Written be Ananya Athaiya
Edited by Ananya Athaiya
Illustrated by Shravan Bakkiyaraj
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As Christmas flurries in every year with wreaths, hollies, and mistletoes, so does Netflix replenish its catalogue of feel-good holiday-centric movies full of Christmas miracles and magical spells. Continuing the legacy of the Hallmark seasonal Holiday tale, Netflix has now taken up the mantle of holiday cheer in the world of OTT (over-the-top) streaming and domination. Iconic franchises like The Christmas Prince and The Princess Switch series have become audience favourites in the past few years. But why do these movies capture our hearts? More importantly, is there anything actually about them that begets the Christmas spirit? Let us break it down.
The essential components of a Holiday flick comprise the following- an independent, career-driven female lead living in a big city, detached from life and festivities, her comedic-relief yet supportive best friend and her male lead with the personality of a cardboard box. This formula may be revised at times, with the best friend swapped for a gay best friend, or even a child or an ailing parent, but the core of the story follows the woe-begotten female lead as she rediscovers her childhood innocence and wonder, falling for the male lead who pushes her to embrace the holiday spirits. In the end, they all live happily ever after as snow covers the landscape, and a reassuring voice narrates a message of hope to the audience. The movie is a perfect combination of comedy, romance and drama, with a sprinkle of White Christian benevolence.
However, the facsimile crumbles when probed any further than this surface-level analysis. The workaholic female lead becomes a poster child of the late capitalist hellscape. Her existence is realised by her lack of familial or platonic bonds that can sustain her emotional well-being. Instead, her worth is embedded in the liberal capitalist structures of the workplace and social status. She is a liberated woman, representing the post-feminist school of fourth-wave feminism. She faces no gender-based harassment as her labour is counted as equally valuable for the company. In this modern Christmas story- the female lead takes on the mantle of the male hero of the 20th century. She is successful and good at her job but lacks personal bonds. Christmas, a time characterised by private celebrations, is incomprehensible to the pragmatic and jaded protagonist who has been programmed to be effective, not to be emotional.
The male lead of such a movie becomes the gentle guiding spirit that rekindles the female lead’s sense of wonder and joy. Often from a small town, the male lead is rooted in humble beginnings that value human relationships over profit. He is initially critical of the female lead’s cynicism before ultimately coming around to her as they develop feelings for each other. He is the ying to her yang, the joy to her despair and the hope to her pessimism. The male lead is a stand-in for the spirit of Christmas as the female protagonist falls in love with the holiday. As the snowflakes fade into the background, it seems that the audience is being told to be cautious of the soul-sucking corporate life and made to reflect on their own situation as cogs in the machinery of capitalism. However, these films often end up justifying the grind- the female lead is seen as deserving of love only because she toils away at her job. Her professional prowess is a necessary step to her happiness. Even as she throws away her corporate life at the end of the movie, she is backed by her future career prospects- a small business, a new learning opportunity or something else along the same lines. Over the course of the film, she is moulded into the perfect partner- her unappealing edges sanded down by the Christmas spirit.
The Christmas spirit, on the other hand, is rarely to be found. More often than not, holiday flicks only refer to the charitable actions of the characters in passing. An orphanage is visited, and shelters are inaugurated, but rarely do we see the characters properly engage in acts of giving. The focus is not on exploring the nuances of charity in our contemporary world- rather, altruism becomes a lingering afterthought, a superficial element to appease the masses. The Christmas movie deviates entirely from the core idea of Christmas and rather highlights the perils faced by an individual during the month of December. It is the most insufferable parts of a romantic comedy merged with the worst parts of a romantic drama and stuffed into a peppermint stocking. It represents the hyper-individualistic stance of the movie industry and capitalist society at large, which places the interests of the individual above the needs of the community- there is no need to promote altruistic activities if all your problems can be solved with a Christmas miracle and a boyfriend. The art of giving is not relevant to the protagonist, who showcases a blanket concern for the less privileged but is swept away by her May-December ardour.
Christmas movies are meant to be fun, light-hearted family entertainment. Nonetheless, it is important to consider why Christmas should be light-hearted in the first place- does the celebration of a holiday negate the consideration of those it promulgates to help? Or does the thought of suffering and pain diminish the potential for Christmas to be a marketable campaign for companies and businesses? By paying lip service to charity, Christmas flicks assuage our selfish desires to be rewarded for our perceived suffering throughout the year. These desires are realised as romantic fulfilment guided by the hands of a liberal capitalist society. Therefore, the next time you see Vanessa Hudgens act as Vanessa Hudgens in a Christmas movie produced by Vanessa Hudgens, spare a thought as to whether the movie is really about Christmas or is it ultimately only about Vanessa Hudgens.
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