'Tis the Season: The Holidays on Screen

Filmmakers, actors and journalists comment on Christmas movies, Christmas television specials, including variety specials, and Christmas episodes of series television. In addition to commenting on specific projects, what makes them so special or memorable, and why audiences, Christian or not, clamor to watch Christmas fare in general, they talk about common themes that pervade them, such as nostalgia, the so-called "Christmas spirit" and losing then rediscovering it, redemption, the magical or fantastical elements, and the aspect of family, biological or other. They also talk about: specific other elements that may not be inherent in such fare, such as love, or sadness and loneliness; the portrayal of Santa Claus; the various versions of what is arguably the most filmed Christmas story, namely Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol"; the relatively small number of film projects dedicated to other seasonal holidays around the same time, such as Hanukkah or Kwanzaa; the specific nature of episodic television; and the difference between a "Christmas" movie and a "Christmas adjacent" movie, which brings up one of the most debated issues on the topic: is Die Hard (1988) a Christmas movie or not?