Christmas by medium facts for kids
Christmas themes have always been a big source of ideas for artists and writers. Filmmakers have used these ideas to create many movies, TV specials, and radio shows. They've made new stories and adapted classic books.
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Christmas Movies: Stories on the Big Screen
Many Christmas stories have been turned into movies and TV specials. These are often shown again and again on TV, especially during the holidays. Since the 1980s, when home videos became popular, these films are sold every year for holiday shopping.
Some famous examples include different versions of the ballet The Nutcracker and the 1946 movie It's a Wonderful Life. Another popular story is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. In this story, an old, grumpy man named Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by ghosts who teach him to be a better person.
Sometimes, movies based on true stories become Christmas specials. For example, the stories behind the Christmas song "Silent Night" and the famous letter "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus" have both been made into films.
Movies for the Holiday Season
Some family movies that don't have much to do with Christmas are still shown during the holiday season. This is often because they have special effects or uplifting messages. For example, The Wizard of Oz was often shown around Christmas between 1959 and 1962. Other movies you might see include Singin' in the Rain, Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, and many Disney, DreamWorks, and Pixar animated films.
The Harry Potter movies are also often shown, even though they only have a few Christmas scenes. The action movie Die Hard takes place on Christmas, so some people consider it a Christmas film, and it's often watched during the season. However, people debate if it's truly a "Christmas movie" because its story isn't about the holiday itself. Other films like this include Iron Man 3 and Batman Returns.
Christmas Movies Around the World
In the United Kingdom, TV channels like ITV often show James Bond or Harry Potter films during the Christmas holidays. The BBC might show Chronicles of Narnia movies. Also, Channel 5 often shows American and Canadian made-for-TV Christmas movies in the weeks before Christmas.
In North America, the holiday season is a big time for movie studios to release their most important films. This helps them attract holiday crowds and get attention for Oscar nominations. It's the second busiest time of year for the movie industry, after summer. Some movies even open on Christmas Day itself! Christmas-themed movies usually come out by Thanksgiving because their themes are less popular after the season ends.
The Hallmark Channel in the United States is famous for its Christmas-themed movies. These films often feature a character who has "lost the Christmas spirit" and finds it again through "Christmas magic," often involving a new romance. Another common theme is a character who leaves a small town for a big city but then returns to find that the small town is where they truly belong. These movies are often filmed in places with snow, like British Columbia, Canada.
As of 2020, The Grinch is the movie that has earned the most money at the box office during Christmas. Green Book was the last movie with a Christmas setting to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Christmas on TV: Specials and Episodes
Before 1962, most TV Christmas specials were live-action versions of stories like A Christmas Carol or the Nativity story. They were also often variety shows with Christmas music, hosted by famous people. This changed when animated specials like Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol became popular.
One special TV show often seen at Christmas was Amahl and the Night Visitors, which was the first opera made especially for television. It told the story of a disabled boy who is miraculously cured after offering his crutch as a gift to the Three Wise Men.
Christmas TV in the United Kingdom
Many TV shows in the United Kingdom have special Christmas episodes. These include popular shows like Doctor Who, Top Gear, and Downton Abbey.
The animated story The Snowman from 1982 has been shown every Christmas for many years. A newer story by the same artist, Father Christmas, is also usually broadcast around the same time.
TV adaptations of Charles Dickens' novels are also common around Christmas. A Christmas Carol is the most popular because it's set at Christmas and has a strong message. Other Dickens stories like Bleak House and Great Expectations are also often shown. These adaptations usually feature many famous actors.
On Christmas Day, Midnight Mass is shown on the BBC. Also, Queen Elizabeth II used to give a 10-minute speech at 3 p.m., sharing her thoughts on the past year. Many long-running British soap operas have dramatic Christmas specials, often with big events like a death or a divorce.
Most Christmas specials in the UK are made separately from the regular TV season and are often longer than normal episodes. For example, a Doctor Who Christmas special might be 71 minutes instead of the usual 45 minutes.
Some channels try "alternative" or "anti-Christmas" ideas. Channel 4 has shown an Alternative Christmas message since 1993. Some music channels even rename themselves for the season, like "Blissmas" or "Christmas Hits TV."
Christmas TV in the United States
In the United States, many TV series, especially family-friendly ones, have Christmas episodes. Stand-alone Christmas specials are also popular, from new animated shorts to repeats of old favorites like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Some local TV channels show the Yule Log, which is footage of a fireplace with Christmas music playing. On Christmas Day, ABC shows a Christmas parade from Walt Disney World Resort. ABC and its sister channel ESPN also broadcast NBA basketball games featuring top teams. NBC airs an ice skating special.
Christmas specials based on classical music are also popular. Besides Amahl and the Night Visitors, many TV channels show the ballet The Nutcracker. There are also concert specials featuring groups like the Boston Pops and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Christmas on the Radio: Music and Shows
Many radio stations start playing Christmas music in late November. Some switch to all-Christmas programming for December 25, and sometimes for December 24 as well. A few stations play Christmas music for the entire season, starting as early as mid-November. They hope that listeners who enjoy the Christmas music will keep listening after the holidays.
Radio stations also play traditional classical Christmas music, like the "Hallelujah" chorus from Handel's Messiah, Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker, and Johann Sebastian Bach's "Christmas Oratorio". Some stations play Christmas music all day on Christmas Day without commercials, only stopping for Christmas messages. Often, the first song played on an "all-Christmas" station is It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.
In the UK music industry, there's a big competition to get the Christmas No. 1 song. This is announced on the first Sunday before, or on, Christmas Day. Many of these songs are festive, while others are fun, silly songs. Gospel singer Cliff Richard often has songs on the Christmas charts. In recent years, the winner of The X Factor often gets the Christmas No. 1 spot.
Just like on TV, British radio shows also have Christmas specials, especially comedy shows like I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue.
Some music channels, like Music Choice, start playing Christmas music even earlier, sometimes in early November.
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