Movies in Advent ~ White Christmas
We watched White Christmas last night, and today I am wondering just what it is that makes this film so enduringly endearing.
In a word, “Values.”
Yes, it’s nostalgic, simplistic, dated, and corny. The romantic angle is implausible. The plot concerns Christmas only in that it takes place over the holiday season. It doesn’t even endorse our culture’s obsession with consumerism and Rockwellian family gatherings. But it does remind us that those who have endured and survived genuine hardship most often have the best sense of perspective.
Because the main character of the film is not any one person. It is the relationship forged in the forced community of an army at war. These folks have been tried in the fires of world-threatening conflict, and the experience has taught them the value of friendship,loyalty,and respect.
So when a group of hoofers and grunts give up the comforts of a fireside Christmas Eve to say “thank you”, we understand. Maybe we even get a bit teary.
Unlike the fear-based, comfort-driven and often selfish motives of modern life, “White Christmas” celebrates real human values. We need that more than ever.
All Good Gifts 
This film is on my all-time-favorites, and I, too, was mad for Danny Kaye. My parents and I saw White Christmas when it was first released, at Christmastime. So many memories.
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