We love a bit of Christmas here at GAMINGbible HQ. And one of the absolute best things about this time of year is settling down on the sofa with a good festive movie and more chocolate than you can reasonably eat.
Maybe you like to get all misty eyed to It’s A Wonderful Life, or prefer to sing along to The Muppet Christmas Carol. Perhaps you’re one of those people that still thinks arguing over whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie is an interesting thing to do? Spoiler: it is, we’ve all agreed. You can stop going on about it now.
My point is that we all have our own essential Christmas movies: those classic films that get put on every year, without fail. But what defines a Christmas movie? Is it snow? Presents? A jolly man with a beard? A heartfelt lesson about family and friendship? A cute girl heading back to her hometown to fall in love with the local baker and save the family business?
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Dear reader, I would argue that by all of these metrics and more (except for maybe that last one I mentioned), The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring is absolutely a Christmas movie.
Let’s examine the facts. Peter Jackon’s first Lord Of The Rings movie released on 10 December. That’s a pretty Christmassy time, my guys. It also means that the beloved movie (as well as its sequels) will forever be linked with the Holiday season in the minds of fans everywhere. I know as soon as I see my first Christmas lights I get a hankering to head back to the Shire. Okay, so there’s nothing in the movie itself that would suggest Yuletide fun at first glance, but if we go digging there’s a treasure trove of festive fun to be found.
Fellowship literally kicks off with a jolly bearded fellow showing up to surprise and delight his little mates. There’s also plenty of snow, and elves that make and deliver presents. Heck, the scene where the Fellowship receive their gifts from Galadriel might as well have a Christmas tree in the background. Then there’s Sauron himself, who can pretty much keep an eye on everything that’s happening in Middle-Earth. In other words, he sees you when you’re sleeping, and he knows when you’re awake.
One message that Christmas movies really love to spread is that the season is about more than gifts: it’s about friends, love, and looking out for one another. The entire premise of Fellowship - and the entire trilogy - is based upon a group of friends working together to reject the ultimate power in material form (the One Ring) in service of the greater good. That’d make Santa proud, if you ask me. And, you know, you could also read the plot of the movie as one man working really hard to return an unwanted gift, which is also pretty in line with the season.
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Still not convinced? Well, I’ve saved the best piece of evidence for last. My friends, Frodo and the Fellowship leave Rivendell on December 25. Christmas day! That’s right: Fellowship Of The Ring quite literally takes place on Christmas. While this isn’t actually mentioned in the movie, it’s confirmed in the appendix of The Lord Of The Rings (and subsequently documented on every in-universe timeline) that December 25 is the day the Fellowship embark on their quest. If Die Hard is a Christmas movie by this logic then you bet your ass Fellowship is too.
And you know what else makes it better than every other Christmas movie? You don’t just have to watch it at Christmas. Reach for your extended cut of Fellowship on a warm Summer’s eve and you’ll be hailed as a visionary. Try to whip on Elf mid-August and you’ll be chased out of the house with sharp sticks. Not only is Fellowship a Christmas movie, it’s the best Christmas movie. I rest my case.
Featured Image Credit: New Line CinemaTopics: The Lord Of The Rings, TV And Film