Christmas recsWelcome to Eliot West's interactive Christmas story recommendation extravaganza!
{embed Unsplash image: 'https://unsplash.com/photos/turned-on-string-lights-lHu6SF2Uar0'}
First, do you want to [[read]] or [[watch]] your story?Do you want a [[romance]] or [[something else]]?Are we talking like a Christmasy Christmas movie *about Christmas* with bells on, or something that's a little more chill about the whole Santa/holiday situation (Christmas-season-as-setting)?
[[Christmas it up!]]
[[Calm down, just something set around December.]][[Novel]] or [[novella]]?Would you like to check out some [[picture books]] or a [[novel]] that's kind of on the other end of the spectrum from those?Hijinks abound! Weirdly, this describes TWO of the Christmas movies I love, so ... do you want the fun girl who has no idea how to take care of a baby to be [[Ginger Rogers]] or [[Barbara Stanwyck]]?Enjoy <a href="https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/2737/the-thin-man#overview" target="_blank">The Thin Man</a>, a 1934 (pre-code) film full of sparkling dialogue and the absolutely adorable Myrna Loy!
[[next]]What sounds good today, [[a Victorian-inspired, kid-friendly Christmas romp]] or
[[a contemporary Christmas romance]]?May I offer you ...
[[a worryingly booze-fueled office Christmas party, sparkling dialogue, and romance]]?
[[a rom-com featuring a woman everybody thinks has a baby (but she doesn't)]]?
[[murder most foul]]?Enjoy <a href="https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/1088/bachelor-mother#overview" target="_blank">Bachelor Mother</a> (1939)!
[[next]]Enjoy <a href="https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/611/christmas-in-connecticut#overview" target="_blank">Christmas in Connecticut</a> (1945)!
[[next]]Ooh, exciting. Are you feeling more [[super-competent-librarian]] or [[getting-over-a-horrible-man]]?Enjoy Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy's 1957 <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050307/" target="_blank">Desk Set</a>, which is a freaking delight.
[[next]]Enjoy Jack Lemmon and Shirley Maclaine's <a href="https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/16634/the-apartment#overview" target="_blank">The Apartment</a>! It has some dark bits but a happy ending, I promise.
[[next]]Would you prefer [[gorgeous costuming and compelling songs]] or a [[hilarious and heart-filled retelling]]?One more decision to make:
- [[a classic Christmas rom-com but make it gay]]
- [[solidly middle-aged protagonists in a super tropey small town romance]]
- [[celebrity + single parent]]
- [[one of the characters is literally Santa]]
?Enjoy <a href="https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/jingle-jangle-a-christmas-journey-movie-review-2020" target="_blank">Jingle Jangle</a>, in all its Black steampunk musical glory! An actual good thing that came out of 2020 ... that's a Christmas miracle, right?
[[next]]Enjoy the classic 1992 adaptation of the 1843 Dickens novella, <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104940/" target="_blank">The Muppet Christmas Carol</a>! What even was the point of the novella without Rizzo the Rat, I begin to wonder.
[[next]]Enjoy 2021's <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81026181" target="_blank">A Castle for Christmas</a>, featuring Brooke Shields and that guy who played Westley in The Princess Bride!
Is this a cinematic materpiece? No. Is it an enjoyable way to spend a little time around the stressful holiday season? I think so. Is there a completely inexplicable cameo by two side characters from <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80242926" target="_blank">The Princess Switch</a> that's deeply confusing from a plot point of view? Absolutely!
[[next]]Enjoy 2021's genuinely charming and earnestly Christmasy <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81148358" target="_blank">Single All the Way</a>!
[[next]]Enjoy 2022's <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81304917" target="_blank">Christmas with You</a>! Look: this is not the most original movie ever made, but it's sweet and fun and a solid option when you just want to watch something cozy and nice.
[[next]]Enjoy 2023's <a href="https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/catch-me-if-you-claus" target="_blank">Catch Me If You Claus</a>! This movie is so much better than it had to be; I credit <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81148358" target="_blank">Single All the Way</a>'s Luke Macfarlane for committing with charming emotional seriousness to the role of Santa Claus's son.
[[next]]Here are some wonderful Christmasy picture books to enjoy:
- <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-christmas-magic-lauren-thompson/7819172?ean=9780439774970" target="_blank">The Christmas Magic</a>
(Lauren Thompson & Jon J. Muth)
- <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12369737-a-christmas-tree-for-pyn" target="_blank">A Christmas Tree for Pyn</a> (Olivier Dunrea)
- <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531794-just-right-for-christmas" target="_blank">Just Right for Christmas</a> (Birdie Black & Rosalind Beardshaw)
- "The Secret Staircase" (Jill Barklem), in the intricately illustrated and just generally wonderful <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-complete-brambly-hedge-jill-barklem/10734886" target="_blank">The Complete Brambly Hedge</a>, which incidentally would make a great Christmas gift
[[next]]Enjoy Terry Pratchett's <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/hogfather-terry-pratchett/6432864" target="_blank">Hogfather</a>, arguably the best Christmas (er, well, Hogswatch) book of all time. Fantasy! Snark! Emotions! Adventure!
[[Historical]] or [[contemporary]]?Are you feeling more like [[light and frothy and there's a falcon]] or [[significant trauma to overcome but in a super sweet story]]?Awesome! And which of these sounds best today?
- [[less Christmas, more solstice, please (also magic, and queer)]]
- [[super tropey Asian Canadian rom-com]]
- [[look, I just hope the toys Santa is delivering are sex toys, okay??]]Enjoy Cecilia Grant's <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23303983-a-christmas-gone-perfectly-wrong" target="_blank">A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong</a>!
[[next]]Enjoy Courtney Milan's <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/a-kiss-for-midwinter-courtney-milan/18285607" target="_blank">A Kiss for Midwinter</a>!
[[next]]Enjoy R. Cooper's <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36953808-holly-and-oak" target="_blank">Holly and Oak</a>!
[[next]]Enjoy Jackie Lau's <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/holidays-with-the-wongs-the-complete-series-jackie-lau/15689966" target="_blank">Holidays with the Wongs</a> series (four novellas spanning holidays from Thanksgiving to Valentine's Day)! You can get them separately or as a set.
[[next]]Well, do I have just the book for you! Enjoy Adriana Herrera's <a href="https://adrianaherreraromance.com/her-night-with-santa/" target="_blank">Her Night With Santa</a>. As the tagline promises, "This year Santa’s riding more than just her sleigh…"
[[next]]Enjoy Helena Greer's <a href="https://bookshop.org/p/books/season-of-love-helena-greer/18261832" target="_blank">Season of Love</a>! Queer Jewish main characters on a Christmas tree farm, deep family wounds, loads of wintery delight.
[[next]]Thank you for playing! Please share this little resource with a friend, or {link to: 'So you want a Christmas story ...', label: 'start again to take a different path'}.
If you try any of these books or movies and enjoy them -- or have a recommendation for me -- <a href="https://www.eliotwesteditorial.com/contact.html" target="_blank">I would love to hear about it</a>!
Happy holidays :)
[after 2 seconds]
-
<a href="https://eliotwesteditorial.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c065cc93920a2bedf05a32ffc&id=0a57bebc9d" target="_blank">Sign up for my quarterly newsletter</a>
Learn about <a href="https://www.eliotwesteditorial.com/services.html" target="_blank">my editing services</a>
Find me on <a href="https://romancelandia.club/@eliotedits" target="_blank">Mastodon</a> or <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/eliotedits.bsky.social" target="_blank">Bluesky</a>
