"White Christmas" is, undoubtedly, my favorite Christmas movie. It's the one with Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen. They end up, the four of them, doing a show at a ski lodge in Vermont. The owner of the lodge, who is a former general of the guys, gets to see all his past soldiers perform. And, it ends up snowing on Christmas Eve. I like the dancing, the singing, the fun acting ... even the sappy pairing off of the two couples at the end. (I hope I haven't ruined it for you.)
One of my secret leisure activities during this season is to watch some of those sentimental movies that are shown on television. They usually involve a heartbroken woman, or man, sometimes a kid, and an unlikely romance then happens. It might be centered around a ranch, a busy city job, or a small town. But the ending is almost always the same - the two people fall in love, and Christmas is made that much sweeter because of it.
Christmas, and the surrounding holiday season, can be a magical time. A time when things happen that might not normally happen, good or bad. It can also be a hard time for many people, bringing back memories of things that occurred during this season in years past. It's a time when family seems to be more important than usual, when friends become dear, and when we think of those people who we haven't given a thought to in a long time.
Those feelings - those warm, tender moments - are ones that should be savored, experienced, held onto and then kept in our hearts all the time. Don't let them go! Hang onto them. Just like the love and caring in Christmas movies, it doesn't have to happen just one time a year.
Our Christmas spirit is one that we can carry with us all year long.
Jeanne Archambeault
Mancos Times editor
