy the holiday's it is a time to relax and share good times with family and friends.