lashings of snow and sleigh ride shenanigans

‘Last Christmas’ follows the adventures of the Twelfth Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and his companion Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) at the North Pole, where they discover a crew of besieged scientists and Santa (though the doctor is not so sure.) This Christmas special exhibits the usual British idiosyncrasies of this much loved and long running sci-fi show. There is humour aplenty, provided by the playful banter between a surprisingly sassy Santa (Nick Frost) and our delightfully grumpy doctor. Moreover, lashings of snow and sleigh ride shenanigans suitably meet the expectations of the titular reference to George Michael’s campy Christmas anthem. ‘Last Christmas’ also offers scares aplenty, with untrustworthy memories threatening a Russian doll reality – where identity and truth blur into fiction. But what really makes this episode a yearly rewatch for me is its emotional landscape. The audience comes face to face with unresolved grief and how the festive season can resurrect old wounds, caused by the loss or absence of those we wish we could hold close in a pine tree scented embrace. The episode reminds us to hold each other close and appreciate every moment because (as Danny Pink tells us) “every Christmas is last Christmas” –  in this world we can take nothing for granted. Fear not though, the episode still ends up on a high note with family reunions and a lesson of hope for the future through the bonds of friendship and trust. And nothing is more festive than the candlelight of cautious optimism flickering defiantly against the night.

the perfect mix of hilarity and heartwarming moments

I summon all Gleeks – it’s a safe space here. Nothing says Christmas spirit quite like Glee…right? Watching Glee‘s Christmas episodes has become a tradition for me, and this very first seasonal episode happens to be my favourite. Though it’s a Christmas special, it carries on directly from the previous episode, keeping all the ridiculous humour, dramatic storylines, and charm that make Glee so lovable. The episode opens with the New Directions (AKA the glee club) planning to help homeless people during the holiday season. Their plan? Raise money by singing Christmas songs around the school. Unfortunately (and unsurprisingly), their efforts fail to inspire donations – this is the New Directions, after all. They’re lucky no one threw slushies at them! As always, the episode is packed with musical numbers, but this time it’s full of Christmas songs. And of course, Glee wouldn’t be Glee without its quirky twists: Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) cosplaying as The Grinch, Brittany (Heather Morris) still believing in Santa Claus, and her heartfelt (maybe naïve) wish for a mall Santa to help Artie (Kevin McHale) walk again. Add in the girls of the New Directions desperately trying to sell their hair to raise money for charity, and you’ve got the perfect mix of hilarity and heartwarming moments. And that’s what you missed on Glee!

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It’s Behind You! – Ghosts 

By Francesca Seabrook

 

It perfectly replicates the quintessential British culture of going to a badly acted pantomime and loving every second of it

If you’re looking for a genuinely heartwarming Christmas special, which will still make you laugh out loud, then BBC’s Ghosts’ third Christmas special ‘It’s Behind You!’ is perfect. The episode opens with Alison (Charlotte Ritchie), a living person who can see ghosts, leaving out gifts for Christmas morning. Pat (Jim Howick), an overenthusiastic scout leader, becomes the focus of the episode as he receives old home footage of his last Christmas at home. This leads to him worrying all his family ever did was make fun of his Christmas traditions, but the episode concludes with another home video of his family continuing them the year after he died. However, my absolute favourite part of the episode is the ghosts’ decision to put on a pantomime of Cinderella for Alison. It perfectly replicates the quintessential British culture of going to a badly acted pantomime and loving every second of it. The ensemble cast of distinctive characters provides the perfect frame work to cast all the roles we expect. Seeing the characters we love throwing themselves entirely into the panto, even if it’s not their usual cup of tea, is one of the highlights of the entire show.

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Warsaw by night is coldly lit, the only pockets of warm light coming from closed windows

Set between Midnight Mass and the early hours of Christmas morning, the third of ten television films by Krzysztof Kieślowski never leaves the fringes of the festive period. Its characters exist on the periphery: a recurring visual is a lone Christmas tree, tiny in the frame in all the spaces that exist only to be passed through on a night most people spend with their families. Our protagonists, a woman and a one-time affair partner (their reunion much to his chagrin), are trapped in these empty, liminal environments. Dekalog is often described as a series of moral dilemmas but to overemphasise this is to ignore the humans at their centre. Warsaw by night is coldly lit, the only pockets of warm light coming from closed windows Kieślowski’s characters are never allowed to live behind. We are kept in all the sterile places: train stations, hospitals, road tunnels. Every structure is absent—including, for Ewa (Maria Pakulnis), her family—and as her car begins speeding up over black ice it feels impossible to imagine what earthly escape from such a situation would look like. Ultimately, she only seeks companionship—it is hard to imagine a more universal theme at Christmas.

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